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7 Ways to know if you are losing it!

Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 1 Samuel 15:24 (ESV)

Saul lost his kingdom because of the fear brought by the voices of others!

Other voices can cause you to lose a lot of things: position, ministry, integrity, relationships or even family.  When leaders begin to put the voices of people, culture, consensus & circumstances above godly conviction they are headed to disaster. Here are some ways to know if you are losing it...

1. You change your mind because the "big giver" asked you to.
2. You do what the "mega church" is doing, without God saying so.
3. You spend a lot of time trying to find out, "who said that."
4. When you find "who said that", you try to change their mind.
5. You kinda "beg" people to stay, who say they are leaving your church or team.
6. You don't have a vision from God, but rather a best guess.
7. You don't do what God said, because you fear the "push back."

Are you doing any of these? If so, how many? Be careful, leading with God is an incredible privilege few have. Don't lose it because you chose to follow an opposing voice!

Don't be a Moron!

As a leader it is very difficult to keep things in balance, or at least what "feels" like balance. I heard a great man of God say, "the hardest thing you will ever do as a leader is to maintain balance." I heard that some 20 years ago, and it still resounds as loud as ever with truth. I have heard others say "balance" is a myth, and an oxymoron for a leader. Leaders go from extreme to extreme, and if they hit all the areas frequently enough with some "extremeism" they are balanced, that's CRAP! Not only is it crap, it's down right dangerous! Each of us will migrate to the fire, or to our passion and abandon all else, unless we are intentional in the beginning with boundaries and expectations we simply refuse to violate. I'll share a few I have discovered and practice...

1. Plan time to date your spouse EVERY week. Blah, blah, blah, heard all the excuses before! Be like Nike, and just '"DO IT."
2. Date your kids! That's right, ask them out (if they still live @ home), every week! Blah, blah, blah! Be creative, find the money, make the money, just do it!
3. Make time for friends! Blah, blah, blah. Make some new friends, initiate, learn to cook, they don't care what your house looks like! Just do it!
4. Have Glory time with God everyday! Not "quiet" time, but Glory time! Blah, blah, blah. Get up earlier! Go to bed! Make it glorious in His presence. He longs to spend time with you! Just do it!
5. Make time for yourself! Exercise, go to the movies, read that book, take that yoga class, (sooo kidding about that one, downward dog should be shot!), work in your garden, or whatever. Blah, blah, blah. It doesn't matter what "they" think, say, or do or don't do. If you don't take care of "you", you won't finish the race!

Just a few of mine...can you think of some others that need to be added?

The man who fears God will avoid all extremes. Ecclesiastes 7:18

How big is too BIG?

How do you like the new Hardee's breakfast sandwich? Did you see the calories in this artery clogging MONSTER? 

I know some of you are closet biscuit eaters, and I have the greatest amount of compassion for your compulsion. However, you may need to consider a few things before you order up @ the drive-thru in the morning:

• If God has called you to something, plan on being around long enough to finish it.
• It's hard to tell people to practice self-control (a fruit of the Spirit), while hiding in the closet eating your mega biscuit.
• Eating well, means you will have better concentration & more energy for God's plan & others!
• You will look better when your shirt is tucked in! (The outside style will fade!)

Don't hear what I'm not saying! I struggle just as much, but just trying to motivate the ol' mind to the right mode!

1 THING that can STEAL your ministry

I was meditating on a recent mission trip, about...you guessed it, leadership. I began to read and compare Saul & David in the book of 1 Samuel. You probably remember the story. But this is what really stood out to me about leadership. 

Saul was given this by the Prophet Samuel: 1 Sam 12.24

Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.

The Prophet knew Saul was going to have this issue:

FEAR

Fear caused Saul to lose EVERYTHING! He offered the sacrifice because he feared man, and his enemies. Consequently, Samuel said the Lord had torn his ministry from him, and was going to give to the one who was after His own heart. We know that man to be David. 

But later, David commits adultery, murder & walks in pride. Even after all that, God said for generations later, David was the man after His heart! Did you get that? Saul committed the sin of fear and lost it all. David messed up time and again, and was still king, and was honored by God.

Lesson learned: How is your fear factor? Are you fearing man? Are you fearing circumstances? If you are, REPENT. You may be close to losing it all. Fear is a HUGE sin in leadership!

Leaders! You must multiply!

New study shows, that even with facebook, the most people one's brain can possibly keep up with is... 150 MAX!

