Moses: Dealing with Discontent
Issue #55, May 4, 2011 Three days after the exuberant celebration of victory over Pharaoh’s army, Moses faces a huge leadership challenge. So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” (Exodus 15:24) A few weeks later, more challenges: In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. (Ex. 16:2) […]
Moses: Leading By Celebration
Issue #54, April 20, 2011 Victory at last! After leading with courage and persistence and going through all the drama of the 10 plagues Moses finally leads the people out of Egypt. But almost as soon as they left the land of their slavery they were faced with the army of Pharaoh who had changed […]
Moses: Leading with Persistence
Issue #53, April 6, 2011 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2). Moses is only three minutes into his leadership journey when he faces opposition! This opposition from Pharaoh goes on for […]
Perceive God’s New Thing
Issue #47, January 12, 2011 Happy New Year! The beginning of a new year is an annual cycle that God built into our world to allow us to deal with the past and have a fresh start. People from every culture gladly welcome a chance to forget the past and have a fresh start. Servant […]
Tough Times Call for Servant Leaders
Issue #28, April 1, 2010 Everyone recognizes that we are living in tough times. The world economy has affected all of our lives in one way or another. Job losses and budget cuts are a part of daily life for leaders everywhere. How do servant leaders respond to our times? I recently asked several business […]
Share the Vision
Issue #25, February 17, 2010 In previous issues we examined how Nehemiah saw God’s vision for the people and how he took time to allow the vision to be shaped. Finally, we can learn from his example how to share the vision with others. Notice again how he communicated, “Then I said to them, ‘You […]
Shape the Vision
Issue #24, February 3, 2010 In the last issue we looked at the characteristics of the vision Nehemiah saw for the people of Jerusalem. Now, let’s step back a moment to look at how this vision was shaped in the life of Nehemiah. Just prior to Nehemiah’s public announcement we find these insightful words, “The […]
See the Vision
Issue #23, January 20, 2010 Servant leaders inspire others to follow a common vision which fulfills God’s purposes for the organization or group. Nehemiah was a leader that did it well. Here’s a part of his story, “Then I said to them, ‘You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its […]
Don’t Stop!
Issue #22, January 4, 2010 At the beginning of the year I want to shift my focus and write you a personal note of encouragement. Leadership is a demanding and challenging task. Giving to others, serving them, laying down our lives, developing our own gifts and abilities, keeping our relationship with God fresh and growing, […]
Servant Leaders Need Servant Followers
Issue #17, October 22, 2009 At a break in a conference a leader came to me and said, “People trusted me until I became a leader.” He was a part of an organization that had a deep mistrust of leaders and his comments addressed the difficulty of leading in this environment. Servant leadership is not […]