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Solomon learned that for all his striving, for all his wisdom, he still had just one life. Men often get caught up in the idea of leaving a lasting legacy. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make a difference, but there is one major flaw in all our efforts. We can’t control how people remember us. Today, Abraham Lincoln is viewed as a hero. Will that still be true in 30 years? Maybe, but there is no guarantee. What is my point?

We need to realize that today is all there is. The world views this idea as depressing and thus they adopt the YOLO mentality that leads… well, nowhere good.

For Solomon, it finally clicked when he realized that every moment is a gift from God for us to enjoy. Satisfaction and pleasure are the byproducts of making the most of today--enjoying our relationship with God, savoring moments of eating and drinking, hanging out with friends, and benefiting from our hard work.

So, slow down. Stop striving for the life you will have tomorrow. Keep believing in it, by all means, but don’t simply live for it at the expense of living now. The truth is, you can only arrive at tomorrow by going through today, so enjoy it. Linger in the moment. Savor your joys, embrace the pain of growing, and love with your whole heart.

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It takes that kind of passion to experience joy and fulfillment in life. Jeremiah knew this even though his life as prophet was difficult and tragic. He lived in a time when no one would listen. Those who heard him, despised him. And yet, when he was told to stop speaking messages from God, he wrote these words:

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Now that’s the way to live! Son, what is your passion level for God and his calling on your life? No matter what the calling, we honor God with our passion. Please note, we are to be passionate about God, HIS word, HIS desires, HIS mission to reconcile the world. If we give our passion to anything else, we open ourselves to vain ambition and a drivenness that does more harm than good. I pray that whatever God’s mission is for your life, that you, too, will be so filled with excitement, joy, and belief in who God made you to be.

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Not only did Jesus come to fulfill something old, but he also came to reveal something new. It was more than just a commandment to follow. Jesus gave us a new way of thinking about life and loving others.

I should point out, Son, that Jesus didn’t reveal to us a change in the nature of God. Some people struggle to reconcile the stories they read in the Old Testament with those of the New, particularly in the way they view God’s interaction with man. Can I take this moment to encourage you to read your bible all the way through? Our misunderstanding melts away as we see the story of God’s love interwoven from start to finish. It will help you to see his heart so clearly. What we discover is that this “new command” of Jesus calls us to reflect the true nature of God in our lives. Instead of establishing our character simply on right action, Jesus said, “motive matters, too!” When love is at the center of what we believe and the way we think, right action will flow out of right motive.

This… changes… everything! A perfect unity of grace and truth, of mercy and justice, of faith and works reveals the Kingdom of God in a way far different than what our human mind would conceive. God is kind of amazing that way!

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To bring to perfection all that has been written, to fulfill the law, to keep God’s promise to Abraham, to fulfill prophecy—this was the mission of Jesus. It is important, Son, to know why Jesus did what he did. His life, death, and resurrection are far more than historical events.

In our day and age when people question everything, attempt to undercut the reliability of the Bible, and defame the character of God, we can stand firm as we see the larger story. There is a plot line that runs through the middle of everything from the beginning of time through to the end of all things. A significant moment happened when God made a covenant with Abraham, to bless the whole world through his descendants. His love and character take center stage as he establishes this covenant with the promise to pay the penalty of death should either party fail. His love and character are present in the law, given to Moses, to protect us from ourselves and to reveal how completely we have broken the covenant and choose to live independently from God. The prophets wrote to remind us then and now of the cost of our independence.

And then…, Jesus. The living Word, the Son of God, the promised Messiah, the Lamb was slain. The covenant with Abraham was made complete as his descendant, Jesus, became a blessing to all people, every tribe and nation. The law isn’t abolished, but rather it continues to fulfill its purpose of showing us why Jesus had to do what he did. Over 300 prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus perfectly to establish the truth that God loves, God honors his word, and God is good.

November 7, 2019 – Who are we living our lives for? Is it wrong to highlight the good things? I have really struggled with these questions recently. Motive matters, and anytime someone can question our motive, we walk on shaky ground. Now, I realize that some folks just have a gift for criticism, but even so, shouldn’t we be doubly careful to examine our hearts thoroughly. I believe that it comes down to not only being content, but being overjoyed with an audience of one—all for HIS glory!

