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.

I really liked the section in the reading that talked about us getting older and the flame that we once had has become smoldering embers. How true is that, really? Our passions change as we age or is it the older we get the less active we are to make changes? I remember as a child growing up, our church would have a week long revival services. You could tell from those services that the embers were re-lighting in many people, but only as long as the revival services would last. It is very important that we maintain our focus on our goals and keep at our boiling point.

Keys to Improve Leadership

1. Keep God first
2. Improve the quality of your work
3. Try to remove any obstacles
4. Work on your weaknesses

Chapter 15 - The Cost of Leadership

Before I even started reading this section of the book for this study, a colleague at work shared a URL link to the local newspaper article titled "Evangelicals feel alienated, anxious amid declining clout." This article first talks about prayer being removed from the public school systems, the removal of the Ten Commandments, living nativities not to mention marriage. Christianity is under attack. A full fledged assault. Who remembers hearing about Kim Davis every day in the national news who wouldn't issue marriage licenses to same sex couples in Rowan county Kentucky? She paid jail time for defending her religious beliefs. Matthew 16:25 says, "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it."

Matthew 16:24 says, "Then Jesus said to his disciples, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." I am reminded of the night that Peter denied Jesus three times. How many of would have done the same thing. In this day and age, I would predict most of the world would have denied knowing Jesus that night due to the fear of being persecuted as well. There is no comfy middle ground here. You either follow Jesus regardless of what people may say or do to you or you don't follow at all. Peter quickly learned from his denial. Judas hung himself in shame. Peter was crucified like Jesus, but was crucified upside down. Andrew was nailed to a cross and then preached to passers by for two days before he died. James, the Greater, was killed by beheading but before being executed he was able to save the executioner. Thomas was preaching throughout Greece and India before he was ran down with a spear. If this doesn't explain the cost of leadership, I don't know what will.

Chapter 16 & 17 - Responsibilities of Leadership & The Test of Leadership- Pre-Reading Questions

1. How long does it take for you to overcome failure? With whom do you discuss failure with?

2. Which test of leadership do you fear the most? why? (compromise, ambition, impossible situations, failure, jealousy)