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