Day 8- Bloggers Book Study

Before I begin, if you are joining us for the first time, you will want to catch up on the previous chapters. So, click here. If you missed Chapter 9, you have to check out Matt Miller's blog.

Today I will be summarizing Chapter 10: A leader's Prayer. Here goes...
"God, Mold and Shape Me to My Full Leadership Potential."
Hybels opens with a moment on his boat in Lake Michigan praying and journaling to God saying, "God I want to be a better leader..." He felt led by the Holy Spirit to take a trip down the Old & New Testament & study some of the greatest, diverse leaders & take a look at the "praiseworthy components of their leadership." And so he begins...
God, make me like David:

• His faith-based OPTIMISM
• Attempted feats for God where more cautious leaders would never have considered.
• A giant could not intimidate him, a murderous king could not paralyze him, & genocidal enemies could not defeat him
• Where God pointed David, he marched confidently expecting grace & power to be revealed along the way
• David clung to hope even when he morally failed.. "I [David] thought, 'Who knows? The Lord maybe gracious to me & let the child live." 2 Samuel 12:22
• "Optimists expect to experience God's greatness & love, even when they're facing bleak circumstances."
• The people we lead hear way to much pessimism. They need & deserve to hear leaders who are optimistic, who will be passionate about the hope that is there & ahead. Change can happen, will happen. Transformation will happen through the changing power of Jesus' love & forgiveness.
• Leader, don't we need that optimism?

God, Make Me like Jonathan:

• His capacity to LOVE
  
• A bright, gifted, young leader whose "position in life was not as impressive as the condition of his heart."
• He offered his heart on a platter & offered it to David. [Who would be the one to take the throne]
• Pastor Troy says this to us all the time, we are not here to use people, they are not our little tools. We should not sacrifice community on the "alter of kingdom cause."
• Don't we all want to be remembered as leaders who LOVED, rather than just a man/woman of vision, of strategic intent, or one who achieved a lot of goals?

God, Make Me like Joseph:

• His INTEGRITY/PERSONAL HOLINESS
  
• We know his story right? His power & influence grew quickly/meteoric [i like that word]. His family didn't appreciate that very much. They actually hated him for that.
  
• Power/leadership tends to corrupt
• Oh but Joseph was such a leader, a man who never gave in to corrupt behaviors. He didn't screw up his leadership. He stayed unstained
• The Key to his integrity? He saw his leadership as a holy stewardship; He would stand accountable to God. Yikes! That puts it in a whole different perspective.
• We can achieve this integrity by being surrendered daily to Christ
• He shares what is probably my favorite hymn & line: "Come thou Fount"- Prone to wander Lord I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love.
• Hybels share how he fights these moments of wandering with a few spiritual practices: writing out prayers, solitude, accountable to people, secret acts of service.
  
• What will your practice be? Mine?
  

God, Make me like Joshua:

• His DECISIVENESS
• One of his finest moments: Joshua 24:15
• More and more we leaders must take responsibility for leading people to decision points concerning life issues
• This is the guy who is plainly going to ask, in love, "who will you choose- God or not" "Come on get on board, don't wait or simply get out"
• Hybels pretty much says, if your looking for that person to ask people to get serious about membership, tithing, volunteerism, small groups [Lily], etc. this is the man for the job.

God, Make Me like Esther: [here you go leadhers]

• Her COURAGE- For real!
• "I'll do the right thing.. and if I perish, I perish." [Esther 4:16]
• Placed into leadership practically because of her beauty, she was at a crossroads to either save her people or not
• Willing to loose all status, position, security, etc. to do what God Called her to do
• Believed that certain values were worth living-and dying-for.
• "I find myself thinking that for church renewal to occur, a whole generation of leaders is going to have to manifest the courage of Esther." -Hybels
• What or who is stopping you and me to lead courageously?
  

God, Make Me like Solomon:

• His WISDOM
• Hybels shares a bit of the sleepless mind of a leader. All those questions & thoughts that go on in the middle of so many nights.
  
