*Disclaimer! This definitely falls under the category of church planting. If you read my blog for pithy comments, insightful devotions, or my family’s journey – well, this may bore you completely. You’ve been warned.

The Call

Church planting is hard. I read a post from a fellow church planter recently who said church planting was easy – pastoring was hard. I understand the sentiment, but the issue is that the two are inseparable.

Unlike the difference between the wedding and the marriage, church planting has no definitive end in sight. I’m not sure when you are done “planting”.

The Challenge

The primary reason for this is that the most common challenge church planters face is the need for additional leaders. In the majority of cases, every leader involved in a new work is responsible for 3 or 4 areas – and none of them may be their area of gifting! There always seems to be more work to be done than there are people to do it.

Many church planters (myself included at times) often cry out, ‘if I only had more leaders, I could _________!’

Wake Up Call

The truth is, you probably couldn’t _________. That’s because leaders aren’t born. They’re grown!

I was reminded today that Jesus had a peculiar way of doing ministry and equipping leaders. There’s an old saying: God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called. Repeatedly in Scripture we see examples of God taking the most unlikely candidates and using them for His glory and purpose.

True Discipleship

I sat in a meeting this morning where I heard David Putman from PlantingTheGospel.com share this: ‘When Jesus sees the least, the lost, and the lonely, he sees people beaming with potential.’

In other words, rather than focusing on your situation and the lack of resources, why not take the approach of Jesus and focus on the people God has placed in your care and the potential that lies within?

Discipleship isn’t about taking a full grown plant from one garden and transplanting it to yours. It’s more about taking a freshly planted seed, planted in new & fertile soil, and making sure it grows into the healthy plant it should be.

Healthy things grow.

As leaders, we don’t have to manufacture something that doesn’t exist. We don’t have that power. We are only to harness the God-given power already at work within the disciple and steer that in the direction God intends for it to go.

It’s slower than your plug and play leadership team idea.

It’s messier than the neatness of titles and job descriptions.

It hurts more because you fail more and learn as you go.

It’s harder to help people move from where they are to where God wants them to be.

But that’s the job.

That’s discipleship.

And it’s our sole mission.

*Question: I have not arrived in this area and am still learning this principle. How about you? What has your experience been with developing leaders from within?

I read a quote today from Seth Godin that powerfully struck me: ‘If failure is not an option, then neither is success‘.

While it’s true that some people have a more risk averse nature than others, in the spiritual realm, the removal of failure requires the removal of faith.

If I know all the answers, I have dotted every I, crossed every T, eliminated any possibility of the unknown, mastered laying the bat on every curve ball…then why do I need God?

After two years of church planting, my tolerance for the unknown has deepened remarkably. I have grown uncannily comfortable with the ‘what if?’

The Bible tells us without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). Why then do we spend so much time trying to address every variable and possible outcome, once we know God has called us to take a step of faith?

What has God called you to do that fear of failure is stopping you from pursuing? Could it be that you are really trying to ‘solve’ God out of the equation?

Jesus knew the pains of a fickle audience well.  The week he was murdered is probably the best example of that, but that was not his only experience with a moody bunch.

Luke 4 illustrates this.

Jesus was in his home town of Nazareth when he read from Isaiah during a temple meeting. In 6 verses he witnessed a swing of emotion that is common with the “crowd” mentality.

In verse 22 “everyone spoke well of him“. By verse 28 they were “furious“.  They even “intended to push him over the cliff“.

When we allow the opinions of others to determine our state of mind, we miss the abiding peace that comes from total obedience to Jesus.

The question is not, what do people think about me?  We play to a sold out audience of one. The only question with true grit is whether or not Jesus is pleased with our steps and motives.

When the substance of our affirmation is based on the fickleness of popular opinion, the highs of public praise will be soon followed by the dreary lows of public scorn.

What’s the source of your affirmation?

Even when the tank is empty, we all have that singular driving force that will command and compel us to dig deeper.

To move beyond the realm of what is and pursue the reality of what can be. These guys all had one thing:

• For Jacob, his one thing was Rachel. “What shall I give you?” he asked. “Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them:” – Gen 30:31
• The Psalmist had his one request. “One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life” – Psalm 27:4
• Jesus identified the one thing standing between a certain man’s surrender. “When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” – Luke 18:22
• This guy told everybody about the one thing he was sure about. “He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” – John 9:25
• Paul focused on this one thing. “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,” – Phil 3:13

What’s your one thing?

