wisdom

DESPERATE? DON’T PANIC!

(May 13, 2023) Mama Lava caringly shares a great truth…

Desperation will cause us to do crazy things! I have an embarrassing, but poignant, case in point.

Remember when Covid first hit? I saw an opportunity to do something I’d been wanting to do for a long time. I would begin baking my own bread. Not only would it be healthier than the alternative, but it would also save money and trips to the grocer. If you remember, the lines outside stores were long and cold, as they allowed only a few people in at a time.

I already had the ingredients I needed. Well, all except one. I needed yeast.

But… my grocery store didn’t have any. I realised many people were thinking like I was, spurred by the fact that bread had become difficult to find. The shelf was completely bare, and there was no assurance it would be restocked any time soon.

I went to Amazon for yeast. Also sold out? Interesting! I looked at my Sam’s Club (warehouse club for wholesale prices on top brands) app. They didn’t have any either. I started to panic a bit.

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LEADERSHIP GLEANINGS

KEY: Leadership isn’t about causing people to feel comfortable, it’s about taking them into their God-designed destiny.
FEATURES:
• Tim Jack’s God’s Field Needing Wise Leaders
• Dr Murray Capill’s Winsome Preaching
• Dr Ed Delph’s Four Strategic Questions That Leaders Need to Answer…Now!
• Dick Hardy’s Does Your Church Board Follow the 18 Rules of Engagement?
• Brian Nixon’s Mind Matters: Atheism and Agnosticism
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LEADERSHIP

IMPROVEMENT IS NECESSARY TO THRIVE

Dick Hardy

 

Dick Hardy, pastoral leadership consultant, writes:

Organisations that continually improve realise that continual improvement is necessary to thrive. Think about it – every computer and smartphone user experiences this on a regular basis. You can hardly go a week without needing to install another update for your apps or devices.

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LEADERSHIP

FIVE LEADERSHIP VISIONS AND CHALLENGES

Wayne Swift

 Wayne Swift, national church leader, writes:

In their book, The Leadership Challenge Journal, James Kouzes and Barry Posner state that there are five practices of exemplary leadership.

Leadership Challenge book

 

 

Although first written over 30 years ago, resulting from a large research project, and has been revised multiple times, yet these five practices have stayed the same.

• Model the way
• Inspire a shared vision
• Challenge the process
• Enable others to act
• Encourage the heart. (more…)

CREATING THE ULTIMATE ATMOSPHERE

Wayne Swift

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…)

LEADERS NEED A ‘FRIEND OF GOD!’

Robert and Maureen McQuillan write:

One of the big problems in church leadership over the past 20 years or so has been pastors ‘burning out.’

Oh there’s still controversy over what really is burnout, breakdown, overwork exhaustion, depression and such.

That’s just the technical side and one for the experts to decide on. Definitions such as found in SM-5 type manuals can fluctuate and be updated as further research and case studies arise.

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