Intimate Leaders Love Like Jesus
Issue #407, September 17, 2025 Most leaders say that their people are valuable. But serving leaders actually love like Jesus. An intimate relationship with Jesus becomes the foundation of the way they treat their teams, make decisions and build culture. Jesus talked about this dynamic love relationship: 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have […]
#351 Timothy: Paying the Price of Leadership
June 14, 2023 Timothy was hungry to learn but he also recognized that growth in leadership comes at a cost. He was willing to pay the price that was required to shape him into the strong leader that he would become. Consider these scriptures about his life: Paul wanted to take him along on the […]
#342 Paul’s Leadership Pipeline: Prepare Them
January 25, 2023 Paul chose Timothy to be a traveling companion and future leader. But even before they left Lystra Paul recognized that some preparation needed to be done before Timothy was ready to travel with the team. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the […]
#329 Barnabas: Serving with Generosity
July 20, 2022 The first recorded action of Barnabas was one of extreme generosity. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet (Acts 4:36-37, NIV). Barnabas sold a field he owned and […]
#318 Serving leaders ask those who follow: “What are you doing to finish well?”
February 16, 2022 Serving leaders reflect on how they will finish to keep their own focus on the right areas. But they quickly turn to serve those they lead by also encouraging them to think about finishing well. Although leaders are often further along in their own life journey than those they lead, they consider […]
David and Absalom: Relationships
Leadership is all about relationships and the way we relate to those we lead. There is no leadership without relationships. But how relationships are viewed and developed varies greatly. In this reflection on the contrast between David and his son Absalom, we will examine their relationship with their followers. Both David and Absalom had relationships […]
David: Leading with an Act of Kindness
Issue #144, December 10, 2014 Kings are usually known for their acts of bravery and courage, the pomp and splendor of their wealth, and their use or abuse of their absolute authority. But the story of David’s relationship with Mephibosheth paints an amazing story of a king leading with kindness. The account in 2 Samuel […]
David: Choosing Friends
Issue #136, August 20, 2014 We have already recognized David’s skill as a shepherd, his heart as a faithful worshipper and his clarity of purpose in life. Yet, as an emerging leader David was alone. His family didn’t believe in him and only Samuel seemed to have a sense of what God was preparing to […]
David: Developing the Heart of a Shepherd
Issue #131, June 11, 2014 From looking after sheep to leading a nation, David has one of the most comprehensive biographies recorded in scripture. David is known as a man after God’s own heart (see Acts 13:22) and there are many lessons servant leaders can learn from the story of his life and leadership. In […]
Moses: Face Down Leadership
Issue #58, June 15, 2011 Servant leaders recognize that they stand in the gap between God and those they lead. In the last issue we observed that Moses led by being in God’s presence. A significant part of his time in God’s presence was spent on his face interceding on behalf of the people. The […]