Anthem in Cambodia: Give it away

I have been in Cambodia for the past 4 days with a team of 19. The majority of the team is made up of Anthem students with some other leaders from The Church of Living Water joining us well. This photo was taken 4 days ago when we were leaving. I have included some other great photos from the past 4 days for you to enjoy. 

Giving away leadership sounds easy but is always hard. 

I lead a team of 19 and because they are such great leaders I do very little beyond shepherding the students and being ready in case a crisis happens. 

Everything in me wants to do more but then the leaders I am training would not grow in their ability. So, I have to give up my rights to lead at a lower level to lead at a higher level. Sounds easy right?!

It's not. 

It takes humility for the leader giving it up. 

It also takes trusting the leaders you training to lead well and being a champion, not a critic. 

I am relishing this opportunity in Cambodia to give away leadership and be present to watch those in my care flourish. 

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Sovereignty - Preaching at Living Water College

I had the opportunity to preach at the College service for my church Living Water on Thursday. Take a listen and share it if you like it. If you live in the Thurston County area you should come by the service on Thursdays at 7:30. 1615 Chambers St. Olympia Wa 98501.

Another World

 “I have found a desire within myself that no experience in this world can satisfy; the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” CS Lewis

Coaching for Leaders

Today I am teaching a short class at the Foursquare Education Symposium on the need for coaching in the life of leaders, both students and directors. Did you know that the win percentage for Michael Jordan was only 48% before he met coach Phil Jackson? After he was coached his win percentage went up to 75% and he won 6 championships, wow! Coaching is essential for any leader to improve. 

Here are my notes from today. 

Coaching leaders is about helping them come to their own conclusions. 

Coaching leaders is about helping them see that being like Jesus is being a better leader. 

Coaching leaders is about helping them hear from God, not telling them what to do. 

Coaching leaders is about helping them win, not making you feel better. 

Coaching leaders is about helping them see the next right thing to do. 

Here are the three questions I ask every leader I coach, I got them from Ministry Coaching International. 

1. What is your greatest victory? (since we last spoke)

2. What is your greatest challenge? (since we last spoke)

3. What is your hot topic? (This is a catch all question)

The best writer that I know of coaching is Michael Hyatt, he just wrote a book on the topic that I highly endorse. 

Let me know your thoughts on coaching. 

Four Phrases of a leader from Eric Gieger

This post is from Eric Gieger. I really appreciate how he writes and what he writes about. I highly recommend his blog. 

Four Essential Phrases in Leadership Development

By Eric Geiger on Feb 09, 2016 06:12 am

The fruit of an effective leader is not merely followers but other leaders. Leaders are responsible for future leadership. While some worry that developing others and “working themselves out of a job” will result in not having a job, the reality is that those who can develop other leaders will always be in demand. Leaders who develop and deploy others greatly multiply the mission while simultaneously making a significant impact in those they invest in. In other words, leadership development serves both the organization and the individual being developed.

Developing others requires a deep conviction, a belief that part of one’s responsibility is to equip others. Without intentionality and commitment, leadership development will not happen. Whether explicitly stated or implicitly lived out, leaders who develop others use these four phrases:

1. “No.”

To focus on developing other leaders requires saying no to other opportunities, to other initiatives, to other things. The urgent will always threaten to pull a leader away from developing others. Developing others takes great discipline because the pay-off is not immediate. It is a long, slow, and arduous process to develop and deploy leaders. And it means staying focused on the task.

2. “Join me.”

Instead of viewing development as a task on the list, effective developers invite people along for the journey. Leadership development begins with an invitation: Join me. When I was a student pastor in my early 20s, I remember hearing Doug Fields challenge student leaders to relationally invest in teenagers. I am paraphrasing here, but he essentially said, “Invite students into your already busy lives.” It was a liberating concept for me. He was not saying to carve out tons of additional time but, instead, to invite students to participate in your life as it is. The same is true for leadership development.

3. “Your turn.”

After inviting someone along, those who develop others hand significant responsibility to the person being developed. More than a lecture or a book, the work develops us. Learning most often occurs by doing. Leaders who value developing others are willing to hand the wheel over to someone else.

4. “Let’s debrief.”

Without feedback, leadership development is greatly hampered. Thus, leaders who effectively develop others debrief with them as responsibilities are handed to them. They talk about what went well, what can be improved, and what should be done differently. They offer insight, ask questions, and provide encouragement.

If you are going to develop others, these four phrases will be a regular part of your vocabulary. 