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Son, when everything in your life is lived for God’s glory alone, you can live in real peace. So much energy and emotional bandwidth is spent on pleasing and impressing others. At times we can all get caught up in finding affirmation and validation from others. Even when our hearts are in the right place, when we want to draw a crowd for the sake of sharing the gospel, we can find ourselves performing for them, rather than Him.

It is crucial that you invest time in building personal safeguards for your heart. Ask these questions often, “For whose glory am I doing this?” “Whose popularity will increase, God’s or my own?” Sometimes you will feel like you are walking a fine line. This heart assessment will keep you from falling on to the wrong path.

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This encouragement is for you personally, and for the ministry that God leads you into. Make Jesus famous. In whatever you do, seek to please him alone. What do you need to do today to set your feet firmly on this path?

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I can’t think of a single talk on leadership that begins with these verses, and yet, where else can we begin? Leadership thrives as it flows out of great passion, but leadership succeeds as it flows out of humility. Yes, I just said that a leader can thrive and fail at the same time. Leaders who miss this leave behind them a wake of emotional abuse, frustration, and zero growth. When passion turns inward, it becomes hyper-control oriented. Leadership is never control. Good leadership is about purpose (love God) and relationships (love people). When this all comes together it is a beautiful thing. Success of the whole centers around the growth and value of the individual, both of which are aimed at growing closer to God and loving him more.

Growth, development, and maturity happen over time and involve an intentional process. Don’t confuse intentionality with control. In fact, leadership is all about letting go, which should make sense. Otherwise, you’re not a leader, you’re either a doer or a commander. A leader’s role is to provide a proper connection to purpose and an encouraging environment for relationships and growth. High levels of creativity, interaction, freedom, ownership, and responsibility draw the giftedness of individuals to the surface. This is where the crucial element of loving others nurtures every misstep toward maturity. Son, the Kingdom needs good leaders. Let God love others through you.

Son, you have heard me say many times that life is a journey. Some of my favorite stories in history are those of men like Lewis and Clark who bravely set out as explorers with no guarantee that things would go well. They had opportunity before them, preparation behind them, and a lot of courage down deep inside. I have a lot of days that I look back and wish that I had made more of every opportunity with you and your brothers.

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November 5, 2019 – There are so many things that, as a parent, come to you after your children are grown. Oh, that I could turn back the clock and intentionally speak truth and life over our sons! For years, I missed the opportunity because I was not spiritually in a place to lead them well and initiate them into manhood. Somehow, this is what I must do now, and even further, lead other men to do the same with their sons.

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So, to that end, I want to share with you something that I’ve learned. At every stage of life, we all must answer these questions:

• Who is God?
• Who am I in relation to God?
• What is the real nature of God’s story?
• What is my frontier?

If we intend to walk with God in this expedition of life, He will inevitably lead us into new territory, places we’ve never been, new experiences, a bit of uncertainty, developing skills that don’t come easily, and all for the sake of others and for his glory. That is the frontier. Like all who have traveled these paths into the unknown, you must be alert, know what you believe, and be courageous.

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When building a new housing community, the planners always create green space.


Back in October 2019, I noticed several days in a row in my journal were all pleading for the same thing. I needed rest, a break, a reprieve from bearing the current burden, a vacation. This is not uncommon. Building green space into our lives is important on so many levels. Our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health are all impacted by these moments of green space with God. When we breathe in clean air, capture a few moments alone, or simply enjoy the beauty of creation, we can echo the words of David:

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It takes planning to preserve green space. It is land that will never be sold. No house or business will be placed there. It won’t become a home to vendors. The developer will, in effect, lose money on the deal, but its value is priceless. Take time today to plan for the green space you need in your life.

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That’s the feeling I get when I think about the Church and marketing. There is no doubt I prefer George Müller’s approach to finances, ask God to provide and trust that he will. I fear we’ve lost that kind of faith.

First of all, I believe churches, for the most part, have good intentions. We all want to grow in order do more, to reach more with the gospel, to rescue people, to feed the hungry, to make the world a better place. Love God, love people. That’s all good. The problem enters in when churches compete with one another rather than cooperate. We all preach unity, but we live something else. It is as if we believe we have to win some race in order to obtain as much as we can of a finite amount of tithe money that exists in the world. Where are our good intentions now? Where is our willingness to trust God to move within, to provide for, and to grow our ministry as he sees fit, according to his timeline?

