Which Path to Take

The plans of the mind belong to mortals. But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All one’s ways may be pure in one’s own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. – Proverbs 16:1-3

How many times do we plan something in our lives- something as simple as what activity we will do on a given day, to something major like a job or career choice…and it turns out totally differently than we thought?

We have so many of our own thoughts and plans. And we should. God gives us dreams and desires, goals and passions. But, we must remember to always have His will as a sounding board. It certainly is not always easy to discern His will…in fact, it is usually quite difficult initially. That is where seeking Him is key. He WILL give us what we need. And He knows infinitely better than we what is best for us.

Plan on! But - Seek Him. Commit to Him. He will make the path clear.

As it has been said, “He might not show up early, but He will be on time.”

In Him

The Law of The Picture: People Do What People See

Law #13 of John Maxwell's The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is:

The Law of The Picture: People Do What People See

This law addresses the idea that ‘you need to practice what you preach.’ You can teach and talk all day long, but you need right actions along with that to provide a model for your followers that they can respect and emulate. When leaders show the way with the right actions, their followers copy them and succeed.”

Making The Picture Come Alive

“Great leaders always seem to embody two seemingly disparate qualities. They are both highly visionary and highly practical.”

Mission provides purpose- answering the question, Why?

Vision provides a picture- answering the question, What?

Strategy provides a plan- answering the question How?

This does not mean that leaders have all the answers. Uncertainty is certain. It is a necessary component of change…which is a necessary component of progress and growth. It is actually during times of uncertainly that leadership is most important. And how you model dealing with times of uncertainty will significantly impact your team.

Modeling Insights for Leaders:

1. Followers are always watching what you do. “Followers may doubt what their leaders say, but they usually believe what they do. And they imitate it.

2. It’s easier to teach what’s right than to do what’s right. “It is a challenge to raise your living to the level of your teaching.” But, “nothing is more convincing than people who give good advice and set a good example.”

3. We should work on changing ourselves before trying to improve others. In order to be a credible leader, you do need to practice what you preach. Your standards of excellence need to be highest for yourself. “As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me.”

4. The most valuable gift a leader can give is being a good example. Following are results from a survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for a finance company. American workers were asked to select the one trait most important for a person to lead them…

RANK	CHARACTERISTIC	PERCENTAGE
1	Leading by example	26%
2	Strong ethics/morals	19%
3	Knowledge of the business	17%
4	Fairness	14%
5	Overall intelligence/competence	13%
6	Recognition of employees	10%

Applying the Law of The Picture to Your Life

1. The primary example you set for your followers will be in the area of character. This is the area you need to address first before trying to change others. Give yourself a character audit. Make a list of your core values [eg integrity, honesty, hard work, etc]. Next, notes any incident in the past month when you have acted inconsistently with respect to those values. Don’t dismiss anything. No excuses. Work on changing your actions and attitude in these areas.

2. Ask a trusted colleague to watch you for at least 2 weeks and compare what you teach to how you act. Have him/her record the inconsistencies and review them with you at the end of the time you determine. You can ask for clarification, but do not defend yourself. Plan to change either your actions or the philosophy you are teaching- so that they are consistent.

3. What are 3-5 things you wish your current people did better than they do now? List them, and then grade your performance in each. If your numbers are low, then you need to working on improving those qualities/actions in yourself. If your numbers are high, you need to make your example more visible to the team.

Reference:

Maxwell, John. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Chapter 13- The Law of The Picture. Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN; 2007

Work For It

I passed by the field of one who was lazy,
by the vineyard of a stupid person;
and see, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall was broken down.

Then I saw and considered it;
I looked and received instruction.

A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want, like an armed warrior.
Proverb 24:30-34


God can give us our dreams- and then some
But not without work on our part
We must seek God, that our dreams are of Him- and then go after them.

Imagination + Inspiration + Perspiration = Realization
[Pastor Buddy Cremeans]

-In Him

More Than We Could Ever Imagine

Pastor Troy gave a sermon relatively recently talking about making progress in our lives. If we are not moving forward, we are declining. And, if we are at a plateau- we are just ‘pre-decline.’ Just this past weekend, Pastor Buddy Cremeans, Northway Church- NY, took this a step further with the notion that our imaginations are one of our greatest gifts from God. He challenged us to dream big and set goals for ourselves.