Sunday Spirituality | Joy in the Spirit

The following is a quote from Aimee Semple McPherson from a sermon she preached on August 26th, 1923 on the fruit of the Spirit. 

“Then Joy “The fruit of the spirit is...joy.” I believe that this old world need the fruit of joy. So many people have such heavy burdens to bear. You have heard people saying, “well it is all right for people that have no burdens, no troubles such as I have to have joy, but I...my load is os heave, how can I have joy?” Ah, but if you only knew it many of the people who are the most filled with divine joy which is a fruit of the Spirit are those who have heavy, heavy burdens to bear. It is often the case that the Christian with the sweetest, brightest smile is a Christian who finds life pretty hard many times. They do not exploit their troubles, do not go around telling others what a hard time they are having. “Love endureth all things.” The Bible speaks of our being “longsuffering with joyfullness.” Some people may suffer long but wear a long face about it. But, Hallelujah! “The Joy of the Lord is our strength.””

— Aimee Semple McPherson

Saturday Leadership | 7 Lessons from Wayne Cordiero

Here are 7 lessons from the book Leading on Empty by Wayne Cordiero.

1. Do Not Overproduce - When your day is done say, "Come back tomorrow and I will have more."
2. Steward Your Energy - Use your best energy on the most important things. 
3. Rest Well, My Friend - We are never more vulnerable to depression and temptation than when we are fatigued or overtired.
4. Exercise Your Way to Recovery - Your physical body effects your spiritual life. Take care of it. 
5. Eating Your Way to a Good Life - What you put into your body will effect how you are able to ministry and lead. 
6. Recharge Daily - Every day we need to hear from God and refresh our souls. 
7. Fight For Your Family - Your greatest ministry will be the next generation. That starts with your family. 

Abundance & Scarcity

Abundance

“An extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply”

— Websters Dictionary

Scarcity

“Insufficiency or shortness of supply; dearth”

— Websters Dictionary

What words would you like to define your life, home, family, ministry, workplace etc.?

The difference between those who have an abundance and those who have scarcity is: Belief. 

Do you believe that there will be more tomorrow or less?

Do you believe that hard work does pay off?

Do you believe that you can make a difference?

What do you believe? 

I have seen over and over again that the people who believe in abundance have an abundance. They seem to make things happen in life by shear will and effort. I can't explain beyond the grace of God and belief that abundance is real. 

I have also seen people who believe in scarcity be destitute and poor. They never seem to be joyful with what they have and never have enough. In contrast these people seem to invite failure into their lives. They don't finish projects and they don't dare mighty things in their life. 

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

— Philippians 4:19 ESV

Do you believe in a God who will supply all of your needs up to the riches of the glory of Jesus?

I do. 

Start your day today believing something different and see how things change. 

Row Boat vs. Aircraft Carrier

One of the best books on leadership that I have read in the past few years is called The View From The Top by D. Michael Lindsay and M.G. Hager. I highly recommend it. At end of chapter 4 he pulls a quote from John Ashcroft that is gold. Here it is. 

"It may be more difficult to turn a big ship than it is to turn a rowboat, but I think you have to decide where you want to go. And if you're going to go with the flow, neither is hard to turn. If you're going to go against the flow or you're going to change the direction, they're going to be hard to turn. If you're in the rowboat, you probably can turn it by yourself, and that's a solo activity, and that's not leadership. It may be noble, but it's solo. If you're in a larger craft, you're going to have to have help to do it, so people are going to have to be convinced by the nobility of your objective and the intensity of your activity."

What kind of organization do you want to work for?

How far do you want to go?

You can't dare mighty things in a row boat. 

You can't lead in a row boat. 

You can't do much but go on a joy ride in a row boat.

You can fight and win wars with an aircraft carrier. 

You can lead with an aircraft carrier.

You can raise up leaders and send people from an aircraft carrier. 

Sunday Inspiration |

"Once more I beseech my readers to dismiss from their minds the common idea, that men and women need nothing but pardon and absolution, in order to be prepared to meet God. It is a strong delusion, and one against which I desire with all my heart to place you on your guard. It is not enough, as many a poor ignorant Christian supposes on his death-bed, if God 'pardons our sins and takes us to rest.' I say again emphatically, it is not enough. The love of sin must be taken from us, as well as the guilt of sin removed; the desire of pleasing God must be implanted in us, as well as the fear of God's judgment taken away; a love to holiness must be engrafted, as well as a dread of punishment removed. Heaven itself would be no heaven to us if we entered it without a new heart. An eternal Sabbath and the society of saints and angels could give us no happiness in heaven, unless the love of Sabbaths and of the holy company had been first shed abroad in our hearts upon earth. 

