leadership | Craig T. Owens

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Simpatico

September 24, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

Have you ever heard the word simpatico? It means to be like-minded. The idea is being on the same page with someone else, ideally someone that is a positive role model. Peter calls himself a leader in the church (Greek word presbyteros) but then says he is simpatico with us (sympresbyteros).

And this isn’t just for leaders in the church, because the same appeal he makes to leaders is the same appeal he makes to both young men and to all of you.

Although Peter didn’t use the phrase servant-leader, that’s exactly what he describes. In fact, for Christians, the words servant and leader are really one-and-the-same idea! Peter says God’s leaders are:

shepherds (those who nurture, guide, and guard)
serving leaders
serving not because you must, but because you are willing (it’s “want to” not “have to”)
eager to serve with a great attitude
not lording it over others
realizing people have been entrusted into their care
being examples to the flock that are follow-worthy
being submissive to others
clothing themselves with humility

Three key concepts that Peter brings out are all seen in the life of Jesus: clothing, example, and humility…

Jesus set the example for us when He said the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:25-28).

When Jesus was incarnated in human flesh, He literally made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, which means He put on the clothing of a servant. He completely humbled Himself (Philippians 2:3-8).

Jesus most clearly demonstrated this when at the last supper He wrapped a towel around His waist (i.e. clothed Himself as a servant) to wash His disciples’ feet, and then told us to follow His example (John 13:2-5; 13-17).

That’s why Peter tells us all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another. The word Peter uses for “clothe” means keep on doing this every single day.

God opposes the proud [those unwilling to be simpatico with Jesus] but gives grace to the humble [those choose to be simpatico with Jesus].

So here are two questions I’m asking myself—

Q: How do I know when I’m a servant?

A: When someone treats me like one.

Q: How do I know I have a servant’s attitude?

A: When I don’t mind being treated like a servant.

If you’ve missed any messages in this series, you may find the complete list by clicking here.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: 1 Peter, apostle Peter, attitude, Calvary Assembly of God, Gospel of John, Gospel of Matthew, humility, leadership, Philippians, servant-leadership, serve. 4 Comments »

13 Quotes From Others In “Developing The Leader Within You 2.0”

September 20, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

John Maxwell does an excellent job of including insightful words from other authors—past and present—in his books. Developing The Leader Within You 2.0 is no exception. Here are a few of the quotes he shared.

“There have been meetings of only a moment which have left impressions for life, for eternity. No one of us can understand that mysterious thing we call influence… Yet out of everyone of us continually virtual goes, either to heal, to bless, to leave marks of beauty; or to wound, to hurt, to poison, to stain other lives.” — J.R. Miller

“The art of being wise is knowing what to overlook.” — William James

“A man of character will make himself worthy of any position he is given.” —Mahatma Gandhi

“Nothing is easier than saying words. Nothing is harder than living them, day after day.” —Arthur Gordon

“We set young leaders up for a fall if we encourage them to envision what they can do before they consider the kind of person they should be.” —Ruth Haley Barton

“What we achieve inwardly will change outward reality.” — Plutarch

“Success leads to the greatest failure, which is pride. Failure leads to the greatest success, which is humility and learning.” — David Brooks

“Our world has replaced the word soul with the word self, and they are not the same thing. The more we focus on our selves, the more we neglect our souls.” — John Ortberg

“The most effective leaders approach problems through a lens of opportunity.” —Glenn Llopis

“Face reality, and let your first loss become your last loss.” —Larry Maxwell

“If we learn to appreciate more of what we already have, we’ll find ourselves having even more to appreciate.” —Michael Angier

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for someone else.” —Benjamin Franklin

“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.” —Martin Luther King Jr

You can check out my full book review of Developing The Leader Within You 2.0 by clicking here. And you can also read some John Maxwell quotes from this book here.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: character, failure, J.R. Miller, John Maxwell, John Ortberg, leadership, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Plutarch, quotes, servant-leadership, success, William James, wisdom. Leave a Comment »

The Nehemiah Code (book review)

September 18, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

I love studying biblical leadership principles, the people who follow or violate those principles, the outcomes of their decisions, and the lessons that we can apply today from those stories. Probably everyone has had something fall apart in their lives that needed to be rebuilt. If so, you will love the biblical leadership principles that O.S. Hawkins reveals in The Nehemiah Code.