I find it encouraging to note the times in scripture when Jesus pulled away and sought solitude.  Obviously Jesus wasn’t anti-social…BUT he did live in an entirely human body like me (he was probably a little thinner)…AND our bodies and our minds need rest!  If Jesus (who is God) took time to refresh, how can we think we require any less??

To be at the top of our game, we need times of refreshing.  For me, it’s a few days hiking and camping.  What is it for you?

Remembrance should always lead to pursuit.

Psalm 44:1

We have heard with our ears, O God;
our fathers have told us
what you did in their days,
in days long ago.

When we look behind us to see great things God did yesterday, it should drive us forward in pursuit of His calling today. Looking back is good…as long as it pushes us ahead.

Pausing to remember great things God did on our behalf yesterday is helpful and should cause us to trust His working on our behalf today.

It should not cause us to get stuck.

When a church, organization, family, or individual believes their best times to be behind rather than ahead – well…that’s when death begins.

I’m looking forward!

Close isn’t close enough when it comes to obedience. What if Moses had settled for “close“?  What if he had accepted that this was “almost” what God had in mind?

God let Israel wander for 40 years and would not allow Moses to enter the Promised Land because of a little disobedience along the way.  The results from this kind of blasse compromise could have been catastrophic!

Moses stuck to the plan God laid out and refused to settle for almost. So should we.

February 15 was my 36th birthday and some wonderful people (my parents and in-laws) paid to send me to THR3E! That’s awesome!!!

Basically, this event is the behind the scenes story of the now THR3E year old Elevation Church (Charlotte, NC) and their under 30 Senior Pastor, Steven Furtick (Monks Corner, SC & North Greenville graduate).

I am pumped about getting to go to this “non-conference” conference. You can read more about the purpose behind the conference from Steven Furtick on his blog.

Here’s what we’ve covered so far: (and a link to the whole series of posts)

Post #1 – Speaking truth in love is hard but necessary for spiritual maturity.
Post #2 – Many speak truth but few do it in love.
Post #3 – Speaking truth in love requires direct interface with the person in question – not gossip with others.

Now let’s look at the final piece of the puzzle: What if you are the person about whom truth is being spoken?

How do you handle that?

Wow!  That’s a tough question.  I remember my parents saying on rare occasions “do what I say, not what I do“.  That’s probably good advice here.  No one can honestly say they enjoy criticism.  You think things like: If they only knew what I have to face…you think I’ve got issues, take a look in the mirror buddy!

But, since none of us are perfect, we will probably all face a certain level of criticism at some point. Here are some things to consider:

1. Consider the source – Criticism can come from all sides.  While God can give anyone insight into a particular situation, I very naturally trust the counsel of my close circle of influencers more than the comments of a stranger.  Why?  Because they know me and have more insight into my motives.

2. Get a second opinion – Ask someone else you trust to consider this.  This is not a good exercise for a mom or that friend who would never disagree with you.  I love having people in my life that feel comfortable calling me out!  It’s why I always maintain a relationship with an accountability partner.  Someone who has open access into any area of my life and will be honest with me – even if it’s not what I want to hear.

3. Lay it down – THIS IS HUGE!!!   This is a common place for breakdown.  It’s at this point you have to bare your soul to God and repent first.  David confessed it was against God and God alone he had sinned.  Spiritual reconciliation has to occur before any real or meaningful relational reconciliation between individuals.  Recognition before God that an action, attitude, or behavior is sinful places it consciously under the power of the cross!  That’s where the blood of Jesus can transform a situation and develop the new creation He has made us in Christ!

4. The human factor – Sometimes there may be relationships or situations that need mending.  This cannot be adequately dealt with until the spiritual issue in #3 is taken care of, but it cannot be skipped either.  Sometimes we just have to say “I’m wrong”.  This is also a good time to recognize the one who brought the matter to your attention to begin with.

5. Move forward – There is no way to predict the response of people.  Some will embrace you – others never will.  Some hearts are wired to hope for the best – others just need something to talk about.  There will come a point in time (and it’s different for every situation) where you simply have to accept that you have done all that you can.  You are right with God and you have made every effort to be right with people.  Then you have to move forward.  There is no condemnation in Christ and no time for you to hang your head!

