In my last post (you really need to read it!), I explained how Pastor Julio, a man I had just met, had listened to my story about following God’s lead in my family business. He listened to me tell him how I knew I was on the right path and committed to it regardless of the cost. He paid attention while I described the hardship I was enduring. Then he asked if he could give me some advice.
Have you ever made a significant decision to follow God’s lead to do something out of the ordinary? Have you ever taken a large risk because you knew down deep that God was calling you to do it? If so, were you willing to persevere even when the path turned difficult? Did you decide to dig down and stick it out no matter what happened, because you just knew you were on the right path?
A couple of great friends of mine visited the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove for a Corporate Chaplains training conference. One of them told me about the various displays at the center and the interesting facts about Graham’s ministry. As he talked, I thought about how I would love to have the impact that Billy Graham has had for eternity.
We probably all know someone that dresses in a way to stand out from the crowd. Whether it is a wacky looking tie or a dress that is so bright it looks like it runs on batteries, we have all seen examples of people wearing clothes that stand out. Why do you think they do this? What is their purpose?
I have been studying a little in Matthew 5-7. If you are familiar with this passage, you know that this is also known as Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. This “sermon” from Jesus is so full of meat, you could write a whole book on what we should learn from it. Today, I want to focus on a couple of verses that teach us to stand out from the crowd.
I believe it is critical for Christian business owners and leaders to live out their leadership differently than those who do not claim the Christian faith. We are called to die to self and should, therefore, look different than the rest. One way we do this is to focus on others – our employees or team members – and their needs before our own.
I received a critical, but motivating comment on a recent post I shared on LinkedIn. The comment basically stated that my post “Have You Attended Your Own Funeral?” had been long on theory and short on concrete examples. Instead of discussing the idea of dying to self in the business world, I was asked to give examples of what it would look like from the outside. I think the commenter was right on target!
As Christian leaders, I think it is fairly obvious that we should always be learning and growing. This includes getting stronger in our knowledge of God and growing in our relationship with Him. It also means we should be gaining knowledge in our industries as well as in the area of leadership. In light of this, I have a question…is it possible to get too smart?
This is my third post in a series about a God-honoring decision making process. As Christian business owners and leaders, it is our desire to impact eternity with our business and personal lives. In trying to do this, we are faced with many decisions. Determining the path that has the greatest impact and honors God is often difficult.
After all of the anticipation, fear, and celebration, it has finally arrived: the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th President of the United States. Whatever position you have taken during the campaign and since the election, this day is a significant one for many reasons. While it would be easy to get down into the mud and argue about whether this is the right man for the job, I want to take a different approach and discuss the actual transfer of power.