• To solve those questions, etc. we need to pray and ask for wisdom. And when someone asks how they can pray for you- tell them, I need wisdom; I desperately want it.
• People look to leaders to set direction
• How can we choose the right course apart from God's wisdom?

God, Make Me like Jeremiah: [Just finished reading about him, so loved reading this section]

• EMOTIONAL AUTHENTICITY
  
• Boy, talk about someone's ministry that never, ever went well
• He was so honest to God. He wasn't cynical or crazy, just plain honest. He told God how he felt, many times alone, abandoned, but he always allowed the Healer to mend his broken heart
• He stayed Faithful to his calling
• He was able to turn from despair to hope because he was honest with God, he didn't deny his disappointments
• Hybels talks about those times when we put on the "game face" only to be hurting or disturbed inside. You know those moments, or maybe not, when you just smile & you convince others your okay- but you don't convince your heart that it isn't
  
• When we are "emotionally authentic" like Jeremiah, God just pours down his hands and touches us with "healing balm". Lamentations 3:2b-23
  

God, Make Me like Nehemiah:

• His COMMITMENT TO CELEBRATION
  
• Led the rebuilding of Jerusalem's wall. 52 straight days of non stop work
• This man new how to celebrate a win; He knew how to throw parties!!!
• As leaders we need to be "intentional in planning the victory parties as we are at setting & achieving the organizational goals"
• All work and no play makes for "dull people and dull churches". No celebration is a formula for wearing people down & draining their joy.
• Leaders, Have you [I] planned any parties lately?

God, Make Me like Peter:

• His INITIATIVE
• Poor Peter, the Bible shares everything about his leadership- the good, bad and ugly.
• But even though many times he may have not made the best choice, he was always the first one to take initiative- even if that meant cutting a soldiers ear off to protect his Savior & friend who was being falsely accused
  
• He was the only disciple who got out of the boat
• Hybels shares when other church leaders bash other church leaders who are taking bold initiative to make a kingdom difference. We need to join those leaders that are "initiating kingdom action, trying something new, & launching out in ways that keep the enemy on his heels." - that's why I'm at FRC ;) Thank you Pastor Troy
  

God, Make Me like Paul:

• So Hybels ends with this great leader, Christ follower, lover of Jesus Christ!!
• We see Paul's INTENSITY.
• Hybels does a little modern day comparison. Michael Jordan [intensity to basketball] & Paul [intensity x's 1,000 for Jesus Christ].
  
• Heather, I mean Chicagoans have an enormous advantage when it comes to understanding the concept of intensity because of the man- Michael Jordan.
• Jordan's legacy of focus, work ethic, competitiveness and drive to win shows pure intensity
• I just love this statement: "My heart's desire is to pursue an imperishable wreath with the same intensity that Michael Jordan pursues a perishable one."
• Let's ask God for greater intensity, not the type that is "frenetic busyness" but an "intelligent, Christ-honoring, apostle Paul-like intensity"
• May our prayers shape us, & may God's grace lift us to our full leadership [God] potential.
  

I am so glad God allowed me to read this and share it. I look at the lives of these men and women who have gone before us and they stinkin' ran the race and they reached their God potential! I love that I can be at a church that thrives and pushes for that. I share this verse with you all and then I will close the way this chapter closed. Hebrews 12: 1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders & the sin that so easily entangles, & let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us." -They & above all, Jesus, is cheering for us on this race. Whoo hoo!!!

Join us for chapter 11 shared by our wonderful Lilibeth Rivera

Paul's Intensity:
"I do not consider my life as dear unto myself. Only that I would achieve the mission that I received from the Lord." "This one thing I do: I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." "I will gladly spend and be spent for the sake of the church." "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain." "In a race there is only one winner. When I run a race I do so to win." "I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith." 'There is a crown waiting for me- & not for me only, but for YOU too."
[acts 20:24; phil. 3:13,14; 2 corinth. 12:15; phil. 1:21; 1 corinth. 9:24; 2 timothy 4:7-8; timothy 4:8b]