responsibility

S.E.P – The Buck Stops Here!

Robert and Maureen McQuillan recall President Harry S Truman’s famous declaration – and the sign that was prominent on his White House desk.

Passing the buck is the act of attributing to another person or group one’s own responsibility.

Etymologically the expression is said to have originated from the card game poker, in which a marker or counter called ‘the buck’ was used to indicate the person whose turn it was to deal. If the player did not wish to deal he could pass the responsibility by passing the buck to the next player. (more…)

SEXUALISING CHILDREN – TOO OLD TOO FAST

Mal Fletcher was founding National Director, Youth Alive Australia. Now based in London, he writes concernedly:

In a recent speech UK’s Conservative Party leader David Cameron condemned the ‘inappropriate sexualisation’ of children and said that youngsters must be protected from irresponsible advertising. He promised that if elected to govern his party will give children back their childhood.

‘What we are saying is that you can’t cut children off from the commercial world,’ he said, ‘but we should be able to help parents to make sure that our children get a childhood and that they are not subject to unnecessary and inappropriate commercialisation and sexualisation too young.’ (more…)

THE CAULDRON OF CHANGING VALUES

Question: Should we, as Christians, change what we believe and the values we have been taught to make Christianity more appealing and relevant to people today?

Dr Jim McClure, noted theologian, responds:
We are living in a rapidly changing world in which nothing remains untouched. In many ways change can be a good thing – but not always.

In this bubbling cauldron of change the Christian faith is being stridently opposed, maligned and marginalised in a way that has not been seen in centuries.

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LEADERSHIP

FOUR REASONS WHY LEADERS SHOULD RETURN CHALLENGING PHONE CALLS

Dick Hardy, Pastoral Leadership Consultant, writes:

From time to time all of us have situations that create the opportunity for a challenging conversation. No one likes it, but it’s a reality – unless you’re a monk!

With the advancement of technology over the last decade, it’s easier than ever to ignore a phone call and therefore ignore a conversation you know that you need to have but would rather avoid.

Courtesy
I suppose most folks reading this far do return phone calls, right? If so I say, ‘Hats off to you!’ At the same time, maybe you’re the type who would rather ignore the call and wait until they call back next time, but will you answer the phone then? Really you just hope they go away!
Leadership and ministry necessitate a level of professionalism that includes returning phone calls and being willing to speak truthfully despite how hard it may be. Is this an area where you could improve?

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RESPONSIBLE LEADERSHIP

Robert and Maureen McQuillan write:

You’ve heard it before – when one sees premiers, prime ministers, political figures, presidents and such slammed on the news by unhappy people, a general comment is ‘Who would want to be a leader?’

Forget about governmental leaders – what about church leaders, especially senior pastors? Government leaders may be highly paid to carry responsibility and verbal attacks but most ministers aren’t. Their compensation rarely reaches even the bottom of the bar of the heavy role pastors carry.

Carry? It is often demanded, let alone expected. The notion of ministry being a specific calling from God that should be honoured is overlooked, ignored and many times disrespected. (more…)

CREATING THE ULTIMATE ATMOSPHERE

Wayne Swift, Apostolic Church Australia National Leader, writes:

I’ve been a minister for many years now and naturally I’ve come to realise many home truths.

One is this – the outcome of minister’s efforts privately, is usually, if not always, displayed publicly. Let’s face it – a minister’s prayer life, devotional life, ongoing learning, sermon preparation and even relationships are on show. People observe our actions and our reactions, along with our struggles.

Ministers need to create what I term ‘the ultimate atmosphere’ in order to present ourselves approved by Christ and acceptable by those who witness our actions and reactions under various circumstances.

And the reality is that this is a principle for every Christian for we are all on display as it were…what someone once called ‘the fifth gospel, the gospel according to you.’ The way we all prepare ourselves is critical to the outcomes we experience. (more…)

Connecting with You!

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