44 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From War Room The Movie

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Brian Dodd on August 21, 2015 in Movies

Tonight, my wife and I had the privilege of attending the red carpet Atlanta premiere of the new movie War Room.  Brought to you by the same people who gave you two of my all-time favorite movies Fire Proof and Courageous, I had high expectations for this film.  And my expectations were well-exceeded.
Focusing on the power of prayer and the impact in can make in every area of your life, War Room is the finest movie I have seen in 2015.  I would recommend everyone reading this post to promote and take as many people as possible to the opening on Friday, August 28th.
I also want to point out Karen Abercrombie, who plays the elderly character Miss Clara and the spiritual epicenter of the movie, deserves an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.  She delivers a career-defining performance.
The following are 44 Leadership Quotes And Lessons From War Room The Movie:

1. “We want God to use this movie as a tool to bring people back to Him.” – Alex Kendrick in his welcome and opening remarks prior to showing the movie.
2. “War has been part of humanity in every age…There always seems to be something to fight for.” – Miss Clara does a powerful monologue on spiritual warfare in the movie’s opening.  Points #2 through #6 are quotes from the monologue.
3. Good Intentions Without A Good Strategy Leads To Poor Results – “Someone has to develop a strategy to combat the enemy.”
4. “Death is part of life.”
5. “Very few of us know how to fight the right way.”
6. “Victory doesn’t come by accident.”
7. Fathers Set The Tone Of The Household – In one of the early scenes, Tony Jordan, played by T.C. Stallings, is filled with anger and rage when he arrives home from work.  Obviously, the tone of the remainder of the evening takes a downward trajectory.
8. Healthy Communication Is A Necessary Ingredient To A Healthy Family – “In order for this family to function we need to communicate.” – Elizabeth Jordan, played by the delightful Priscilla Shirer, to her husband Tony in an attempt to improve their marriage.
9. Excellence Matters – “A man wears his pants around his waste.” – Miss Clara to a teenager doing her yard work.
10. Great Leaders Focus On What They Can Do.  Not What They Can’t – “I can’t do nothin’ but call folks.” – Miss Clara
11. True Peace Only Comes From A Relationship With Jesus Christ – Miss Clara says, “God’s still in control.  It encourages me.”
12. Your Talent Can Take You Where Your Character Cannot Sustain You – Though he was an incredibly talented salesman, Tony was filled with greed and stealing from company.
13. One Person’s Character Does Not Determine Yours – “Submission is ducking so God can hit your husband.” – Beth Moore’s character Mandy to Elizabeth.
14. A Healthy Life Requires A Healthy Perspective – Miss Clara asks Elizabeth, “You attend church occasionally.  Is that because your pastor only preaches occasionally?”
15. When It Comes To Prayer Do Not Confuse Activity With Accomplishment – Miss Clara tells Elizabeth, “Just because you argue a lot doesn’t mean you fight well.”
16. Prayer Brings Clarity To Your Role – Miss Clara continues, “My job is not the heavy lifting.  That is His job.”
17. Great Leaders Give People A Picture Of What God Can Do In Their Lives – Miss Clara concludes her challenge to Elizabeth by saying, “I see in you a warrior that needs to be awakened.”
18. Pay Attention To The Details In Your Child’s Life – As adults, we can let the concerns of life overshadow what is really important in our families, what God is doing in the lives of our children.
19. “Your husband has his own issues but he’s not your enemy.” – Miss Clara on the devil being the real enemy who steals, kills and destroys.
20. Christians Should Be Bringing Solutions – “I’m a Christian.  I help people.” – Michael, played by comedian Michael Jr, to Tony
21. Local Churches Are The Best Places Where Your Life Can Be Changed Forever – Jordan says in disgust, “I’ll see you in church.”  To which his friend Michael says, “I’d like to see the church in you.”
22. Money Can’t Buy You Love, Happiness or Contentment – Elizabeth says, “I’d rather have a good marriage than more money.”
23. Jesus Is Necessary For Success In Every Area Of Your Life – After a foiled robbery attempt, Miss Clara makes the police officers promise to put crying out in Jesus’s name in the their report.  “People are always leaving Jesus out and that’s why we’re in the mess we’re in.”
24. Jesus Shed His Blood And Died For You – “Do you deserve grace?..Jesus shed His blood.  He died on the cross for you.”
25. Surrender Is Necessary For Success – Miss Clara says, “If you want victory you must first surrender.”
26. Great Results Often Require Great Changes – To get the quality of marriage she deeply longed for, Elizabeth removed all the clothes from her closet to make it a War Room.
27. “Submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Submit to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” – Elizabeth passionately quoting James 4:7
28. “JESUS IS THE LORD OF THIS HOUSE!” – Elizabeth
29. “I shouldn’t fight God because He always wins.” – Miss Clara
30. What Parents Do In Moderation Children Always Do In Excess – After seeing her mother create a War Room in her closet, Elizabeth’s daughter Danielle, played by Alena Pitts, created her own War Room.
31. A Life Of Prayer Requires Commitment – “When’s the last time you heard of a woman giving up closet space?” – Michael.  Who added, “I wished my wife prayed for me like that.”
32. Daughters Draw Their Confidence From Their Fathers – As Tony began to invest in Danielle’s life, her self-confidence increased exponentially.
33. Marriage Is Not Based On Commitment – Elizabeth tells Tony, “I’m not done with us.”
34. Marriage Is Based On A Person, Jesus Christ – Elizabeth continues in her conversation with Tony, “I am His before I am yours.  And because I love Jesus I’m staying right here.”
35. Those Who Have Been Given Grace Should Willingly Extend Grace – The world desperately needs grace – grace from each other but ultimately the grace which can only be received from Jesus Christ.  One of my favorite scenes is when Tony serves a former boss (who was very mean to him) by changing his flat tire.
36. The World Is Dying For More Godly Husbands And Fathers – “I would rather have a man chasing Jesus than a house full of stuff.” – Elizabeth
37. Husbands Either Serve Their Wives Or Serve Themselves – You cannot do both.  Spoiler Alert – This involves a basin of water and ice cream.
38. “Raise ’em up Lord!  Raise ’em up!” – Miss Clara’s declarative plea to raise up more prayer warriors.

