Are You Called to Lead?

Called to Lead

Acknowledged by Christianity Today as one of the most influential preachers of his time, John MacArthur (now 76 years old) has served Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, California for more than 47 years.  He has written more than 150 books, including one in 2004 entitled Called to Lead: Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul.

In this book, MacArthur provides 26 characteristics of a leader, drawing from when Paul was at his best as a leader—in Acts 27 and 2 Corinthians.  MacArthur explains, “What we learn from Paul is the same thing that Jesus taught:  that character—not style, not technique, not methodology, but character—is the true biblical test of great leadership.”

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Do you have 40/40 Vision?

40-40 Vision

A little more than 6 months ago (September 13, 2015 to be exact), our Pastor preached on the importance of Sabbath, drawing from Hebrews 4:9-11, which says, “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.”

He pointed out that Sabbath was not only one day per week, but also one year every 7 years and once every 50 years (the Year of Jubilee).  It was then that I was struck with the sense that, if selected for the NASA’s HR Director role at the Johnson Space Center (which I later was), that my time in that role should end when Cody graduates from High School in 2021—just shy of both 7 years in the position and just before my 50th birthday!

Ever since then, I’ve been hearing different messages on Sabbath, including today’s sermon entitled “My Busy Life (based on Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)”, where our Pastor pointed out that Sabbath laws reveal God’s purpose for a balance between rest and work.  This week, I attended the Christian Leadership Alliance’s annual conference in Dallas.  There, I picked up Bob Fryling’s book (he’s the President of InterVarsity Press, and I hope to get some mentoring from him).  He closes the first chapter by pointing out, “Sabbath keeping is counter-cultural in our 24/7 world.  But it is a practice that…allows for a deeper contentment of our souls.”

To help prepare for the future, I picked up Peter Greer’s book, 40/40 Vision: Clarifying Your Mission in Midlife, and read it this week.  To help you prepare for midlife (if that applies to you), I encourage you to read on…

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