Nehemiah comes on the scene after the Jewish people have been in exile for 70 years, but they are now allowed to return to their homeland. However, there’s an embarrassing problem: the walls around Jerusalem are in utter disrepair and the city gates have been burned away to ash. The returning exiles are wringing their hands over this sorry state of affairs for a long time until a rebuilding leader named Nehemiah comes on the scene.

O.S. Hawkins shares the leadership principles Nehemiah employs to get the walls rebuilt and the gates rehung—a massive project that he was able to accomplish in just 52 days! But the powerful thing about the way Rev. Hawkins shares these principles is that they are all applicable to rebuilding projects we face today.

Maybe you don’t have city walls to rebuild, but perhaps your marriage has crumbled, or your status at work has fallen apart, or you’ve done damage to your integrity. Whatever rebuilding project you need to undertake, you will find principles in The Nehemiah Project that you will be able to put into practice today! As Rev. Hawkins says over and over: It’s never too late for a new beginning.

Whether you have a rebuilding project of your own, you would like to come alongside a friend who is rebuilding something in their own life, or you are simply a God-honoring leader that wants to expand your leadership capacity, this book will help you soar.

I am a Thomas Nelson book reviewer.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: book review, building, leadership, marriage, Nehemiah, O.S. Hawkins, rebuilding, relationships. 2 Comments »

12 Quotes From “Developing The Leader Within You 2.0”

September 12, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

Whether you’re a novice or a veteran leader, there’s so much to learn from John Maxwell in his book Developing The Leader Within You 2.0! Check out my full book review by clicking here, and stay tuned for even more quotes coming soon.

“Developing yourself to become the leader you have the potential to be will change everything for you. It will add to your effectiveness, subtract from your weaknesses, divide your workload, and multiply your impact.”

“You have influence in this world, but realizing your potential as a leader is your responsibility. If you put effort into developing yourself as a leader, you have the potential to influence more people and to do so in more significant ways.”

“When you say everything is a high priority, then nothing is a high priority. It really indicates that you’re unwilling or unable to make a decision, which means you won’t get anything done.”

“Instead of filling every space in my calendar, what I needed to do was create some white space. If I didn’t, nobody else was going to. People who keep burning the candle at both ends aren’t as bright as they think they are.”

“People cannot climb beyond the limitations of their character. Leaders cannot succeed beyond the depth of their character.”

“Instead of wanting to point to my breakthroughs, I want to direct people to the brokenness that has led to my breakthroughs.”

“When it comes to character, I believe the best guardrails are the decisions you make before you face high-pressure situations.”

“People do not naturally resist change; they resist being changed.”

“If life is tough for individuals, its difficulty is multiplied for leaders. Individuals can think me, but leaders must think we. A leader’s life is not his or her own. Thinking we means other people are included, and that means their problems are also yours to deal with.”

“You can’t solve problems for others. If you do, you’ll be forever solving their problems. You must solve problems with them—at least until they get the hang of it.”

“Good leaders don’t just resolve the issue to get it off their plates quickly for the sake of their own comfort. They help create solutions that take their people and their organization forward and put them in a better position than they were in before they experienced the problem.”

“As a leader, you need to see opportunities differently than most people. They are a chance for you to learn about yourself, your team, and your opportunities. They provide you a way to improve your own life, improve the lives of others, and gaining influence.”

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: change, character, decision-making, growth, influence, integrity, John Maxwell, leadership, lifelong learner, potential, priority, problem solving, quotes. 1 Comment »

Developing The Leader Within You 2.0 (book review)

September 11, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

I not only read John Maxwell’s Developing The Leader Within You for myself many years ago, but I have used the content from this book in numerous teaching settings. When I heard that a 25th-anniversary edition of the book was being published, I originally thought of young people to whom I could introduce this helpful book.