This is a big deal, but it’s not a hopeless situation. You can right the ship. Lead us back to the joy found in the unpredictable nature of genuine faith. Lead us to tune our ears to God’s voice and move only when he moves us. Lead us to believe again in Jehovah Jireh, our provider. Lead us to stop competing and join forces with all believers to grow the Kingdom of God. Lead us to surrender our might for the sake of our mission. Fear, doubt, and insecurity drive a competitive spirit. God is calling us to stop striving in our own strength and to lay down the things of this world, so that we can grow our faith as we trust him completely.

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Before your mom and I married, she came to Little Rock, and we went on a hike to the top of Pinnacle mountain. As you guys know it’s a fairly short hike, but it is pretty strenuous getting to the top, especially on a hot summer day in Arkansas. We had an incredible day except for one thing. Foolishly, we left our water back at the base of the mountain. The fun hike and amazing view from the top lost its luster as we wished desperately for a drink. Needless to say, we never made that mistake again.

Experience can be a cruel teacher when we lack what we need to be successful. That’s why Peter’s words are so amazing! God has supplied us with everything we need to live our best life, a godly life. Much of the difficulty we face stems from the fact that we tend to leave those much-needed provisions back at the base of the mountain. Sometimes this is unintentional, but often it is because we don’t realize what we truly have in our relationship with God. He is loving. He sees our future. He sets us up for success. Maybe today would be a good day to be reminded of who God is and who we are in Christ.

Also, it should be noted that being well supplied by God to live a godly life doesn’t mean that we won’t face difficulty or go through painful experiences. It does provide the assurance that God knows our needs more than we do, and we can face any situation with confidence in the fact that we will never be left alone to be overwhelmed by our circumstances. Bob and Larry had it right. You are special and God loves you very much!

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Most of us are so accustomed to roads and scenic routes that we don’t think much about traveling in straight lines. In air or sea travel though, everything is calculated precisely to the exact degree in order to arrive at a specific destination. It might not seem like much to be off by one degree, but the results can be catastrophic. In one mile, you would be approximately 92 feet off course. That equates to one mile off course for every 60 miles you travel. To put it in more realistic terms, flying from Great Falls, Montana to London, England off course by one degree, the 1 in 60 rule would have you landing somewhere in the middle of the English Channel. Not good!

Okay, so what’s the point? For the most part, Satan, our flesh, and this world attract us to sin by distorting and perverting good things. We overindulge our appetites. We become prideful. We make almost anything into an idol. Rarely, does this happen in a single moment of reckless abandon. Instead, we are lured into making small compromises in what we believe, and that one degree off course produces change so gradual that we literally become desensitized along the way and often justify our destination as being right where we ought to be.

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Thankfully, this doesn’t have to be our story. Humbly, check your course often and make corrections along the way by believing God’s word, developing a good fellowship, and choosing to have a humble heart.

This phrase takes on a couple of different meanings that are super-helpful. First of all, most everyone has been guilty at times of telling someone we will pray for them, and then simply forgetting to do so. For this reason, the right time to pray is always now. We should slow down life enough that we have room to pray for people and issues in the very moment they are made known to us. This gives intercessory prayer the priority it should receive in our lives. It communicates love and concern for the person who asks us to pray, and, on a deeper level, reveals what we believe about prayer.

Secondly, if we are not used to walking and talking with God every day, knowing and hearing his voice become more difficult, if not impossible.

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October 24, 2019 – Lord, Tammie and I are truly way in over our heads. We lack the knowledge and wisdom we need to make all these decisions that are before us. We don’t want to come to you with such a sense of urgency that we mistake our will for yours. We trust you. We quiet our spirits and await your timing. Speak Lord, your servants are listening.

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If we talk to God daily and learn to listen and respond to his voice, we are prepared when confronted with a larger issue. So many people only turn to prayer in a moment of crisis or decision. I can almost guarantee that hearing God’s voice and discerning the Holy Spirit’s counsel won’t happen under that kind of pressure and inexperience. So, pray now. Learn to walk in the presence of God and talk with him as if he is always with you, because in truth, he is.

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A lot of youth camps include a trust fall in their activities. Students gather around a platform and take turns, blindly falling into the arms of the students below. It is an object lesson on trusting others.

How then, do we increase our level of trust in God? This is a really important question, and one which gives us a glimpse into His heart. God wants us to believe in him, far more than simply acknowledging his existence. God wants us to believe in his goodness. He wants us to trust him in every situation, and there is only one way to develop that kind of trust. We have to live in and through some pretty gnarly crap. Our natural desire is to alleviate and escape from all pain and suffering. Well, maybe it would help to hear a different perspective.

