The Presbyter's Page
Electronic Edition – August 2001
Original articles published October 1996
Section 12 - LA
District UPCI
Donald Bryan - Presbyter
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Sermon Thought: “How to
Stay Fresh When Things Grow Old"
The 15
Vital Traits for Leaders
Give Your
Leadership the "Attitude Edge"
When
They've Heard It All Before
Sermon Thought:
“How
to Stay Fresh When Things Grow Old”
Deuteronomy 8:1-8
"All
the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye
may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the LORD sware
unto your fathers. And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God
led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove
thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments,
or no. And he humbled thee, and
suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not,
neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not
live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the
LORD doth man live. Thy raiment waxed
not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years. Thou shalt also consider in thine heart,
that, as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments
of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him. For the LORD thy God bringeth thee into a
good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out
of valleys and hills; A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees,
and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;"
One of the most overused words is the word “new.” New always means excitement and freshness, while old implies dull and worn out. People want new things, whether it is a car or home, but get tired of old things. But all things get old. Nothing stays new. And it’s’ easy to fall into the trap of “This is old, I’m leaving, I’m quitting.” What do you do when the flush of excitement of the new turns into the grind of the old?
Exodus 16:35 records that Israel ate manna for 40 years. Even though manna was a gift from God, can you imagine eating it for 40 years? Sister Moses’ cookbook had a section entitled 1001 ways to fix manna! They rebelled, complained, gagged and fussed. Why? Manna got old. The manna was a test. It was God’s exam, carefully planned to test Israel’s patience and obedience to persevere in spite of the monotony of the manna. Where the storms, Pharaoh or the mountains didn’t get Israel, the sameness of the routine did. Luke 21:19 says, “In your patience, possess ye your souls.” Patience means endurance or consistency.
How do you stay fresh when things get old?
1. Recognize that marathons are part of living for God. The quick test proves little. Since virtue is not hereditary, God dispenses His test of manna to each generation.
2. Remember that life is the test. Many wait for a certain test to prove them. But, can you live life and keep the faith in Him?
3. Practice contentment. Accept today’s blessings, give thanks in all things, allow God to work the tomorrows, and be content for today.
4. Be faithful in the little things. Manna was a little thing compared to the promise Israel had. But their attitude destroyed their promise.
5. Rest. God gives physical and spiritual rest. While God always condemns “ease,” He sanctions rest.
6. God honors consistency. We judge ourselves by size, money, etc. God judges us on consistency. Be faithful.
Remember, all things get old. Life can get into routines. But, be faithful and you will hear Him say…
“Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
The 15 Vital Traits For Leaders
What are the characteristics of top leaders? Why are some leaders so effective while others struggle? Listed are 15 vital traits of leaders who rise to the top:
1. Secure in self – Leaders are marked by confidence in themselves. Being secure in yourself builds confidence for others to follow you.
2. In control of attitude – If you lose control, you lose. Period. Leaders control their attitude, because people read the leader all the time.
3. Tenacious – Keep going until something stops you, then keep going. Leaders are persistent and determined. Nothing ever happens in one day, one request or one prayer. Keep going.
4. Continuously Improving – Leaders can’t go along day to day without growth and improvement. They want to be better. They talk to people, learn from mistakes, learn from others experiences and learn something new each day.
5. Honest and ethical – Honesty builds trust and confidence. People want to follow a leader they can trust. Duplicity always catches up with an individual.
6. Think before talking – a leader is responsible for his words and their results. Most people don’t stop, pre-think their comment, consider the consequence, alter the comment and then speak. Leaders do.
7. Original – Leaders are visionaries and are always looking at doing things differently.
8. Publicly modest – Secure people are modest. Being modest doesn’t mean being shy, or undervaluing yourself. But neither does it mean being pretentious or being a braggart.
9. Risk takers – A person is as good as his courage. Risk takers are able to face obstacles with a resolve despite criticism and attacks.
10. Detail Oriented – The small things will always make the big difference. Paying attention to detail saves you time that would be lost in going down the wrong path.
11. Willing to lead – Leaders lead! They set expectations for people, communicate the vision and are willing to set the direction for the group.
12. Fighters for their people – If you want people to back you, back them! Be loyal, spread the credit, share the spirit and share the lead.
