Day one of the Lead Now conference down – 2 more to go – and I’m enjoying all of it. The only downer of the whole weekend will be that I have nobody to dialogue with as I am without a companion on this trip. Traveling alone is no fun at all – someone told me it’s like going to a movie by yourself… which I did tonight as well. Included in our registration was a free movie screening – we watched “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”. It was an “ok” movie until the very end which left people all throughout the theater crying. Since I hate it when people give away the ending of a movie I’ll not do so. Powerful ending though.
Who was the best speaker today? It would have to be our first speaker, Todd Wagner. He spoke on what is important when “leading now”. I took down about two pages worth of notes from him and I decided that since I have no one here with me to dialogue with I would put my thoughts down on Junto. Here are a few of his statements I recorded and I’ll throw in my responding thoughts as well.
Thought 1: “Leadership is a commitment to be misunderstood…If you want to avoid criticism, get out of leadership. The higher a monkey climbs up the tree, the more people can see his rear end.”
My response: – I found this one to be profound. He did not say leadership was a commitment to lead, or a commitment to set the example, or a commitment to serve – you know, all of those things a good leader should strive to do. Ironically enough it was a commitment to being viewed in the worst possible light in which a leader would desire to be viewed. A leader wants to be a great communicator – a motivator – a harborer of passion, the encourager of vision, and an inventor of dreams. A great pursuit such as this does not come without great pestilence. And we must welcome the criticism…if it is true. If it is false and the critique is not true to the message of God or the purpose He has for us, then we discard it…but we must welcome it nonetheless.
Thought 2: “Love is not doing what others want – it’s doing what is best.
My Response: He went on to say that a pastor that does not speak the truth in love but allows sin, or potential sin, to go unchecked, who does not speak what God’s message is to the people, who refuses to speak the truth in love, is a bastard pastor. Strong words – accurate meaning. This concept of speaking the truth in love is something God has been welding into my heart. Jesus was the greatest at “stirring up the pot”. He never allowed things to get comfortable and the result was a result that most leaders today fear – people left Him. So often we refuse to speak the truth in love out of fear of abandonment. This can not be a deterrent. Jesus called us to a life of accountability and a life that refuses to be accountable to God or those placed in authority over them is a life that is rebellious, selfish, and controlling – all of which are attributes not welcomed into the kingdom of God. I must come to terms with the fact that when God places on my heart words to speak that will call people to a deeper intimacy with Him, and they’re rejected, people may leave. Leaders may leave. But we are not here to please men, we are here to please God and the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Jesus’ message to us was that we are not to fear those that can destroy the body – we are to fear Him who can destroy the body and vanquish the soul to an eternity apart from God.
That’s it for now! Leave your comments!