Author: Jeffrey Bush

The 360° Leader

By John Maxwell

 

There are people who ask what you can do for them another to ask what they can do for you.

Continue growing. The day you stop going forward as a learner means you are going backwards as a leader.

The more you grow, the more people can depend upon you and will respect to ask you questions.

You want to influence the people ahead of you in a organization, you must continue getting better.

Hey investment in growing as an investment in your ability.

Don’t use people to win, lead them to great wins.

Great leaders gain Authority by giving it away

360 leader thinks of his people therefore it’s more out of this. Take care of your people and your people will take care of the work.

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

By John Maxwell

 

Coming together is a beginning.

Keeping together is progress.

Working together is success.

– John Maxwell

It marks a big step in your development when you come to realize that other people can help you do a better job than you could do alone. – Andrew Carnegie

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. – Helen Keller

No one whistles a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it. – Halford E Luccock

If a team is to reach its potential, each player must be willing to subordinate his personal goals to the good of the team. – Bud Wilkinson

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools. – Martin Luther King, Jr

One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man cannot make a team. – Kareem Abdul Jabbar

Sometimes you have to sacrifice a small dream of your own in order to accomplish a bigger dream with someone else. It takes a courageous and humble person to make such a decision.

Talent wins games but teamwork and intelligence wins championships. – Michael Jordan

Team:

Together.

Everyone.

Achieves.

More.

– John Maxwell

We don’t work for each other; we work with each other. – Stanley C. Gault

Few people are successful unless a lot of other people once them to be. – Charlie Brower

The highest compliments leaders can receive are those that are given by the people who work for them. – James Barksdale

People on your team will always want five things from you:

1. Authenticity that enables a solid connection

2. Confidence that empowers and inspires them

3. Awareness and ability to meet people’s needs

4. Ability to lead with strategic direction

5. Moments of victory during the journey

If you provide those five things, people will always have good reasons to follow you.

Every effective leader knows that you can win with good players. And you can lose with good players. But you cannot win without good players.

We should not only use all the brains we have, but all that we can borrow. – Pres. Woodrow Wilson

Nothing is ordinary if you know how to use it

No matter how much work you can do, no matter how engaging your personality may be, you will not advance far in business if you cannot work through others. – John Craig

It doesn’t make much difference how much other knowledge or experience an executive possesses; if he is unable to achieve results through people, he is worthless as an executive. – J Paul Getty

To be trusted is a better compliment than to be loved – George MacDonald

The successful attainment of a dream is a cart and horse affair. Without a team of horses, a cart full of dreams can go nowhere. – Rex Murphy

Most men die from the neck up at age twenty–five because they stop dreaming. – Ben Franklin

Make no small plans for they have no capacity to stir men’s souls.

If you lead a team, then you need a dream. If you have a dream, then you need a team. One will not succeed without the other.

Take care of the team, and it will take care of the dream.

Good team leaders know that you touch a heart before you ask for a hand.

Talk like TED

By Carmine Gallo

 

Emotional – they touch my heart.

• Master the art of Passion

Passion is contagious

You cannot inspire others if not inspired yourself.

The greatest speakers don’t have a job, they have a passion.

Motivated and energized speakers are always more interesting than boring and passive speakers.

Speakers that show their enthusiasm and passion inspire others.

A passion is not something that is a hobby or that you do, it is your identity.

What makes your heart sing?

If your only goal is to make a sale, you will fail

If you love what you do, you will enjoy it truly do a great work.

Passion defines a person, it is their identity, it is the core of who they are.

If you find your topic interesting, speak with passion others will as well.

Positive leaders persuade there was more than others do.

If something is your passion, you will inevitably succeed.

You can be taught how to tell a story or how to use your voice, but if you do not have passion it does very little good.

The secret of others become passionate is to make sure that you are passionate yourself.

• Master the art of Storytelling.

Stories are just data with a soul.

You can tell stories to engage people who may disagree with you or are not interested.

Yes you need data and good information, but stories will keep the people on the journey with you.

Storytelling is the ultimate tool of persuasion.

Stories plant ideas and emotions in the listeners brain.

Our brains are more active when we hear a story.

There are three affective types of stories:

• Personal, that relate directly to the situation. if you’re going to tell a personal story, make a personal – give details and imagery so they can imagine that they are with you in that event. People love personal stories.
• Stories about other people, we learned a lesson others can relate to.
• Stories of success or failures of other brands. Every brand and every product has a story – share it and someone could be inspired.

Stories make things real and tangible.

Storytelling should be the part of every discussion, it backs up what is being said.

Stories have a powerful effect

To become a better speaker: passion (get it), practice (keep it), and presence (do it).

Four elements of speaking:

• Rate (the speed at which you speak)
• Volume (loudness or softness)
• Pitch (inflection)
• Causes (short pauses between keywords. This is the verbal equivalent of highlighting something)

How you say something to an audience is nearly just as important as what you say to an audience.

Great speakers act out a story.

You cannot reach people if you deliver poorly.

Entertainers use their voices, body language gestures and all to get their point across – and so do good communicators.

A small % of speech is conveyed through words while the largest percentage is conveyed nonverbally.

If you do not believe the message you are speaking, you cannot fool your body into believing it… and it will show.

Talk, walk and look like a leader Whom people want to follow.

Gestures get the audience confidence in the speaker.

Some of the best speakers use hand gestures as a window for speaking.

There are four tips to improve the way that you use your hands:

• Use gestures. Don’t put them in your pocket or let them be bound up, let them free and use them.
• Use gestures sparingly. Be careful not to go overboard, your gestures should be natural. Don’t think too hard about what gestures to use. Let your story got your gestures.
• Use gestures at key moments. Save your gestures for key moments and reinforce what you’re saying with gestures.
• Keep your gestures within your power sphere. Keep them from the level of your eyes to your midsection.

Three mistakes most speakers make:

• Fidgeting, tapping and jiggling. Fidgeting makes you look unsure and unprepared. To fix it, record yourself and watch it. See yourself in action will make you realize how you come across to others.

• Standing in one spot. Great speakers move around. Standing in one spot makes you look boring. To fix it, start working the room, walking around it. Do not stand behind the lecture, move around. Moving is not only acceptable, it is welcome. Conversations are not stiff. Some of the greatest speakers walk amongst the audience. Imagine you are in a frame and get out of it.

• Hands in pockets. Most people keep their hands in the pockets and this makes them look nervous.  One hand in your pocket is acceptable as long as the other one is used for gestures. Best to take both out of your pocket. Keep them free.

How we use our bodies, our gestures, can change people’s perception of us. Simply changing how you are standing can change the way you think about yourself. Our minds change our bodies.

The secret is not to eliminate nerves but manage them.

Have a conversation with your audience.

Novel – something new.

Only what is unique and what stands out will last or be remembered.

Our brains are taught to look for something different, something rare, and something that stands out.

Everyone likes the “new way” of learning: Schools get excited with textbooks, Teams like new jerseys, etc.  New energizes people. So be novel the way you present information.

The data or information does not have to be new, but that does not mean you cannot present it in a fresh way.

Get out-of-the-norm experiences. Then incorporate those experiences you’re your presentation.

Great speakers take you on a journey.

Presenting in a novel way will make you become a more interesting person.

Are you remarkable?

Everyone loves to hear about new and novel ways to solve problems; we are wired for it.

Create a “Twitter friendly” headline – 140 characters that will embody the big picture.

The brain does not capture boring things

Unleash an emotional & unexpected event.

You are more likely to remember events or something that triggers your emotional charge more than anything else – that’s why you remember what happened on September 11^th even though you don’t remember where you left your keys that morning.

Emotional event could be fear, shock, surprise, etc. – because of these things you vividly remember that specific event.

People remember vivid events and forget mundane ones.

