Right now, I'm reading three books on leadership. For class: The Leadership Challenge by James Kouzes, and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. For d-time: Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Chambers.
Now, obviously, one of these is a book on christian leadership, and the others on general leadership. What I've found, though, is the two are almost identical. They all suggest and go over the same characteristics: discipline, vision, wisdom, decision, courage, humility, integrity, sincerity, humor, etc...
The big surprise came when Chambers advised using anger in leadership. To be perfectly clear, the anger Chambers promotes is a tempered, controlled, holistic anger.
The other books advise to stay clear of anger, and that if anger starts to arise, to leave. The secular authors don't hint at the possibility of controlling anger and using it as a tool. They see it simply as a detriment.
So what's the difference? Is it that Christians are better able to control their anger and their tongues? Psalm 4:4 says, "in your anger, do not sin." That verse implies that anger is there, and that anger can truly exist without crossing into sin. Though, a huge struggle of mine is where to draw that line. So, I'm not even going to suggest how to control anger and harness it as a tool. That is for much better men than I.
So, the question is ... What are the most important characteristics in a leader? How should anger be employed by a Christian leader?
Monday, April 27, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
What is the Pursuit? Part Two
The pursuit is a following.
When I say following, I don't mean that to be in pursuit, one needs to be a follower of men, or needs to stay away from leadership roles. But, in the end, the point of the pursuit is that you have someone or something that you are actively following, in a drive to attain it. For me, the pursuit is a following of Christ, which includes:
1) Pursuing the character of Christ
2) Pursuing the mission of Christ
Two questions you could have right now are, "What about the pursuit of the salvation of Christ? What about the pursuit of the grace/love/mercy of Christ?"
I no longer have to worry about the pursuit of the grace, love or salvation of Christ. That's a bold statement, but one promised to all those who have faith because of their relationship (or pursuit of one) with the Lord. (1 John 5:11-13)
Moving on, the pursuit of the character of Christ, or sanctification, is where the following really kicks off. To follow Christ is to put restrictions on the freedoms that don't align with his character. Christ is perfect. He lived a perfect life that serves as a model for all those wanting to follow him. If we restrict ourselves and our lives in order to align our character with His, then we are ultimately liberated.
--- For more on truth, freedom, and the liberating power of Christ, I suggest listening to a sermon by Tim Keller based on Galatians 2:4-16, found here.
The pursuit of the mission of Christ is simple. It is a calling delivered by the Son of God to all who believe. The mission: to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the Earth (Matthew 28:12-20). God wants us to live an abundant life, one worthy of His calling, and fitted to His purpose for our lives.
When I say following, I don't mean that to be in pursuit, one needs to be a follower of men, or needs to stay away from leadership roles. But, in the end, the point of the pursuit is that you have someone or something that you are actively following, in a drive to attain it. For me, the pursuit is a following of Christ, which includes:
1) Pursuing the character of Christ
2) Pursuing the mission of Christ
Two questions you could have right now are, "What about the pursuit of the salvation of Christ? What about the pursuit of the grace/love/mercy of Christ?"
I no longer have to worry about the pursuit of the grace, love or salvation of Christ. That's a bold statement, but one promised to all those who have faith because of their relationship (or pursuit of one) with the Lord. (1 John 5:11-13)
Moving on, the pursuit of the character of Christ, or sanctification, is where the following really kicks off. To follow Christ is to put restrictions on the freedoms that don't align with his character. Christ is perfect. He lived a perfect life that serves as a model for all those wanting to follow him. If we restrict ourselves and our lives in order to align our character with His, then we are ultimately liberated.
--- For more on truth, freedom, and the liberating power of Christ, I suggest listening to a sermon by Tim Keller based on Galatians 2:4-16, found here.
The pursuit of the mission of Christ is simple. It is a calling delivered by the Son of God to all who believe. The mission: to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the Earth (Matthew 28:12-20). God wants us to live an abundant life, one worthy of His calling, and fitted to His purpose for our lives.
Friday, April 24, 2009
What is the pursuit? Part One
Pursuit – The act of following or going after; especially a following with haste.
The definition Webster's gives us is saying two things:
1. The pursuit is an act
2. The pursuit is a following
Today, I'm only going to discuss part 1.
I love action. There is something about the James Bond, the Indiana Jones, the Jason Bourne that reaches deep inside of who I am; who God made me. One of my favorite passages of scripture is 2 Timothy 1:7, “For god did not give us a spirit of timidity; but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
There is something integral about the boldness of every character, fictional or not, that keeps fans coming back, reading more books, buying more tickets, wanting more. Humans' love of action goes beyond a love for characters in stories, which are limited to the bound pages of books. Humans want a hero to transcend storybooks, movies, even time and life. While people ceaselessly search for a hero, they overlook the savior. They miss Jesus.
They miss the Jesus who conquered the raging seas that we love to watch toss insane fishermen overboard on the Discovery channel. (Mark 4:35-40)
They miss the Jesus who loved more deeply than any person who walked the Earth, or any character in a Shakespeare play. (John 17:6-26)
They miss the Jesus who fought to defend his house from those who would defile its halls, though we watch war and police movies. (John 2:13-17)
They miss the Jesus who dined with invalids, healed the sick, and used the weak to lead the strong, but revere those who fight for human rights and social justice. (Matthew 9:9-13) (Matthew 4:23) (Matthew 5:5)
Most importantly, they miss the Jesus who created all things, who conquered death, and who will reign as King of kings for all eternity. (John 1:1-5)
The definition Webster's gives us is saying two things:
1. The pursuit is an act
2. The pursuit is a following
Today, I'm only going to discuss part 1.
I love action. There is something about the James Bond, the Indiana Jones, the Jason Bourne that reaches deep inside of who I am; who God made me. One of my favorite passages of scripture is 2 Timothy 1:7, “For god did not give us a spirit of timidity; but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
There is something integral about the boldness of every character, fictional or not, that keeps fans coming back, reading more books, buying more tickets, wanting more. Humans' love of action goes beyond a love for characters in stories, which are limited to the bound pages of books. Humans want a hero to transcend storybooks, movies, even time and life. While people ceaselessly search for a hero, they overlook the savior. They miss Jesus.
They miss the Jesus who conquered the raging seas that we love to watch toss insane fishermen overboard on the Discovery channel. (Mark 4:35-40)
They miss the Jesus who loved more deeply than any person who walked the Earth, or any character in a Shakespeare play. (John 17:6-26)
They miss the Jesus who fought to defend his house from those who would defile its halls, though we watch war and police movies. (John 2:13-17)
They miss the Jesus who dined with invalids, healed the sick, and used the weak to lead the strong, but revere those who fight for human rights and social justice. (Matthew 9:9-13) (Matthew 4:23) (Matthew 5:5)
Most importantly, they miss the Jesus who created all things, who conquered death, and who will reign as King of kings for all eternity. (John 1:1-5)
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