But I was totally blown away to discover that although Dr. Maxwell had promised his publisher that he would revise 15 percent of the book, he actually revised 89 percent of the book! So not only am I excited to get this book in front of people who haven’t read it previously, I’m also encouraging those who read the first edition to get a copy of Developing The Leader Within You 2.0.

In leadership it’s quite simple—you cannot teach accurately what you haven’t internalized yourself, or else risk being called a hypocrite. So any leadership teaching must start with the leader being educated and expanded as a leader himself or herself. I can think of no better resource on the market than this book.

In typical fashion, Dr. Maxwell masterfully weaves together leadership principles, supporting quotes, transparently personal stories of how he has—sometimes painfully—learned the principles he is teaching, historical and contemporary examples of those who followed or violated these principles, and up-to-date findings from researchers and other front-lines leaders.

Bottom line: this is a book that is loaded with content but is also very easy to read and apply. At the end of each chapter, you will find some very helpful application ideas for each of the ten principles Dr. Maxwell presents in this book.

If you’ve already read 1.0, I encourage you to get a copy of 2.0. John Maxwell has learned so much since the first edition and he liberally shares it with us here.

And if you’re an emerging leader, or simply want to take your leadership to a higher level, this is an excellent foundational book for you to digest and apply.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: book review, education, John Maxwell, leadership, lifelong learner. 3 Comments »

Thursdays With Oswald—Jeremiah 19

September 6, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

Jeremiah 19

[These are notes from Oswald Chambers’ lecture on Jeremiah 19.]

In the temple precincts judicious minds were without excuse, because they understood what Our Lord was doing. Outside Jerusalem, Our Lord always said, “Don’t tell anyone Who I am”; every time He went to Jerusalem He made it clear who He was.

The presentation of the Gospel of God to sinners is one of love and mercy, but to the house of God one of judgment and truth. When we preach to the crowd outside we lambast drunkenness and other things, Jesus never did. The stern messages of the Bible are never given to sinners, but to God’s people.

From Notes On Jeremiah

Hmmm, are we doing this the right way? It seems like many times we get this reversed—we rebuke those outside because of their sin, and we speak tenderly to those on the inside. Definitely something for Christian leaders to consider carefully.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, biblical truth, church, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, leadership, Oswald Chambers, preaching, sin. Leave a Comment »

A Leader’s Sincere Apology

August 23, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

…I’m sorry, brothers… (Acts 23:5).

It started off innocently enough. Paul was addressing the Jewish high counsel and simply said, “Brothers, I have always lived before God with a clear conscience!”

That doesn’t seem too controversial nor insensitive, but the next move does—Instantly Ananias the high priest commanded those close to Paul to slap him on the mouth. What?! That seems like a bit of an over-reaction on the part of the high priest, or maybe a bit of show of force to let Paul know who was really in charge here.

If you were Paul and got slapped in the face for a pretty simple and true statement, how would you respond? Paul responded like I think I may have, with a little verbal “slap” of his own: “God will slap you, you corrupt hypocrite! What kind of judge are you to break the law yourself by ordering me struck like that?”

Yeah, take that, you big meanie!

Those standing closest to Paul must have gasped in horror as they said, “Do you realize who you’re talking to?”

Paul is an old man by this time. He’s been through shipwrecks, beatings, imprisonments, without food, traveled more miles than he can count, preached more sermons than he can remember. His body was giving out on him, and his eyesight was especially weak. Clearly, Paul didn’t realize to whom we was addressing his remarks.

But Paul immediately owned up to his mistake. “I’m sorry, brothers. I didn’t realize he was the high priest, for the Scriptures say, ‘You must not speak evil of any of your rulers.’”

A mark of a godly leader is one who is quick to apologize.

Paul could have made excuses. He could have justified what he said by explaining, “He deserved it because of how he spoke to me!” or “He started it!”

But Paul offered no excuses or justifications, just a quick, simple, sincere apology.

Oh, that all Christian leaders were as sensitive as Paul and as quick to apologize!

This is part 26 in my series on godly leadership. You can check out all of my posts in this series by clicking here.