Why is it that your brain remembers a specific illustration but forgets 99% of the rest of the speech? It’s because our brain forgets the ordinary and remembers the vivid things.

Every speech needs a wow moment.

Use novel approaches when saying statistics or other truths.

Create a holy smokes moment – that is the moment in your speech when you drive it home. It is the first thing that people say about your presentation and the first thing that people remember about it.

Here are five ways to create a holy smokes moment in your presentation:

• Props and demos. (A memorable demo that everyone will remember)

• Stats.

• Pictures, images and video. (Visuals have punch – funny slide, interesting picture, etc.)

• Memorable headlines. (Hook people)

• Personal stories.

Draw dropping moments. If you can combine humor with novelty it will be a hit.

Humor lowers defenses, making your audience more receptive. It makes you more likable people will do business much more with someone that they like.

You do not have to jokes, you could give observation way.

The brain loves humor.  Humorous people are seen as interesting, likable, intelligent, and perceptive and emotionally stable.

Don’t tell jokes. Jokes are usually only told well by professionals.

To be humorous:

• Tell anecdotes about the world or personal stories. Short stories or small observations. Don’t go for the big laugh, you might bomb. Just get a smile.

• Analogies & metaphors.

• Quote someone else.

• Video.

• Photos

You don’t have to go for the big laugh every time. You don’t have to force people to laugh, just reveal the humor in the story or situation.

Too much humor may take away from a topic, too many statistics maybe boring, and too much information may be an overload. But if you add humor with statistics and information, you have an excellent speech.

Humor is good for your health, laughter will lower blood pressure, it will strengthen your immune system, and it just makes you feel good.

Memorable – teach me in a way I’ll never forget.

Stick to the 18-minute rule. It is the ideal time for a presentation. If you have to go longer, put in “soft brakes” like videos, stories, clear points, etc.

Too much information prevents the acceptance of good ideas.

If you have to say everything in 18 minutes, it forces you to narrow down the information and find out only what you want to say. It brings discipline. It brings clarification.

Our brains get tired and exhausted easily. It is better to break things up instead of cramming all the information into one setting.

Why is it that college-age students finish a class and run straight to a pizza joint or coffee shop – it is because the brain can only take so much.

If you talk too long, people will find something else to think about.

Creativity thrives under constraints; so setting an 18-minute time will only improve speech.

Shorter than 18–20 minutes may not seem important or serious, but if longer than 18–20 minutes, you will likely lose your audience.

Build a message map:

• Have a “Twitter headline” – a concise heading that says everything about your presentation. If you can’t explain what you want to say in a short sentence or phrase, go back to the drawing board.

• Support your headline with three key messages/sections/ideas. Our brains divide most information into three sections.

• Reinforce the three messages with stories, statistics and examples. Add Bullet points to each of the three messages.

The entire message map must fit on one page. You do not have to write out every word you want to say, but you have a map to show the way.

Multitasking, when it comes to paying attention, is a myth.

Instead of showing the presentation and talking at the same time hoping people grasp everything, realize that pictures have a superior effect.

Visuals matter a lot. People remember much more the picture or visual than just words.

You’re likely to only remember a percent of what you hear after three days, but add a picture and it sores up to 65% what you will remember.

Add a picture and people will remember up to 6 times more than just what you say.

Pictures are stamped on our brain and therefore more easily to recall. For example, if someone says the word “dog”, you may remember; but if someone shows you a picture of a dog and says it, you will remember it much better and much longer.

One person said that people will forget what you said and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. So don’t say just what you want people to know, think about what you want people to feel.

How you say something – pitch, volume, voice, words, etc. – will affect your listeners.

How you say something can be as powerful as showing something.

Make mind pictures. Use your words in a story in a way that creates images in the minds of your listeners.

It is said that if you can think about something so vividly, it is just as if you could see it.

To boost your memory, transform verbal information into visual information. You could do it with pictures, visuals, words, etc.

Anaphora – Repeating something over and over. This could be used to make something memorable or leave an image in the audiences’ mind.

The next time you give a presentation, do your best to touch all the senses by using your voice, visuals, and using a prop.

Be authentic, open and transparent. Most people can spot a phony so don’t try to be someone else – an audience will detect it.

Do not separate your true self from the persona you are on the stage.

You cannot move people if they do not think you are real. People will not trust you if you are not being real.

Prepare but then relax and speak from your heart.

Tale of Three Kings

By Gene Edwards

 

David splintered trees practicing when he was a shepherd boy. He sang in the wilderness.

David was anointed as king but instead of going to the palace he spent the next decade in hellish times.

God has a school of brokenness for his servants.

Don’t throw spears back when they are thrown at you.

You can become bitter or keep your mouth shut.

Some leaders are leaders after the order of king Saul.

You cannot tell who is a king that is placed by God because God doesn’t tell.

Don’t blame the one throwing the spear, look at your own life. You as well may be a king Saul.

You don’t have to make the decision of when to leave a king Saul, he will make it for you, so let him. And when you are forced to leave, do it without making a scene or taking others with you. A king Saul will take others with him.

It was there in caves where David became the great psalmist and comforter.

We may know wilderness time of David as pre-King days but David did not know it. He was a broken man and suffering.

Men gathered around David yet he didn’t talk to them about submission or rules, and yet they followed him.

David didn’t kill when he had the opportunity; it was God who had placed king Saul and not man.

Men have been used by God that have preached powerful sermons and did amazing things yet they also are angry; have thrown spears, consulted with witches and more.

Don’t take the position of God trying to figure out whom God places or who is after the order of king Saul. There is nothing you can do… or even should do, leave that to God.

Men who want authority make rules, regulations and demand submission but a good leader with authority needs not say anything.

When an Absalom challenges you, you have to decide if you will be a king Saul or not.

If God has placed you, it is not your job to keep or defend it. It is His kingdom.

Only God knows who should be in a position so don’t try to make those calls.

Moses faces Kora and yet he was the meekest man on face of the earth, and so should any leader be. And even after God proved who was the leader, the people murmured the next day and God would have destroyed the people if it was not for Moses’ prayers.

Only God knows if he is finished with one or has placed another. Only God knows and He does not tell.

Spiritual Leadership

By J. Oswald Sanders

  

• Chapter 1 – An Honorable Ambition

• When the motive is right, there are great rewards ahead.

• Leadership is not wrong, but when there are wrong or selfish ambition (fame, power, etc), the leadership is wrong. Jeremiah 45:5

• Jesus had no time for these self ambitios people

• He announced a new type of leadership – whoever wants to be first must be servant of all (Mark 10:42-44)

• True leadership and greatness is found in giving yourself to others

• True leaders are focused on giving self to God and others

• History shows no importance of the position, rank or title of a man rather what the man is.

• “I have one passion, it is He, He alone” – Zinzendorf – and it was this Zinzendorf that became the leader of the Moravians, a group that had 3 times more churches than those at home. One of every 95 left as a missionary.

• Chapter 2 – The Search for Leaders

• God brings one down and exalts another – Ps 75:6-7

• Real leaders are in short supply. Throughout the Bible, God looked for men (I Sam 13:14; Jeremiah 5:1; Ezekiel 22:30). But when God does find a man that person is used to the limit.

• Strength and faith is needed to be a spiritual leader.

• If world is going to hear about God, they need leaders that are:

• Authoritative – knows where they are going and can get there
• Spiritual – without a strong relationship with God, even the most competent leader can not lead people.
• Sacrificial – this follows the model of Jesus who gave Himself and commands for us to follow His example.

• Churches with spiritual leaders go forward.

• Leaders must pass on the torch to younger leaders

• Many think that leaders must have certain outward qualities, and although they help, spiritual leaders are made by God.

• God can show how strong He is thru men – II Chronicles 16:9

• Chapter 3 – The Master’s Master Principle

• Whoever wants to be first must be slave of all (Mark 10:43-44)

• KJV uses word “leader” only 6 times, the Bible word used more frequently is “servant” – Moses my servant, etc.