6. Check-ups – It’s probably a good idea to keep a check on your progress in dealing with an attitude or behavior.  Again, it’s critical at this point to have meaningful relationships with people that will hold you accountable.  It’s also a good idea to ask God how you are doing in this area.

This is not exhaustive and there are unique situations…but this is a good outline when you are the one that has to deal with truth being spoken to you.

As we’ve already noted, speaking truth in love is not easy. Most people can’t or won’t do it.  Many people speak truth but forget the love.

Here’s another common pitfall:

Speaking truth in love does not mean sharing with a friend the issues you have with someone when you haven’t confronted the individual you need to…even when it’s cleverly disguised as a prayer request!

That’s NOT speaking truth.

It’s COWARDICE.

That’s NOT confronting in love.

It’s GOSSIP.

…Don’t give in to that temptation.  If you’re the one telling the tale – CUT IT OUT!  If you’re the one listening to someone else – confront them. Tell them not to talk to you about a person when they won’t talk to the person they have the issue with.  They might get hurt…maybe even mad.  That’s OK!

Refuse to give an audience to that kind of trash.

No good will come from it.

This is one of the hardest things to do, but here is something interesting about it. There are a lot of people who can speak truth with no problem. The doing it IN LOVE part…not so much!

It’s one thing to tell me I’m ugly.  We would know you are a liar and the truth is not in you!  Just kidding!

Seriously, let’s say I have an attitude that needs to be confronted.  Or perhaps someone has a certain behavior that may compromise their testimony.  It’s one thing to attack me and tell me my attitude sucks – or to assault the other person with a 10 lb. Bible and raining down a thousand verses of scripture on their heads.

That’s a whole lot different than approaching the individual from a heart of love (as opposed to self-righteousness) and humility (rather than pride, which got the devil kicked out of Heaven) hoping the best for the individual you are confronting.  People attack others and use the pitiful excuse of “speaking truth” when the truth is they do it because it makes them feel superior. That’s just wrong.

The “spiritual” formula is simple:

(TRUTH) – (LOVE) = SPIRITUAL PRIDE & LEGALISM

(TRUTH) + (LOVE) = SPIRITUAL MATURITY & GROWTH

How are you speaking truth?

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.”

- Ephesians 4:15

It’s easier to be silent.

You fear the other person’s reaction.  Will this hurt our relationship?  Will we still be friends?

You fear rejection.  What if they point out all my imperfections?

You fear change.  It’s easier to maintain the status quo.

…so a lot of us remain stuck…as spiritual infants in a world that desperately needs believers to put their “big girl” and “big boy” pants on!

What will you do? Will you speak difficult truth into a situation motivated from a heart of love?  Or will you be silent?  I’m betting some of you are truth speakers!

You know what I learned in the stillness of my silence?  I’m just not that important! No, I mean it.  Nothing broke…nothing ceased to function…I got a couple of phone calls with questions but the big takeaway is: the axis that the world rotates on is quite stable without me!

Sounds simple.  Maybe you can’t conceive that someone would think otherwise.  My guess is that most of us could use a subtle reminder that life will go on whether we get out of bed in the morning or not!

We are precious in God’s site…NEVER forget that!!!  But we are not irreplaceable!  He caused a jack ass to speak when he couldn’t get Balaam to do what He wanted him to – do you really think He can’t get the job done without you or me?

We must always remember that it is a privilege to serve Christ and that the honor is wholly ours – not the other way around!  You can affirm your unique identity and purpose in Christ without over estimating your personal value to the cosmos.

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8, NLT)

God confirmed over 3 1/2 years ago that we were going to plant a church (or churches) in a major unchurched city.  We did not know when or where, but we began making preparations at that time to be in a position to “GO” when God said it was time.

We sold our home in Easley and reduced our financial commitments as I left my professional career and devoted myself to full time ministry.  I had spent about 10 years in telecommunications and had a business partnership that was dissolved in April of 2006.  We moved into an apartment in October 2006 and our genuine attitude toward planting the church was “God we are willing to go wherever you send us – but there is NO WAY we are ready!!!”

