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It’s no secret that the holiday season becomes extremely busy for us at work and in our personal lives. If we are too busy, we can miss out on the joy of this season. On this episode, Greg and I discuss ways that leaders can help their teammates not just survive but thrive during the holidays.
[0:36] Leaders help their teammates find and set healthy boundaries.
[2:49] A good starting point is simply acknowledging the stress that we or others are feeling.
[4:01] Can we intentionally scale-back some things at work during busy seasons?
[5:06] Leaders also need to talk with their teammates about their personal responsibilities.
[8:43] Leaders need to make sure they are modeling all that they are telling our teams.
[11:02] Stephen Covey had some wise words for us about priorities.
[14:07] Be proactive about some of the strong emotions some of your teammates may be experiencing.
[18:01] Leadership has to be about the people!
[20:33] Here are your leadership takeaways.
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Having too many items listed as “priorities” on your To Do list can actually paralyze you. You have keep your list manageable to keep your leadership effective. Check out the full conversation Greg and I had on setting goals and making changes. This is also an important aspect of maintaining good mental health.
I have lots of new content every week, which you can check out on my YouTube channel.
According to Leslie T. Lyall, the secret of Hudson Taylor’s life and ministry could be summed up in four simple propositions: “There is a living God. He has spoken in His Word. He means what he says. And He is willing and able to perform what He has promised.”
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.” —G. Michael Hopf
In lamenting the rise of worldliness in our churches, John Piper said, “About forty years ago, David Wells wrote a book called No Place for Truth, which made the case that in the American church, God rests far too lightly on the people of God. He doesn’t have weight. It was the same heart cry from Dr. Wells as from J.B. Phillips. God is marginal. God has little weight in our worship services and little weight in our lives. He’s taken lightly. He’s simply one among many factors rather than the all-consuming factor, and I have thought that if I were to write a book today with a similar burden, it might have this title: Your Christ Is Too Cheap, Your Heaven Is Too Distant, Your Earth Is Too Big.”
The Institute for Creation Research reported, “In July of 2024, Science magazine confidently reported, ‘The last ancestor shared by all living organisms was a microbe that lived 4.2 billion years ago, had a fairly large genome encoding some 2600 proteins, enjoyed a diet of hydrogen gas and carbon dioxide, and harbored a rudimentary immune system for fighting off viral invaders.’ That’s quite a statement that details an unknown creature living somewhere on this planet 4.2 billion years ago.” Of course, this is an unobservable, unprovable claim, but that’s part and parcel of the evolutionists’ claims.
“What we do on some great occasion will probably depend on what we already are; and what we are will be the result of previous years of self-discipline.” —H.P. Liddon, nineteenth-century theologian
Lenny Esposito has a great podcast for Christian apologists called the Come Let Us Reason podcast. On a recent episode, Lenny used a passage in the Book of Jeremiah to talk about the inspiration of Scripture.
“God will work when He pleases, how He pleases, and by what means He pleases. He is not bound to keep our time, but He will perform His word, honor our faith, and reward them that diligently seek Him.” —Matthew Henry
As the first Christian church dealt with a serious complaint that could have split the church internally, there are a number of leadership gifts that are in play to provide a wise solution. Most of these leadership gifts get overlooked by the casual observer, but they are all absolutely indispensable. This is new exclusive content I regularly share with my Patreon supporters. Would you prayerfully consider supporting this ministry?
There was one daily offering that was necessary every day, then there were other offerings that were additional.
Here’s the principle:
Theadditional should never take the place of the necessary if the additional is crowding out the necessary.
There are some things that are necessary for me every day: my devotional time, my personal prayer life, time with my wife, time with my kids, and a few other necessaries.
There are some things that are additional for me: a church project, a community event, a committee or club. You get the idea.
There is nothing wrong with the additionalUNLESS the additional is crowding out the necessary.
What is necessary for you?What are the additional things you have added?
Always remember: The additional should never take the place of the necessary. If your additional is crowding out your necessary, it’s time to make some changes.
“They followed worthless idols and became worthless themselves” (Jeremiah 2:5).
Simple principle: I become what I pursue.
Pursuing things that will not last into eternity is worthless, and the pursuit of them will make my life worthless too. Allow me to elaborate with a few modified quotes:
“For where your [pursuit] is, there your heart will be also” (Jesus).
“All [pursuits] that are not eternal are eternally useless” (C.S. Lewis).
“But more than anything else, put God’s [pursuits] first and do what He wants” (Jesus).
“The impulse to [pursue] God originates with God, but the outworking of that impulse is our following hard after Him; and all the time we are [pursuing] Him we are already in His hand” (A.W. Tozer).
“But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each of us has [pursued]. The fire will show if a person’s [pursuit] had any value” (Paul).
“The true worth of a man is to be measured by the objects he [pursues]” (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus).
“I love those who love Me, and those who [pursue] Me always catch Me” (God).
“‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will [pursue] his principles unto death” (Thomas Paine).
As each week wraps up, I’m trying to remember to ask myself, “Did I pursue the right things this week? Were my pursuits eternal and God-honoring?” Good questions. Perhaps you could take some time to assess your pursuits too.
Remember, you will become what you pursue, so pursue wisely.
It’s no secret that the holiday season becomes extremely busy for us at work and in our personal lives. If we are too busy, we can miss out on the joy of this season. On this episode, Greg and I discuss ways that leaders can help their teammates not just survive but thrive during the holidays.
Craig T. Owens 