Whether men will hear or forbear, the man who enters heaven must have the sanctification of the Spirit, as well as the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. To use the words of Owen, 'When God designed the great and glorious work of recovering fallen man and saving sinners, He appointed in His infinite wisdom two great means. The one was the giving of His Son for them; and the was way made for the manifestation of the glory of the whole blessed Trinity."

J.C. Ryle, The Holy Ghost

Saturday Inspiration | Self Validation

"An amateur lets the negative opinion of other unman him. He takes external criticism to heart, allowing it to trump his own belief in himself and his work. Resistance loves this. 

Can you stand another Tiger Woods story? With four holes to go on the final day of the 2001 Masters (which Tiger went on to win, completing the all-four-majors-at-one-time slam), some chucklehead in the gallery snapped a camera shutter at the top of Tiger's backswing. Incredibly, Tiger was able to pull up in the mid-swing and back off the shot. But that wasn't the amazing part. After looking daggers at the malefactor, Tiger recomposed himself, stepped back to the ball, and striped it 310 down the middle. 

That's a professional. It is tough-mindedness at a level most of us can't comprehend, let alone emulate. 

Tiger didn't react, he acted. 

Tiger didn't take it personally.

Tiger didn't use the moment as an excuse to fail."

Steven Pressfield, The War of Art

Chad Veach on 10 Things You Need for a Lasting Youth Ministry

On Saturday I listened to a sermon from Chad Veach that he preached in 2014 at The Leadership Collective. I took some notes on it and wanted to share them with you. So, read the notes, listen to the sermon and be blessed. 

1. Embrace God's grace for your life. Do what works for you and what you are good at. 

2. Make the most of every opportunity. We don't wait for things we make things happen. 

3. Live to the core. Money is easy to give away, time & talent is more difficult. 

4. Make ministry the people business. Love God and love people. 

5. The big time is where you are at. Use the platform you to have to preach, teach and lead to the highest level you can. 

6. Be a part of the solution. Don't bring problems, bring solutions. 

7. Live with a big spirit and big perspective. We want our world to get larger, not smaller. Be a master of discretion, nothing small or back handed. 

8. Never say never. God never gives up on people, we never give up on people. The power that raised Jesus from the dead is in us, it can change us and others. 

9. The grass is never greener on the other side. Enjoy where you are at and trust that God has greater things in store for you. 

10. Relax and don't take yourself too seriously. Your greatest challenge is your disfunction. 

Varsity or JV?

Are you going to approach today like a varsity player or a junior varsity player? You are a powerful person and you have the ability to choose how you will approach the day. 

Junior Varsity

1. Anyone can play.
2. It's all for fun and exercise
3. Nothing counts.
4. No pressure.

Varsity

1. Only the best can play.
2. Fun is called winning, exercise is how you win.
3. Everything counts and all stats are counted.
4. The pressure is on for each player to perform at the highest level. 

No one else can live your life for you. So, when I say "only the best can play" I mean that only the best version of you can play. If you try and copy someone else and not be yourself you are not playing varsity. 

This life is not all about what is fun. However, if you are someone who is willing to put the work in and win you will have fun. In order to do the work, you need to stay in shape, mentally, physically, spiritually. 

Are you in shape?

We all want our life to matter. We want the small things we do every day to matter. The problem is our mistakes count just like our wins do. You can't play varsity and be perfect. If you want to play at the highest level of yourself you will fail. That is the only way you are going to get better. 

One of the biggest problems in our culture today is passivity. The reason for it is complicated and effects every age group. The first step to pushing through this passivity is to realize that you can reject it. Today, you can choose to actively engage your life.

Accept the pressure of varsity play. You will win more than you lose and at the end of the day you will have no regrets. 

Sunday Spirituality | God's Presence

"Everything in the New Testament accords with this Old Testament picture. Ransomed men need no longer pause in fear to enter the Holy of Holies. God wills that we should push on into His presence and live our whole life there. this is to be known to us in conscious experience. It is more than a doctrine to be held; it is a life to be enjoyed every moment of every day.

This Flame of the presence was the beating heart of the Levitical order. Without it all the appointments of the tabernacle were characters of some unknown language, having no meaning for Israel or for us. The greatest fact of the tabernacle was that Jehovah was there; a Presence was waiting within the veil."

A.W. Tozer | The Pursuit of God, pg 34-35

Saturday Inspiration | Return on Character

"The Value a leader brings to his or her organization is determined by the individual's character (genetic predispositions, experiences, and character habits) combined with his or her business skills set (decision making, vision, focus, accountability, executive team development. The business results achieved through this combination represent the organization's return on character."