Early 2007, God led us to Washington Avenue Church.  We made this our church home as we continued to proclaim the gospel and minister through Damascus Road Ministries.  In October 2007, I joined the full time staff at Washington Avenue, where I have served as the Executive & Worship Pastor.

One of my earliest conversations with Chuck Bridges (Senior Pastor at WAC) was about the vision God had given us to plant a culturally relevant church in a heavily unchurched major US city.  That was one of the primary factors that led us to WAC – the Kingdom minded vision of the pastor and the people.  Tabitha and I knew that this was a place that would support us and get behind the vision God had given us…without being territorial or competitive!

This past Sunday, we shared with our church family that God had given us some clarity on this calling to plant a church.  We believe we are being called to Boston, MA to plant a church that will reach people with the life changing message of hope found only in Jesus Christ!

While we do not know the precise timing or the exact launch date yet, we are diligently seeking to identify, assemble, and equip the rest of the TEAM that God is calling to join us in this effort!  Some will partner with us by praying with frequency and fervency.  Some may participate by providing financial support, while others will actually be a part of the team that relocates and invests their lives in the people of Boston.

It could take a year or longer to see everything come together and I will continue to serve on staff at WAC as long as I am able to fill my role and remain a benefit in the ministry of the church.  There will come a point in time (approximately 90 days prior to relocation to the mission field) where the demands of the church plant and the new calling hinder my availability at WAC making it impossible to serve in my current capacity as Worship & Executive Pastor.  Until that time, I intend to faithfully serve God and the people of Washington Avenue Church.

It is with the strongest sense of urgency I ask you to pray for God to clarify some of these details…as well as confirmation for some who are praying about being a part of this plant!

Here are some specific ways you can support us and keep up with all that is going on:

• PRAY
• Follow me on Facebook or join our Facebook Group
• Follow us on Twitter
• Scouting trip to Boston on November 7-10
• Support the plant financially
• Plan or participate in a mission trip to Boston once the church is launched

I will periodically update about the status of the plant here on the blog, but will utilize the Facebook Group as much as possible to keep everyone informed.  Thank you for your prayers in this mission!  My family and I are so excited about this next step of faith in the journey God has called us to!!!

God is really working on some big things in my heart and mind right now.  Some of them I will be sharing through this blog over the next few months.  Some of it is BIG news…some is very personal…some scary…some funny.

The main thing is I am feeling an intense urge…maybe that’s not a strong enough word for it…but I am certain that I need to spend some time making this a reality.  I am an avid reader and love following others that I can learn from…so this will be tough to do.

I am going to make a concerted effort to do this.  I want to allow God to speak to me…to shape me…to conform me to his image…to reveal the pastor and leader He’s created me to be.

It’s awesome! I have spent some time today doing stuff that I normally don’t get to spend time on in the office…sometimes I just plain don’t get to do it!

It’s so easy to settle into our routines and fill every available moment with the things that have to be done to keep the cycle going.  Here are a few things I did today that I need to do more often:

• Listen to other opinions – Because of technology, you and I can read and gain insight and mindshare from some of the greatest leaders in our respective fields.  If I’m not careful, I will find myself always reading and listening to the same sources.  I love to be stretched! One of my favorite things to do is read from someone who disagrees with me.
• Stretch your style – I do not listen to new artists and alternative styles enough.  I have my favorite artists and playlists and don’t spend nearly enough time soaking in new stuff that’s out there.  Let’s just say I am jamming to a new playlist on the iPod with tracks from totally different artists.
• Reach out intentionally – I seriously doubt if any of us stay in touch with people like we wish we could.  I do better at this one than the other two…but can still get better.  It’s not that hard to do this. Try one of these:
  • Call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while.
  • Write someone a card. Don’t email.  People don’t get hand written cards anymore.
  • Schedule a spontaneous lunch with a friend that is strictly social.

The tiniest adjustments in our robotic schedules can have tremendous impact.  How often do you vary your routine?  These are just some things that I did today because no one else is at the office.  What are the things you would do to break up your cycle?

4. To inspire the conduct of

Isn’t this fitting in today’s times? Without recounting in this post, how many stories of disappointment from leader’s can be pulled from recent years headlines?  There is a dire and desperate need in the ranks of leadership today.  Integrity.  Though we can clearly see the absence of integrity in our culture today, this is certainly nothing new. 

