From Mark Batterson:

When it comes to leadership, half the battle is an uncompromising commitment to do it big and do it right. Come hell or high water, great leaders don't settle for anything less than their best effort. They are relentless. In many ways, great leadership boils down to this: you do whatever it takes to make the dream become a reality. You settle for nothing else. You settle for nothing less.

Thanks, Mark!

From You Can Know God:
Thinking out loud about some of the things I’m learning about leadership. Today…here’s some thoughts on vision.

• People will not buy into a vision that they do not understand. But if they understand the WHY, then will often jump in with both feet.
• It’s virtually impossible to over communicate the vision. We must keep telling (and showing) people the WHY behind the WHAT.
• Casting the vision doesn’t always mean it’s understood. We need to ask follow up questions to make sure people are on the same page.
• Sometimes, people get disgruntled or don’t act the way you want them to act, because they don’t understand
• The more confusing the concept, the smaller the meeting needs to be. If I’m talking about something really intense, I need to process it through small groups first…not the entire church all at once.
• When it comes to making decisions about vision, ask if the PRICE is worth the PRIZE? When we were talking about doing the Egg Drop, I decided that the PRIZE of connecting 300+ OLC volunteers to a community event was PRIZE enough, even if it cost us a little money.
• It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” - Walt Disney
• Everybody says it, but it’s absolutely true. Vision leaks over time. We have to keep reminding people.
• It’s better to illustrate the vision than to describe it. SHOW people what it looks like.
• A phrase I’m learning to use more and more in discussions is “So, just to be clear…”
• Vision cannot be imported. If you borrow your mission and vision statements from other churches, you’re trying to import your vision.
• Be ruthless about the vision, and don’t change it just because someone doesn’t like it or quits giving money to it. (My Favorite!)
• Vision is what leads the leaders.

Yea Baby!

My turn to post from Perry Noble...

Four Leadership Myths That Aren’t Usually Talked About–Part One
In this series of posts I completely understand that I will really tick some people off…but I feel like some people will be set free. Understand this before you begin reading…God doesn’t use people pleasing pastors to accomplish His purposes! He uses men SOLD OUT to Him…and His call, which means there are times HARD things must be said and done.

Here we go…
Myth #1 – Anger Is Ungodly
Have you ever been told after a message, “You seemed mad today? You should really try to be more kind?”
Believe it or not—that’s been said to me a time or two.

I spent a lot of time thinking about this and came to the following conclusion…if a pastor isn’t pissed about something…he probably doesn’t preach/lead from passion and conviction, but rather from convenience and apathy.

Every leader that did something significant in the Scriptures was ANGRY about something…
Moses was angry about his people being enslaved.
David was angry about Goliath.
Jesus and Paul were angry about religious people.

But the one who sticks out to me on this point is Nehemiah!

In Nehemiah 1-12 we see a man completely sold out to a vision. He risked his life for the vision in chapter one, fought his critics and enemies, dealt with leadership challenges and poured his heart, soul and his money into seeing the vision God placed inside of him come true.

He then honored his word and went back to see the king…then returned to Jerusalem in Nehemiah 13 to see what he had fought so hard for fall completely apart…

And he was pissed!

He SERIOUSLY did things that probably caused the bloggers to go nuts!
In Nehemiah 13:7-9 he literally cleaned out a dudes “office” by throwing things out in the street.
In Nehemiah 13:10-11 he rebuked the leaders for not carrying out the vision.
In Nehemiah 13:15-22 he literally threatened to beat the crap out of people who were threatening the vision.
In Nehemiah 13:23-25 he lost it and DID beat some people up!
In Nehemiah 13:28 he fired a guy pretty forcefully!
Nehemiah was ANGRY…godly anger! He was full of passion…godly passion. He did some things that would be considered unorthodox in today’s world…and yet there is not one single Scripture rebuking him for how he acted.

As a leader there have been things I’ve had to apologize for…but I will NEVER apologize for passion…ever.