13. Willing to admit mistakes – Leaders admit mistakes. What separates effective people is their ability to handle the inevitable mistakes in life. The leader acknowledges it, corrects it and goes on.
14. Straightforward – Leaders have to be clear in their communication. Although wisdom and tact are always called for, so is clear communication. People have to know what you’re saying.
15. Nice – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” You make yourself a better leader if you’re nice first. Being coarse, unpleasant or rude will not get you far.
Give Your Leadership The “Attitude
Edge”
10 Traits to identify a promising person
1.
Leadership in the past. The best predictor of the future is the past.
2.
The capacity to create or catch vision. When I talk to people about the future,
I want their eyes to light up. I want
them to ask the right questions.
3.
A constructive spirit of discontent. Some people would call this criticism,
but there’s a big difference in being constructively discontent and being
critical. The unscratchable itch is
always in the leader.
4.
Practical Ideas.
Not everybody with practical ideas is a leader, of course, but
leaders seem to be able to identify which are and which aren’t.
5.
A willingness to take responsibility. Leaders will bear work, for the feeling
of contributing to other people is what leadership is all about.
6.
A completion factor.
In the military, it is called “completed staff work.” The half-cooked meal isn’t what you want.
7.
Mental toughness.
No one can lead without being criticized or without facing
discouragement. I don’t want a mean
leader; I don’t want a tough leader.
8.
Peer respect. Peer
respect doesn’t reveal ability, but can show character and personality.
9.
Family respect. The family’s feelings toward
someone reveal much about his or her potential to lead.
10.
A quality that makes people listen to them. Potential leaders have a “holding court”
quality about them. When they speak,
people listen.
In this unpredictable and changing world, the one thing we can always control is the way we think. While we have little control over circumstances or the actions of others, we can control our reactions to them. And anyone can learn how to think more positively and operate with a better attitude, regardless of circumstances, temperament, or intellect. To begin thinking more positively and leading your people to do the same, follow these guidelines:
Act like the person you wish to become.
To start thinking positively, begin by acting positively. Most of us wait until we feel like taking action, but that’s going about it backwards. Instead, by putting our desires into action, we can establish a habit of thinking positively – and this results in a positive attitude.
Cultivate a Consistent Positive Attitude.
To reap a successful harvest, a farmer doesn’t plant seeds and then just expect them to grow on their own. He must continually water, weed, fertilize and nurture the growing plants if he wants them to reach maturity. Likewise, if we want a successful life, we need to spend time everyday nurturing our attitude. Focus on the positive and successful. Don’t feed the weeds.
Look for the Best in Everyone.
Have you noticed that whenever you buy a new car, you suddenly see others of that same model everywhere? I’m sure you’ve figured out that those other cars were there all along, you just weren’t looking for them before. When we consciously look for the best in people, their good traits can have a positive impact on our life and leadership.
As leaders, we tend to take attitude for granted. We assume that we’re stuck with the attitude
that we have. Yet your outlook on life,
as well as that of your people, can be changed.
When They’ve Heard It All Before
How do we preach to those who have heard it all? Here are seven ingredients:
·
Round out Bible characters. For many sermon veterans,
familiar Bible characters are flat, one dimensional, either good or bad. But real people have inner tensions,
complications, and mixed motives. When
a preacher portrays that, listeners identify readily.
·
Get specific about application.
An
example is more powerful than an explanation.
There’s a world of difference between telling someone that prayer
changes things and sharing a fresh example of a situation transformed by
prayer.
·
Let it grip your soul. A critical quality in
preaching effectively to those who’ve heard it all is sincerity. If our sermon is honest and heartfelt, a
truth as common as “Jesus loves you” can thunder in the hearts and minds of our
listeners.
·
Address the tough question. We would like to think that
hearing a lot of sermons would answer most of a person’s questions. But people who have heard it all love to
hear a preacher tackle the tough ones.
·
Probe their spiritual condition.
It’s
nice to be profound; it’s more important to be penetrating. When we probe the depths of the human heart,
we challenge people.
·
Harness the power of story. Jesus came telling
stories. Listeners will rate even the
most elementary idea as great preaching if we can help them feel it one more
time in their hearts.
·
Utilize surprise. When we tell stories from an
unexpected point of view, adopt the contrarian perspective, or use a surprise
ending. We can have a great impact even
on people familiar with the conventional.
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