Fred Kiel - Return on Character

Don't just focus on your business, focus on your character as well. Character counts. 

7 Questions to Measure your Leadership

Here is a post from one of my favorite leadership writers Dan Rockwell. I highly recommend his blog, he writes something everyday and his content is excellent. 

Let me know your thoughts on this. 

7 SURPRISING QUESTIONS TO MEASURE YOUR LEADERSHIP

November 17, 2015

You can’t know how you’re doing until you’re measured.

Evaluation might feel uncomfortable, but the alternative is self-deception, lost potential, and mediocrity.

7 surprising questions to measure your leadership:

1. How are you becoming dispensable?
   • Create systems that function without you.
   • Give control with accountability.
   • Develop vision as a team, not an individual.
   • Build redundant talent. Cross-train and rotate jobs.
2. How are you making it safe for teammates to speak truth to power?
   • Listen calmly.
   • Honor constructive dissent.
   • Lower the volume of your voice.
   • Smile.
   • Avoid power positions. Sit in lower seats.
3. How are you expanding organizational capacity?
   • What have you recently let go?
   • What have you learned from failure?
   • Who are you mentoring?
4. How are you learning?
   • What are teammates teaching you? You aren’t smarter than everyone on your team, are you?
   • What are you reading?
   • How are you connecting with people that excel beyond your achievements?
5. How are you making yourself accountable to those you serve?
   • Complete this sentence. “I’m accountable to _______ (insert a behavior) my employees.
   • My team members know I’m accountable to them because I _______.
   • What character quality are you developing? Who’s asking you about it?
6. How are you actively seeking feedback?
   • Open yourself to 360 degree evaluations. What might those closest to you say, if they were completely safe?
   • Don’t tell teammates what you’re doing. Ask them to explain your goals and priorities based on your behaviors.
   • What questions do you ask others about your leadership?
7. How are you making others feel powerful?
   • Trust people to take on big challenges.
   • Provide coaching and training.
   • Focus more on maximizing strengths than fixing weaknesses.
   • Connect their values to leadership roles and goals.

Evaluation:

1. Confronts self-deception.
2. Minimizes waste.
3. Expands potential.
4. Identifies capacity.
5. Invites development.

How might leaders evaluate their leadership?

Sunday Spirituality | Culture of Honor

"In a culture of honor, leaders lead with honor by courageously treating people according to the names God gives them and not according to the aliases they receive from people. They treat them as free sons and daughters, not slaves; as righteous, not sinners; as wealthy, no poor. Leaders acknowledge their interdependence on the diverse anointing God has distributed among His leadership and their design for functioning as a team that creates a 'funnel' from Heaven to earth."

Danny Silk, Culture of Honor

Saturday Inspiration | Don't think. Act.

"A child has no trouble believing the unbelievable, nor does the genius or the madman. It's only you and I, with our big brains and our tiny hearts, who doubt and overthink and hesitate. 

Don't think. Act.

We can always revise and revisit once we've acted. But we can accomplish nothing until we act. 

Steven Pressfield Do The Work

The One Thing Every Leader Needs

This post is from one of my mentors Dave Kraft. It is about the one quality that every good leader needs. Let me know what you think of it. 

Teachability, The Prince Of Character Traits
Dave Kraft

I love lists. I love articles and blog posts that include lists of one thing and another. The Bible is big on lists. There are lists of things to avoid, list of things to do and lists of leadership qualities (I Timothy 3; Titus 1 and I Peter 5.) There are lists concerning the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) and lists of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). 

I love lists of ideas, attributes, warnings and commands as they help me know what God’s desires are for me and how he would have me live my life--both as a follower and as a leader. As I am led by him, empowered by Him and seek to honor him, I want to pay attention to what is in all these lists, so I can trust the Holy Spirit for ongoing personal transformation.

I have been a Christian for 53 years and in vocational Christian ministry for 45 years. I have given a great deal of thought to what is on all the lists in the Bible where the Lord expresses his desires for us.

There is one indispensable quality that I would put at the top of all of the lists when it comes to leaders.

That one indispensable quality is being teachable

Having the mind-set of a life-long learner…being open to learn from anyone at anytime on any topic. With His help, being teachable sets us up for growing in all the other areas of our walk with the Lord.

I have met very old Christians who are still teachable and I have met very young Christians who are not. I have met some very humble leaders and I have met some very arrogant leaders who have a hard time listening to anyone but himself or herself!