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Trust grows when it is tested. We must learn to embrace circumstances that require more of us. An easier path only leads to self-reliance and diminishes our confidence in God. Son, take heart, live courageously, and know, God will catch you when you fall.

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Some days that is all we need to do. Stop thinking. Stop evaluating. Stop responding. Stop figuring. Stop looking ahead. Stop looking behind. Just stop and breathe in all that is your relationship with God.

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October 25, 2019 – My mind is pretty open today and I don’t have a lot to say. Thankfulness is what resounds most in my mind and puts a smile on my face. Yesterday, was a full, rich day with people whose friendship I treasure. I am thankful for a full week of hard exercise. I love my family—so proud of my sons. Every moment with them. Every day with Tammie. Every opportunity to be with friends is an amazing gift. I don’t want to write too much or overthink any of it today. I come to you Lord with a thankful heart. You brought all of this into my life and I can’t help but just smile.

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We can often allow life to blow through these moments without even noticing, especially if we keep moving at the world’s preferred pace. Just remember, even as shepherd, a warrior on the run, and a King, David never stopped writing songs. Jesus never stopped pulling away from the crowds to pray and embrace the moment.

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I want to encourage you today to take time to step aside and enjoy a moment of worshipful gratitude. And, by all means, SMILE!

During World War II, Germany fought with a strength and tenacity that overwhelmed at every turn. However, Hitler’s alliance with the Axis powers made his force one of the most formidable in all of history, engaging in a true global conquest. We, too, face an enemy alliance that seeks to overthrow our life in Christ—Satan, the world, and the false self.

Satan and Spiritual Forces
It is pretty easy to recognize the main bad guy in God’s story. He is the serpent in Genesis, the dragon in Revelation, and every spiritual force of evil in between. Against him, we can resist, we can rebuke, we can cast out, and stand our ground because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross and through the supernatural assistance of the Holy Spirit within us. (Jam. 4:7, Eph. 6:10-20)

The World
The world often takes good things, things that God created for our enjoyment and benefit, and uses them to grab and hold our attention and draw us into an unholy worship. We hold on so tightly that we fear losing what has come to mean so much to us. Worry, anxiety, and depression follow because the things of this world can never satisfy. It is on this front that we suffer most in the battle for our mind and heart. We have victory as we take captive every thought and set our hearts on the things above. (2 Cor. 10:5, Col. 3:1-3)

The False Self
We could also call this enemy our flesh or sin nature. I use the term false self because it often convinces us that it is who we are and represents our truest desires. Our false self is born from the natural selfishness which we inherited from Adam, and we gain victory through the work of Christ as we are crucified with him and raised to walk in a totally new, redeemed life. (Gal. 2:20, Rom. 6:1-11, 2 Cor. 5:17)

Today, let’s learn something together about prayer. I’ll start with a question. Do you tend to pray more about yourself than anything else? Needs, hopes and dreams, confession of sin, etc.? Me, too.

In John’s vision in the book of Revelation, the entire story takes place in the throne room of God in heaven. Elders, angels, and beasts are all present giving praise to God. In the hands of these elders are gold bowls filled with incense which are the prayers of God’s people. It is truly amazing! Then, I can’t help but wonder if my prayers are in those bowls. Have I really come to Jesus, the one who died to give me life, and simply said time and again, “I’ve messed up,” or “Here is the life I desire, can you please make it happen?”

Don’t get me wrong. There is a place for our heart’s cry. After all, it was Jesus who told us to cast all our cares on him. However, if that’s all we do, then our view of prayer is off-center. God deserves so much more. He deserves our praise. Prayer should begin, be filled, and end with worship. This life we live is in the midst of his story. Our need and our forgiveness is secondary to God as provider and Jesus as savior. Let’s fill those bowls to overflowing with our prayers of praise!

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Put a target on your back and shots will be fired. Arrogance and pride are great temptations, hard-wired into every human heart. I’ve heard it said that as long as you’re not a threat to the enemy, he will leave you alone.

HOGWASH!

That is total and utter nonsense. Satan hates us all. He doesn’t want us to be merely ineffectual. He wants to use us to wreak havoc and wreck as many lives as possible. He wants to use our compromises to create a ripple effect of discouragement and doubt, turning our lives into a lightning rod of sorts. So often, we tend to only think about how our actions, attitudes, and careless words effect our own lives. Satan’s target is never so singular. Even when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, his true desire was to eliminate the hope of all mankind.