As a bonus, the cast participated in a Q&A following the movie:

• “The only one who can fight for us, the Lord can offering healing.” – Alex Kendrick
• “When I do stand-up comedy my kids have to repeat it.” – Michael Jr.
• “My prayer life, I was only scraping the service.” – Karen Abercrombie prior to the filming of the movie.
• “There are men out there that do love their families.” – T.C. Stallings
• “We want someone (Priscilla Shirer) who will represent God after the film’s opening.” – Kendrick
• “You cannot sit in the film and walk out of the theater just thinking, “That was a good movie.'” – Shirer

In closing, please go see this movie.  War Room is a fantastic film!!!  In addition to making you a better leader, it is one of the few movies which can truly change your life forever.

14 Things Young Leaders Can Learn From Experienced Leaders

 

14 Things Young Leaders Can Learn From Experienced Leaders

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Brian Dodd on August 22, 2015 in Sports Leadership

There are countless benefits of multi-generational leadership.  One is younger leaders bring fresh ideas and stretch the thinking of us who by default often roll out tried-and-true ideas which are having diminishing results.  But younger leaders can also learn much from the experience of seasoned leaders.
Recently, Monday Morning Quarterback writer Andy Benoit profiled veteran 12-year quarterback Phillip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers.  You can read his full article by clicking here.  In addition to having a high level of personal character (see video above), Rivers has become a master of the nuances of his position.
As I read Benoit’s article, I gleaned 14 Things Young Leaders Can Learn From Experienced Leaders:

