If you haven’t read the first part on this subject of leadership, please read that first because there are four parts to this topic and to miss the first part would give a lopsided view of what a great leader is rather than a great talker.
Everyone has gifts that they are born with but those gifts need to be identified and nurtured in order to materialize and make a difference in their lives and the lives of those around them. Leadership is just one of those gifts one may be born with but never realized for many reasons. I believe many will go to their graves without ever identifying their God-given gifts and talents partly because those that had the power to help them didn’t mentor them or because the individual themselves weren’t willing to put in the effort to nurture their own souls to develop their personal gifting. This may sound a little cold and calculating but I believe history will back this up. I do not believe we are solely a product of our environment but are a combination of others, ourselves and God’s purposes in our lives. The question often comes up…….Isn’t God’s will always done? Isn’t he “Sovereign”?
Coming to Jesus in 1969 I understood that becoming a Christ follower was serious business and that’s why I resisted becoming a Christian for some time. You may ask how long I resisted and probably I would have to say all my life, though I didn’t realize it at the time. Sometime we resist the “Presentation” of Christianity and of Christ. We call this religion. This happens when we color the meaning of Jesus’ words and life to suit our motives or lifestyle. In truth, this representation is a counterfeit though the people in it don’t see it that way.
When I was around 25 years old I was coming home to my home town of Santa Cruz, California after spending about five years in a ministry called Youth With A Mission in which I traveled as a missionary throughout the US and Europe. I was coming home with no money, no job, no car and no church family. My parents were not Christians and did not understand why I would be so serious about my faith to the point that I would spend my self and my resources in serving God’s purpose. Because of this, they would only provide a place for me to live temporarily until I got a job and a vehicle. Approaching my grandfather for a loan seemed to be about my only option.
The premise of my blog as a whole is to investigate the human soul and discover how to live as God intended in spite of the chaos and conflict around us. Even secular people know that if we don’t deal with our inner world as human beings we will also never deal effectively with each other.
As this blog site states, we are exploring the importance of the soul and how to keep it healthy. Today, few think much about the soul, yet Jesus said that our soul is more important than anything else in our lives and should be protected at all cost.
The title of this article may seem odd, if not objectionable until you read it and understand why I’m writing it. During my lifetime as a Christian leader and pastor, I can’t tell you how many thousands of hours I have invested in trying to help people get freed from their past hurts. To help other pastors counsel well, I would recommend one of my favorite books called “Untwisting Twisted Relationships” by William Backus. He capitalized on helping people recognize the misbeliefs they have acquired over the years that hinder their present lives.
Have you ever wondered why God seems to bless others more than you? At times, I know I do. Sometimes it seems I put more effort and heart into seeking God than those around me yet they seem to get more blessings. They seem to get more from reading scripture, more from being generous, more from prayer and just about any other Christian discipline.
Being honest, Father’s Day is somewhat lacking in comparison to Mother’s Day both in focus and expense. When I worked in restaurants in my early days of employment Mother’s Day was the biggest day of the year. Families would reserve spots in restaurants far in advance or they wouldn’t get a table. Father’s Day, on the other hand, was pretty much the same as any other day. If you look at stores that have things for Mother’s Day, they stock up early and do huge promotions whereas Father’s Day ….not so much.
Life has a way of challenging our ability to not only navigate but also manage life events. All of us desire a life that’s free of trial or at least with limited conflict or trouble. What we discover in life are troubles all around us, and it’s our job to learn to navigate through those challenges the best we can. We soon discover that often the challenges that come our way are bigger than our abilities. We either learn to discover the knowledge and wisdom that we need or we suffer for it. These troubles should encourage us to pursue knowledge and wisdom outside of ourselves before crisis or challenge come our way, but all too often we are not taught at a young age to do so. The basic principles of development are often very hard to correct through learning when someone is older. I know this by experience!
