Epic: The Story God is Telling - Prologue

I absolutely love how John Elderidge starts off the Prologue of the book talking about the Lord of the Rings. He mentions that Sam asked Frodo what kind of story they have fallen into. Seeing glimpses of the big picture is not as easy as you think. There was definitely a bigger plan in store for Frodo and Sam. What story are we living?

I have found myself asking a lot of questions lately about my life. I can see glimpses of the bigger picture but my story is still unfolding like the pages of a novel, to steal a line from Elderidge. Everyday we are faced with people we know, people we don't know, people we are going to meet and people we try to avoid. Each decision we make is writing another section of our story. I remember when I was growing up an old preacher we had would always ask every Sunday, "If you were to die today, how would you be remembered?" I never stopped to think about that statement until later on in life. It's the story of our life. No, we don't carry light sabers or magic rings, we carry our legacy with us.

Spiritual Leadership - Chapters 19, 20 & 21 - Reproducing Leaders, Perils of Leadership & The Leader Nehemiah

As mentioned in the last chapter, a leaders goal is to develop someone to be ready to replace them when the leader leaves or moves on with the company. Training new leaders is mentioned to be a delicate task. Why are we training? In our case we are training disciples to go out into the world to preach/teach the Gospel. In the business world, training a potential leader also takes delicacy and precision as to not overwhelm or intimidate, but to ensure that they developing the future leaders potential. Leadership training cannot be done in masses, it requires patience and careful planning. Disciples are developed one at a time.

Spiritual Leadership - Chapter 18 & 19 - The Art of Delegation & Replacing Leaders

One of the key qualities of good leader is to identify the strengths of others. There is an old fast food saying that fits this mold, "Put the aces in their places." With everyone working to their strengths, productivity increases. The mark of a good leader is to train a member or members to the point that if the leader was to leave, someone would be ready to take their spot. Delegation is a very useful tool to stretch someone's ability. This can push someone out of their comfort zone, but will always strengthen them. Coupled with the leaders support, these stretch opportunities empower the people doing the tasks to confidently accomplish their goals.

Spiritual Leadership - Chapter 16 & 17 - Responsibilities of Leadership & The Test of Leadership

Leadership is defined by Jesus as servant-hood. One who is concerned with others well being and not just for the self satisfaction or prestige.

Self discipline as discussed in a previous post is a must. The underlying most important ingredient to self discipline is love. 2 Thessalonians 3:15 says, "Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer." John 10:4 states "When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice." It takes the self discipline to maintain a loving relationship whether it is inside the church or in the workplace.

Spiritual Leadership - Chapter 14 & 15 - Improving Leadership & The Cost of Leadership

Let's face it, no one is perfect. Leadership will never be perfect. We must always look for ways to improve ourselves. I mentioned in the last post the book "Who Moved My Cheese," we must not become complacent with where we are at just so we can avoid falling into the rut of life. We should be able to identify our weaknesses and develop a game plan on how to overcome the weakness.

Spiritual Leadership - Chapter 13 - The Leader and Reading

1 Timothy 4:13, "Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching." At the time of this verse the line referred to reading the Old Testament, but reading is an essential tool that any leader has in their arsenal. To grow and develop spiritually and intellectually we must read. In this day and age of technology, the world is at our fingertips. Anything you want to know about can easily be searched on computers, tablets and phones. The question is, what are you reading about? Is it something for enjoyment? Self development of yourself or others? Something someone is forcing you to read to further your education? One must find a balance in the types of reading you do. It is recommended to spend at least 30 minutes a day reading books that feed your soul and stimulate your mind. I've seen the Chicken Soup books expand to cover just about any topic in just a few short years.

Spiritual Leadership - Chapter 12 - The Leader and Time

Ephesians 5:16 says, "Make the best use of your time." How many of us really manage our time efficiently? Not me! To be honest I wonder how I even made it through college, I was the king of procrastination. It boils down to making excuses. One of my favorite southern gospel songs growing up was "Excuses" by the Kingsmen. What kind of world would this be if we just took care of what we need to do right away instead of putting it off.

Spiritual Leadership - Chapter 10 & 11 - Above All Else & Prayer and Leadership

Spiritual leadership requires people filled with the Holy Spirit. Integrity and sound judgment is needed but without being spiritual it means nothing. Let's face it, if you do not let the Holy Spirit infatuate your life the Holy Spirit will leave you alone. The book of Acts clearly demonstrates the spirit filled leader. Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit when he presented at the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:8), the stoning of Stephan (Acts 6:3, Acts 7:55), Paul's buddy Barnabus (Acts 11:24) and so many more worthy notables. To be filled with the Holy Spirit means that Christians voluntarily surrenders their lives and will to the Holy Spirit. Being submissive to God's call and willingness to carryout the Lords plan. Luke 5:26 states, "Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, We have seen remarkable things today.”

Spiritual Leadership - Chapter 9 - More Essential Qualities of Leadership

I'm sorry for the late posting of this chapter. Some of you are aware that I am a professional wrestler. I suffered a mild concussion inside the ring this past Friday night. I will survive.

Humor

Our sense of humor is a gift from God in which we need to have the ability to control it in a clean manner. As anyone who enjoys a good joke, humor can lighten the mood in a tough situation. Many use humor as a coping behavior when dealing with loss or struggle. It brings a sense of being normal. I was thinking about my previous statement and joked that at least the guy that gave me the concussion was not the size of a truck. I was always taught to make light of the situation no matter how bad the situation. It always seems to help.

Spiritual Leadership - Chapter 8 - Essential Qualities of Leadership

Jesus trained his disciples for their future roles. He done this by teaching by example and delegation responsibility and authority to those who were able to bear it. God prepares leaders for specific tasks by giving spiritual gifts. Some people are called in pastorship, missions, deacons, singers, musicians, Sunday School teachers, prayer warriors and many more different roles. God gives each of us the spiritual gifts that fit the service we are called into. What are these gifts?