• Servant is always used as a term of low respect, but when Jesus used it, it was important.

• Serve one another in love – Galatians 5:13

• In most churches, only a few people carry the load

• Matthew 19:28; Matthew 20:22

• Many want the role of master, not servant.

• Christ chooses, we don’t choose the role ourselves.

• Christ washed the disciples feet – John 13:31.

• I Peter 2:21 – example of suffering. Serving and suffering go hand in hand.

• Luke 22:27 – He said he was amongst them to serve.

• Is 45:15 – He chose to hide himself. As cheribums hide their face, so should we (Isaiah 6:2).

• We many times see the need and cross to the other side because we don’t seek a service of lowly helping and lifting up, but we are told to.

• God’s servant is optimistic until every task is done.

• Chapter 4 – Natural and Spiritual Leadership

• I Corinthians 2:1-4

• Leadership is influence, the ability of one person to influence others to follow their lead

• Military leader Billard Montgomery said that leadership is capacity to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence

• Leadership is quality that supplies sufficient confidence that one accepts another’s views and commands.

• There are only 3 kinds of people:

• Those who are unmovable
• Those who are moveable
• Those who move them

• A leader is the man who knows the road, can keep ahead and can pull others along with him

• Spiritual leadership combines natural and spiritual qualities for the blessing of others.

• The personality of the spiritual leader influences others because it is radiated, penetrated and empowered by the Holy Spirit. As leader gives control to Spirit, his influence helps others. And he influences others spiritually only because the Holy Spirit is influencing through him.

• We can only lead others as far as we have traveled, we cannot just point others in the way, we must be walking.

• Are leaders born or made – both. It comes from God and developed along the way.

• If deacons were to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 6), how much more are those who preach the Gospel. Churches would be changed if we fill are pulpits and pews will Holy Spirit people.

• Dependence, approval, empathy and Optimism are a few mentioned – but none of these will help without the touch of the supernatural, these qualities are dry as dust.

• Jesus’ ministry began with the descendant of the Holy Spirit at His baptism

• Chapter 5 – Can you Become a Leader?

• Jesus chose leaders and ignored the rules of what the world would suggest for leaders. He chose from the ranks of workers. He saw in them something that no other saw.

• If we see leadership potential, use it for the Lord.

• Here are some ways to check your own leadership qualities:

• If can’t keep my control, work on it. Think independently, learn to make up my mind
• Can I handle criticism – I can learn from it
• Can I win respect from others
• Do I have discipline
• Am I a peacemaker
• Can people trust me
• Can I accept opposition, make friends, hold stable and not fall at disappointment, not stand on praise, anticipate how words can affect others, can I forgive, am I optimistic,

• How I handle other people largely determines how I lead – RE Thompson suggest this test:

• Do you use people or cultivate people?
• Do you direct people or develop people?
• Do you criticize or encourage people?
• Do you shun or seek out the person with a special need or problem?

• Begin to check my weaknesses and pray to the Spirit to mold me and better in the weak areas. If make excuses, easily offended, not flexible, etc., … it must go

• Chapter 6 – Insights on Leadership from Paul

• I Timothy 3:2-7

• Reputation of a great leader grows with the years – and so it did with Paul as we look at his life through Scripture.

• Social Qualifications

• Good reputation
• Faithfulness to spouse

• Mental Qualifications

• Disciplined mind not going to one extreme or the other
• Respectable
• Life of leader should reflect beauty and organization of God

• Personality Qualifications

• If would rather pick a fight, I shouldn’t try to pastor a church
• I should always seek a peaceful solution and able to diffuse an explosive situation.
• Show hospitality – not looked at a burden, but an opportunity
• Covetousness and love of money disqualifies us from being a leader

• Domestic Qualifications

• A person who is married should demonstrate he can manage his own house well and see his children obey him with proper respect (I Tim 3:4).
• Paul orders a well ordered home, but lack of this has kept many a man from being a pastor or missionary
• A spouse should be willing to help carry the load – many have failed or quit because of a disagreeable and difficult spouse.
• How can you show hospitality with children and spouse is not in agreement? How can you minister to other families if your own is in disarray?
• While leading a ministry and church, we can not neglect the family – caring for one area of God’s Kingdom is no excuse for neglecting another.
• Paul implies that a person’s ability to lead at home is his readiness to lead in ministry.

• Maturity

• A novice or non mature leader could fall and be in trouble – I Tim 3:6
• A deacon must be tested – I Tim 3:10
• We must be mature to help others
• Not advanced too fast or puffed up and not too slow or discouraged.
• It is a mark of a spiritual leader to be satisfied where he is at and with what he has – and this is a difficult characteristic

• Chapter 7 – Insights on Leadership from Peter

• I Peter 5:1-7

• Peter was the leader of the 12 – his influence was strong amongst them

• Feed the flock – this is our responsibility of the leader. Maybe coming from what Peter was told to do from Jesus (John 21:15-22).

• Peter did not approach his letter as one above everyone, rather as a fellow minister, one alongside others. He writes as one who has failed many times and learned, one broken by Calvary’s love. He writes alongside, not down to the others.

• The Leader’s Motivation

• Don’t faint, but don’t serve out of just a duty either
• Shepherd them like God does – the forgiveness of God, love of God, limitless service of God.
• Don’t work for money, personal gain (maybe thinking of Judas). Don’t preach for money or work for applause

• Not dictatorial, lording over others – I Pet 5:3

• We are examples of our Savior

• A Leader must be a Worthy Example – I Pet 5:3

• Like what Paul says to Timothy – in life, love, faith and purity (I Tim 4:12)
• People need the shepherds help. We must not forget we are under shepherds, working for the Chief Shepherd.
• Done with excessory prayer

• The leader must be Clothed with Humility – I Pet 5:5

• Referring to a slave tying on a white apron
• As the Savior putting on the towel to wash the disciple’s feet.
• Pride keeps others from this attitude and service – pride lurks at power, but God will not let pride in His service, rather He will oppose and destruct it.
• Act humbly in working with others (vs. 5), but also act humbly to the discipline of God.

• Vs. 7 – he ends this section talking about a crown. An athletes crown rusts or fades, but no such loss comes to the Christian who places treasures in Heaven over comforts of earth. We can transfer the weight and worries on the shoulders of one much bigger and greater.

• Chapter 8 – Essential Qualities of Leadership

• I Timothy 3:2-7

• Jesus taught His disciples in the highways of life (Luke 10:17-24; Mark 9:14-29), He delegated authority and responsibility to them as they were able to bear it.

• God prepares leaders with a purpose and plan in mind and gives the training necessary for their job

• Discipline

• Without this, all other things remain as dwarfs
• Before we can conquer the world, we must first conquer self
• A leader is a person who has learned to obey the person without and then taken on a more rigerous discipline within – those who rebel against authority and shreek discipline, are not prepared to lead.
• Many that fall from ministry have physical qualities, but are free from areas where the Spirit does not control
• Lazy and disorganized people do not rise to leadership
• You can not lead until you follow
• The disciplined leader will work while others waste time, study while others snooze, pray while others daydream.
• He accepts rebuke or will practice the discipline
• He will not procrastinate but hit the hardest tasks first
• Your time, your sleeping habits, use of time, food,