MAYBE that’s one of the problems in church world today—there aren’t enough leaders who will FIGHT for what they believe in. The early church leaders were willing to sacrifice their lives…unfortunately many leaders today won’t even sacrifice a paper cut!

People full of passion are used by God to accomplish His purposes. Apathy is absent in heaven…it should be absent in the church and her leaders!!! A leader should always be willing to repent from ungodly anger…but NEVER for being angry because the God given vision is being polluted or diluted.

Well, well. Read that last line again. "A leader should NEVER repent for being angry because the God given vision is being polluted or diluted."

Belmont County is STILL in need of a church that values unchurched people more than religious people.

Belmont County is STILL in need of a church that is willing to set the preferences of Christians aside in order to reach those who don't yet know Jesus.

Belmont County is STILL too full of churches who are willing to tell the unchurched people of Belmont County to "Go to Hell" (LITERALLY) because they are afraid they'll get too big ("I won't know everyone's name") or because they feel more compelled to display their "acts of holiness" (read "weirdness" if you are unchurched) than they are compelled to not freak out their unchurched neighbor.

And THAT makes me VERY angry. And I will not repent!

Sometimes We Have to Face Our Fears
by : Perry Noble

God taught me yet another lesson through my little girl during the recent snow storm we had here in the upstate - There are times when He will place us right in the middle of what we fear the most to prove to us HIS power and also to show us that, many times, what we are fearing should not be feared at all.
Let me explain…
Lucretia got Charisse dressed the morning after it snowed and I took her outside. She had a very confused look on her face while I tried to explain to her it was snow.
We stepped out in the yard and I put her down in the snow…she FREAKED OUT! Seriously, it was a complete meltdown…she was scared out of her mind because I had placed her in an environment with which she was not familiar…and it made her VERY uncomfortable.
SO…I scooped her up and gave her a huge hug, told her it would be alright and then walked around in the snow holding her.
She was fine as long as I held her…so…I decided to try to put her down again…and she began freaking out before her feet ever touched the ground!
I tried reasoning with her. I explained to her that the snow would not hurt her. I told her I would be right there with her…but none of that brought her any level of comfort…she didn’t want to get in the snow.
After about 10 minutes I decided that she had to get over her fears. (I didn’t want us to have the kid that pee’d her pants every time i snowed and refused to go outside!) I knew the snow would not hurt her…I knew I would be right there with her…and I knew the ONLY way for her to get past this was to face her fear head on.
SO…I put her down in the snow, took five steps and then turned around and looked at her.
Yes, she cried. Yes, my heart was hurting to see her cry…but I told her, “Charisse, walk to daddy.” She proceeded to hold out her arms to me…but me picking her up would not have helped her get past something that didn’t need to hold her captive.
So…I said once again, “Charisse, walk to daddy–there is nothing to be afraid of.”
All of a sudden she stopped crying, she literally just cut it off. (Isn’t it funny how kids can do that?) And then she took a step…then another…then another until she finally made it to me (to which I DID pick her up and give her a big hug.)
Afterwards she looked at me and said, “down!” (Which means please put me down!) I said, “do you want to play in the snow?” And she nodded her head yes!
For the rest of the morning she and I played in the snow and had a blast…we built a snowman, I pulled Lucretia and her on the sled…it was awesome! What once held her captive was now something she rejoiced in!BUT…it would not have been possible had I not, as her father, been willing to place her in an environment that forced her to overcome a fear that had no place having any control over her life.
I think the Lord does the same thing for HIS children.
So many times I have found myself held captive by fear…the ungodly kind. The kind of fear that paralyzes…thoughts like…
“What if I am single for the rest of my life?”
“What if I try this tithing thing and go broke?”
“What if something happens to me and I cannot provide for my family?”
“What if I go on this mission trip and something bad happens to me?”
“What if I write this blog post and people take shots at me?”
“What if I preach this sermon and people get mad and leave?”
“What if I make this highly unpopular leadership decision and cause a great degree of uncomfortability?”
You see where I am going, right? We’ve all allowed fear (the wrong kind) to control us to the point to where we beg God to pick us up and make all of the bad stuff go away.
BUT…I believe that many times Jesus puts us right in the middle of the situation we fear the most to prove His power, His faithfulness and to remind us that we are to fear HIM above anyone and anything.
I have learned that when a situation keeps reoccuring in my life that causes me fear and makes me uncomfortable…it is my Heavenly Father placing me in the middle of that fear to help me overcome it. AND…He will keep doing so until I choose to trust Him rather than fear my circumstances.
He’s faithful…and if you are fearful just remember…He’s right there, drawing you to Himself and trying to teach you that by keeping your eyes on Him…there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

