The Leader and Emotion: Jesus
I begin this series with a personal confession. At the age of 55, after many years of leading and teaching on leadership, I am beginning to realize that I have often not been aware of my own emotions. In fact, I’ve tried hard to keep my emotions from impacting my leadership. I allowed myself to […]
A Sense of Timing: A Time to Shut Up
Issue #196, December 14, 2016 Leaders talk! But servant leaders acknowledge that there is a time to talk and a time to be silent. In the last issue we examined when it is time for a leader to speak up. Now, we’ll consider when it is time to shut up! Servant leaders know it’s time […]
A Couple of Servant Leaders: Mary and Joseph
Issue #170, December 9, 2015 As we enter the Christmas season let’s look at one of the most influential couples in history, Mary and Joseph. Both were great servant leaders and as a couple they were powerfully used of God to shape our world. In this issue, we’ll look at Joseph and how he led […]
Watch Over Yourself
Issue #168, November 11, 2015 Paul gave instructions to the church leaders in Ephesus, which are good advice for servant leaders in any position of responsibility, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers” (Acts 20:28). This simple instruction calls us to “keep watch” over ourselves […]
Quality Assurance: Not Quarrelsome
Issue #107, June 3, 2013 Paul continues to raise the standard for servant leaders and continues his quality assurance checklist by telling Timothy that a godly leader must not be “quarrelsome” (1 Timothy 3:3). Quarrelsome is a habitual inclination to disagree and stir up contention. The writer of Proverbs paints a colorful picture of a […]
Quality Assurance: Self-Control
Issue #101, March 13, 2013 “Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, (1Timothy 3:2). The fourth quality Paul lists as essential for those who desire to lead like Christ is “self-controlled.” He recognized that before seeking to exert influence over others, the […]
Quality Assurance: Temperate/Sober-minded
Issue #100, February 25, 2013 After calling leaders to be blameless and to honor marriage commitments, Paul adds to his quality assurance list; the leader must be “temperate” (1 Timothy 3:2). My first response is “What?” Temperate is not a word I use often! Other translations use “vigilant” and “sober-minded.” The main idea is the […]
Tame that Tongue: Too Many Words
Issue #69, November 16, 2011 In the last issue we acknowledged the amazing power servant leaders have in their tongue, “The power of life and death” (Proverbs 18:21). James cautions leaders that they will be held accountable for how they use their tongue and warns us that “no man can tame the tongue” (James 3:8). […]
The Art of Avoiding Immorality
Issue #67, October 19, 2011 Far too many Christian leaders have lost their ability to influence because of sexual immorality. I am certain that each reader of this issue can give a personal story of this sad situation. My intent is not to condemn those who have fallen, but to help each of us deal […]
The Art of Avoiding People
Issue #65, September 21, 2011 Leaders pursue their goals with intensity and focus on their objectives. But effective leaders also know what to avoid. The Bible provides many instructions for servant leaders to ‘avoid,’ ‘run away from’ or ‘stay away!’ As I evaluated these instructions I found most of them centered around two categories: people […]