Unfortunately, there is a long list of pastors, evangelists, and faith leaders who have been taken out by things like addiction, adultery, and pornography. Just because you are a believer and follow God’s call into ministry, you are not immune. Therefore, we must ALL be vigilant. What are we allowing to influence us? Whose counsel are we keeping? What defense measures are we taking?

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October 16, 2019 – When I pray, do I seek my benefit or for God to be glorified? Do I pray for others for their benefit or for God’s glory? Anything I ask for should have the desired result of glorifying God. 
 
We pray for God’s glory.
We live for God’s glory.
We intercede for God’s glory.
We give for God’s glory.
We minister for God’s glory.
We go for God’s glory.
We stay for God’s glory.
We love for God’s glory.

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Son, this concept is only now really beginning to sink in beyond the surface of my thoughts. I suppose it all boils down to what it means to offer God our true worship. Paul encouraged us to be a living sacrifice which reflects our desire to worship Him. In his song writing, David states that our repentance and obedience validate our sacrifice.

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We cannot honor God with our lives if we don’t even think of him throughout the day. When we allow the things of this world to capture our attention and serve as idols, we do so with intent, whether we would admit it or not. Likewise, we will not glorify God by accident. Worship is always intentional. What are your plans for today? Will you simply do what you do, or will you dedicate all you do to the glory of God? It’s your choice!

That title evokes a lot of bad memories, most of which involve immature relationships and the unreasonable expectations of a teenage me. Praise God that Junior High happens only once! Many things in life can be painful, but a broken heart is usually the result of betrayal. That’s what makes the hurt go deeper than most. Have you ever considered how God must feel?

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October 14, 2019 – God wants to be loved. I have heard it said many times that God needs nothing from human beings. While I suppose that is true in the strictest sense, scripture speaks a great deal about God’s longing to be loved, above all else, by us, His created beings. This morning I am drawn to this topic because we often think of God as being above all emotion. What if we saw God as being broken-hearted when we choose to give our love to something else? Would it change our level of resolve to resist sin if we think of it as being hurtful to the one who loves us so much?

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There is definitely something to this thought. All our favorite stories recount tales of love, betrayal, sacrifice, and restoration. This is no accident. God weaves much of his story in and through the creativity of man. He gently nudges our heart through beauty and poetry and life itself.

How do we heal God’s broken heart? Be restored. Notice the little things. Rely on him. Need him. Love him.

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October 12, 2019 – Life is too short and eternity too important to allow this world to distract or deflate my spirit through common trials.
 
What I focus on determines what impacts my life most.
 
If my eyes are on myself or my trials, I will allow depression, anxiety, envy, strife, discontent, or shame to weigh heavily upon me. If my eyes are on another person, I will be blown about by the wind and again become disillusioned, frustrated, or envious. If my eyes look to nature, I face unpredictability and the harshness of reality. There is only one way to escape the trap of multiplying my troubles. I must focus on God alone and seek him with all my being. He brings stability to chaos and melts away all selfishness. Real hope ushers in a certainty that my existence is a part of God’s larger story.

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We give Peter a hard time because of the way he was a man of quick action, but who else walked on water with Jesus? Boldness is fueled by a heart-level confidence that what we gain is worth any amount of risk. Son, more than anything, the world needs you to risk jumping out of the boat. If you focus on Jesus, there is nothing to stop you. God is truly amazing, and even when your focus drifts to the wind and waves, He is always there to lift you up.

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Family is so important. Paul even gave specific instructions to Timothy and Titus in regard to a pastor’s family. I chose the scripture above because I believe it reveals something we often overlook in our western independent mindset. Serving God is a family thing. We often think of our calling on very individual terms, I’m called to this, you’re called to that. In the first-century culture of Israel, people thought along different lines. Trades and skills passed from one generation to the next from father to son. Whatever the husband and father did impacted the entire family.

Now, though that’s not the actual point I’m trying to make, it illustrates a principle that is helpful for you, Son, as you look toward having a family of your own. Over the years your mom and I have longed for a ministry that we can do together, and for the most part, we have made that happen as much as possible, However, there were still moments where we felt the stress of being pulled in different directions. We have seen far too many families be torn apart by the demands of people and ministry. From my perspective, I can honestly tell you that you don’t need to allow yourself to be put in a position where you have to choose. God intends for you to serve together as a family. As the jailer in Acts stepped into faith, he brought his family to God as well.