1. Young Leaders Can Learn How To Produce Great Results With Limited Resources – Rivers is not as fast as young athletic quarterbacks but he knows how to maximize the inches of ground located in the pocket.
2. Young Leaders Can Learn Accuracy – Do the right things the right way.  The most important passing skill quarterbacks must have is accuracy, which Rivers is.
3. Young Leaders Can Learn How To Handle Pressure – Rivers has learned how to minimize the pressure coming from opponent’s pass rush.
4. Young Leaders Can Learn How To Make Others Look Better – Rivers’s pocket presence camouflages his blockers’ mistakes.
5. Young Leaders Can Learn The Importance Of Results – Rivers focuses is always the same: generating positive yardage.
6. Young Leaders Can Learn Not To Waste Time – Rivers wastes no motion.  His throwing motion is extremely compact.
7. Young Leaders Can Learn How To Handle Conflict – The defense wants to hurt the other team’s quarterback.  Therefore, the quarterback position requires Rivers to make plays with bodies constantly flying all around him.
8. Young Leaders Can Learn HOW To Look For Opportunity – Because he can make difficult plays in conflict, it affords Rivers more possibilities to help the team.
9. Young Leaders Can Learn WHERE To Look For Opportunity – Not only should leaders constantly be looking for opportunity, they must know WHERE to look for opportunity.  This is a nuance only experienced leaders can bring.  Rivers knows his opportunity exists within the pocket, not running around outside the pocket.
10. Young Leaders Can Learn What To Eliminate – What separates good quarterbacks from great quarterbacks is what happens just before the snap of the football.  Great quarterbacks identify what is NOT available and does not pursue those options.  Rivers is highly skilled in all aspects of the pre-snap phase.
11. Young Leaders Can Learn How To Build A Great Team Around Them – Chargers general manager Tom Telesco drafted potential superstar running back Melvin Gordon in the first-round pick of the 2015 draft.  He also re-signed 6-foot-9, 330-pound guard King Dunlap along with the acquisition of former Denver Broncos free agent guard Orlando Franklin.  All of these additions were done with helping Rivers be even more successful in mind.
12. Young Leaders Can Learn To Make Adjustments – No plan or strategy is perfect.  Adjustments must be made.  Rivers can brilliantly recognize safety rotations once the play begins and make the proper adjustments.
13. Young Leaders Can Learn People Skills – Rivers and tight end Antonio Gates have unparalleled chemistry resulting in 10,014 career receiving yards and 99 touchdowns between the two, including 12 last year.
14. Young Leaders Can Learn To Always Be Available – You cannot be a successful leader if others cannot count on you to be where you are supposed to be when you need to be there.  Often the most important ability leaders have is availability.  Rivers has the 4th longest consecutive games started streak in NFL history.

What else can young leaders learn from experienced leaders?

7 Reasons People Love Hearing Andy Stanley Sermons

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Brian Dodd on August 23, 2015 in Church Leadership

This past Friday evening, my family had dinner with some friends at a trendy outdoor mall located just north of Atlanta.  After enjoying our meal together, we began walking around and looking at the different stores.  Since we had not had dessert, a nearby yogurt stand caught our attention.  As we walked up to the line someone called out our names.  It was a family we had become very good friends with over the past year.  I couldn’t wait to catch up!
As a result of his very successful business career, this couple and their beautiful baby girl relocated to the Atlanta area in 2014 from another country.  The subject of church came up.  Because he grew up Catholic, he had never attended a church of any other kind until coming to Atlanta.  Now they were attending North Point Community Church pastored by Andy Stanley.
I said, “How do you like Andy?”  He said, “I love Andy’s messages”, and then proceeded to give me every point of his message from the previous weekend.  After some more small talk, I left to get my yogurt.
Because of the long line, I had some time to think about our conversation.  Two years ago I was told people forget 84% of a pastor’s message before they leave the parking lot.  So pastors must decide what 16% they want remembered.  But here was my friend, an attender of an American non-Catholic church for less than a year, and he could remember all of Andy’s points five days AFTER the message.  I had to know why.
After I got my dessert, I went back to him and said, “Can you help me with something?  Most people forget the majority of a pastor’s message before they ever leave the parking lot, and you can tell every point of Andy’s message five days later.  What is he doing that allows you to do that?”  His answer was fascinating.
He said, “First, Andy’s messages are about you personally.  Like he said, ‘Do you remember playing with friends as a pre-schooler?  Was it what you were playing or who you were playing with?  And when you did things as a teenager, was it what you were doing or who you were doing it with?’  Brian, Andy made me realize it’s not the WHAT but the WHO.”
Then he said something which stunned me.  He said, “Brian, my business partner and I have been working on a presentation to a client for a long time.   I called him Sunday afternoon and told him we needed to talk about WHO we are, not just WHAT we do.”
He continued, “Brian, Andy’s messages are very simple.  I can remember them.”  And he summed up our conversation by saying, “Go online.  You can watch the messages there.”
As I drove home, I gleaned 7 Reasons People Love Hearing Andy Stanley Sermons from our conversation:

1. Andy Stanley allows people to understand how Jesus Christ is relevant to every person’s life.
2. Even though there are over 30,000 individuals attending North Point’s weekend services, you feel like Andy Stanley is speaking to YOU individually.
3. Andy Stanley invites everyone into the biblical text by using real life examples each person can relate to.  In this case, who were your childhood friends.
4. Andy Stanley gives business leaders the tools and resources needed to have a competitive advantage in their industry.  My friend changed his sales presentation because of Andy’s sermon.
5. Andy Stanley speaks in memorable language.
6. Andy Stanley speaks in repeatable language.
7. An Andy Stanley message is delivered with such quality that people invite their friends to listen online or personally visit the church.

