maturity

As I have been reading 1 Samuel this week, I have been learning a lot about good leadership vs. bad leadership. Saul (the first king of Israel) tends to miss the mark in his leadership a lot of times. David (originally Saul’s harp player, one of his soldiers, and eventually Israel’s most famous king) consistently makes wise leadership decisions, even when he has low positions. Here are some of specific things I’ve been seeing in David’s leadership:

1. David constantly communicates with the Lord (1 Samuel 23.2, 4, 10, 12). This connection allows him to hear and recognize the Lord’s prompting to keep him from making rash and unwise decisions (i.e. killing King Saul in 1 Samuel 24.5-7).
2. David had a godly friend named Jonathan who encouraged him and looked out for him and spoke truth to him (1 Samuel 20 and 23.16-18). Jonathan supported him when no one else did. This sort of confidant – someone who knows you, reminds you of truth, and helps you out when you have no other allies – is so helpful to a leader.
3. David shows respect for the authority he’s under by not killing Saul (1 Samuel 24.5-7). If anyone deserved to not respect his authority and exercise some revenge, it would be David – Saul is literally trying to murder him. But David knows God anointed Saul (1 Samuel 24.10), so God is the one who needs to decide when to avenge his wrongs. David simply stays faithful.
4. However, David isn’t an idiot – he doesn’t roll out his sleeping bag right next to Saul after their confrontation. David and his guys stay in their stronghold  as Saul returns home (1 Samuel 24.22). Even though Saul was trying to kill David, David makes it clear to Saul, Saul’s men, and David’s own men that he is choosing to respect and not to harm Saul.
5. David had a ragtag group of men in his army – they were in debt, in trouble, and discontent. David, however, did not allow their issues to make him bitter or hardened. He continued to lead in a way that probably wasn’t popular (his men wanted to kill King Saul and he stopped them in I Samuel 24.7). He could have easily played the victim or allowed their brokenness, bitterness, and discontentment to make him feel like he deserved revenge. Instead, he continued to pursue the Lord and seek his counsel. He intentionally decided to lead with his head and not with his emotions.

I believe David’s constant communication with the Lord enabled him to make mature, wise decisions, even when his life was literally in danger. He kept the long view in mind and didn’t make all his decisions in the urgency of the moment.

This is the type of mature leader I want to be.

leave Doubting Thomas alone

I think Thomas gets a bad rap. Most of us have only heard of Thomas (one of Jesus’ disciples) for one reason — he’s a doubter.

Maybe you don’t know the story. After Jesus comes back to life, the disciples (minus Thomas) are all together in a room, and Jesus appears to them. When the crew tells Thomas about it later, he says he won’t believe until he can see and touch the holes in Jesus’ hands, and put his hand into the hole in Jesus’ side (all wounds Jesus got while he was dying on the cross).

At this point we sit back, shake our heads, and criticize Thomas for having such weak faith. What a doubter. What’s his problem?

What we usually don’t acknowledge is Jesus’ response to Thomas’ doubt. About a week later, Jesus appears again. This time Thomas is there, and here’s what Jesus says to him:

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”
(John 20:27 ESV)

Jesus does not scold Thomas for his doubt. He does not tell Thomas he’s a bad disciple or a terrible excuse for a Christ follower. He doesn’t express anger or frustration or sadness. Instead he provides Thomas with the exact proof he was asking for.

This story is one of my favorite, because it encourages me so much. I believe Jesus wants us to know that he is bigger than our doubt. He is not afraid of our questions. He knows that we’re weak and that sometimes we struggle to trust. But he is gracious. He doesn’t expect us to act like we have it all together. He welcomes our doubt, and provides us what we need to believe.

Go to Jesus with your doubt. He will help you to believe.

vision

I have been learning some practical lessons about leadership lately. One thing I find myself reminded of is the importance of vision. Here are some things I have been learning in a new way recently:

• Vision leaks. This isn’t a new lesson, I realize, but I have been reminded of the truth of it. In the daily grind, people forget WHY they are doing what they’re doing. When we forget the WHY, we lose interest, we get discouraged, we do things for the wrong reasons.
• Because of this, vision must be constantly reiterated. Every time the team gathers, every time an email goes out, every time there’s an opportunity: REPEAT YOUR VISION.
• Re-evaluate your vision. Just because it’s what you decided on 5 years ago doesn’t mean it can’t change. Does your vision still fit the passions and direction of your ministry and your people? Maybe it’s your people who need to readjust, or maybe it’s time to re-evaluate the vision.
• PRAY OVER YOUR VISION. This is one that I have been really practicing more intentionally lately. Ultimately, it’s not my ministry or my vision anyway — I only want to lead people to accomplish what God wants for us. In order to do that, I have to ask the Lord to speak into my vision. How? Take time, even if it’s just 10 minutes, and sit before the Lord and ask him to show you what needs to change and what blind spots exist. He will show you.
• Invite others to give input and feedback into how you are implementing your vision – but do NOT compromise the things God has confirmed. It’s important that the people you lead have buy in and ownership in the vision, but don’t feel the need to make changes just to keep people happy. Sometimes leadership means making the hard call that not everyone agrees with. This is why allowing God to speak into the vision is so important. Once you are convinced that you are leading the direction he wants, you can make hard decisions with confidence because you know God stands behind you.
• To accomplish your vision, you may have to change tactics. Most of us are creatures of habit and love to be comfortable and in a routine. However, even the most rock solid visions may need new implementation plans from time to time. The group structure you used when you had 50 people may not work now that you have 200. The outreach opportunities you offered at one campus may not work in your new location. Changing your methods doesn’t mean you’re losing your vision. It means you are recreating. And that’s often a good thing.

“Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29.18)
Most importantly, YOU MUST HAVE A VISION. We have probably all worked or served somewhere without a clear vision. If we don’t know the goal, how do we make good plans or measure success?

What is your vision? And how are you implementing it with a God-supported confidence?