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: apology, apostle Paul, Book of Acts, conscience, excuses, humility, leadership, Sanhedrin. 5 Comments »

Saturday In The Proverbs—Setting Myself Up For Failure (Proverbs 20)

August 18, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

[Each chapter in the Book of Proverbs contains thoughts that fit into a theme; they are not just random thoughts gathered together. In this “Saturday In The Proverbs” series, I will share a theme that I see in each chapter. But the cool thing about God’s Word is that you may see an entirely different theme. That’s great! If you do, I would love for you to share it in the comments below.]

Wine is a mock, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise (Proverbs 20:1).

This collection of proverbs warns against things that impair a person’s judgment, or things that set us up for failure. Things like…

intemperance (v. 1)
making leaders angry (vv. 2, 8, 26)
starting petty quarrels (v. 3)
laziness (vv. 4, 13)
shallow thinking (vv. 5, 12, 25)
unfaithfulness or a lack of integrity (vv. 6, 7, 11, 27)
unconfessed sin (vv. 9, 24)
duplicity or favoritism (vv. 10, 14, 17, 23)
not valuing wisdom (vv. 15, 18. 25)
risky business deals (vv. 16, 25)
gossiping (v. 19)
dishonoring your parents (vv. 20, 21)
holding a grudge (v. 22)
unkindness or dishonesty (v. 28)
not valuing life (v. 29)
not allowing anyone to correct you (v. 30)

Now that you know these items that set you up for failure, ask the Holy Spirit to help you root any of these out of your life before failure happens to you!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: alcohol, Bible study, confession, correction, failure, gossip, Holy Spirit, honor, humility, integrity, intemperance, leadership, parents, proverbs, sin, success, thought life, wisdom. Leave a Comment »

Saturday In The Proverbs—The Blessings Of Integrity (Proverbs 19)

August 11, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

…integrity… (Proverbs 19:1).

Integrity is wholeness—it brings its own blessings because a person of integrity…

…is wise (vv. 1, 8, 20, 27)
…doesn’t fall into the haste-makes-waste trap (v. 2)
…is at peace with God (v. 3)
…knows true friendship (vv. 4, 6, 7, 19)
…is never punished for lying (vv. 5, 9, 28, 29)
…gets promoted to leadership (v. 10)
…preserves relationships (vv. 11, 12, 13, 14, 25, 26)
…is satisfied with his work (vv. 15, 23, 24)
…guards his soul (v. 16)
…serves others without an agenda (v. 17)
…disciplines only in love (vv. 18, 25)
…walks in God’s ways (vv. 21, 23)
…is kind to others (v. 22)

“With integrity you can experience freedom. Not only are you less likely to be enslaved by the stress that comes from bad choices, debt, deceptiveness, and other negative character issues, but you are free to influence others and add value to them in an incredible way.” —John Maxwell

How true: Integrity = Freedom to live a satisfying life!

Posted in Uncategorized. Tags: Bible study, blessing, freedom, friendship, honesty, integrity, John Maxwell, kindness, leadership, peace, proverbs, quote, satisfaction, wisdom, work ethic. 1 Comment »

Where A Godly Leader Must Go First

August 8, 2018 — Craig T. Owens

…He took me there… (Ezekiel 40:1, 3).

God had an important message to deliver to not only the people currently alive but all the people who would walk the face of the Earth from that moment onward. God chose Ezekiel to deliver this message.

But here’s the important concept for all leaders—A leader cannot take people anywhere unless he has gone there himself.

And it’s corollary—A godly leader cannot take people anywhere that God is blessing unless he lets God take him there first.

If a leader tries to take people where he hasn’t been himself, at best he’s a tourist; at worst he’s a hypocrite.

When God prepared to take Ezekiel to where He needed Ezekiel to take other people, God wanted Ezekiel fully engaged:

Son of man, LOOK with your eyes and HEAR with your ears, and FIX your mind on everything I show you; for you were brought here so that I might show them to you. Declare to the house of Israel everything you see (Ezekiel 40:4).