What is Effective Leadership?

What is Effective Leadership

“But Jesus called them to Himself and said, you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." - Matthew 20:25-28 (NKJV)

After more than 40 years of direct contact with both effective and ineffective leaders and being in leadership positions myself, I have learned a few important lessons.

What Leadership is not: Leadership is not doing all the work yourself. It is also not directing others through their day by day routines, overseeing their responsibilities. Finally, leadership is not accepting the credit for what others have done.

Effective leadership is: Choosing teachable people with suitable potential for appropriate responsibilities. Training those selected in essential success oriented skills and spiritual principles. Assigning realistic, reachable goals. Making the conditions right for success. Developing a culture of responsibility using relevant, measured oversight that is pointed but not oppressive. Allowing them to succeed. Giving them the credit.

In short, effective leadership involves finding the right people, meshing skills with responsibilities, providing for success, allowing them to succeed, and giving those who do all the credit.

Bruce

We're Confused

There seems to be confusion about what it means to be a Christian in society today. I recently read a study completed by The Barna Research Group that would indicate that, “Contradictions and confusion permeate the spiritual condition of the nation.” The moral foundations of the nation are crumbling. This year brought about increases in Americans who believe that Cohabitation 60%, Adultery 42%, Homosexuality (30%), Pornography (38%), and Gambling (61%) are “morally acceptable” behaviors. Although just 38% of the adult public have confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior, 99% claim they will not go to Hell after they die. In fact, a majority of Americans do not believe that Satan exists and most adults are leery about the existence of Hell. The fact that just 9% of born again Christians, have a biblical worldview, sheds light on the distorted viewpoints that reign in the U.S.
In spite of the contradictions outlined in this study, God and his word, the Bible, have not changed. God’s word makes His expectation clear. Romans 12:1-2 - Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 1 John 2:15 - Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
The question is, “how do we live and survive in the world system and yet not be part of it?” This has always been the critical issue of Christianity and it is a battle that we are losing. The answer to living a successful Christ filled life is simple but difficult. God is willing to equip us for this task if we ask. The keys to success are WISDOM, HONESTY, AND INTEGRITY.
• Wisdom is the knowledge of what is right and true coupled with the ability to put it into action. James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God.
• Honesty is the act of telling the truth. Proverbs 12:17 - He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness, deceit.
• Integrity is living according to moral and ethical principles. Proverbs 20:7 - The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him.
Equipped with these three essential characteristics of the Spirit filled life we can not only live in the world but we can successfully withstand its temptations. Strengthened with the power of God we can say with assurance, “I will never be the same again. I can never return I've closed the door; I will walk the path, I'll run the race, and I will never be the same again.”

We have a partnership with God!

We have a partnership with God!

I recently read an article in “Impact” (the internal newsletter for the California Baptist Foundation written by President and C. E. O. Phillip Kell) discussing the outlook for the year ahead. I couldn’t agree more with Phill’s last paragraph and especially his words, “Business as usual will not get the job done. Thanks in advance for all I know you are going to do to help us get better in 2010. Let’s pray as if it all depends on God, and then work like it all depends on us.”

Central to this thought that we are not only partners with each other in God’s service but God is also completely in the mix. We can accomplish nothing of eternal value without Him and He chooses to use us to realize His work here on earth.

I am reminded of the farmer who had a beautiful but small garden outside the front door of his house. When a friend commented on its beauty the farmer simply said jokingly, “You should have seen it last year when God tried to do it on His own.” We are partners with God.

Paul speaks of this partnership in 1 Corinthians 3:5-9, “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.” (NASU) Even though we should view ourselves and our accomplishments as nothing in our own eyes (that’s called humility), God honors our work when we complete it here on earth and gives us the reward for our faithfulness now and in Eternity.

Too often men are given the accolades when things go well and are held responsible when something goes wrong. We know that God is in control of all events at all times. People need to spend more time giving God the credit when it goes well and looking to Him for His blessings in the decisions that go awry.

We sow the seed, water and weed.
He brings to harvest, all we need.
In times of good and times of sorrows
We trust in God, He makes tomorrows.

Phil really gets it. Let’s help those around us understand that real blessings come from giving God all the credit for the success but that God also provides us with blessings that emerge from what we and others view as failures.

Rom 8:28 “And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.” (TLB)

Bruce

The Miracle of Christmas

The Virgin Birth is evidence of the uniqueness of Jesus our Savior

From: Selected Scriptures

Three points made in these two scriptures:

A manifestation – The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary
Luke 1:30-32, The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
• Do not FEAR
• You are special

A miracle – The baby Jesus would be fully human as we are human but fully God since His father is the Holy Spirit
Matthew 1:20-23, “for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."
• God used Mary to provide Christ with his humanity
• God used the Holy Spirit to Provide Christ’s Deity
• Hebrews: He would be tempted in all ways as we are and yet He would not sin

A messiah – The promised one, a king for Jews and Gentiles
Daniel 9:25, "Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince.
John 1:41-42, He first found his own brother Simon, and said to him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
Matthew 1:21-22, "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
• He will be called the Son of God
• He will save His people from their sins.

