The Heart of a Humble Leader?

Okay let's admit it. We all know that a leader is supposed to be humble, but what is humility. Is it incompatible with strength? Does it offset aspiration? Can you be masculine and humble at the same time? What does humble confidence look like? Is it possible to be humbly self-assured?

Okay I know what every good Bible student would say. Jesus was humble, Jesus was strong, Jesus was masculine. Many of us would likely end up in Philippians 2, the kenosis. We have preached, taught, read that He emptied himself. He became nothing. We have been told that he was humble; we know that he is our example, but what does it look like.

For too many leaders we know humility is a part of the mix, a measure of the calling, an ingredient in the recipe of leadership development, but ask a leader what it looks like and we struggle to answer. I confess sometimes I don't know how to describe it, but I now think I know it when I see it.

David has become my example of humility. It is from him that I am learning the lesson. In 1 Chronicles 17, we get a glimpse of humility in David. He is now established as King in Jerusalem, and we are allowed into one of his private moments with God.

16 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and prayed,
"Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 17 And now, O God, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving your servant a lasting dynasty! You speak as though I were someone very great, O Lord God!
18 "What more can I say to you about the way you have honored me? You know what your servant is really like.
1 Chron 17:16-18, NLT

David reminds me that humility is found close to the heart of God, in communion with our Creator, our Lord. Humility is the honest self-assessment of our lives and our accomplishments in His presence. Who am I Lord that you have entrusted this calling, this assignment, this task to me? Who am I Lord that I am privileged to be treated as though I were something when you know what I am really like.
What is humility? In the light of his presence, knowing who we are and what we would be without him.

Let the man or woman of God be humble. Humble yourselves before the Lord, . . . James 4:10

David's Mighty Men

I've been reading in 1 Chronicles and spent some time pondering some of David's mighty men.
**Jashobeam, commander of the Three, once killed 300 men with his spear in one battle.
**Eleazar fought back to back with David when surrounded by the Philistines and beat them back.
**Shammah, one of the Three, took his stand in the middle of the field. He defended it and struck the surrounding Philistines, and the LORD brought about a great victory.
**Abishai foremost of the Three, killed 300 in a single battle.

The mighty men were being remembered not for their weaknesses but for their strengths.

Reggie McNeal states that we have inadvertently developed a culture where we are much more aware of our weaknesses than our strengths. That's certainly often true in my life. I can list out everything that I struggle with, where I fall short and what I'd like to change. I beat myself up over failures and setbacks.

But the mighty men, they were remembered for their strengths.

I have heard that the fastest and most prominent way to strengthen an organization is to strengthen the weakest element. If team building is weak, strengthen it. If moral is low, raise it. If image is poor, change it. If it's broke, fix it.

But the mighty men, they were remembered for their strengths.

Leaders need to remember this truth. We will always need to address weaknesses, but it is strengths that are celebrated. It is in the area of our strengths that our greatest impact happens.

Mighty men (and women) are remembered for their strengths. Go ahead lead with yours.

Different Window Same Man

My wife and I are in the midst of a week long personal retreat. More than a vacation, it's a time to rest and renew the two most important relationships in our lives. We're focusing on our individual spiritual journeys with the Forgiver and the journey of intimacy we share together.

On Wednesday afternoon we sat in a coffee house in Delafield, Wisconsin and I was editing a previous Man in the Window entry for distribution. As she finished proofing the draft for me she got up from the table, patted me on the shoulder and said, "Different coffee house, still the Man in the Window."

What a profound truth. Cheryl touched on one of the goals of my own spiritual journey. For a number of years now I have been cultivating my personal walk with God with the regular faithful exercise of spiritual disciplines believing that those disciplines would define my character as a follower of Jesus. Long ago I became fed up with being a different man in public and a different man at home. I grew tired of the façade, the mask of spirituality that was too easy to put on enroute to the church service, a study or the office. Like so many people, I wore different masks and my spirituality was just another mask I put on.

When I finally became dissatisfied with the masks, I sought to become a man defined by the habit of seeking the Forgiver's face in prolonged quiet times, in devotion, and study. And today it dawned on me just how true it was becoming. I am the Man in the Window, the man who now seeks God's presence as a priority, a man who feels lost when he allows the disciplines to become lax. No matter where I am, I am that man.

Here is a great question for every leader. Are the disciplines you practice shaping who you are becoming? The disciplines don't change us, but they keep putting us in a place where his grace can change us. Are your disciplines leading you toward who you're destined to be?

Different window, same man.

Leading in the Caves

I was reading in 1 Samuel the other week and I was reminded of a truth that is often lost today. Leadership cannot be equated with glory.