Ephesians 3:20-21 says: Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Just consider this verse. God can accomplish far more than we could EVER IMAGINE. That is awesome. How much can you imagine? How big can you dream? Wherever your mind can go in fantasy- God can take your reality even further… And all through His power within US!

“If your not an agent of change, your ate best a steward of something which is going to erode, and why would you want a job if all you’re going to do is perpetuate what previously existed?” -Stephen Friedman

-In Him

The Law of Empowerment

Law #12 of John Maxwell's The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership is:

The Law of Empowerment: Only Secure Leaders Give Power to Others
“If leaders want to be successful, they have to be willing to empower others.” Maxwell notes that, in order to effectively lead others, we have to help them reach their potential. This relates to the Law of Addition and adding value. However, a leader has to be secure in order to accomplish this, since empowering others includes giving them some power.

Barriers to Empowerment
“Only empowered people can reach their potential. When a leader can’t or won’t empower others, he creates barriers within the organization that followers cannot overcome. If the barriers remain long enough, then the people give up and stop trying, or they go to another organization where they can realize their potential.”

Why leaders fail to empower others:
1. Desire for Job Security?: “The #1 enemy of empowerment is the fear of losing what we have.” There is a paradox to the Law of Empowerment- “The only way to make yourself indispensable is to make yourself dispensable.”
2. Resistance to Change: As we get older, we tend to resist change. But, “change is the price of progress.” We have to train ourselves to embrace and desire change.
3. Lack of Self-Worth: Self conscious people are usually so focused on themselves that they do not make good leaders. They cannot give power to others because they do feel like they have any themselves.

The Power of Empowerment
• The main ingredient is belief in others. If you believe in others, they will believe in themselves.
• Encouragement from someone you respect is quite empowering. It makes you feel appreciated and validates you, which adds to your self worth. In turn, you regard the person who encouraged you even more.
• “Empowerment is powerful- not only for the person being developed but also for the mentor. Enlarging others makes you larger.”

Applying the Law of Empowerment to Your Life
1. Do you believe in yourself? How do you characterize yourself regarding self worth? Are you confident? Do you have value and feel that you generally have positive things to offer? If you do not, or rate lowly in this area, you will have a hard time with the Law of Empowerment. You need to take steps to add value to yourself and/or explore why you are lacking self worth.
2. Do you believe in others? Make a list of the people in your team [or those closest to you]. Rate each on a scale of 1-10 based on potential [not current ability]. If the ratings are low, you likely have problems believing in others and seeing their potential. Start thinking about each person and his/her positive attributes. What are their greatest strengths and how could those attributes be leveraged to accomplish goals.
3. If your natural inclination is to build and then hold onto power, you will need to transition to become an empowering leader. Start with choosing your best people and set them up for success. Provide training and resources and help them set and accomplish goals. If they fail, help them keep trying until they succeed.

Reference:
Maxwell, John. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Chapter 12- The Law of Empowerment. Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN; 2007

The Word Is Alive

Hebrews Chapter 4:
12 Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.

It is truly amazing that we have a Word, a tool, a guide, written more than generations and generations ago- that pertains to us today. A Word that corrected someone 3000 years ago, corrects us today. A Word that encourgaed someone 2000 years ago, encourages us today. A Word that describes a Love that sacrificed His own life for a sinner back then, tells us that that same Love is for us too!

Who else?...What else has this?! This rod and staff which comforts us? This assurance?

Thank You, Lord, for giving us You in this living and active way. Please use this Word, this part of You, to help us to know You! - Amen

In Him.

We Need To Own It

Openness by the leader paves the way for ownership by the people. Without ownership, changes will be short term. Changing people’s habits and ways of thinking is like writing instructions in the snow during a snowstorm. Every twenty minutes the instructions must be rewritten, unless ownership is given along with instructions. [John Maxwell]