How Important Is Talent?

Recently I was doing a study on Moses' leadership. One of the most famous stories concerning his leadership is found in Exodus 18 when his father in law, Jethro, gives him the advice to appoint other potential leaders to places of service so that Moses can focus on his true mission: to be their representative before God & to teach them the ways of God. That's usually where the lesson stops. The principle we're taught is to learn how to delegate some of what we're doing so that we can focus on what only we can do. It's a great principle, & it's so true but that's not all that's going on in this passage. Check out the list of qualifications that Jethro throws out:

1) Capable
2) Men Who Fear God
3) Men of Truth
4) Men Who Hate Dishonest Gain

Notice anything about that list? That's right, only one characteristic that Moses is to look for has anything to do with a potential leader's ability or talent. However, many times that's exactly what we put the most stock in. It's easy to be blinded by talent. Talent is flashy & in our face. These other traits are behind the scenes qualities that have to actually be looked for. Next week I'm going to go into this in more detail as I continue to share what I'm learning from this passage. We'll look at all four traits: Ability, Wisdom, Integrity, & Character.

How important do you think talent is to leadership? How necessary is it to success as a leader in business or ministry?

Catalyst One Day

If you work in ministry, whether as paid staff or as a volunteer, you should try to be a part of Catalyst One Day . This conference features Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel speaking on the topic of momentum and more importantly how to get it and how to keep it. These two guys are two great leaders in the church today, & the insights they share are incredibly practical for ministry and life. I went to this event last year in Atlanta, & Craig's session dealing with the life a the leader was one of the best talks I had heard in a long time.
Another great feature is some Q & A time with Andy & Craig. You literally have the opportunity to ask two great church leaders that burning question you've been wrestling with lately. Plus, the next conference is in Chicago, a great town. This might be a great opportunity for you to take your staff for a two day retreat, spending one day at Catalyst & another hold up in the hotel talking about the implications of what you've learned. Plus, you'll have plenty to do for some free time around the city. The date for Catalyst One Day Chicago is March 25. If you are out on the west coast, One Day will be coming to Seattle in August. Click on the link above for all the other details. This is a great opportunity, don't miss out on it.

A Convenient Cross

We live in a world where most everything is tailored for our convenience. Whether it's our microwaves with a button created specifically for "popcorn" so that we don't have to press two extra buttons or our cars that have passenger & driver "climate zones" where each person can set their own temperature to insure their comfort, our convenience & comfort has become a priority both for us & the companies that are trying to sell us stuff.

But what happens when our desire for convenience goes off the tracks? What happens when it bleeds into our spiritual lives & our walk with Christ? Have you ever heard of a convenient cross? Have you ever really heard of a covenient way to sacrifice yourself? A.W. Tozer says, "every advance we make for God & for His cause must be made at our inconvenience. If it does not inconvenience us at all, there is no cross in it!"

We have to be careful not to confuse the convenience that we seek in our toys with our growth as disciples. Real growth isn't going to be convenient; advancing God's Kingdom in our lives & in this world is costly. When we forget that we become mediocre Christians, mediocre leaders, & mediocre ministries. We cannot carry a convenient cross because it's a myth; it does not exist.

Check These Links

It's been awhile since I shared some links with you guys, so here you go:

Check out this series of posts from Craig Groeschel at Lifechurch.tv on giving. This is some good stuff.
Generous Churches
The Strategically Generous Church
The Sacrificially Generous Church
Personal Generosity

Here's a great post from Anne that's really good.
Forgiveness & Reconciliation

If you're not familiar with Pete Wilson at Crosspoint.tv in the Nashville area, you should check out his blog, here's a post from yesterday.
Two Essential Ingredients For Healthy Relationships

And finally, here's a post from earlier this week from Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishing.
Eight Leadership Lessons From Martin Luther King, Jr.

Who are you reading that I should be reading?

Special Prayer Request

I'd like to ask everyone to be in prayer for me & my family this weekend as I fly out on Saturday to meet with a search team & to preach on Sunday at another church so that they can hear & see me preach without having to bring me to the entire church. This search process is coming down to the final stages. So I ask that you be in prayer for both our family & the search team. So far, I've been really encouraged by these guys & by what they want to see happen in the future of their church, & it would be a great opportunity to partner with them. Thanks.