I remember shortly after I was married, I was starting to memorize Proverbs 13:10 in the King James, “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.” Due to my poor handwriting, my wife, Susan, thought the P was a B and asked why the Bible would say only by “bride” cometh contention. We both had a good laugh.

Here is Proverbs 13:10 in the ESV: “By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.”

Wisdom, from God’s perspective, lies in knowing how to take advice.

If there is one book in the Bible that majors in teachability, it would be the book of Proverbs.

Here are two of my favorites verses on being teachable from Proverbs:

“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” (Proverbs 18:2 ESV)

“And you say, how I hated discipline and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to instructors.” (Proverb 5:12,13 ESV)

When I’m thinking of investing in a potential leader, having a teachable spirit is the number one quality I’m looking for. When I see a true hunger to learn and grow and a genuine humility that is willing to be taught, confronted or corrected, there is no limit to what that leader can learn or how much influence that leader can have for the kingdom.

I have met a few leaders who wanted to learn, but didn’t want to be taught. They wanted to learn on their own and were not really open to having anyone else speak into their lives. It’s sad, to say the least.

If a leader is not teachable he/she won’t continue to hear from God (and others) and continue to grow and mature into the kind of follower and leader God desires.

This unteachable leader will eventually fall into other sins and disqualify him/herself. If a person is truly teachable, God can get through to each leader on every other issue or sin.

If the leader is truly teachable, then other people will have permission and freedom to speak into his/her life and which will lead to more growth, which honors Jesus.

Warren Myers was one of my early coaches who went to be with Jesus at the age of 78. Warren had spent his life studying the Bible and knew it and lived it better than any man I have ever known. He was not perfect by any means, but when it was clear he had sinned, he was quick to own it and ask for forgiveness from the lord and from anyone he had sinned against. 

We connected just a few months before he went to be with Jesus. We were having lunch together in Colorado Springs. He asked me (he always asked lots of questions) what Jesus had been recently making clear to me. As I began to share he took notes on what I was saying for his own personal growth. I couldn’t believe it…at 78, still growing, still learning--even from one of his disciples.

Are you truly teachable? Can you be confronted without bristling or making excuses for yourself? Do you ask questions when you are with others or are you quick to tell everyone your opinion on the topic at hand? Are you reading books that facilitate your ongoing maturity and influence for the kingdom?

In short, are you growing in “The Indispensable Quality Every Leader Needs to Possess?”

I met a career missionary at LAX and drove him to his destination.  He had been working on a list of characteristics to look for in potential missionary candidates for his organization. He read his list to me asking what I thought.  I told him that all of the qualities were excellent, but I felt there was one that was missing.  He didn’t have being teachable on his life.  He quickly added it.

Recently I watched a 30-second video clip from a leader on what he thought was a leader’s greatest fault.

Following that clip, and for several weeks running, various leaders from around the country would be weighing in on what, in their opinion, would be a leader’s greatest fault.

What do you think a leader’s greatest fault would be?

Would it be:

1. Insecurity?
2. Pride?
3. Sexual impurity?
4. Ministry idolatry?
5. Financial mismanagement?
6. Lack of honesty/integrity?

After many years of thinking and praying about this, my answer would be:

Not being teachable!

The same trait I mentioned to the career missionary. Maybe it’s true that some things never change.

Dave, you can’t be serious in saying that teachability is more important than all other leadership qualities and traits?

Yes I am. 

If a leader is walking with Jesus but is not teachable he/she won’t continue to hear from God (and others) and continue to grow and mature.

This unteachable leader will eventually fall into other sins and disqualify him/herself. If a person is truly teachable, God can get through to them on every other issue or sin. If the leader is truly teachable, then other people will have permission and freedom to speak into his/her life.

How would you recognize a truly teachable leader?

I believe the answer is simple. He/she is asking more questions than giving more answers. He/she is listening more than talking. It’s not by accident that we have two ears and one mouth. The leader learns more and the follower grows in confidence by digging deeper to answer insightful questions. 

One of the signs of a truly great leader is that he/she is not only continuing to learn and grow personally but helping others grow by encouraging them to think deeply and respond to well thought-through questions. It takes more work to come up with good questions rather than to give our good opinions on someone else’s question.

A reading through the gospels is revealing when looking at all the questions Jesus asked. He was always trying to help his disciples by asking insightful questions. If you are truly in possession of the prince of charter traits, you will be asking more questions of everyone, thereby demonstrating that you truly are a life-long learner.

Article originally appeared on Leadership from the Heart (http://www.davekraft.org/).See website for complete article licensing information.