• Vision

• Those who have done more in their generation are usually those who can see more than the average guy, men of faith – faith is vision.
• Elijah’s servant saw the enemies, but not the angels – that which was there and which Elijah could see
• Vision involves forsight as well as insight
• Vision looks ahead to see how these things can affect others – look at the end thing instead of the next step.
• Carey saw India and Henry Martin saw the Muslim world while the church at home was squabbling over petty doctrines.
• Eyes that look are common, eyes that see are rare.
• Fanny Crosby (?) said what is worse than not being able to see is seeing and not having vision
• The world saw Peter as a fisherman, but Jesus saw Peter as a preacher and leader who could help turn the world upside down.
• Vision requires optimism and hope – the pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity, the optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty.
• Caution has a role to play, but the person who sees the difficulty in every situation can not help others have or see the vision.
• Vision leads to venture – not playing it safe, but not taking foolish jumps
• Leaders take lessons from the past, but never sacrifice the future for sake of mere continuity.
• A vision without a task makes a visionary; A task without a visions is drudgery; A vision with a task makes a missionary

• Wisdom

• Wisdom is making faculty the use of knowledge – a combination of discernment, judgement, sagacity and similar powers. But in Scripture it is right judgement concerning spiritual and moral truth. It is heavenly discernment.
• Knowledge comes by study, wisdom comes by Holy Spirit filling.
• Wisdom was one of the requirements for leadership in the early church – Acts 6:3
• “Knowledge is proud that he has learned so much, wisdom is humble that he knows no more” – author unknown
• As Paul prayed in Col 1:9 – that God fill you with wisdom

• Decision

• A swift and clear decision is the mark of a true leader. A visionary may see, but a leader must decide.
• A impulsive person may be quick to declare a preference, but a leader must weigh evidence and make his decision on sound premises.
• Once sure of the will of God, a spiritual leader springs into action not worried of the consequences.
• Once Paul was converted, his first question was “what shall I do Lord” (Acts 22:10) and then without hesitation he acted upon what he knew.

• Courage

• That quality that allows us to confront danger firmly without fear or discouragement.
• Paul said he knew fear (I Cor 2:3), but he did not let that fear stop him.
• II Cor 7:5 – conflicts on outsid and fears within, but they did not stop him from the Master’s work.
• Not all are courageous by nature. Fear is a way of life, but God gave us the Holy Spirit that fills us with power which overcomes that fear.
• They saw the courage of the disciples (Acts 4:13) – the difference in fear and not is the filling of the Holy Spirit that gives us spirit of power (II Tim 1:7).
• Joshua 1:9
• People always face fear, but courage carries us through to complete the task. Leaders stay the course while others turn back.
• II Chron 32:7-8 – this is leadership active and strong

• Humility

• Mt 20:25-27 – Christ told the men to turn from worldly way and to humility.
• John the Baptist said “he must increase, I must decrease” (John 1:30).
• “I am the least of the apostles” (I Cor 15:9; Eph 3:8; I Tim 1:15)
• I am, we are nothing without Christ. An axe can not brag on how he cut a tree, if thrown to the side, it is only useless metal – and so is the Christian, only useful when He uses us.

• Integrity and Sincerity

• II Tim 1:3 – he served with sincerity – II Cor 2:17
• Deut 18:13
• God wants His people to show clarity in their service.

• Chapter 9 – More Essential Qualities of Leadership

• I Timothy 3:8-10

• Humor

• Will release tension and help
• We should cultivate mind and play
• Humor is a great asset – the ability to stand outside oneself and laugh. It is a great release.
• Should know the place for a joke and not

• Anger

• Jesus had this quality and when used right, we follow Him (Mark 3:5; Mt 21:13)
• Great men have been angry at injustice and wickedness
• Anger can be our downfall – and we should be very careful
• Ephesians 4:26 – this is a anger that is not selfish

• Patience

• The queen of virtues
• Not meaning sitting with hands folded, but Christian steadfastness
• The Lord’s patience with doubting Thomas, impulsive Peter and wicked Judas
• A leader must not run so far ahead of his followers that they can not reach him – forward when the followers are ready.

• Friendship

• You can judge a leader by his friends
• Love men around you and love mankind
• Paul had faithful friends – yes many hated him, but had faithful friends.
• John 13:1 – Christ loved His followers as friends

• Tact and Diplomacy

• Ability to deal with others without giving offense
• Reconcile without offending or compromising
• Negotiate differences and leads to harmony

• Inspirational Power

• Your inspiration and drive should be contagious
• Nehemiah built people into a great team and it was said they “had a mind to work”.

• Executive Ability

• A leader must have way to organize and carry out
• God is orderly and those that follow must be so

• Therapy of Listening

• To get to the root of problems, a leader must learn to listen.
• Understand without pre-judging
• Listen long and talk short
• Time spent listening is time well spent

• The Art of Letter Writing

• Leadership requires a deal of corresponding
• We know much of Paul because of his letters
• Paul’s letters abounded in encouragement, were gracious in complement and rich in sympathy. But he also could correct (Gal 4:16, 20)
• Letters must be in right spirit since you can not see the writers smile
• It was said that after George Whitfield would preach, he would stay up late at night writing letters to new converts.

• Chapter 10 – Above all Else

• Acts 6:3, 5

• Spiritual leadership requires spiritual men, spirit-filled men.

• You may have good qualities, but if have no spirituality, cannot really lead.

• Holy Spirit will not take or use one against his/her own will

• Leaders who have made a difference in the past were spirit-filled men. Christ told the men to wait until the Spirit came (Acts 1:8). The men were filled in the upper room (2:4), Peter was filled with the Spirit (4:8), Stephen was filled with the Spirit (6:3-5; 7:55), Paul was, Barnabus was… and those who will be used must also be

• Throughout his life, Paul obeyed and followed the Spirit.

• To be filled, controlled and guided by, the Spirit – and then the fruit of the Spirit can flow through us.

• Spiritual Gifts

• Holy Spirit gives us gifts to serve with. When one is saved, he doesn’t receive a new brain, but a new mentality – now to use what he has under control of the Spirit.

• Chapter 11 – Prayer and Leadership

• I Tim 2:1

• The spiritual leader should exceed the congregation in prayer.

• We do not find it easy to pray and fail to, but need to and should – we should use discipline to pray.

• We should pray more when we have more on our “to do” list.

• Prayer was our Lord’s habit. It is a wonder that the Only begotten of the Father would spend so much time in prayer – it was His habit – Luke 6:12; Mark 1:35; Luke 5:16; Mark 6:46; Luke 9:28

• True prayer is a spiritual exercise.

• We all need more teaching in prayer and the Holy Spirit is our teacher

• Effective prayer is praying in the Spirit

• Uses the body, mind and spirit

• The devil tries to keep us away from prayer

• We must walk daily in prayer

• Prayer is spiritual warfare

• God opens authority thru prayer and we can access

• It is possible to move men by prayer alone – Hudson Taylor

• Thru prayer we have the key to the complicated lock

• It is not prayer that moves people but the God to whom we pray.

• To move people, the leader must be able to move God – and prevailing prayer that moves people is a result of a relationship with God.

• Great leaders of the Bible were men of prayer

• Chapter 12 – The Leader and His Time

• Make the best use of your time – Eph 5:16

• Quality of a leader is how he uses his time, character of a leader is how he/she uses spare time. We cannot regulate work or school time, but what we do with the time before or after will determine if we are mediocre or not.

• Each moment is a gift from God.

• Life is not its duration, but its donation – how we use it

• If we are careful about days, the years will take care of themselves.

• If we say we don’t have time, we prove we are inefficient people. Our problem is not the use of time, but the use of time.

• President of the US and any successful person has just the same amount of time as we do – we all have the same amount

• We are not responsible for our abilities, but we are responsible for our use of time. As in the parable of the talents, those who were faithful received more

• Time is opportunity

• If we prevail in using time wisely, we prevail, but if we fail in this area, we fail in every other area

• Time lost can not be retrieved

• A day must be planned, items selected and rejected and then focused on the most important items.

• It is helpful to keep records of how each hour is spent and then look back over them.

• Use time wisely – read when have to sit and wait for a trip; answer letters when between other jobs;

• We are only responsible for that which is in our control, the rest we must leave in our Father’s hands.