God has always been looking for men and women of integrity to lead his people.  There is definitely a spiritual requirement for integrity, and that need alone is sufficient to merit our obedience.  But there is also an ancillary benefit that flows from integrity.  It inspires others. Other people will follow a man or a woman with integrity.  Integrity inspires the conduct of others.

I have been in professional situations where I believed in the direction or the vision of the company, but was actually discouraged from pursuing it because of the leadership within the organization.  Conversely, I have been in other situations where I wasn’t really excited about an opportunity, but vigorously tackled it with enthusiasm simply because of the leader who asked me to do it.

At the end of the day, people follow people.  Vision matters and cannot be minimized – occasionally you have the power of a  movement that is so completely engulfing that throngs of individuals are swept up in its current and it takes on a life of its own.  But under normal circumstances, people follow people.  And they will only capture the leader’s vision when they are inspired by the leader.  Strong leaders are men and women of integrity.  Integrity inspires the conduct of others.

1. To be a channel or a conduit for (like an electrical lead) -

Now I realize that this refers to an object and not specifically leadership as we have been discussing.  However, I think it is a great illustration of one of the vital functions of a great leader. 

Some time ago, I had an issue with one of my cars.  Come to think of it, I’ve had a lot of issues with my cars.  The battery cables were worn, corroded, and defective.  I thought it was my battery.  I mean it makes sense if you are losing power or your car won’t start that it’s the battery that’s the culprit, right?  Not in this case.  My battery was fine, but because the cables were corroded, it couldn’t make a strong connection.

That’s the way it works in leadership.  We have mentioned before that the vision is the power source.  A lot of time can be wasted on trying to force someone to get the vision when they don’t.  We need to face it – some people just aren’t going to get our vision!  But then there are those who do get it.  They agree with the vision.  They see where you’re heading.  They don’t require convincing.  But everyone needs help staying connected to the power source.  In this illustration, the vision is the power source and the LEADer is the conduit that connects people to that power source.

Several thoughts come to mind as I think about that.  First, the leader has to stay connected himself.  There are always things that will distract us if we allow them.  The leader has to be in tune with the vision to have any effectiveness helping others stay connected. 

Second, the leader has to avoid corrosion.  Whether it’s lapses in moral integrity or simply turning into an old curmudgeon from taking the licks that come with leadership, corrosion kills the connection to vision. 

Finally, just as an electrical lead has to stay grounded, so must the visionary leader remain grounded in life.  The most important aspects of this concern faith and family.  Certainly, if you’re dealing with any position of spiritual leadership, you can not neglect your own private time spent alone with God.  A result from that time with God is the realization of the leadership role we are called to first and foremost in our families. 

Just this week, two prominent figures in Christian ministry announced they would be getting a divorce. The reality of the divorce is a hard enough blow, but the really painful part is the reason they gave.  “They blame two lives going in different directions.”  That’s the quote given in this article. Each will pursue different directions in ministry.  We need compassion and restoration for these kinds of situations, but we also need to learn a lesson.  I don’t ever want to allow my leadership outside of my home to diminish my leadership inside my home.

As a leader, what kind of conduit are you?  Are you staying connected to the vision?  Are you making a solid connection or are there areas of corrosion?  How grounded are you spiritually and at home?  These are weighty questions and it never hurts to give ourselves a checkup.  After all, if I had listened to the guy at Jiffy Lube, I could have avoided getting stuck on the side of the road!

2. To guide or direct in a course.

This gives me an immediate mental image of a steering wheel. That may be because I was just looking at Nascar online but I’m not sure. I’m also thinking about the passage in James that talks about how small things can guide and move much larger things.  Great leaders guide and direct.  They don’t push or force someone forward.  There’s a huge difference!  Leaders are like rudders on a ship.  They guide something that is moving with momentum.  Leaders are not propellers.  Vision is the propeller that drives an individual forward.  You can’t (and shouldn’t by the way) force someone to capture your vision.  In my experience, they either get it or they don’t.  But a great leader can recognize that potential in someone and help steer them in the right direction.

