Leaders are called to encourage other leaders. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 says:

"Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other."

I think a job of a leader is to work to try and support other leaders above them. This involves looking for ways to cooperate, saying "thank you", and telling them that you appreciate them and their work. It means maybe holding back a critical comment, if the comment wouldn't be productive.

I've been reading 1 Thessalonians 5 and there are some good verses about encouragement and things leaders can do. These are core character things that I think would help anyone become a better encourager.

Verse 11 says: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up. Just as in fact you are doing."

Leaders are called to build up other people.  This is a core element to encouragement. Look for ways to point out to someone a quality that you appreciate or admire in him or her. Many times you'll find that an encouraging word will come at the most appropriate time and is exactly what the other person needed to hear.

My company Cylliance Corp recently launched a new version of the Discipleship Walk website.   There isn't much public content yet, but most of the functionality is in the private Community area.   If you've been on a previous Walk, make sure to logon and check it out.  If you don't know the username/password ask someone who's been on a Walk.

Check out the site here:   http://www.DiscipleshipWalk.org

If you've never been on a Discipleship Walk, I'd encourage you to check it out and get more information. 

I've been thinking about what it means to really lead your kids.  As a dad, I often wonder how my actions affect my boys.   When I'm busy or too pre-occupied with thoughts about work, are they saving that behavior away in their mind?   When I try and teach them a concept about character development, are they listening, are they saving that thought away in their mind?

As husbands and fathers we are called to be the leader in our homes.  A picture of the game "follow the leader" jumped into my mind.   Our kids are following us.  They're following our actions, our behaviors.  The good and the bad.  The question is:  Who are we following?   After all, most people are following someone or something.

I've been working on a speech I have to give in a few weeks on Discipleship.   The speech has really come together, but now it's got me thinking about what Discipleship looks like between a father and son.   I would submit that before the father can ever disciple his son or really lead his son, he has to submit to being led by Jesus Christ.   

I'm still chewing on this, but more thoughts to come.

Have you ever lost something or even just misplaced something?  It happens to me all the time.   I’ll be cleaning up or trying to organize something at home or at my office and I’ll put an object somewhere and think “I’ll remember where I put this”.    Well, time goes by and I want that object and now I have no idea where I put it.   I search around, but I still can’t find it.

This happened to me this weekend.  I was trying to find something at my house that I had “organized” and I couldn’t find it.   I looked everywhere and couldn’t stop thinking about where it was.    I even told Holli that someone stole it (joking, but half serious).  

I finally decided to go to bed and then it hit me:  God knows where my object is.  Why don’t I just ask Him?   So I did.   I just said: “God, you know this is driving me crazy.  Would you please just tell me where it is?   Thanks God.”    That’s it, I just believed He was going to tell me.  

The next part is what is cool…I was lying there for about 10 seconds and then BOOM, into my mind came the location.   I pictured the shelves in the unfinished room of our basement.   I didn’t even get up to go look, I just fell asleep peacefully.  The next morning I went and retrieved my object from that exact location.  Sure enough, it was there.

I swear I have done this many times and God tells me exactly where the location is every single time.   Now I just need to ask Him quicker instead of trying to take it on myself and go crazy.

Some of you might think I’m crazy, but I’m telling you the truth.  It works every time for me.  Try it out sometime the next time you “lose” something.

The moment I started reading The Blind Writer by Matt Bays I knew this wasn't going to be your average book.  There were times as I read that I laughed, smiled and pondered.  I felt a connectedness to Matt's life.  I felt as if I were inside Matt's head on a comfy couch with a cup of coffee and he was telling me stories and life lessons he'd learned.   His trials, his triumphs.  Stories mixed in with some poetry.  There were times that I felt proud (not in a pompous, looking down sort of way), but in a way that acknowledges another person's goals and admires their accomplishments.

Besides wanting to tell you to go and get Matt's book, I wanted to journal some things that spoke to me, so I could come back at a later date and re-read them.   Whenever I read books these days, I have to have a pen in my hand.   I underline things that speak to me, so I'll be able to find them later on.

Here are a few things that spoke to me:

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Taking our own spiritual inventory is the only way we are able to move forward in our journey toward God.

I used to live with passion.  I used to hear God's voice, even though it sounded like my own voice in my head.  I used to risk it all.  

 

I've had it with that shallow faith that represents a Jesus who is frozen in a stained glass window somewhere, not the Jesus who is alive and well...and passionate.

 

Depravity.  And I know it's an ugly word, but I use it to describe an ugly choice, which all of us are capable of if we lose our center with God.

 

When you referee the symptoms of a deeper problem, you end up not dealing with the "heart issue" of the matter, and the problem remains.

 

James 1:27.  Find out what I'm passionate about.  Start there.

 

Keep it simple:  Love God, Love Others

 

What is a poser to do when all their props are gone?   What do they do when someone looks them in the eye and doesn't smile back?

 

There comes a time when we must face our greatest pain, our greatest fear; the thing we feel has strung us up on a cross  and suffocated the life out of us.  And we must face it without the support of anyone other than our Father and the support of our own soul.

 

But our Father, who brings life from death, who finds strength in weakness and turns defeat into victory, will restore us to sanity and turn our death by fear into a life of courage and strength.

 

I think He cares about heart and intent, not about empty rituals or my obsession with being good, some kind of check-list life that looks good on my spiritual resume.

 

The problem with using God is, are we really using God, or are we just trying to find a quick solution to the pain and slapping God's name all over it?  Just because we say "I'm trusting God," does not make it true.

 

But it may be time to finally acknowledge our wounds, and then, to let God take us on the powerful journey of healing these wounds.  Jesus went to the cross knowing exactly what it cost Him.  He faced the suffering and acknowledged His wounds.  He wasn't hanging on the cross praying, "All things work together for the good."  No!  he reserved that scripture for after He was healed.  While He was on the cross He said, "My God, why have you forsaken me?"  He was hurting and wanted to know why God had let this happen to Him.

 

I wonder if God is always following me around hoping I'll pause for just a moment, somwhere in my day, so that He can teach me something I don't know.

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There were many other things that I underlined, some were full paragraphs that would be too much to put here.  The book is full of great insights, stories and thoughts.  You'll even find some things that will just plain challenge the way you think and the way you look at your relationship with God.  Go get the book and underline your own.