• Procrastination is the thief of time and used by the devil – the habit of putting off is harmful to the spiritual leader. Learn to set deadlines and make them

• Chapter 13 – The Leader and Reading

• II Timothy 4:13

• Reading maketh a full man, speaking a ready man, writing an exact man – Francis Bacon

• The leader who desires to progress must read constantly. As a lawyer must read to keep up on cases and doctors for the newest medical updates, so the spiritual leader must do so.

• We can not use the excuse that there is no time

• Wesley told his students to read or get out of the ministry

• Leaders should spend 30 minutes a day that feed the soul and stimulate the mind.

• The leader should read to be well informed, have fellowship with great minds, feed the mind and grow.

• One man said, if I read as many books as most people, I would know as much as most people – little.

• Don’t be afraid of new ideas and don’t be carried away with them either.

• By reading we learn – reading without thinking is in vain

• We will get more out of one book we master than 20 that we just skim through

• Motto of reading should be “much”, not “many”

• Some rules for reading

• Read with a pen and notebook in hand
• Develop a system of note taking, it will help your memory
• Have a common place book and a book to get new ideas out of
• Vary reading to not bore your mind – varying is as fresh to the mind as it is to the body
• Every good book needs three readings – a general reading, another reading for note taking and thinking and a third writing a brief summary of the book – which will thus make a impact on your mind

• Chapter 14 – Improving Leadership

• Romans 12:8

• Every Christian should be the best he could be and a leader should work on improving.

• 1^st step to improvement is to recognize weaknesses, make corrections and cultivate strengths

• Exert yourself to lead – Rom 12:1, 8 – if given the opportunity, do it with zeal. Romans 12:11

• Personal relationships – in handling people, the oil can is much more important than the acid bottle.

• Warm relationships among team members is vital

• Problem solving – to amend what is defected. Anyone can create a problem, but few can solve a problem.

• Perform – plan and perform

• Chapter 15 – The Cost of Leadership

• Mark 10:38

• To aspire leadership is to be willing to pay a price others are not willing to pay. The toll of leadership is heavy and the more effective the leadership, the higher the cost.

• Self-sacrifice – this must be paid daily. Christ laid down his life for us and we should be willing to lay down ours for our brothers – I John 3:16

• Whoever wants to be 1^st must be servant of all – Mark 10:44-45
• Those God uses must be willing to give up personal gain

• Scars

• When Christ arose, He showed His scars (John 20:20).
• Scars are the marks of leadership.

• Alone

• There will be times you must walk alone. We enjoy the company of others, but there will be times to pay the price of being alone.
• Moses was alone in the plane and mountain, misunderstood and criticized. Enoch walked alone with the Lord. Jonah was alone in the wicked city of Nineveh.  Paul was misunderstood and deserted (II Tim 1:15).
• Leaders must be one who, while welcoming friendships, must be willing to stand alone with God.

• Fatigue

• Fatigue is the price of leadership, mediocrity is the result of never getting tired.
• The world is ran by tired men, but Christians know where to find strength (II Corinthians 4:16).
• Even Jesus stood alone – John 4:6; Mark 5:30
• If a Christian is not willing to rise early and stay up late, that Christian will not change a generation.

• Criticism

• No leader lives without criticism and humility is never more on trial as when criticism comes.
• It is not as important as what happens to us but rather how we react to what happens to us.
• Criticism can help us if we will only learn from it – it can be an asset
• Criticism is like gum – you can chew on it, but don’t swallow it
• Our goal is not to please men, rather God, and as Paul took criticism and said, we will respond to God – I Corinthians 4:3-4. He was fearless to human criticism because he knew he would stand before a higher judge – II Corinthians 8:21

• Rejection

• The leader who holds high standards may be alone following His Master with rejection of others.
• He came unto His own and His own knew Him not – John 1
• No man is fully accepted until he is fully rejected
• Rejected by people you may be accepted to God
• It is said that often men do not realize the leader they have and then when he is gone they build a monument for him with the stones they threw at him

• Pressure and Complexity

• We naively think that the more we grow as Christians, it will be easier to know the will of God – but God often treats the mature Christians as more mature adults.

• Chapter 16 – The Responsibilities of Leadership

• II Corinthians 11:28

• Jesus defined leadership as service – whether secular or in a church

• Sympathy

• True spiritual leaders many have problems but show sympathy for others in their problems
• We should be sympathetic and patience

• Discipline

• In doctrine, morals and conduct
• Galatians 6:1
• Discipline in love – II Thessalonians 3:15 and II Corinthians 2:8
• A best person who is disciplined in his own life can help others as well.
• Meekness is better than criticism

• Providing Guidance

• The spiritual leader must know where he is going before he can lead others.
• Spiritual leader must go before his flock – and the Chief Shepherd gave us the example – John 10:4
• I Corinthians 11:1 – Paul knew whom he was following, where he was going and could challenge others to follow him there.
• Leader must be venturous as well as visionary

• Initiative

• Not looking for others to start, rather jump start it.
• A self starter
• Greatest leaders are those close to God that have taken courageous, calculated risks
• A spiritual leader must take the counsel of others, but not let the caution keep him from not moving or from the vision – God is still in control

• Bear the blame don’t shift it.

• Give thanks to others.

• Chapter 17 – Tests of Leadership

• Genesis 22:1; Matthew 4:1

• All entrusted in leadership will be tested

• Compromise

• Lowering is a backwards step
• As Pharoa did with the children of Egypt:
  • Go, but don’t leave Egypt – In other words, religion is ok, but don’t be narrow about it, no need to isolate yourself from the world
  • If must go out of Egypt, don’t go far – In other words, religion is fine, but no need to be fanatical about it, stay as close to the world as can
  • Lastly affection was used – Let the men go, but the women and children stay here. In other words, if you must take drastic steps, no need to force it upon other members of the family.
  • Last plea was greed – Ok, go, but let your cattle stay here – in other words, don’t let your religion get in the way of business and work.

• Ambition

• Numbers 14:12 – a test Moses was given to get rid of the people and start over, but instead of personal ambition, he showed genuine compassion for God’s glory and the wayward people.

• Impossible situations

• When the people were in front of the Red Sea they had the enemies behind, sea in front and mountains on both sides and the people was getting edgy – what was Moses to do? Complaints began to fly, but Moses stood strong on his belief in God as he cried out “do not fear, stand still and see the hand of God”.
• God delights to lead His people and show Himself strong
• Hudson Taylor confronted many difficult situations and counted 3 phases in most tasks undertaken for God: Impossible, Difficult and Done
• When you come to the Red Sea place in your life where there is no way back and no way to turn just go through, then just wait on the Lord, He will send the wind and move the waves so you can go through.

• Failure

• Many men who have done much for the Lord has experienced failure
• How a leader handles failure will set much of the agenda for the future
• Peter appeared a failure after his denial of Christ
• Refuse to lie in the dust and moan – get up and fix the problem
• Successful leaders realize that failure is not final and do not have to quit a failure.

• Jealousy

• Most leaders face a jealous rival at some time and jealousy is a common instrument of the devil.
• Moses faced jealousy of his own family – Miriam and Aaron – but he maintained a dignified silence (Numbers 12:3) and God took care of things (12:10). Moses’ only response was to pray for his sister.
• We must learn to not let God take care of business and not try to get vindication.
• We don’t need to worry about defending our rights or office, God will take care of it.

• Chapter 18 – The Art of Delegation

• Exodus 18:25-26

• DL Moody said he would rather put a thousand men to work rather than do the work of a thousand men.

• Thoughtful delegation will allow the leader to avoid the frustration of putting square pegs in round holes.

• One may be able to do it better than another, but without giving the task to another, how is the young leader to gain experience?

• How a leader is able to delegate is the measure of his success.

• The leader must support the one given a job to and breed confidence.