Personally, I can't keep up with that many! But, that's facebook world, not the real world. In the real world, I have found that number to be closer to... 5! Is that too low? Well, I mean the number of people I can maintain a real, intimate, accountable, meaningful, mutual edifying, regular seeing, regular talking, know what's going on relationship with, (not counting family). Even 5 is HARD! So here's the skinny. If you can only affect, in an intimate personal way, 5 people at a time, you better start multiplying some more of "yous."

Leaders! Make the commitment to pour into a few around you, challenge them to do the same. We must create an environment where multiplication of leadership skills and intimate relationship is practiced and modeled on a daily basis, if not, many around us will never be reached, or realize their greatest potential. That is just a waste I cannot live with!

...what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 2 Tim 2.2

Is this really the way men think?

Photo by: Alexia Tsotsis

Came across this surfing the net. Is this really the way men view women? Is this the mental process we undertake unconsciously?

Pour out with Purpose!

No matter who we are or what we do, this is a fact: We only have so much to pour out until we become empty. I was reading in 1 Sam.16 about Samuel anointing David. Each of his brothers had to "pass by" Samuel, and the Lord would tell him, not that one, not that one, until he finally reached David. It is funny because as soon as Samuel saw David's oldest brother, "he thought" this must be the one. But God said, "I don't see what man sees." Did you catch that? God does not see people, opportunities, ministries & time the way we see them. We must let every opportunity,and every person pass before us, and wait to hear God's voice, "no not that one", or "yes, that one. Arise and pour into that one."

Everyday we are offered up a plethora of opportunities & people to "pour into." The question cannot be, which of these is the good one, but which one is the God one. And there really is only ONE, GOD ONE! The rest may seem good, but the good one is the greatest enemy of the God one! We must let each opportunity and person pass before us, pause and let God, test it through His eyes, and then listen for His voice, "yes or no." He must make the call, not us.

You only have so much to pour out...do it in God's purpose. We don't want to waste one moment, one word, one action, one thought or one ounce of energy outside of God's purpose and call.

I don't know about you, but today I am going to let everything, and I mean EVERYTHING pass before God, and pour out at His command.

How about you? What are you going to pour into today?

10 attributes of a GREAT LEADER'S heart!

So his armor bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.” (1 Samuel 14.7)

This is an account of a leader with six hundred men following him on a surprise attack mission to defeat an enemy with an exponentially greater number of men! What trait, what training, what kind of mind control did this leader exhibit that would cause those men to have courage to follow him on what seems to be a suicide mission? 

He had a godly leader's... HEART! From my vantage point, those are rare these days. We don't see many valiant attempts to move followers on great campaigns for God at great risk! My suspicion would be that there is no lack of missions for God. But a lack of great leaders that cause those around them to march and charge against a strong enemy with the right heart in order to advance the Kingdom of God!

I have seen some great leaders with such hearts and they have many of the same characteristics. Here are just a few...

1. They never move until they have definitively heard from God to go.
2. They unconditionally love those that follow, and the followers know it!
3. They live a lifestyle of personal faith that inspires others.
4. They look for opportunities to bring others along on the journey.
5. They always speak words of life, hope & victory to those around them.
6. They greatly honor other leaders and listen to their counsel.
7. They walk humbly with their God, never looking to take the credit.
8. They intentionally create an environment of trust, honor & fun!
9. They demonstrate a true spiritual balance of ministry & family.
10. They never allow "naysayers" to steal a vision or harm a follower!

Remember, great leaders have great hearts! If you look around you and see that people are ready to follow you to the very gates of hell, at risk of life and limb, it's not you, it's your heart. 

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4.23)  

Brett Favre, Great leader...Rookie mistake?

While watching the play off game last night, I have to be honest: I was pulling for the "old man." We have to stick together you know! I am not a big football fan, but I am a BIG fan of great leaders!  And Brett has proven over many years, he is just that-a great leader. So what happened last night? How could one with such experience, confidence & leadership make such a rookie mistake? 

BECAUSE ALL GREAT LEADERS FAIL!

That is right, all great leaders fail. Sometimes even in the crunch, even when the title is on the line, the big deal is about to close, the greatest opportunity is before you and you fall on your face in failure. But this is the difference: all, and I mean all, GREAT LEADERS never stay on their face, they will always rise again with renewed vigor and experience and become an even better leader than they were before they failed. Because great leaders will always know how get up after failure and learn from it!

Old man! Go for it!

What are U going to do with your time?

 For everything there is a season 

And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8