Whatever it means for you in terms of job and ministry, be together. Let it be a family thing!

I have written in my journal so many times about a dream, a vision, a stirring in my heart that generates excitement and energy just to think about it.  This dream represents a hope for something that motivates me toward both belief and action. It is a beautiful thing, but also a bit dangerous. Dreams like this are beautiful because they are, at least in part, something of the image of God in you. They reflect your personality at the point where it unites with your passion to serve others.

Even though these dreams are obviously from God, they can be dangerous if they begin to take the place in our heart reserved for God alone. If we live for what we do rather than for the one that placed the dream in our heart, we end up living in idolatry.

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It would be so tragic to live what we believe to be a faithful life, only to find out we missed God in the midst of doing good. I love the way Paul encourages us to allow our worship of God to be the catalyst for our energy and passion as we pursue all he has for us.

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Being a parent, I understand these words very well. There is really nothing that your mom and I wouldn’t do for you, Son. How much more does God stand ready to be an active part of our lives! The following words were spoken through Isaiah to Israel just prior to their captivity in Babylon.

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If you have time, read the verses that follow as well. It is the sad story of how the people continue to rebel. Despite God’s constant offer of help, the people stubbornly continue to rely upon themselves and pursue their own desires.

Let’s just do this right now. Admit that there are times, more often than not, that we need help. Say it out lout, “I need help.” That does not make you weak. It reveals the kind of relationship that God wants to have with us. He wants us to know that he is dependable. He wants us to know that he is happy to provide strength when we feel overwhelmed. God loves us. He is not ashamed to find us deep, in over our heads, in a struggle with sin and the things of this world. What breaks his heart is that we try, over and over, in vain to fix everything on our own. There is nothing about life that is meant to be faced alone.

Think of how Jesus confronted the Samaritan woman at the well. He offered her everything, and moment by moment she responded with excuses and questions to deflects the pain within her heart. I love that Jesus was not deterred. He kept pressing until her walls came crashing down in a beautiful moment of complete surrender. Maybe that’s a moment he is seeking with you today.

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Pardon the pun, but fighting off a critical spirit is critical to walking with God and living your best life. The hardest part about recognizing a critical spirit is that you are often right or justified in the way you feel about something. The key is where you go with it from there. As you come up against things in life that you don’t like, you must learn to beware of a critical spirit. A critical spirit will often appeal to your pride or your sense of justice. It can quickly pull you into an immediate emotional reaction. This is the first red flag that should make you aware of this spirit’s presence, and this is the easiest point to turn it away.

Now, I want to shift gears right here to better demonstrate what you have to do in this situation. First, realize that this critical spirit is trying to hurt you. It will appear to be on your side and fueling your fight for what is right, but make no mistake, a critical spirit wants to take you out. Secondly, ask yourself why you are having such a response, and identify whether or not it actually falls under your sphere of influence. Like it or not, many issues are simply outside of our ability to make a difference, so our only healthy option is to let it go. And finally, focus on the “right” things. Let your mind dwell on what you can model in your own life. Make a list of what you love, or of the things you want in your walk with God, dreams you have, and relationships you value. As Paul noted, when you do these things, you will find peace. Take a moment to do this today.

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Before leaving earth, Jesus commissioned us to become disciple-making disciples. For the sake of today’s discussion, we will call ourselves apprentice-making apprentices. All good masters know that teaching will only give an apprentice knowledge without practical experience. That is why Jesus did something pretty amazing with his disciples.

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I know that small part of a verse doesn’t seem all that significant, but in it, Jesus gives us the greatest example of true leadership. He turned over the reins of ministry to his apprentices. Jesus had sown the seeds of his Kingdom in their hearts. It had taken root and begun to grow. Every crop yields a harvest AND along with that, new seeds. In this process a single seed becomes many.

A lot of “leaders” today totally miss this. It is far easier to be a manager than a leader. A manager focuses on organizing, creating plans, and overseeing their implementation. A leader focuses on developing people, which is the essence of making disciples.

It really comes down to whether or not we are willing to give our leadership away. If you seek the glory, then your success and that of your apprentices will always depend upon you.

If you sow the seeds of leadership, creating Jesus followers, and cultivate them well, you can be part of something far greater.

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