In her arms she holds a king,
The end of all our suffering.
The light of life now come to give
His life that we might ever live.

A child, Messiah we behold,
Foretold by prophets, men of old,
The Suffering Servant He would be
To pay the price to set us free.

Now quiet in a stable lays,
Not understanding worldly ways.
Angels’ sing, He softly cries,
Mary’s wonder fills her eyes.

Lord and Savior is His name,
This tiny babe of Bethlehem,
Now sleep for You will leave this stall
And give Your life for one and all. --- Bruce

Faith, Hope, and Love

In June, Carol and I were honored to attend the wedding of Phillip Peek and Laura Worthington in Issaquah, WA. Laura, Phil, Carol and I spent several hours one evening talking about the spiritual, philosophical, and practical aspects of the marriage relationship.

How do you develop a happy, stable marriage?

As a basis for our discussion we used 1 Corinthians 13:13 which says, “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

If your relationship with God were a building, Faith would be the foundation, Hope would be the rooms you live in, and Love would be the roof that ties the structure together and protects it from all of the elements

All three of these terms are fundamental not only to your relationship to God but your relationship to each other.

Your faith relationship with God begins with your salvation and then supplies you with an ongoing trust that provides absolute security. We believe God and trust him to do all that he says he will do. Hebrews 13:5 “I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless or forsake or let [you] down (relax My hold on you). Your trust in God then becomes the model of the trust that should dominate our marriage relationship.

If Faith is the foundation, then hope is where you live. As you move through life you encounter new experiences and many of them will test your faith in God and in each other. Paul tells us in Romans 5:3-5 “because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance brings God's approval, and his approval creates hope. This hope does not disappoint us, for God has poured out his love into our hearts by means of the Holy Spirit.” Trials and temptations will attack and frustrate you but as you endure and overcome them your hope for future victories will become stronger.

The final piece to an enduring marriage is love. Love is the greatest of the three. It is like the roof of the house holding everything together, giving it stability and protection. Love is always more powerful when used as a verb than as a noun. To quote the great theologian Clint Black, “Love isn’t something that we’re in, it’s something that we do.” Love ties our lives together because it bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Faith then means that you trust in God and each other every minute of every day. Hope allows you to overcome obstacles knowing that you become stronger and grow closer with each victory. Love is the essential ingredient that makes us one and holds us together no matter what tries to separate us.



Love that Lasts

My love is longer than a day.
Longer than a week or year.
As long as I have life and breath,
My love will last and be sincere.

As I look into your eyes
It is your very soul I see
The wonder of the times to come
It is those times you’ll spend with me

As I look into your heart
The purity of youth I read
The purity of youth maintained
As planted in a simple seed

The seed is God and freely given
A tree of life from Him above
Bearing the fruit that keeps us one
A harvest of faith, and hope, and love.

- Bruce

No Defense

Several weeks ago I was in my office and Carol was watching TV in another room. She yelled to me that Rick Warren was on Larry King Live so I went to watch it with her. I saw the entire program and was thinking at the time, "How great is this that Rick Warren is able to be on one of America's most watched TV programs a program that has a worldwide audience." What a wonderful opportunity for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be explained and spread on a regular basis with little or no argument from the host Larry King. Rick has an open forum for the spreading of the Gospel to millions who would probably have no other way of being reached with words of Salvation and Eternal Life.

As I watched the program and listened to Rick explain how he had not taken a political stand on the Proposition 8 issue, little did I realize how this statement and his mention of his ministry to homosexuals would lead to such an outcry among evangelicals.

I remember remarking to Carol at the end of the segment how incredible it was that Rick had, the week before, 2,400 people in his new member class and had baptized 500. Wow!

When the debate over the interview began over the next few days, I was astounded, astonished, bewildered, and disappointed all at the same time. I have no right to defend Rick Warren simply because he needs no defense from me or anyone else. He has defended himself and his words but to me that was not even necessary.

I am somewhat confused about the political issue. We seem to spend an inordinate amount of time discussing politics but to no avail. In my study of the Bible I only recall Jesus taking one political stand and that had to do with paying taxes, in Matthew 22:21-22 Jesus says, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." NKJV My father used to say that there are two things you should never argue about; politics and religion. He was half right.

However, I do see Jesus spending a majority of his time taking care of people’s needs and preparing them for the Kingdom of God. In fact, Jesus commands us in Matthew 28:19-20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." NKJV In John 15:16 Jesus personalizes the same thought when he says, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.” NKJV So I guess that with 2,400 new disciples and 500 new baptisms, Rick seems to be accomplishing what God has called all Christians to do.

When I was recently confronted by someone who was critical of some of the general actions and statements of Rick and his ministry I said simply, “Fortunately, when I stand before God I will never be held accountable for anything that Rick Warren has ever done wrong. Unfortunately, I will never receive the rewards he will receive for what he has done right.”

R. Alan Cole in his commentary on the Book of Mark (p. 140)expresses this helpful insight, "It is a strange paradox that in any times of religious revival or obvious working of God's Spirit, it is often the religious leaders who oppose the work of God most strenuously, and seem to misunderstand it most willfully.