**************************************************************************
In life, and especially though our spiritual life, this absolutely repeats itself. Just when we believe in our hearts that we kinda have this "God thing" figured out, we realize all to often' that we are nothing in comparison to God and his plan. Sometimes these seasons of revelation, are blips in time. Others are major events that will speak directly to our heart............that is, if we are willing to be open to God's pleasure........willing to be uncomfortable........willing to surrender. Stepping out in faith is essential for any leader, and for anyone wanting to share the message of Jesus. That initial step may seem insurmountable, but the act of following God's will and call for yourself, will SET YOU FREE. The church, now more than ever, has to follow what breaks God's heart. When we are placed in a situation that is unfamiliar and uncomfortable, remember that you must embrace change, act on faith and live for what's on God's heart.

From Steven Furtick's blog:
They can’t stop you
You probably remember the occasion when Gamaliel told the Sanhedrin to leave the disciples alone because:
“If their purpose or activity is of human origin it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”Acts. 5:38-39

If you are doing the work of God for the purposes of God in the power of God, you’re unstoppable too. Just like the early church. Just like Jesus Christ.

I don’t remember where I first heard this little quote, but it has enlivened me on many tough days (it’s even posted in one of my assistants’ office):

When I want what God wants for the reasons God wants it, I’m unbeatable and unstoppable.

Receive that today. Breathe it in. Then walk it out.

Maybe you’re a pastor squaring up with a carnal deacon board, trying to pursue a God given vision in the face of tremendous scrutiny and opposition. Stay on the wall, Nehemiah. That deacon board can’t stop you. God is fighting for you! Dream, implement, preach, evangelize, cast vision.

It will come to pass.

Maybe you’re a parent trying to instill godly values into your child, and they’re putting up a hell of a fight every step of the way. Remember, your child isn’t fighting against you. According to Gamaliel, they’re fighting against God!

And whether they know it or not, they’ve met their match. It’s just a matter of time ‘til He lands the knockout blow.

Keep training, encouraging, correcting, disciplining, praising, mentoring, sowing. It will produce a harvest.

If God is for you, who can be against you.

http://www.driveinternational.org

DRIVE-IN is a series of live Web events featuring Andy Stanley created for international church leaders. DRIVE-IN explores the foundational philosophy and principles that guided the leadership of North Point Community Church in creating irresistible, relevant environments that continue to attract people who don’t like church.

Urgent personal finance advice from Seth Godin:

If I could only share one piece of personal finance advice to grads or to just about anyone, it would be this:

Only borrow money to pay for things that increase in value.

It's a short list: your business, your house and your education, mostly. Stocks if you're smarter than me. That's pretty much it.

If you have credit card debt, you're in big trouble. Your bank account has a huge leak in it, and it's getting worse. Hence the urgency.

If you have credit card debt, that means that every time you spend money (even cash), you're borrowing money to do so. And so, if you're going out to dinner or buying a new pair of shoes, you've just broken the single most important rule of personal finance. You're spending borrowed money on stuff that is decreasing in value.

This is an emergency. It's an emergency because every single day you wait, the problem gets worse. A lot worse.