See, vision is the driving force for organizations and individuals alike.  The captain of a ship can’t spend all his time sitting around trying to convince the ship that moving forward is a good idea!  But he can masterfully take a ship steaming ahead and guide it, and direct it so that it reaches its’ destination by whatever route he chooses.  Sometimes the goal is to get there expeditiously.  Other times, a scenic route may be preferred.  The point is, the captain can’t put the fuel in the tank, or ensure that the engines are firing on all 12 cylinders.  But he can control the rudder.  And the rudder controls direction.  Great leaders understand that one of their most important responsibilities is to responsibly influence direction.  Sometimes, you have to recognize when someone is counterproductive to the mission.  Strong leaders take the members on the team who already buy into the vision, and help them be as successful as they can be.  Leaders who inspire and guide have followers.  When someone forces someone down a path, they don’t have followers, they have hostages!

Nehemiah is a great example of this.  After spending 3 days assessing the situation, he took his team aside and shared his vision with them.  He simply told them that there was a wall to build and God was on their side.  He didn’t try to persuade them with eloquent speech, or plead with them to agree with him.  He shared the vision and the team said, “Let us start rebuilding”, and they started.  Nehemiah was amazing at coordinating a huge effort with many sub-tasks to be completed.  He focused his energy on putting the right people on the right task, not on convincing people why they should get excited about the vision God gave him!

What a lesson for every leader!  Share the vision, recognize team players, then guide and direct them on the course that accomplishes that vision.  Remember, it’s not the leader’s job to fabricate or create drive and desire.  That’s outside of our purview.  As the rudder on a ship guides the vessel on its course, so must the influence of leadership guide the individual toward the common goal.

Today’s entry:

1. To show the way by going in advance.

I can never lead someone anywhere I am not willing to go myself.  Dictators bark orders and say go.  Effective leaders inspire and say follow me. There is an implied responsibility to mentor, develop, and empower strong “LEADERS” under you! One of the main problems in leadership is that too many leaders want to surround themselves with followers instead of more leaders.  I don’t know if it’s insecurity or simple vanity that creates territorial boundaries and unhealthy protective attitudes.  Whatever it is, it seems that many leaders are more enamored with being bosses than the responsibility of leading!

The success of a leader is typically in direct proportion to the success of those under his or her leadership.  Want to be a successful leader?  Make those in your care as successful as they can be.  Period.  Does that scare you?  Afraid they will take your job?  If so, maybe they should!  But success at their job does not necessarily mean that they could be more effective at your job.  When I was in sales, one of the most common mistakes I saw was taking a guy that blew his quota out and “promoting” him to management.  I say that tongue in cheek because it always ends up that the guy has twice the responsibility for half the pay!  Strong leaders are secure enough in their own skin to know that their success is tied to the success of those they lead. 

Now if you’re a “boss” who works at a “job”, it will be hard for you to wrap your arms around this.  But if you are a leader who works at a calling, then you are passionate about what you do.  And that causes you to invest yourself in what remains when you are gone.  Hans Finzel writes in his book The Top 10 Mistakes Leaders Make that good leaders are always grooming their replacement.  There is an old saying that says if you give a man a fish you can feed him for a day; but teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.  The goal is to teach people to fish – not how to watch someone else fish.

Jesus was the greatest leader that ever lived!  He embodies this definition of leadership in showing us the way by going in advance.  He never once asked His followers to do something He was not willing to do Himself.  In fact, He is the perfect example of leadership by example.  His mission was to save the world.  Pretty sure that’s something only He could do, so nobody’s getting that promotion.  Even still, His ministry was focused intensely on 12 guys – three more specifically – to carry on the work after He was “gone”. 

And those guys became leaders that inspired and showed the way by going in advance.  And those they led became leaders who inspired and showed the way by going in advance.  And those they led became leaders.  And those they led.  And so on.  And so on.  And here we are today.  Great leaders work to promote and advance the vision and purpose for which they stand.  Great leaders invest in the future and in those who will carry the torch when they can carry it no more.  Bosses get a paycheck.  That’s it.  Until someone comes along who is ready to lead.  Then bosses get to watch at home.

The American Heritage Dictionary has 30 entries under lead.  Over the next couple of weeks, I will share my thoughts on some of the entries that I found interesting.  Each post, I will comment on one of the following entries and how it applies to the vision and direction that I sense God unfolding in Damascus Road Ministries. 

Here’s this list of entries:

1. To show the way by going in advance
2. To guide or direct in a course
3. To be a channel or a conduit for
4. To inspire the conduct of
5. To aim ahead of