I don’t agree with everything Rick Warren does and says. But then I don’t agree with everything I say or do.

Conformed: The Greatest Compliment

“Reputation is character minus what you’ve been caught doing.”
- Michael Iapoce

“I pray to be like the ocean, with soft currents, maybe waves at times. More and more, I want the consistency rather than the highs and the lows.”
- Drew Barrymore

As I look back over my life as a teacher and coach, a salesperson and sales manager, and then finally as a fundraiser for a University, one thing was always true, when I was living in the will of God my life was great when I wasn’t my life was a mess. The promise that God gives us in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (NASU) was true over and over again in my life.

In my fifth year of teaching and coaching, I finally was given the opportunity to be the head high school basketball coach in a small community in Central Ohio. I was excited about the challenge even though the team had lost all fifty-seven games over the past three seasons.

As we started the preseason workouts, I prepared a plan that I thought would allow us to move consistently toward a winning philosophy The boys worked very hard and we applied all the fundamentals for success that I had learned over the past four seasons as an assistant in other school districts. Even though I felt that we were physically and mentally prepared for the start of the season, we lost five of our first eight games.

I tried to keep a positive mental attitude even though team morale was falling with every loss. My staff attempted to develop success attitudes by keeping extensive records and emphasizing our growth in each area. We worked ardently to decrease the number of errors each week as we increased the positive statistics. We prayed before every practice and before every game that God would give us the focus to practice and play to our ability (we were permitted to do that back then). I also reminded them that we still had two games with Baltimore, Ohio (who hadn’t won a game yet).

During this time I spent many hours on my knees asking for opportunities to be a light to these young men, to give them direction, be a positive role model, and most of all to be a witness both with my words and my life. It didn’t seem like I was getting through to them.

During the second half of the season our hard work and consistent effort began to bear fruit. We didn’t win every game, but we were taking teams that beat us by as many as forty points in the first half of the season down to the buzzer and even winning some tight games.

Toward the end of the season we played Baltimore for the second time and won the game by a wide margin. We played at Baltimore and as was the case after a win the noise level on the bus was very high.

Suddenly, I began to hear everyone singing the old Spiritual “Give Me that Old Time Religion.” They started with Abraham, then Moses, David, Paul and the Apostles, and finally they sang, “If it’s good enough for Coach Hitchcock it’s good enough for me.”

It occurred to me as I drifted off to sleep that night that all the hard work, sleepless nights, tough disciplinary decisions, empty feelings that come from being so close and loosing were gone. I was feeling a deep and restful peace. As far as I was concerned no matter what happened from that point on, the season was a success. Hearing them singing that song was and still remains one of the most emotional experiences of my life. It was one of the greatest compliment I have been given.

Give me, oh God, the ability and the courage to live a life that consistently reflects you. Give me the wisdom that will allow me to conform to Your will.

Romans 12:1-2
1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (NASV)

As Christians we cannot separate the truth of verse 1 from the instruction of verse 2. But how do we live as a “living, spiritual Sacrifice? I believe that Paul gives us the answer in verse 2.

Three steps to a life of Spiritual consistency:

Step # 1: Do not be conformed to this world

Our nation is suffering from corruption. Many of our churches are ineffective; either stagnant or dying. As individuals we have placed our hope in things and institutions rather than God. We have fallen in love with the things that bring disappointment and grief. We acknowledge God but don’t live for Him.

1 John 2:15 commands us: “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (NASV) Do not love the world or its things. It doesn’t say you can’t have them. It says you can’t love them.

But how do we keep from loving the things of the word? The answer is found in the next phrase in verse 2:

Step # 2. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind

Once we have accepted Christ as our personal savior we must begin to grow in the knowledge of God and what He wants us to do with our lives. Philippians 2:12 tells us to “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (KJV). To grow we have to communicate with God in the two ways He has provided for us.

The first way to communicate with God is through reading and memorizing His word. Psalm 119:11 says, “Your word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against You.” (KJV)

Secondly we are commanded to talk to God through prayer. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 instructs us to “Pray without ceasing. (NASV) This means that we should recognize God for who He is, thank Him for what He has done, recognize our position as unworthy of His love and grace, and petition Him for direction in our lives.

But renewing our minds is only part of the Spiritual growth process. We must act according to the direction God gives us.

3. Perform that which will prove the will of God

We become more Christ like in our thinking as we read and memorize God’s word. At the same time, we are motivated (convicted) to act out God's will, not our own will for our lives. Then as we integrate God’s will into our walk we discover that it is good for us, and that it pleases God, and he blesses us in all areas of our lives. Understanding God and living according to His purpose is all we need.

Only by acting in and being renewed by the Holy Spirit can a believer ascertain, do, and enjoy the will of God. These thoughts are echoed in Galatians 5:16 where it states, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” (NASV)

Walking in the Spirit involves:

• Doing good: Matthew 5:16 let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (NKJV)

• Living acceptable daily lives: Psalms 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. (NKJV)

• Striving for perfection in our Spiritual lives: Colossians 1:28-29 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. (NKJV)