To Andy Stanley and all the North Point staff, thank you for delivering messages and putting on weekend services unchurched and now previously unchurched people love to attend.
May God bless everything you do.
To hear how Andy Stanley and his team put together great worship services, click HERE to register for a FREE online conference this Wednesday, August 26th at 1:00 PM EST entitled Awaken The Weekend.

5 Ways Fasting Helps Leaders Lead Better

By Jeff Anderson

“Fasting strips away the noise and puts me in position to focus on God—and Him alone.”

If leaders today want to raise their effectiveness for the kingdom, we can’t ignore the power of food. Or more specifically, the power of fasting. (Yep, that’s when you don’t eat.)
Jesus said there are some acts of God that require prayer and fasting. Sometimes prayer alone is not enough (Mark 9:29 KJV). Think about that stunning idea for a moment.
So what is fasting anyway?
Fasting is when you set aside the physical things (food) to tap into the spiritual realm. Fasting is a form of prayer, turbo-charged prayer. Fasting throws kerosene on the fire to flame up the prayers, taking them from Level 1 to Level 2, 3 and beyond.
If prayer is measured in ounces, fasting makes prayers felt in pounds. However prayer intensity is measured by God, fasting raises to a greater power.
Five reasons I fast to maximize my leadership

1. I fast because I’m a husband and a father. This alone makes me a leader. The responsibility of managing a godly household is a daunting one. Sure, I could wing it (and I’ve done that at times). But I don’t trust (nor do I like) the results that come from my own efforts.

The enemy wants my marriage to suffer and for my kids to fall prey to the trappings of the world. Perhaps the greatest way to attack my ministry is to attack my family. I need a greater power for favor and protection. I need fasting.

2. I fast to keep my emotions in check. For Christian leaders, pride and insecurity are constant demons. When God blesses the fruit of my labor, I can tend to feel good about myself. When my work seems fruitless and in vain, I question my calling.

Fasting strips away the noise and puts me in position to focus on God—and Him alone. Fasting puts me in position to see ministry success for what it is … the work of God; and to see silence for what it is, too … the waiting of God. By denying my flesh in most basic ways, I’m letting God know that the results are for him to determine. My job is to be faithful.

3. I fast to tear down (and rebuild) my platform. Fasting is about building my platform with God. Often I become distracted by seemingly important leadership ideas, like growing my tribe, organizing my growth, expanding my influence.

Sometimes I need to set aside my ministry platform goals in order to give attention to my walk with God. Ironically, when I focus on my platform with God, He seems to take care of my platform with others.

4. I fast to seek God’s anointing on my life. Fasting strips me down when I need it. My sin becomes more noticeable, my thoughts more centered, my heart more open, my soul more hungry. Fasting puts me in a more moldable condition for God to shape me however He sees fit for leadership.
5. I fast because I want to be a disciple. The Pharisees peppered Jesus with questions like, “Why don’t your disciples fast?” Jesus said they didn’t need to fast. After all, the disciples were already with him. But he said that when they were away from him, they would fast. And when Jesus ascended to heaven, they did fast.

I want to be a disciple too. And while Jesus is away from me physically, I will practice fasting. Fasting is mysterious. I don’t always know how it works. But like with prayer, I trust that God’s attention shines brightly on my life when I fast and that my prayers shout a bit louder.
Take some steps
Perhaps you’ve had past experience with fasting and this post is a reminder for you. Or maybe you’ve never fasted before and your heart is leaning in with curiosity.
If so, I encourage you to take some steps.  

JEFF ANDERSON speaks and writes about walking with God, with an approach to discipleship that combines scripture and story. He’s the author of two books, Plastic Donuts and Divine Applause (January 2015). Jeff began his career working as a CPA for a Big Six accounting firm, then became a day trader in the stock market. He now speaks, writes, and consults with churches and ministries. Jeff and his wife, Stephanie have four children. www.DivineApplause.com More from Jeff Anderson or visit Jeff at http://www.divineapplause.com/

5 Ultra Simple Leadership Hacks That Can Help Anyone

By Carey Nieuwhof

“People have given me very helpful advice like walk slowly across the room and smile.”