• Exodus 18:18 – Moses was at his limit, the work was going to slow, so Jethro gave a two part plan – continue judging the harder cases and allowing others to help.

• Moses was better at judging than any other but had he continued alone, he would have cut his ministry short.

• A missionary must give responsibility to the men he trains and then stand by willing to help but reluctant to jump in – the sense of being watched could destroy confidence.

• Know what people can do and leave them to do it – only investigating when things go wrong.

• Chapter 19 – Replacing Leaders

• Joshua 1:2-5

• The true test of an organization is to measure the health of it when the leader is gone.

• Acts 5:38-39

• Death of a great leader is not a shock to God, He knows. Mark 10:40 – God prepares leaders.

• No man is indispensible to God’s kingdom – God is always at work even though we cannot see it.

• God’s greatest gifts to Israel were not the land, but men such as Moses and David and Isaiah. His greatest gifts for the church were twelve men. His greatest gifts are always men.

• Only after death is one’s gifts and attributes truly seen – so it was with Moses. But the death of a leader makes room for others to stand up – no on is indispensible.

• Only one leader holds his office forever and has no need for replacement – our Lord Jesus Christ.

• Changes in leadership should not shake or alarm us.

• Chapter 20 – Reproducing Leaders

• II Timothy 2:2

• Leaders must multiply themselves by developing young leaders and then giving them full play and outlet for their abilities.

• They must be trusted.

• The role of a missionary is to be less of a performer and more of a trainer.

• We must help leaders of tomorrow develop their full potential – this requires endless patience and genuine love.

• Our Lord developed the majority of His 3 years to preparing the men.

• Paul allowed Timothy to travel with him, gave him opportunities to preach, a group of people to pastor and much confidence.

• No work is more rewarding for a missionary than developing leaders and the development of new churches will be determined by the caliber of these Christian leaders.

• We must allow room for the “irregulars” – those we think will not be the leader. God has used many “irregulars”

• Leadership training cannot be done on a mass scale – it must be done with patience and personal guidance over an amount of time. Disciples are not produced wholesale, they are produced one by one.

• Chapter 21 – Perils of Leadership

• I Corinthians 9:27

• Pride

• When one arises into leadership, pride is a temptation
• The Lord detest pride and does not allow it in His Kingdom
• Proverbs 16:5
• Pride makes God a secondary element
• To become proud with spiritual gifts is to forget that all we have is from God
• There are 3 tests that help us identify the problem of pride:
  • Precedence – How do we react when another is given the position we expected to have or wanted to fill?
  • Sincerity – How do feel when reflect
  • Criticism – Does it lead immediately to self-justification and resentment? Do I rush to criticize the critic?

• Egotism

• Seeing only self instead of God and God’s people
• How do we listen to the praises of others – we must not indulge in

• Jealousy

• It is a near relative of pride describes the person of rivals
• Numbers 11:27-28 – stop them said Joshua because they are prophesying in the camp. Vs. 29 – Moses responded correctly

• Popularity

• What person does not want to be liked by peers and others, but popularity has a very high price.
• Sometimes a leader begins to like his pedestal
• Paul had this problem in Corinth where Christians began to splinter off because of liking certain camps – Paul, Apolos or … but Paul saw the danger in this.
• Leaders must reflect all credit to the Lord. There is nothing wrong with being appreciated, but the spiritual leader must reject being idolized.
• Popularity leads to pride and drowns many
• Success will pump up a man unless he realizes that God can continue the work without him and can cut him down to size at anytime.

• Infallibility

• Even the apostles made mistakes that caused divine correction.
• We must stand for what we believe, but believing we are infallible and never are wrong will not make us more in the eyes of others rather less.

• Indispensability

• Many a Christian leader has fallen because of this.
• The missionary who has raised a church to think he is indispensible has done the church an injustice. From the earliest days of the work, the missionary should work himself out of a job. National leadership has to learn how to depend upon the Lord, how to train up its own leaders and how to take responsibility for the work.

• Elation and Depression

• There will always be days of joy and frustration
• Bad things happen but the spiritual leader should determine the reason and not fall into depression.
• Many times before a great victory, depression lurks.
• When success comes, place it on the Lord who deserves.
• If successful don’t crow, if defeated don’t croak – Samuel Chadwick

• Disqualification

• I Corinthians 9:27
• It should be a warning for every Christian leader
• Paul was a competitor, but also the one who heralded – and he did not want to herald, setting the standards and then not meet them him self.

• Chapter 22 – The Leader Nehemiah

• Nehemiah 13:31

• His Character

• He was a man of prayer – he was no stranger at the throne of grace – 1:4, 6; 2:4; 4:4, 9; 5:19; 6:14; 13:14, 22, 29
• He showed courage in the face of danger – 6:11 – such courage would impact any man.
• His genuine concern was so sincere that even his enemies noticed it – 2:10
• He expressed his concern in fasting and prayer – 1:4-6
• Identified with his people in their sins – 1:6
• He made plans and made provisions
• He could make clear decisions
• He sympathized with others
• He carried the confidence of his people

• His Methods

• He raised the moral of his colleagues, an important part of a leader’s work.
• He built up the people’s faith
• Look at how he encouraged the people – 2:20 and 8:10
• Faith builds faith – we are to build the faith of others
• He led them to repentance, encouraged tithing, helped the family, built the temple, made surveys of the situation, delegated wisely (7:2), entered with prayer, took precautions, kept faith in God and finished the task.

Speak like Churchill, Stand like Lincoln

By James C. Humes

 

Lincoln overcame is a voice, Martin Luther king Junior overcame being black and a white dominant world, Churchill overcame his weaknesses, etc.  Leaders overcome weaknesses or fears to do what they feel life’s calling demands.

Power Pause

Many great leaders that have dominated public speaking use the power pause to look at people and get their attention and let it sink in.

Before you speak and before you answer a question, use the power pause to look people in the eye, gather your thoughts and then speak.

Stand, stare and pause before saying anything. Make your power pause a moment to gather your thoughts before you open your mouth. It commands attention from others and speaks volumes. Stand, stare and command your audience

Power Openers

A good speakers opening is powerful and important. When you stand up, your opener will tell people who you are and what you mean.

99% of speakers start by saying thank you or hello, or something boring… This makes the rest of what you say very boring.

If you do not captivate your audience in the opening, the people will begin to daydream about other things and will be very difficult to gain back there ear.

Begin with a bang. Begin with a strong statement. If you have, start your speech off with that. The difference between a normal speaker and a great speaker is how he begins – a great speaker begins with a bang.

Attention grabbers – sit down and plan what you’re going to say and then make a singer of a good opening.

Power Presence.

Dress right. It’s not just your for a tour that will make you a good speaker, but your aura, your presence. Dress in a way that is gold and commands respect, but not flashy goofy. Many people have signs they are known for – specific hat, color, type of suit or tie, etc.

Power Point.

Speak plain and clear and to the point. What is your bottom line, what do you want the people to understand or know before you finish. When some people stand, they do not know what they’re going to say, when they are speaking they do not know what they’re saying and when they finish they do not know what they said.

What is the purpose of your message? Many people ramble, many people do not have a point or have figured out and when they begin their speech and do not figure it out until later. Stop, plan and think. No your point before you begin. What is the bottom line of your message – you focus on this first.

Yes, you need stories, illustrations and truth to help out, but you first must have the point of what you want to say.

Know your target audience

Before you speak, ask yourself what your purpose speaking to these people is, then meditate and dictate to yourself what that is.

Power Brief.

A speech that is good many times is brief. Less is more.

Les is generally better than more

Terse is far better than tedious. If your audience is expecting 20 or 30 minutes, go with 10 minutes and surprise them. That is the power brief.

Brief is better – one of the most memorable speeches was the Declaration of Independence that was about two minutes long.

Brief is also more memorable.

Shorter is sweeter.

