good leaders

If a man cannot be a good leader in his own home, how can he lead the church?

- 1 Timothy 3:5 (NLV)

 

There are leaders everywhere, at our work, in lines, in traffic, in politics in family, in businesses and in the church.
Organizations thrive under good leadership, and they fail when they have bad leadership.
I remember growing up my mother’s famous phrase was “if <insert name> jumps off the bridge are you going to follow?”.
You would be surprised at how many do follow bad leaders, on the internet there is a list of history’s five worst leaders and they all had a huge following.
When people apply for a job, the hiring manager will go to great lengths to find out what kind of person the candidate is, both personally and professionally.
It’s too bad that the candidates don’t have the same luxury of finding out what kind of leader they will be working under.

If you are in leadership, I challenge you to look around.
If you are a leader in business, are your people happy or have several people left since you took your leadership role?
If you are the leader in your family, is your home a pleasant place to be, do people want to visit you, or do they stay away?
How about your church, has the attendance dropped significantly, or do visitors join shortly after their first visit?
What about the organization that you lead, is it thriving and growing, or is membership on a downward spiral?
Churches, businesses, restaurants, organizations all have leadership and if that leadership is poor, well, people will avoid them.
If you aren’t a good leader, maybe you should step down and let someone else take the reins.

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

into the fire

If we are thrown into the fire, our God Whom we serve is able to save us from it.

- Daniel 3:17a (NLV)

 

How is it that people are able to praise God through some of the roughest and most terrible times of their lives?
I’ve watched close friends and family deal with job loss, relocation, medical issues, tragic accidents, all sorts of craziness.

And still they worship God.
They stand strong in their faith and they tell everyone what an amazing God they serve.
Outwardly they do not show signs of not trusting Him, because inwardly they trust Him with everything.
To have faith and trust like that is truly amazing. 
Tasha Layton and Chris Brown released the song “Worship Through It” this year, it kind of hits the nail on the head.
This looks impossible

But You're the God of impossible

And I've seen your faithfulness all over my life

I need a miracle

And You're the God of miracles

Some way, somehow You come through every time

I know my God can do it

So, I'm gonna worship through it

Before I see my breakthrough

I'm gonna choose to praise You

I will sing hallelujah to the one

Who can do what the world says can't be done

I know my God can do it

So, I'm gonna worship through it

In the middle of my no way out

In the middle of my don't know how

I hear You whisper to me peace be still

This is why I believe

You will deliver me

You always have and you always will

You always have and you always will

I won't wait til the rocks cry out

I'm gonna praise You

I won't wait till the walls come down

I'm gonna praise You

(Gonna) Lift my hands right here, right now

I'm gonna praise You

Oh God I praise You!
Dude. 
Worship through the pain, worship through the sadness, the sickness, the grief and the disappointment.
Worship through it. 
You may not get the outcome you wanted, but God will carry you through. 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

I’m disappointed

I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. He has put a new song in my mouth — praise to our God; many will see it and fear and will trust in the Lord.

- Psalm 40:1-3 (NKJV)

 

It’s disappointing when things don’t go the way we wish they would go.
This past Friday morning I washed my cell phone – literally, I put it in the washing machine, and it went through a wash cycle and had started the rinse cycle before I realized where it was and retrieved it.
How I did not destroy my phone, I will never know, I am chalking it up to the grace of God.
Honestly, that should have been my first clue that the day was not going to go according to my plan, but then who am I to make plans anyway?

I needed to leave my house at 1pm for an event a few hours away, but again, I kept hitting roadblocks and did not leave until two hours later.
I never made it to my destination. 

Road construction on the interstate had us delayed by at least another hour as we sat in non-moving traffic.
Finally on the way, we had an hour and twenty minutes left of our drive and “pop”, we blew a tire on our RV.
It wasn’t just the tire though, it never is with an RV, the pieces of tire pushed off the panel where our electric hookups are, completely separating the wiring from the housing.
It was the trip that would not happen. 
I was so disappointed; I was looking forward to the adventure with a group of friends exploring an area on our ATVs.
So, I did what I always do, I used Google to find comfort in the Bible. 

“Come to Jesus Christ with your disappointment, trusting Him to meet you and change your heart”.

This wording referenced Psalm 40:1-3.
I tried very hard to not let the disappointment overtake me, but it was tough. 
In my mind I heard all the quotes about how things happen for a reason, and how God had other plans, but it didn’t make me feel better, I was still disappointed.
I knew I’d be fine, that I would move past it, but for the rest of Friday and most of Saturday, I was just disappointed.
Fortunately, things turned around and Saturday night, while not what I had planned, we had fun with a different group of friends and Sunday we were able to celebrate the 7^th birthday of a very special little girl.
It just goes to prove that we should indeed trust God, He did put a new song in my mouth.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

 

hurt people

So then, stop doing anything to hurt others. Don’t lie anymore, and stop trying to fool people. Don’t be jealous or say bad things about others.

- 1 Peter 2:1 (ERV)

 

There is not one person out there that has not heard or experienced someone being mean, sometimes we have been the mean one.

Women can be especially guilty of falling into the “mean girl” role, the thought that tearing another down would elevate themselves, this started a horrible trend.

