Leadership guru John Maxwell often says,“Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
And what is leadership? Maxwell defined it this way. “After more than four decades of observing leadership within my family and the many years of developing my own leadership potential, I have come to this conclusion: Leadership is influence. That’s it. Nothing more; more less. My favorite leadership proverb is “He who thinketh he leadeth and hath no one following him is only taking a walk.” Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
“What two things do you value the most in life?” was a question asked to Warren Buffett by a shareholder at the annual Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders meeting.
What do you think Buffett said?
Was it his multinational holding company Berkshire Hathaway? His two favorite stocks? A specific company? A rare possession? Continue reading
Filed under Values
What epitaph would you like on your grave marker to describe you? Your life? Your influence?
A brief walk in a cemetery will reveal many predictable ones like “Rest in Peace.” “Loving Mother.” Or “Faithful Father.”
Some folks, or at least their relatives have demonstrated a sense of humor with their choice of epitaphs.
Ezekial Aikle, buried in the East Dalhousie Cemetery in Nova Scotia, died at age 102. His Epitaph? “The Good Die Young.” Continue reading
Filed under Word of the Week
Several years ago during National Bible Week, the then host of the Tonight Show, Jay Leno, did one of his on-the-street interviews.
Leno asked, “Can you name one of the Ten Commandments?”
“God helps those who help themselves,” offered one person.
“Freedom of speech,” guessed another.
“Name one of the apostles,” Leno challenged. Continue reading
“I stand before my family, friends and graduating class today to say that I am proud to be a gay son of God,” announced Matthew Easton in his valedictorian speech at Brigham Young University last Friday night.
The “coming out” announcement which came as a surprise to the majority of the 10,000 in attendance, including some family members, was received with cheers and applause that echoed through the Marriott Center. Continue reading
Filed under Homosexuality
The story is told of a preacher who chanced to meet an old friend, Frank, who was having some serious financial problems. His heavy debt was about to destroy his business.
“What should I do?”
“Go home,” the preacher said. “Open your Bible at random, stick your finger on the page and there will be God’s answer.”
Some time later, the preacher bumped into Frank, who was wearing a Gucci suit, sporting a Rolex watch and had just stepped out of a Mercedes. Continue reading
Filed under Passage To Ponder
Someone recently joked that I was a traveling preacher just like the Apostle Paul. They dubbed our work “Ken’s Missionary Journeys.”
Uh, not quite.
Our method of travel is smoother, more relaxing and quicker. Our accommodations have been very comfortable. And I have not been beaten. Stoned. Imprisoned. Or run out of town. Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
“What our deepest self craves,” wrote Henry J. Golding, is not mere enjoyment, but some supreme purpose that will enlist all our powers and will give us unity and direction to our life.”
The key word in that quote is “purpose.” It is a word that seems to be more and more at the forefront of my mind.
Currently, Norma Jean and I are in Madrid, Iowa, for a month working with the brethren, these fine elders and their young preacher, Stefan Richardson. In addition to preaching once every Sunday, I’m teaching a class “Parenting with Purpose.” The concept behind the studies is to be, as Dr. Paul Faulkner puts it “an intentional parent.” Continue reading
Filed under Word of the Week
In reading Acts 12, I remembered an old sermon preached 50 years ago by the late Robert Jackson who raised the question, “Did Peter deny the grace of God?”
I remember it well, because I “borrowed” it and preached it several times in my early days of ministry.
The chapter records that Herod Antipas was harassing the church. He killed James with the sword. And then imprisoned Peter. Probably, Herod had in mind the same fate for Peter.
Luke records several divine acts that Peter experienced. Continue reading
Some time ago a nationally popular denominational preacher spoke to a group of Muslims that one blogger described as “cozying up to extremists.
Aside from that , one of the things that intrigued me was what he thinks the church needs to be fighting, what he called 5 global giants. — war, poverty, corruption, disease, and illiteracy. While I admit these are huge challenges and agree that as good citizens we ought to be concerned about them, is this the true, scriptural mission of the church? Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
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