Sometimes what you need to say to the point and brief – a Power brief can be short.

Insecure to feel they have to use up every minute of their time. It is the self-assured that knows they do not have to use up every moment of a lot of time. Great speakers speak for brief.

Power brief is the short statement that can replace the whole message.

Brief is better in short is sharper.

Listen to what others say get the meet together.

Power Quote.

Those that never quote others are never quoted.

Dig up a powerful quotation use it.

Take a picture and read the quote on the back of it – using a specific item (bible, newspaper article, envelope, etc.) on it.

Dramatize and emphasize your quotes to make them more powerful.

A quote in the middle of the speech is like a picture of this changing up his pitch throwing a curveball. It can be very dynamic.

Start collecting good quotations; make a file out of it. Use only quotations from famous people.

Put them in under specific headings like: action, leadership, help, etc.

Too many statistics for numbers can confuse people are. Reading a statistic can be good, reading many statistics is not good.

Too many slides make the audience tired. Do not become overly dependent upon slides. If the size or a projection, not mechanical projection. Let your slides be a prop, not a crutch. Keep the slides simple and do not make them confusing. If you have to explain the slide, you have destroyed the reason you are using it – nothing to explain it will cause the audience to become get in and tired. If the picture is not simple and self-explanatory, don’t try it out. Visual aids are a visual, not a substitute for speaking. Quotes are an appetizer, not a full meal.

Power Wit.

Prepare the eye with.

Not power jokes, but power wit. Humor is not only jokes. Great speakers know how to use humor.

The 3Rs in humor: make it realistic, make it relevant and don’t read it.

Power Parable.

Jesus used parables.

Parables provide pictures to abstraction.

Parable power is persuasive power.

Parable Gesture

Sometimes gestures say more than words.

People should be able to see your concern or whatever by your actions – your facial or body language speaks volumes. You can bond through body language.

One gesture maybe all it takes to get your point across. Acts of the body can register more than words. Remember pilot washing his hands saying he is innocent before Christ?

Power Speech

First he read it, then you read it poorly, and then he finished it badly.

Memorize then conversational-ize. Don’t just read something.

Never let words come out of your mouth while your eyes are looking down. When you’re looking down and speaking, you’re disconnecting from your listeners.

Practice the principal see, stop, say. See something and stop for a momentous pause and then say it in your own words. Many speakers getting nervous and think that they have to keep talking instead of pausing, but a pause is good and will make it sound like it is you speaking instead of reading something. The pause is a major tool and writing a speech.

Weather forecasters are hired more because they have learned how to speak and read something then the brains they have.

Power Poetry

And article must be written for the eye but a speech should be written for the ear.

Transform a speech into poetry.

Power Line

Cream – contrast, rhyme, alliteration,

Your audience will most likely only remember one line from your speech, make it a good one.

Power Question

Sometimes the right question powers the punch of a lightning strike.

Hold the power of your speech or suggestion into a question.

Sometimes Jesus Christ posed a question two others that was very big. Many of his teachings were informed of questions.

A question forces the listener to sit down, think and react whereas a declarative statement does not. It compels someone to answer.

Know the answer before you ask the question.

If the trumpet does not make a sure sound, how will the soldiers know what to do? (Apostle Paul)

If you want to wake up and get an audience, make a power question, a simple, clear and rhetorical question that will get them to think

Power Word

Use a strong word with the power pause before or after it.

Power Active

Passive voice could mean inactive, lifeless, and unenthusiastic. Passive voice = passive mind. Most of the time, the passive voice just reveals her pushes to a passive mind. The active voice provides forced to your speech where is the passive voice sound spineless and deadens your delivery.

Power Dollar

The one I focus like on the dollar bill.

When making a speech, be direct, tell exactly how much money, exactly what you want them to do, exactly every detail.

Power Button

The power button says ready, set, listen to the audience; setting them up for the power line that is going to follow.

In your notes you may use a highlighter or underline things for emphasis, the audience can’t see that so your power button shows your audience it is coming.

The power button tells people to perk up and listen because what is about to come next is worth writing down and remembering. It is the preamble to the big news that is to follow. It is something like: “the secret is the following”; or, “the following is exactly what you need to do”, etc. this is your neon sign, your ignition switch to turn on the power.

Many great speakers throughout history have used this tactic of using a power button to set up for the power line.

Don’t overuse the power button, limited down to one for speech. And use it only to spotlight a singer that is going to burn a hole in your listeners years.

Power Closer

Great is the art of beginning but greater is the art of closing – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

A strong last impression can make your speech great.

The ending is the last impression that the speaker leaves with the audience.

Even if your speech has been flat, you can still leave the audience with a good closer.

For a good ending, you have to appeal to the emotions according to Churchill – pride, love, concern, even fear sometimes.

Your closing does not have to be a tearjerker, any powerful closing will do.

You could use a powerful closer for an inspiring plea or incisive please

Find your own it dates. The best of them come from your own experience.

A doll speech that inns of the dazzle get more applause that a good speech is flat. So remember you can always give a good, emotional or impactful closing.

Power Audacity

Dare to be different, that is what made Lincoln and Churchill stand out above the crowd. Leaders don’t play it safe.

Surprise your audience. Good speakers catch their listeners off-guard, say something, do quick moves, etc.

At times, being straightforward and blunt is exactly what is needed.

A leader can never afford to be boring.

Maybe instead of starting your speech, use silence to make everyone look at you and get their attention.

Stage your scene – steal the spotlight by doing something that will catch ever want to touch and make them respond.

Deep old. Don’t be afraid of drifting from the script if needed.

Some Things I’ve Learned

Curtis Hutson

 

The character of a man is more important than the content of the message

Worrying is using today’s strength on tomorrow’s problems

Those who have experienced the greatest success have known the greatest failures. The man who never fails is the one who never attempts anything.

You don’t attract what you want; you attract what you are.

You are what you feed on mentally; so feed on good books.

The best way to get rid of criminals is to stop raising them – John R. Rice

All your failures are prayer failures – John R. Rice

Don’t be too quick to give up. Try again and again and again. Victory may be just around the corner.

I had the occasion to meet one of the wealthiest men in America, and he told me that he never set out to make money. That was never his aim. “I set out to have a better product,” he said, “and the money followed.”

One of the most difficult things to maintain is balance. It requires constant effort.

You are not only responsible for what you say, you are also responsible for what people understand you to say, so make sure that the message is clear.

Worrying is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do but gets you nowhere.

Worry is the opposite of faith. Faith and worry cannot stay in the same room together. When one comes in, the other must go.

It would be good to set a goal to compliment at least three people a day. People like to hear nice things said about them. It lifts them up, enourages them and makes them appreciate you even more.

A Christian once said to his friend, “I have a bad temper. I got it from my father.” His friend asked, “Have you been born again?” “Oh, yes, he replied.” “Then,” said his friend, “you didn’t get it from your Heavenly Father.”

It’s wrong to try to get a laugh at someone else’s expense.

Practicalities for Young Ministers

By I.K. Cross

The Call

Recognizing the call

Can I be mistaken?

Where does God want you to Preach

In the Public Eye

Paul told Timothy to be an “example” among the people whom he lived and ministered.  In a very real sense you begin to “live in a goldfish bowl”.  People begin to watch you – some admire, some criticize, but don’t let this alarm you.  Just look at this new situation as an opportunity to influence people in the right way and be thankful for new opportunities.

Most young ministers have a preacher they admire.  Just be careful not to pick up his bad points instead of the good ones, because these are not what made him a success.

There are two other matters that a young minister can not learn too soon – proper conduct around women and responsible attitude about finances.  Failure in these areas will damage your life and ministry, they are two things that have taken out more preachers than most anything else.

Preparation for your Life’s Work

Some things you will need in the beginning

Build your library – get good books

Concordance, dictionary,

Once out of school continue to build your library and use it – it isn’t the quantity of books you have but the kind of books you have and how you use them.

