who are you listening to?

It was lunch time. I had come to town to help another church with something they had going on. So, the pastor and I were going to have lunch together. this is a guy that I respect greatly and is a great leader.

We ordered our food, and I started firing away with the questions (this was several months ago). His answer that sticks in my mind the most was from my question about leading leaders. He said, "share with those you lead who is leading you, who you are reading from and who is stretching you." That shot back into my mind this morning after I had stopped to read some things from Paul J. Meyer.

My dad went to school with Meyer's wife. Meyer died last year and his legacy is incredible. I had heard his name before, but now I am getting to hear and see so much more as I begin to read his books on leadership.

That pastor I mentioned said to tell people who you are learning from. I believe that we need to take every opportunity to learn. Sit at the feet of people you admire and people you love and soak up what they have to share. Don't waste your time with people who waste their time. Find those who are making a difference in their world and making a difference in you. Then learn from them.

Who are you listening to?

Matthew 19:14 (NLT) --- But Jesus said, "Let the children come to me. Don't stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children."

2 Timothy 1:13 (NLT) --- Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:17 (NLT) --- Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example.

The Apostle Paul was not being arrogant. He was leading the people around him to impact more people. Listen: real leaders impact the people around them so they can impact others. Here is another way to look at real leaders: people character serve the people they are around and lead those people to serve other people. Make sense?

Tell me, who are you listening to? Here is a list of some folks that are inspiring me these days (each name is also a link):

Ben Stroup, Dan Woods, Paul J. Meyer, Craig Groeschel, Donna Pratt, Dave Ohlerking, Mark Harvoth, Matthew Barnett, Jenni Catron, Julie Harrison ... that is just a few. You may know some of them.

Tell others who you are listening to and who you are learning from so that you can lead more people to live fully devoted lives to Jesus!

Francis Chan's "Forgotten God" (brand new book)

One of the most powerful preachers, writers and leaders of our time, in my opinion, is Francis Chan. His first book, Crazy Love , revolutionized my thoughts about God's love as well as my interacting with God. Now it is time for a brand new book from Chan being released tomorrow, September 1st. The book is Forgotten God . This is a phenomenal book about the power that Christians and the church can and must tap into. All of it is within the Holy Spirit. Francis talks about the power that was seen in the book of Acts when the Holy Spirit began to move among people. It is true that many have avoided or maybe forgotten what the Holy Spirit is all about. And like the Savior who poured out His life and blood so we have reason to rejoice, we were made to lay down our lives and give until it hurts. We are most alive when we are loving and actively giving of ourselves because we were made to do these things. It is when we live like this that the Spirit of God moves and ac...

inspiration from C.S. Lewis

There are many people, past and present, who get our attention by what they write or say or share. For me C.S. Lewis is one of those. He was a prolific writer who continues to grab the attention of thinkers from many different points of view. Lewis first grabbed my attention when I was in 5 th grader, and our teacher, Mrs. Foy, shared The Chronicles of Narnia with our class. It was a powerful time that this dreamer opened doors to thinking like I had never lived before. He wrote of faith, of far off places and of strong figures who found their character rooted deep in God. C.S. Lewis was born in 1898 and died in 1963, 7 years before I was born. It wasn’t until his 30’s that under the influence of his friend Tolkien that he came to be a Christian. He was raised in a traditional church going home, turned away from God as an Atheist in his teen years and through trying to stay away from God and faith returned to God with...

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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