Sometimes leadership can seem so overwhelming.
In reality, though, leadership is simpler than it first appears.
In many ways, great leaders master some very basic things that other people miss. The advice in this post is so simple you might be thinking, “Well, my mother used to tell me to do that.”
Maybe that’s the point.
You can have a PhD in leadership and read everything there is on leadership and still not be effective.
And yet there are leaders who have little formal education but who lead powerfully and effectively every day.
Often, these leaders gain influence because they’ve mastered a few basic skills others miss.
Here are five of my absolute favorite basic leadership skills that are far too easy to overlook.
Own them, and you’ll become a much more effective leader.

1. Make someone else the hero.

Few of us have a healthy relationship with ourselves.
The narcissists make it all about them.
Insecure people focus on themselves because they can’t bear to give anyone else air time.
And even people who lack confidence can end up being selfish because their lack of self-esteem means no one else gets attention.
How do you escape the trap of narcissism, insecurity or low self-confidence?
Just make someone else the hero.
If you’re a preacher, like me, make sure you point to God, not to yourself, when you speak. Worry more about whether people connect with God than whether they connect with you.
What else does this principle look like?
Well, if you’re a writer, make your reader the hero. The filter through which I try to run every post I write on this blog is what I call a “helpful” filter. I want the post to help you as a reader. I want you to win.
Think about it. You and I love leaders who point beyond themselves to someone else. Why not be that leader?
So when you struggle with narcissism, insecurity or low self-confidence (and we all do … me too), step aside and make someone else the hero.

2. Do what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it.

If there’s one piece of advice I want my sons to remember, other than everything I taught them about Jesus, it’s this:
Do what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it.
It puts you ahead of about 99 percent of the planet.
Think back on your last week. Who frustrated you most? Probably the people who didn’t do what they said they were going to do when they said they were going to do it.
Now picture the people you lead. Who are you most likely to promote, reward or even want to hang out with? The people who do what they say they’re going to do when they say they’re going to do it.
Doing what you said you were going to do when you said you were going to do it is the basis of trust. It’s also the basis for confidence.
Hey … sometimes I’m still the guy who didn’t do what he said he was going to do when he said he was going to do it. But I try so hard not to be that guy.
So what do you do if you struggle in this area? Just stop promising and start delivering.
When your walk catches up to what your talk would have been, reintroduce your talk.

3. Focus on outcomes.

Also in the ‘please stop driving me nuts’ category are people who focus on process, not outcomes.
I realize it’s axiomatic these days to say the journey is more important than the destination. But not always. Really. Come on. What fun is the journey if you end up nowhere with any meaning?
It’s frustrating when you ask someone if something is done and they tell you:
“Well, I emailed him.”
“She never got back to me.”
“I’ve called five times.”
“I think they must have changed their address or something.”
And they feel like the project is complete because they tried.
Trying isn’t the same as doing.
Often, I feel like saying, “You didn’t hear the question. The questions is, Is it done?”
A few years ago, I started encouraging the leaders I work with to stop focusing on process and start focusing on outcomes.
When you focus on outcomes, you eventually stop emailing someone who never returns emails and you text them instead, or call them, or go to their office, or release them and find someone who will help you get the project done.
If you focus on outcomes, you’ll also have a shot at mastering #2. If you don’t, you never will.
And getting things done actually makes the journey more enjoyable, at least in my view.

4. Look people in the eye.

Sure, this is an “I don’t need a blog post to remind me of this.” (So is the next point, by the way.)
But do you ever notice how hard it is to actually look someone in the eye—to make them the sole focus on your attention?
I’m pretty sure I’m ADD, and it’s so hard for me not to focus on shiny objects, moving parts or anything else in the room. Or my phone for that matter.
But the most effective leaders always look someone in the eye.
Sometimes I’m in a conversation with someone and I’ll create a voice in my head that just keeps repeating “Look them in the eye … look them in the eye.” It helps.
I’ll even position myself in a restaurant or coffee shop so I face a blank wall, not the door or a TV. Otherwise, I just instinctively look at whatever is moving.
Watch for it … the very best leaders look you in the eye and make you the sole focus of their attention.
Practice that this week.

