The 3 C's of Leadership

The leadership playing field is about three big things —
Credibility, Competence, & Consequence.

1.Credibility: This is who you are.
It gets at who leaders are to their followers, the quality of the relationship, and earning the right to lead. It’s really a matter of character and understanding that leadership is an earned, versus granted, position. You are being called to a higher ground of credibility to be authentic, trustworthy, and compelling. A leader can behave in ways that can either increase these areas or unknowingly break them down.

 2.Competence. This is what you do.
You have to get the job right. This one is built on the premise that every leadership problem can be categorized into three key areas: People, Strategy and Execution. You’d be shocked at how enormously liberating it is when leaders are provided with this framework. It often gets them “unstuck” because it helps them categorize their problems, which is the first step to solving them.

3.Consequence. This is how you do things.

The legacy you leave. This one is about decision-making, communication, and impact. How did you make decisions? How did you choose to communicate your decisions? What is your reputation and your impact on others? 

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!

-Psalm 139:23

*Adapted from Ken Blanchard FB page.   

Play-Doh

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk to the congregation about the importance of teaching children.  I did this by pulling out a lump of Play-Doh and explaining how it is moldable and it takes any shape that a person desires. 

-As a parent, educator, or a person that loves children,

you have the same opportunity everyday with the children you come in contact with-

If a child grows up in an environment of criticism, the child will learn to criticize.

If a child grows up in an environment of hate, the child will learn to fight.

If a child grows up in an environment of shame, the child will learn to feel guilty

If a child grows up in a praising environment, the child will learn to appreciate.

If a child grows up in an encouraging environment, the child will learn to be confident.

If a child grows up in an environment of understanding, the child will learn to be patient.

If a child grows up in a just environment, the child will learn to be fair.

If a child grows up in a secure environment, the child will learn to trust.

If a child grows up in an approving environment, the child will develop self-esteem.

If a child grows up in an environment of acceptance and friendship, the child will learn to find love in people.

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If God has placed a child in your life, be sure to love and cherish them!

Remember, you are molding that child for the rest of its life...

Funny Friday's, The Topic: "No. No! NO!!!"

Stop Wasting your Time!

-Do you hate wasted time? 
-Do you want to free up more of your time for the things in life that you enjoy?

Let me introduce you to Parkinson's Law.

Coined in 1955 by British historian Cyril Northcote Parkinson the law states,

"Work expands to fill the time available for its completion"

Parkinson's Law points out that people usually take all the time allotted (and frequently more) to accomplish any task.

Let's go back to college for an illustration...
-Remember the days when you got your syllabus on the same day you thought you were the coolest kid on campus? 
--I had this happen a lot-- 
My plan was to get my work done waaaaaay ahead of time so I can continue my reign of coolness all over campus. 
What would follow is me in my dorm room working on a paper from the time I sat down to the due date. 

-If I would have known about Parkinson's Law in college, I could have done 1 1/2 of 3 things. 
1.  Schedule a personal due date before the actual due date in class.
2.  Instead of starting so early, I could have just waited for the professors due date to get the assignment done like most normal people did.
*3.  Stopped thinking I was cool and started acting normal. (this combined with 1 or 2 would have worked)

The reason my assignment took me so long was because, according to Parkinson's Law, the huge amount of time I gave myself to accomplish the task made the paper seem harder. 

The application is that when seeking to accomplish a task, give yourself a shorter deadline and you will help ensure greater quality of work with a higher focus. 

What about you? 

What chores do you put off because they seem so distant in the future? 

Apply Parkinson's Law to your life and watch you productivity go up!

Anthony's Memorial Day Sermon

Read Scripture:  Exodus 31:1-11

Main idea of the message:  God will use 4 C's in your life when He calls you into ministry.
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1.  When God calls you, He will make it a Personal Calling. 

Notice how God called the two men by name, (v. 1-2) Bezalel & (v. 6) Aholiab. 

This is not uncommon in the Bible, as God called many great people by their names.  Whether it was Jeremiah, Moses, or Isaiah, they were all called by name.  Don't lose fact that Jesus continued this in the NT when he called each one of His disciples by their names. 

This teaches us that God is a personal God, intimate with His people. 

When God calls people today, He still calls by name. 

Q- If God would have a great ministry for you to participate in, would you be ready like these two men? Would God entrust you to something that matters so much, like he did for Bezalel & Aholiab?

2. When God calls you, he will make it a Special Calling. 
In v. 3, we see that God equipped Bezalel & Aholiab with specific gifts. 

They could work with their hands...they were skilled craftsmen.  No doubt there were many many Israelites there that day and out of the crowd, God had equipped these two men with the talents & gifts to build His Tabernacle.  Paul says in Romans 12: 4-6 that there are many members of the body but not all have the same function.  How true.  Just think back to the book of Exodus and keep in mind how many different roles your read about.  Moses was the mediator.  Aaron was the mouthpiece.  Joshua was a fierce and loyal leader & fighter.  And so on...

There is a common misconception that individuals should be well rounded, but that is simply not true.  Think of a sports team.  Take a great hockey goalie and put him in a different position.  If you did this, you will effectively turn a great player into a terrible one.  That goalie is skilled in one position and he can perform in that one position better than anyone else on his team.  The lesson here is that teams should be well rounded, people should not. 

-This rings true in the church where we often want the pastors to be superhuman.  If the body of Christ is to function in a healthy way, then everyone on the team must step up and use their unique gifts so that the Church can thrive.

3.  When God calls you to a ministry, He often calls others too.  This teaches us that God has a Cooperate Calling. 

In verse 6, God called other folks to join Bezalel & Aholiab.  You are not alone when you get a call from the Lord, He equips others with gifts that will often balance, strengthen and give insight to your uniqueness. 

-Oftentimes I hear people in the church talking about 'burn out' because it seems that the same people are always the ones doing all of the work.  This is a tragedy because all this tells me is that someone in the body of Christ, is not using what God has given them.  When you do not use what God has given you, you are not only hurting yourself --you are also hurting your brothers and sisters as they take on the extra burden left behind. 
 -Remember what Henry Ford said, "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress."

4. When God called these men into His service, it was a Submissive Calling. 
In verse 11 we read that God wanted the Tabernacle erected according to His will. 
The Tent had specific requirements, that means the workers had a to follow the guidelines given from God and in doing so, they were bowing to God's Will. 

-Sadly, most of American Christianity is based on God making us happy. 

I think we have this backwards.  The perspective given from Genesis to Revelation is man bowing to God and His will ... not the other way around.

-Remember the way Jesus prayed in the garden on the night He was betrayed?  "Father take this cup from Me, but if not, then Your will be done" 

This is the ultimate picture of a relationship with God. 
 

 So there you have it!  The 4 C's to God's calling.
Hope you were inspired by it!