My suggestion: Go to defcon 1, and do it immediately. Shift gears to live well below your means. That means:

• No restaurants
• No clothes shopping
• No cable TV bill
• No Starbucks
  

It means:

• Take in a tenant in your spare bedroom
• Carpool to work
• Skip vacation this year
  Eat brown rice and beans every night for dinner
• Act like you have virtually no income.

The result? You'll save $5,000 to $20,000 a year. Send all of it to the credit card company. Do this until you're debt free, the faster the better.

There. Now you're rich. Now you get interest on your savings instead of paying the bank. Twenty years from now, this emergency action will translate into perhaps a million dollars in the bank, depending on how much you earn and how serious you are.

You can thank me then.

From Geaorge Ambler:

“Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them.” - Robert Jarvik

Leaders pioneer and initiate change. Leaders are not sheepwalkers and they do not follow the traditional cow paths of life. Leaders bring the future into the present. This is because leaders see what others do not, they think differently. It’s because of this that visionaries find resistance from many fronts. Consider the following…

“The flight be machines heavier than air is unpractical and insignificant, if not utterly impossible” – Simon Newcomb, an astronomer of some note, 1902
“It is an idle dream to imagine that . . . automobiles will take the place of railways in the long distance movement . . of passengers.” – American Road Congress, 1913
“The odds are now that the United States will not be able to honor the 1970 manned-lunar-landing date set by Mr. Kennedy.” – New Scientist, April 30, 1964
“There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home.” – Ken Olsen, president Digital Equipment Corporation, 1977

Leaders create change and are often faced with resistance and challenge. In spite of this many succeed…
(From Jess-Let's revisit a video that was posted awhile back...)

Really THINK about this. It's good stuff!

"A quick, undeveloped thought for today:
The more we have, the more we have to lose.
The less we have, the less we have to lose. The less we have to lose, the freer we are to live/minister/serve/sacrifice like we have nothing to lose.
After all, isn’t the most important thing to us something we can’t lose?"

- Scott McClellan on Collide Magazine's blog today

Great post from one of the blogs that I read daily -

Growing as a Leader
from Jenni Catron by Jenni Catron

If I know anything about leadership, it’s that it doesn’t come easy.
Yes, some people have a natural gift toward leadership, however growing and developing as a leader is hard work. It won’t just happen. A position of authority won’t miraculously make you a good leader. Being called a leader doesn’t make you a good leader. Going to leadership conferences won’t make you a good leader.

You will become a good leader when you become dedicated to being one. It has to be intentional. You have to work at, pray for and seek it EVERY day. You have to read, listen, study EVERY day.

Here are some of my suggestions for things you can do to grow as a leader EVERY day:

Make praying for leadership wisdom a part of every day
Read 30 min to an hour from a leadership book every day (including the Bible - there is great leadership stuff in there!)
Study other leaders around you and journal your observations
Find a peer who sees your leadership in action and can give you honest, candid feedback
Seek out a seasoned leader to meet with occasionally who will coach and mentor you (this could be one person or many)

The bottom line is you’ve got to work at it.

You’ve got to be a student of it.

You’ve got to be committed to it.

So let me ask you, what are you doing today to grow as a leader?

You know, for years, one of my favorite sayings has been:

"Life's too short to hang around a bunch of people who don't realize how wonderful you are."

Now, I recognize on first glance that could seem a little arrogant. But I believe that it is ABSOLUTELY true. We all vascillate from moments of vanity to moments of insecurity, depending on the situation, but I believe THIS to be true-

In general, we should surround ourselves with people who see the potential in us that we don't yet see...people who will help us stretch and grow into all God created us to be.

Unfortunately, if we aren't careful, we'll find ourselves in the opposite situation instead, surrounded by people who really don't see what we bring to the table, and never will. Then we find ourselves trying to continuously prove ourselves and justify our position, our worth, and our value. That can be a full time job.

Sometimes, you just have to step off the treadmill of trying to measure up to other people's standards. Life's too short...