Tag: Christian Leadership

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 50^th 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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As we finish the month of January and the theme of “Leading Yourself”, consider how author Patrick Morley urges us to examine our ways.  He claims, “Most men lead unexamined lives.  They have not chiseled their life view by a personal search for truth and obedience to God.”

Our lives are often consumed in action, as we respond to the seemingly endless things that vie for our attention, time, and money.  Just as a lawyer or accountant is no better than the effort he puts into keeping up with his profession, so is the Christian no better than the effort he puts into self-examination of life’s big questions.

Lamentations 3:40 says, “Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.”

Let’s see what we can learn from John Maxwell’s Be All You Can Be: A Challenge to Stretch Your God-Given Potential.

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