Set your library in order early and keep it organized so that you can easily find what you are looking for when you need it.

Get you a good file of some kind

Now that you have Graduated

It is interesting seeing how a man, called of God to preach, can get an education and then be content not using it.

Don’t dishonor the ministry by claiming the honor of a call from God to preach unless you intend to preach at every opportunity

If God calls you, He will have a place for you in His own good time

Nothing beats learning to do something better than doing it

If God doesn’t place you in a place the day after you graduate, don’t get discouraged, He is saving for you where you may just fit for life

You may stumble many times and make mistakes as a preacher, but stay close to God and learn from each experience.  Just remember that babies are not born walking, they have stumble and crawl – “you have to crawl before you can walk.”

Don’t let discouragement get you down, it’s a new day tomorrow.  In a few years you will be able to laugh at the mistakes you have made

Go where God sends you with confidence – but confidence that God will see you through and supply your need as you apply yourself dedicatedly to your work.  Confidence that He will do what He has promised to do.

On the Field

The Bible speaks that you are the shepherd of the flock, working under the authority of the chief shepherd Jesus Christ, to whom you must finally account (I Pet 2:24-25; 5:1-4).

You are responsible for welfare and safety of His flock

You are gentle with the sheep so they trust you

You are also firm to the flock so they will heed to you

I Tim 3:1-7 – the Bible mentions 15 characteristics

Remember that as a pastor you will be on call 24 hours

You will be faced with many happy experiences along the way, but also, be prepared to face some surprises and shocking experiences as well

If you are not willing to give it your best, you will achieve limited results.  God has no use for a lazy preacher, but He will bless the man who is faithful to his duties

You will be very wise to have some trusted deacon or other minister friend present to assist you and witness such dealings.

Always remember that your top priority is Prayer and the Study and Preaching of the Word.  Acts 6:2-4 the apostles made this very clear to the church. However there are many ways to preach the Word other than your church pulpit

There is no way to give a job description for a pastor. He must deal with both the educated and the illiterate, the saint and the sinner, the humble and the self-righteous, the “senior citizen” and the new mother with the infant in her arms for the first time.  He must be both a counselor and a good listener; he must be firm as the Rock of Gibraltar and as tender as a lamb; he must give enouragement where there seems to be none to give; he must rebuke when it hurts him worse than those he rebukes; he must visit the sick when he is in more need of a doctor than those he visits; he must be able to week with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. He is indeed a shepherd to his flock. I repeat, you must love your flock, and a good shepherd will search out the lost wherever they may be found.  The commission you must lead your congregation to carry out is a command to make disciples and the first step in making a disciple is to win the lost to Christ, then you can begin the process of development.

Your Fellow Ministers – learn to conduct yourself properly to fellow ministers.  You can either make them lifetime friends or you can make them lifetime enemies.

Study –

A man who cuts wood for a living doesn’t sharpen his saw or ax once and forget about it.  If he did he would soon find himself working with very dull tools and cutting very little wood.

You need to study constantly!!!  Keep your mind sharp and fresh with the study of the Scriptures.  Read every good book you can get your hands on, but measure what you read in books by what you read in the Bible – everything checked carefully with the Scriptures.

Keep your ax sharp by constant study and prayer

You can very easily become involved in other affairs that you are caught in the pulpit without anything fresh for your congregation worth listening to. Don’t let this happen to you!

Spurgeon said, “We are, in a certain sense, our own tools, and therefore must keep ourselves in order.”

Sermons should have real teaching in them and their doctrine should be solid, substantial, and abundant.  We do not enter the pulpit to talk for talk’s sake; we have instructions to convey important to the last degree, and we cannot afford to utter pretty nothings.

Selecting your Message

As a pastor, you know better than anyone else the needs of the congregation.  Yet even then there should be sincere prayer before determining what your message will be and how it will be delivered.

Matters in the church

Be sure your message is anchored to the Word and the text should be no problem.

The Bible is always right but your idea could be wrong.  When we preach the Word, God promises to bless that.  He doesn’t promise to bless everything you and I say about it.  So in reaching for a text, reach for the Bible.  There you will always be safe

The congregation does not have to be told when the pastor is prepared to preach and is not – they will know and it is very obvious to them.

A Matter of Doctrine

A pastor must guard his flock. In today’s world that means a thorough indoctrination of your membership

If you are not imparting some information every time you address your membership, you are wasting their time and yours as well.

Nothing can empty your auditorium more rapidly than you constantly entering the pulpit unprepared.

If you want your congregation to be edified, you must first be edified yourself.

Illustrations are always a help.  Jesus taught His followers using parables

Great care should be exercised in using humor to carry your point across.  The pulpit is not the proper place for a comedian

You can become a popular speaker with stories, but you may also become a failure in conveying truth by doing so.

Pressure on the Preacher

All feel the effects of the pressures of the ministry whether the show it publicly or not.

Although we do not want to show our depression in public, care should be taken not to let pressure destroy you because you want no one to know it either.

Even Jesus Himself went aside to rest occasionally (Go apart before we come apart – pastor Hill says)

A preacher of the Gospel is a man with human weaknesses.  He must never forget this lest he become over confident and fall into Satan’s trap, which is often deadly.

As a part of the Baptist Team

Be like a sponge and soak up every idea your brethren can give you.  Observe what is working in their churches and use it if you can.

Church Business Meetings

Approach all matters of church business with much prayer for the will of God to be done, teaching the church to do the same, and the Spirit of God can prevail.

To Keep Your Church Growing in Harmony

Keep an active youth program

Deal with their questions because these are important to them. Give them Bible instructions on the issues that confront them daily

Be a friend of the youth of your church and let them know you are ready to help when they need you

What you plant in their minds, both by teaching and example, will remain there for the rest of their lives, unless changed by some drastic impact.

Indoctrinate your youth before someone else does

Meet regularly with your teachers and staff

Stay close to your teaching staff.  They are the eople on whom you depend to acquaint the congregation with the Word of God.

Give them your support and know what is going on

Keep as many people involved

Give equal attention to all

Be faithful to visit the sick and shut-ins

Endeavor to prevent factions in the church. Your personal ideas, apart from the Word of God, are not worth dividing the church over.

Keep your sermons and teaching program targeted on the church’s needs.  Don’t preach without a purpose, and don’t teach without a goal

Promote your church

There are many ways to promote, but you gain little by minimum promotion – whatever approach you use, do it in a big way.  You can toss a small pebble into the water and it makes a small ripple, but if you want to make a big splash, hit the water with a big rock.

Keep your church activities in the news: on the local radio stations, television stations, newspapers or whatever is available to you

Where do I go from Here

Never quit studying

Too many preachers have fallen into a rut from which they cannot extricate themselves because they cease to study the Word

The lack of desire to study produces a dull ministry

Your real work in acquiring knowledge begins as you begin to commit to others what you have learned.  And if you do not stay fresh with the study urged on by an inquiring mind, you will soon have committed to them all you know.  If the message from the pulpit grows dull, the congregation wither goes to sleep or simply one by one ceases to come back for the services, and you find yourself wondering why.

Sometimes they leave of their own accord, and sometimes they are asked to leave because the congregation simply grows tired of leftovers.  Never cease to study and you will not grow dull and dry in your preaching.  This will have much to do with the future of your ministry as well as how long you stay at a church and how well you build.

Stay on the Team

A final word: the call to the Gospel ministry is a lifetime calling

Retirement, with all its blessed and eternal benefits, comes when we have reached the end of life and go to be with the Chief Shepherd. There we will rest forevermore.  Until then, give God your best in whatever situation He sees fit to place you.

Whatever your course may be, its ultimate goal is to reach the souls of men. If we fail to do this, through whatever means, we forget the reason for which God has left us in this world.