Leader or Expert?

If you are a leader, you are a builder. You are moving to accomplish something, to take a group of people in a certain direction, to build a strong church or business.

If you are an expert, you collect and distribute information. Information that comes from past experiences, or from info you have read or heard. You take that information and inform people concerning it. In fact you inform leaders as well as the masses. It is because of you that a leader is able to make an informed decision. Experts rarely make decisions. They know a lot but are not decision makers, and are seldom action oriented.

Now I am not writing this to shed a bad light on “experts”. It is more of a reminder for me.

Leaders make decisions. Experts collect those decisions as information.

Leaders are involved. They are working to accomplish the goals they have set for the organization. They are leading people toward an accomplishment. Experts observe these actions and draw conclusions based on the information they have collected about “what has happened”. Then they file it for a future talk.

Leaders are not concerned with being an expert. They know how to leverage the experts when needed.

Leaders are not concerned with becoming a celebrity, they are concerned with training other leaders.

Leaders are great builders, experts are great collectors.

As a leader it is not necessary for me to be the smartest person in the room. I must listen to the people in the room and make the best decision for the organization.

As a leader I must find ways to motivate people to get involved and engaged. There is a shortage today of people that are willing to “do.” This is a leadership problem. Often a leader falls into the “expert trap” and pursues the collecting of ideas rather than the movement of people to greatness. When a leader becomes an expert he produces inactive followers and quits building. This is a great reminder.

Here’s two questions… Are you building or soaking? Which one has God called you to do?

Leaders build….

Experts collect and talk.

There is a world of difference between the two.

We have Arrived?

Pride

My abilities, My accomplishments, My Wisdom trump all others.

Pride

Comes from a word that means “to boil” and was used to describe a person who was arrogant and insubordinate. (Proverbs 11:2)

Pride

My abilities, My accomplishments, My triumphs rather than God’s.

It is a push for personal acclaim. A belief that “I should be noticed because I am great and have the answers everyone needs.

Pride

“I’m the coolest thing in the room”

When someone finds themselves living this way they never receive the honor they think they deserve and the dishonor they do receive goes unseen for they are blinded by their…

Pride

But

for those that show up with a desire to learn, grow and contribute.

The ones that live their lives with an awareness that God is at work and they are just serving Him by playing their part in His plan.

Those that know when and who to submit too and when and how to stand for what is right.

Those that go about their day not even thinking that they are God’s gift to the world because they have a personal relationship with that amazing Gift.

For those who realize their place before God…

You know the

Humble

They are the ones that live with honor unlooked for and wisdom they are shocked they have. (Proverbs 11:2)

Jesus into Your Heart?

I may be missing something and that is fine with me.  But I’m just wondering why the phrase “ask Jesus into your heart” is so wrong.  For even if you phrase your acceptance of the gospel differently, Jesus still indwells you at that point of that conversion.

This debate creates a tension among those who preach an those who would accept the gospel message…

“Did I do it right?”

“Did I say the right thing?”

“Oh know I asked Jesus to come into my heart when I prayed the prayer… maybe I’m not saved now….”

“I’ve lead people wrong for many years… Oh No!”

We do not need this.

The fact is once someone has realized they are a sinner and in need of a savior. (regardless of how they might term the last sentence). I say just let them pray to receive, accept, began a relationship with Christ in whatever way they want to word it.

If a pastor leads a group of people in a prayer to receive Christ, just let Him word that prayer as he sees fit in accordance with the scriptures, and let those who want to repeat it.

And if part of that prayer is asking Jesus to live in their heart…

so be it.

I am pretty sure God doesn’t mind.

“Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3

Inaccuracy

Why is it always the Bible people want to prove wrong?

This is very interesting to me.

If there is a post on Facebook about the scripture and a possible “inaccuracy” there is no end to the consent slams that come as a result of a post like that. And the slams do not even make sense and really show that the people making those statements really know nothing about the scriptures as a whole… even though they feel like they do.

I just want to meet…

I just need to meet…

Someone who has real questions for once concerning the scriptures. Someone who is really looking for answers that’s not in it to win (for what ever reason they want to win) but that is in it to really understand what is being said.

I will admit to you there are some difficult passages of scripture. I have questions of my own….

But I will also say that they all have an explanation you just have to dig for it.

When I read the Bible I read it to find out what it says…

I do not study it to prove its validity…

Nor to try to prove it’s invalid.

When I find something that seems to be odd, I dig until I find how it fits in with the rest of the book.   And I’ve always found an answer that fits in with the Bible’s message as a whole…

And what is that message?

We live in a sinful world… and the sin condition of the world predates us

People do not act right and must be judged because of that

Jesus loves us…

and judged our sins on the cross He died on…

He rose from the grave to give us life that is beyond this world…

to give us a chance of a resurrection from the sin and destructiveness of this world.

And one day that story will play out its final chapter…

and those who are on the Lord’s side (Exodus 32) will be spared because they have been atoned for.

and those who decided to reject God and His words will face God’s wrath.

I’m on the Lord’s side…

I hope you are too…

Losing but Not Wanting To

I generally do not comment much on Facebook or on blogs when it comes to a political issues. But a few days ago a friend of mine posted a thought that implied the Boston Bombings were America’s fault.  ”Americans need to learn to mind their own business: Specifically Christians were responsible. His comment was “It’s no wonder Muslims are angry at Christians after all over a span of 200 years they killed over a million muslims.”

This some how in his mind justified their attacks on us.

So I responded.

After a little bit of interaction with him I realized this was not about the bombings at all.  The bottom line was he was angry with America and had been hurt by christians in the churches he (and his friends who ever they might have been) had attended.  His anger and hurt had blinded him to what he was actually saying.  He still doesn’t think he was wrong in his justification.

I know this because he unfriended me.

And I can’t say that didn’t hurt, in fact the conversation and the rejection has been on my mind most of the day. This is a guy I taught trumpet to way back when, and we had a decent friendship.  To not be able to talk with a friend about how you really feel about certain things is very troublesome probably because you come to realize they were fine with being your friend only as long as you agreed with them.

Now I know that there are times when one has to disregard a friendship for safety purposes.

But to lose one because I’m a christian…. I just wasn’t prepared for that.

Maybe one day the friendship will repair itself….

we will see

Apollo 8

Until today, I did not know that this recording was made when the Apollo 8 team landed on the Moon.  This was incredibly inspiring…. and restored hope with in my soul.

 

T-Rob Summer Spec Recruitment Video