These are quotes which stood out to me, possibly for use in a sermon someday. Their presence here does not mean I agree with them, it merely shows that I might want to reference them later. The default view is five random selections. Use the tag list on the right to view all quotes relevant to that theme.
A lady came up to me on the street and pointed to my suede jacket. "You know a cow was murdered for that jacket?" she sneered. I replied in a psychotic tone, "I didn't know there were any witnesses. Now I'll have to kill you too."
"ADD VALUE"
5 Questions for John Maxwell
HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE FUTURE LEADERS?
Everywhere I've served, I've prayed for God to send me leaders
to build his church. For fourteen years, at least once every
month or so, I'd meet someone visiting our church for the
first time. We'd introduce ourselves. Then God would speak to
me and say, "John, there's one." That was the most humbling
thing in life because I didn't do one thing to bring that
person in.
After I resigned, I was with about seventy-five church leaders
one night for a farewell dinner. I got up and said, "All my
life I've prayed for leaders. Let me tell how God answered
those prayers with you." Then I went around the room, telling
each one about the time I met them, when God revealed,
"There's one." By the time I was done, we were all bawling.
Someone said, "How could you remember meeting everyone in a
church this size?"
I replied, "I don't remember meeting every person. I remember
meeting you because you were one of those people I prayed God
would lead into my life."
If you pray for leaders; if you have a heart to develop, lead,
and empower people; if you've got a God-given vision, God will
give according to your heart's desires.
HOW DO YOU APPROACH A POTENTIAL LEADER?
I've always asked them to become my prayer partner for at
least a year. That gives us time to get to know each other's
hearts. In addition, our church board members were asked to
mentor a potential leader, their replacement, during the last
of their three years in office.
On the front end of these relationships, we asked, "Are you
willing to reproduce other leaders if I invest in developing
you?" This perpetuates the culture of leadership development
and weeds out people who probably wouldn't have developed
anyway.
HOW DO YOU DEVELOP A PERSON WHO HAS A HEART FOR GOD BUT NO
LEADERSHIP SKILLS?
Provide on-the-job training. If people have the character
qualifications, they just need to learn how to maximize their
efforts. We worry too much about position and titles. I teach:
"Wherever you're working, whatever organization you serve,
start adding value to people and begin to gain their respect.
They will champion you."
When you understand that leadership is influence instead of
position, that changes everything. You don't strive to be a
leader; you strive to add value to people, and they'll let you
be the leader.
IS THAT HOW YOU ENCOURAGE LOYALTY AMONG LEADERS?
I prefer to talk about respect instead of loyalty, because you
won't be loyal to a person if you don't respect her or him. In
my dad's day, the pastor got loyalty because he was the
pastor. These days, people will not be loyal to anyone unless
they respect the person and know the leader respects them.
People give loyalty when they can say, "I'm a better person
because of that leader." As a leader, I'm always asking, "How
can I add value to the person I lead?" I advise pastors not to
go to a new church and ask, "Who's going to help me?" Instead,
look around, find out who the leaders are, and ask, "How can I
add value to them?"
HOW, SPECIFICALLY, DO YOU ADD VALUE TO SOMEONE'S LIFE?
Adding value comes from listening to people. If I know their
heart, then I know exactly where to add value. I develop the
part of themselves they want to see developed, not what I
happen to need at the time. This prevents me from using
people.
We all believe that people are our greatest asset when we
first meet them; it's a little tougher to believe after we
have worked with them a while and have seen their weaknesses.
I ask, "What is their unique contribution?" Then I equip
people according to their gifts and desires.
And part of it comes from asking people to be part of a great
vision. Having a cause worth dying for is the greatest reason
to live.
Do spiritual people live their faith?
Bob Thomas, Daily Journal
March 12, 2003
As the season of Lent begins, millions of Americans re-examine their spiritual health. I think this is an excellent season for churches to diagnose their spiritual effectiveness.
What percent of your church members would say they are "spiritually committed," with an "inner peace from God" whose faith has given them "hope, meaning and purpose in life," yet who also feel "the need to experience spiritual growth" in their daily lives?
Remarkably, a new Gallup Poll reports that 79.8% of Americans would say yes to these questions which measure an "Inner Commitment" to God, a vertical relationship with Him.
Now a tougher yardstick which measures an "Outer Commitment" of faith. What percent of your church members feel God is calling them "to be involved in the lives of the poor and suffering," who actually give their time "to serve and help others," whose "first priority in spending money is to support the work of God," and whose friends and neighbors would affirm that your church members truly "love God"?
Nationally, a big 69.5 percent of Americans would say that their faith is being lived out in service to others. Would seven of 10 of your church members agree?
Probably. In fact, among weekly church attenders, 91 percent have the Inner Commitment, and 85 percent are living their faith in service. But among those who rarely attend, only 53 percent feel the same spiritual commitment to God and 41 percent live to serve others.
"These findings are thrilling," said George Gallup Jr. in a press conference this week. "We now have a measure of the relationship of the love of God and love of neighbor. These factors are more important than any economic or political factors. What drives this country is faith. And the deeper the faith, the greater the impact in one's life."
Religiously inactive people would probably disagree, and would predict that relatively few active believers are also living their lives in service to the poor and the suffering. Of course, we have all known people who say they love Jesus, but who are more self-indulgent than serving.
However, hypocrites are the exception to the rule, according to America's first "Spiritual State of the Union 2003," a new poll by the Gallup Organization and the Center for Research on Religion & Urban Civil Society at the University of Pennsylvania.
Next year and in subsequent years, there will be a similar "Spiritual State of the Union," released at about the same time the President delivers his State of the Union address.
However, when Rev. Scott Jones, pastor of Grace Community Church in Tempe, AZ, worked with Gallup to develop a deeper measure of the spiritual maturity of Christians - the results were not so encouraging.
While 75 percent believe in the God of the Bible and that God is involved in their lives, only 42 percent say they "take unpopular stands when my faith dictates," 34 percent "have an inner contentment even when things go wrong," 28 percent regularly study the Bible and a slim 22 percent assert, "I control my tongue."
Also, only 44 percent hear God calling them "to be involved in the lives of the poor and suffering" and "allow other Christians to hold me accountable for my actions." A mere 31 percent say their "first priority in spending money is to support God's work."
It gets worse. Only a fifth of Christians keep their "composure even when people or circumstances irritate me," and a thin 19 percent think they are known "for not raising my voice."
Scott Jones asked 30 key questions of his own congregation, developed with Gallup, to measure ten core beliefs, ten core practices and ten virtues. What he found was that the professed beliefs of his church members had very little to do with their Christian character. "It is easy to believe something, but is harder to put it into play," he says.
"What's needed is spiritual transformation."
To promote that he scrapped his sermon focus. "We were answering questions that no one was asking," he confesses. "Why are so few sermons on practical issues?"
He created a "Spiritual Formation Calendar," and began preaching less on what people should believe, and more on how they should become more patient or gentle, for example.
Would you like your house of worship to ask probing questions on the spiritual health, practice and virtue of your church members? It might make your sermons more relevant!
Michael McManus is a syndicated columnist and a weekly contributor to The Daily Journal. He may be reached at 9311 Harrington Drive,Potomac, Maryland 20854.
Nothing really good can be accomplished without genuine suffering. The higher the achievement, the higher the price. There is no greater thing than sanctity, and therefore one must be ready to pay the highest price.
To suppose that God would admit to His close friendship pleasure-loving people who want to be free from all trials is ridiculous.
I go out to preach with two propositions in mind. First, every person ought to give his life to Christ. Second, whether or not anyone else gives him his life, I will give him mine.