(Funny…or sad…that being in “ministry” leadership for five years I didn’t really have as clear an answer prior to this devo. Love the ways we gain clarity in this life!)

Here’s clarity.

“Ministry is talking about Jesus, serving Jesus, being Jesus where people are in need of Jesus. Ministry is the most exciting, stretching thing in the world.”

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:3-14 NIV)

“The problem is the same child can go and solve the most complex video game and struggle on basic math. The way we are teaching is not how the brain learns.”

She’s got her walking shoes on!

You cannot push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb. – Andrew Carnegie

There’s few things that make our enemy madder than seeing God bless us time and time again.  …and I love it!

This is a great repost of an article I read by Mark Miller who has a great blog called “Great Leaders Serve”, you should really check out. Most leaders who already think they’re great won’t bother but if you’re humble enough to learn something new (or again) stop by and check him out.

So the first question I’ve been wrestling with is: Are leaders really different? My answer is yes. Clearly, we all want our leaders to be dependable, honest, show integrity and be hard working, but our organizations demand more from leaders. Therefore, my next question was – How are leaders different?

Here’s a short list of six attributes that I believe you’re more likely to see in leaders than non-leaders. It’s not an exhaustive list, but most of the great leaders I’ve known personally, and those I’ve studied, have demonstrated some measure of the following traits.

Optimism – Men and women in leadership are generally optimistic. They see a preferred future and can envision a path to make it a reality – despite the obstacles.

Judgment – The best leaders have the ability to make good decisions – even when the data is incomplete.

Ownership – Great leaders are willing to take responsibility for their actions, the actions of those they lead and the outcomes of their efforts.

Initiative – Good leaders are known for being proactive. They are willing to act – and often, they are the first to act.

Courage – To lead well requires bold decisions, decisive decisions – to stand alone if necessary. To lead well requires courage.

Servanthood – The best leaders are motivated by a heart to serve. They want to serve the organization, their people, their customers and all their stakeholders.

Love taking pics of my fam!