5. Smile.

Everyone has a default expression. It’s hard to know what yours is because you never see yourself as others see you.
I learned years ago that my default facial expression is … uptight. If I’m having a good time, I apparently forgot to tell my face. I’m also a fast walker, so I tend to look uptight and annoyed.
How’s that for a guy who’s leading you?
People have given me very helpful advice like walk slowly across the room and smile. 
I know that’s so basic, but remember, you’re programming against your default here, so it’s not easy.
I have to remind myself to smile when I teach, to smile when I greet people and to smile in conversations.
It makes a huge difference.
Apparently Michael Hyatt has a similar issue and in this post outlined five positive impacts of smiling more as a leader.
So smile.

Carey Nieuwhof is Lead Pastor of Connexus Church north of Toronto, Canada, blogs at www.careynieuwhof.com and is host of The Carey Nieuwhof Leadership Podcast available for free on iTunes. More from Carey Nieuwhof or visit Carey at http://careynieuwhof.com

New Podcast: Is Your Leadership Culture Healthy?

Judah Smith shares about the biggest challenges facing the church today, how he strengthens his leadership team, and how he prepares sermons.

Listen Online  •  Subscribe to Podcast

Don't miss this episode—there's a ton of leadership takeaways. Be sure to catch the segment on creating a healthy leadership culture (around 19 minutes in)—it's leadership gold.

3 False Sources of Confidence in Ministry Leadership

By Brandon Cox

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“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.” So wrote the elder Paul to younger Timothy (1 Timothy 1:12 NLT)
Paul’s words are the introduction to the Bible’s three volume textbook on pastoral ministry (1 & 2 Timothy and Titus). And in that introduction, Paul issues a fairly stern warning to Timothy to watch out for three of the biggest false sources of security and confidence for those who lead in ministry. They were, and are, and have been for me in seasons when I’m not on guard…

1. Our preparation.

That is, we begin to rely on what we know, and we begin to assume that what we know is enough for us to coast. Here’s the thing. When God called me to ministry, I knew pretty much nothing. I was still cutting my teeth on trying to read through the New Testament for the first time. In my early years of ministry, I was a sponge. I learned enough before Bible college that I tested out of the required Old and New Testament survey classes and jumped right into some sophomore-level stuff!
But I still knew nothing, compared to all that there is to know about God, and I still know nothing. I can answer questions better. I understand the context in which God’s word is written better. I can find books of the Bible without thumb-indexing tabs, but I know only a drop in the bucket about the unfathomable God of the whole stinkin’ universe!
So… Rather than rely on what I know, I must rely on whom I know. I know Jesus. He’s enough.

2. Our performance.

We also like to rely on what we’ve done. As if we’ve done much. I believe in having high ambitions and great dreams, but all of my accomplishments in life don’t amount to a hill of beans when compared to all that there is to be done for eternity. We’d like to think that we’ve made progress, that we’ve gotten better, that we’re performing at a higher rate of moral excellence now than we did when God first found us.
Perhaps this is true, in some respects. Maybe we’ve progressively gotten closer to Jesus and therefore sin a little less than in a previous season of our lives. But just as my performance was an absolute flop when it came to God’s willingness to approve of me before I met Jesus, my performance still can’t earn his favor.
So… Rather than rely on what I’ve done, I must rely on what He’s done.

3. The praise of people.

Pastors tend to get plenty of praise, especially when the sermon is over. When I served in a more traditional church, we honored the ritual of everyone filing out past the Pastor at dismissal. I’ve been in the line filing out before, thinking to myself (as an introvert), what can I say that won’t be awkward and will get me out of here without a confrontation of any kind? So we hear, “Great sermon!” My favorite compliment when I was new to ministry was “Well, you’re really growing…” which means, “You stink, but not as badly as you did last week.”
People will give you good press and apply nice labels to you. Don’t let them stick. Die to self by dying to both criticism and to praise. Paul was willing, years into his ministry, to apply a different label to himself: “chief of sinners.” That’s a better pathway to remembering the great grace of God on our lives!
So… Rather than relying on what others say about me, I must rely on what Scripture says about me.
I’m called, chosen, and gifted… all by the grace of God. It’s all unmerited and undeserved. And at the end of the day, my security and significance need to be found in Jesus Christ. He alone is worthy!