Leadership (borrowed from Mary Crews

Leadership? Leadership is a word that is probably overused and possibly overstated in the era we live in. A lot of people are on the bandwagon to teach, speak or write books on leadership and while I don’t want to judge anyone who wants to help people in this area I am very cautious about whom I glean leadership tips from and what their motive behind it may be. Having said that I want to give my own two cents about leadership because even with all the hype about it and learning to be a good leader we are still sorely lacking in this area. So what is Real Leadership? Here are my thoughts and if you feel robbed or disagree strongly then you can send all of your responses to www.getoverit.net. The definition of leader found on my dictionary app is this; Lee-der – a person or thing that leads, who rules or guides or inspires other. Now, I am not sure that the word thing should be in there and I don’t care for the word rules when it comes to leading but I really like the “guides and inspires” part. Leading for me is this; A person who is willing to humbly step into the role of guiding people towards the accomplishment of a greater cause. Through this process I hope to help people see what their individual passion and purpose is and how to begin to walk out what that is. What many people don’t understand or have a desire to do is that this must start in your home. If a man can’t lead his wife and children towards what I stated above then they have no business doing it outside of their homes. At least in my realm of influence they won’t. I believe that when I am a great leader in my home then I am an even greater leader outside of it. I have put together a list of what I view as my top ten most important leadership attributes. Before I give you what those are let me make this statement. I don’t have “it” all together but I believe that with the help of a higher power I can keep working towards figuring out what having “it” all together means. Many of the points I am about to share come from watching, being mentored by or reading about great leaders who have influenced my life. The greatest of them being Jesus Christ. I am thankful to Him and to all those leaders who have contributed towards who I am today. A good leader is relational. He knows the state of his flock. Again this begins in the home. If you are failing at home then you are failing outside of it! A good leader leads with passion and purpose. These two added together will give vision. You can’t manufacture excitement because it will eventually fail. A good leader will challenge the norm. My statement about leaders in the home is not always a popular one but it is one I am willing to stake my reputation on. A good leader is humble. A servant leader, leading with the mindset of elevating and sacrificing for others. Pride will never allow you to do this. A good leader is not afraid to confront. In doing this we must be lovingly bold. A good leader is trustworthy. Leading with integrity and character. At the end of the day, if we don’t have this what do we really have? A good leader leads with an attitude of empowerment. Prepare your people for the direction you are going. Helping them see what they are passionate about and gifted for and how to use this in their realm of influence. A good leader is always willing to be held accountable. To a higher authority and to the team you put around yourself. Transparency is important in this. A good leader will persevere. Opposition will always come with success. A good leader is teachable. An attitude of being teachable will allow us to accomplish the other nine in this list. So, what do you think? Your opinions and comments are appreciated. What makes a good leader to you?

GOOD PARENTS = GOOD KIDS ..............LISTEN UP PARENTS !!!!

Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals’” (1 Corinthians 15:33) So what does this have to do with our kids and the choices that they make? Quite honestly, a lot. Being a good parent is vitally important. Understanding upfront that being our kids’ best friend may be something that sounds awesome, but in reality, we have to be the one who’s job it is to shake up their world before bad decisions are made. Many times we have to be the uncool adult. The bad guy. The only person(s) that say, “NO!” “No”, to wearing that sexy outfit that “all the other girls are wearing”. “No” to dating at an age that we feel is too young. “No” to listening to music or watching movies that are not going to feed their spirit, but give the enemy a foothold into their lives. And, “No” to hanging out with people who the Holy Spirit moves us to see as being bad influences. When our kids are home, their decisions are a bit easier to oversee. But when they leave the protection of our home…our eyes…our rules… that’s when trouble can happen. It’s so important to make sure the people who they spend time with away from us are like minded people. Who we choose to befriend matters. Those relationships can help build us up into who God wants us to become. They can also have a devastating affect on us. They can lead us down paths that will spiritually kill us. God’s word specifically tells us to be mindful with whom we associate. This is yet another lesson we can take from poor Miley Cyrus. “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 I PROMISE THIS WORKS............ Just know you kids, know their friends.............YOU ARE THE ADULT......ACT LIKE IT !!!