Over the years I have come to realize that when we are hurt, it is in our nature to lash out and hurt others.
Dave Frey from Sidewalk Prophets said this in an interview: 
“It’s easy to fight hurt with hurt. We sometimes hide behind our tough words, sarcasm, pettiness, and meanness. But all these responses steer us away from what we really want — HEALING. Hurt people, hurt people, but only the grace and love of Christ will heal our hearts”
Sidewalk Prophets released their song Hurt People just this year:
Aches & pains, we pass them on

Kids in school, dads and moms

Sharper words, the swords we draw

Pointing out each other's flaws

We give our all, try and fail

Busted dreams, empty sails

Force a smile, pretend we're strong

The war inside keeps marching on

I know, oh oh

Hurt people

Hurt people

Broken hearts

Break hearts

Life bruises unequal

Everyone fights a battle that's hard

Grace where grace is needed

No matter who you are

Hurt people

Hurt people

But love will heal our hearts

We carry all our bitterness

And crave to know what better is

Compassion, just a little bit

Opens a mind, and changes it

Oh God, help me see now

Hurt people

...

I'm sorry

For the way I've been

I'm sorry

For the words I said

And things I did

Forgive me

Hurt people

...

But Love will heal our hearts

We all struggle, we all face challenges and I think we have all been in a place where others have hurt us.
But we don’t have to hurt others in return. 

When we walk the “mean girl” path, we are closing ourselves off from walking in the fullness of God, and why would we do or say something that would prevent us from knowing and loving Him fully?

Stop the trend, don’t be mean.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

my plans

We were already chosen to be God’s own children by Christ. This was done just like the plan He had.

- Ephesians 1:11 (NLV)

 

I love planning.
To clarify, I love having a plan that organizes me and provides me with steps that need to be accomplished to meet a goal.
I think this was instilled in me as far back as middle school when teachers encouraged us to create or buy planners to keep track of projects and assignments that were due.
My love for planners was deepened when I participated in a Franklin Covey training course that focused on time management and the essential organizing tool – the planner.
I have evolved over the years from the middle school student planner to a blank notebook, and yes, a Franklin Planner, to the electronic planner that I use now.
I don’t think that God has a planner where He records His daily tasks (although that would be cool to look at), but I do believe that He has a plan for each of us.
As a matter of fact, I know this to be true, because He tells us several times in the Bible that He knows why He made us and what He has in store for us.
God chose us, we have His great love throughout our lives on earth, He is working things out in ways we do not see.

God planned on us, we were pre-planned, His perfect creation.

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

at your service

Be like the Son of Man. He did not come to be served. Instead, he came to serve others. He came to give his life as the price for setting many people free.

- Matthew 20:28 (NIRV)

 

I love going to an establishment where I am the recipient of exceptional service.
But so often these days people have forgotten what “service” is. 
Here are two scenarios to ponder: 
“Steve” is a senior vice president of a major corporation. 
Steve takes time every day to listen to his staff, becoming personally involved in their lives both at work and at home.
When one of his employees faced a devastating event, Steve was at the employee’s home, working quietly in the background to ensure the comfort of the family as they dealt with this crushing blow.
“Hank” is also a senior vice president, but most of his employees only know his face from the many corporate meetings that he holds.
When one of his employees was out of the office due to a crushing blow, Hank only noticed that one of his reports was late, resulting in Hank appearing to not know what was going on in one of his meetings.

Hank stormed out of his office, seeking the person responsible for the report.
When he was advised that this person was out of the office unexpectedly dealing with an overwhelming event, Hank showed no concern for the employee and he belittled the manager in front of the team for not getting the report out and making him look bad in his meeting.
Which boss would you rather have? 
Humble leadership is indeed a rare quality, but we do have a great example of humble leadership in Jesus.
Regardless of his title, our fictitious boss Steve served his team, while Hank was only concerned with himself and his image.

Jesus stepped into human history as an infant, then spent His life serving humanity by sacrificing His own life to offer eternal life.
Jesus’ presence was full of humility and service, without a drop of domination or control, and although Jesus deserved all the glory, He used His life to bring hope, healing, restoration and dignity to His people.
How counter-cultural is this? 

In God’s kingdom, greatness is not about power or status, but about service and sacrificial love.
How can we be more like Jeus?   

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible

not dead

God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

- Matthew 22:32b (NKJV)

 

Back in 2014, Harold Cronk directed a film that grossed over $62 million dollars, which is pretty big for a movie that has religious overtones.

Since the initial film’s success, there have been three sequels and a fifth film is in production, expected to release in August of this year.
God’s not dead is based on a book series by Rice Brooks, the plot being obviously that God isn’t a myth or a story, but very much present in our world today.
In the first film, a college student takes on his atheist professor in a spirited debate that will determine the students grade in the classroom.
The second film deals mainly with a high school student dealing with the death of her brother, having been raised in an atheist home she finds herself researching the existence of a God she has never known.
God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness was the third in the series, released in 2018 focused on the pastor who has been involved in the lives of the main characters from the first two films, and his struggle with the events that unfolded in his town surrounding the fight to prove that God is real. 
2021 brought us God’s Not Dead: We the People, based on the challenges that a home-school group must overcome when the government determines that their children are not receiving a sufficient education.
Soon, God’s Not Dead: Rise Up will make its way to theaters, where we will learn the processes and hurdles that come with running for office against an opponent that seeks to remove religion from public policy.
This film series is inspired by real events, including lawsuits over whether or not religion should be allowed in public.
Sound familiar? 
It should because we see it every day. 
Portrayals of The Ten Commandments are being removed from any public building. 
There are people campaigning to have “In God We Trust” removed from our currency.
We even have groups that want the U.S. Declaration of Independence re-written to remove any text that references God.
This is what our world has turned to, denying the existence of God. 
We must not let this happen; God’s not dead!!! 
When people start to argue with us, we must hold strong to our faith, do not let them sway us.   

In the United States right now we are still allowed to worship as we wish, but there are people that would like to make us stop.
Don’t stop. 
God’s not dead, He is very much alive. 

 

#dailybreadbykitty

Daily Inspiration from the Bible