David has been fleeing from Saul's fury and jealousy. Having hidden himself among the Philistines in Gath for a period of time, but facing the opposition of King Achish's men, David flees again. As chapter 22 opens David is hiding in the Cave of Adullam. His brothers and other relatives join him there. All those who were discontent, in trouble or in debt gathered there with him. It's a pretty ugly picture; one man fleeing for his life and a bunch of other malcontents hiding in a cave. Yet it is this group of broken, discouraged men that David assumes leadership over. Hiding in a cave a leader rises. It is here that the leader of mighty men emerges.

It is too easy to equate leadership and glory. It is too easy as a leader to expect accolades, too easy to long for recognition, too easy to self promote. It is too easy to long for the palaces, the people, the crowds. David emerges as a leader away from glory. Real leaders emerge in the trenches away from the limelight. It is there that their leadership is proven.

Lebron James gets a lot of credit as a great on-the-court leader for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is in the limelight every night he ties on his shoes, but when you listen to his teammates, you discover where his leadership was born. Lebron leads in the trenches of daily practices and weight room sessions.

Real leaders lead in the trenches, in the hard places often away from the glory.

David led in the cave. Where does your leadership shine?

Real leaders lead.

When Being King isn't Enough

In I Samuel 18 Saul is confronted with a leadership challenge that most of us will have to face at some point. David had slain the giant Goliath and delivered Israel from a costly war. Samuel wrote, "When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes. As they danced, they sang:

'Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.'"

That is a pretty understandable response of the people. Thousands of lives had been saved, the terror of Philistine conquest had been eliminated. The people are celebrating and David is the hero of the Hour. But "Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. 'They have credited David with tens of thousands,' he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?' And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David. " (1 Samuel 18:6-9)

Every leader battles this at one time or another
· His church has more numbers
· His business is more successful
· Her ministry is more acknowledged
· They got recognized
· They sang his praises and not mine
· He gets all the credit
· They have credited David with tens of thousands but me . . .

Saul was ensnared with jealousy. Interesting thing about jealousy, we're all susceptible to its entrapments. We become jealous when we believe that we've been short-changed. Saul is King. Israel is his to lead. No other man is more powerful in the land, yet Saul is jealous. Why? David's getting more praise.

Every leader becomes jealous when he confuses blessings for rights. Saul believed he deserved more praise rather than recognizing he was blessed to be King. But being king wasn't enough!

I just came back from our Church District Conference, an experience that sometimes left me very frustrated. I confess that early in ministry I viewed district gatherings as times when insecure pastors tried to one up themselves in the eyes of others. Earlier in ministry, pastoring a small church I would often return home struggling with questions of self-worth and often jealousy. It was easy to be jealous of those who had greater ministries, more recognition. I came home failing to see that I was blessed to know the Forgiver, to be entrusted with a place of ministry and leadership.

How about you? Is being leader over that which God has already entrusted you enough?

Leaders lead-and that is a blessing, not a right.

The Day Approaches

The day approaches. The Leader draws near to His destiny. As we remember His ride into the city, the meal shared with those He loved, the night of prayer and agony, the moment of betrayal, the mockery of a trial, the hostility of the crowd, the via Dolorosa, the fall of the hammer, the jeers of gloaters, the tears, the fears of a few, the words spoken through pain filled lips... might we stand in awe of the Leader who leads us all.

Behold the Lamb of God comes.

Trusting Another Man's Armor

My daily time reading the word has brought me again to the saga of the early kings of Israel: Saul, David, Solomon. Rereading these stories every year I am never surprised about how many leadership lessons jump off the page at me. In my journal I penned at least 11 leadership truths that were being refreshed in my mind.

Leaders have always learned lessons from other leaders. It's why we read Hybels, Warren, Stanley, Swindoll, McMannus, McClaren, Bell, Eldridge, Evans and Ortberb. And I readily admit that I have gleaned numerous principles, ideas, strategies that have had significant impact upon my life and my ministries. But as I was reading I Samuel 17 recently, I was reminded of a principle that I had to learn in the early years of ministry.

Young David is stepping up to face Goliath, the giant of Philistia. All others have been frozen in their fear. None but this young man is willing to face the challenge. When he is brought before Saul, David speaks of his confidence in his staff, his club, his sling; the weapons with which he has protected his father's sheep. More importantly he speaks of an incredible confidence in God's ability to deliver. I can imagine the awe in Saul's eyes when David speaks, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine (1 Sam 17:37)." Giving his blessing to David to fight Goliath, Saul offers him the king's own armor and sword.

The leadership lesson being refreshed was in how David responds. He turns down Saul's armor, opting for his staff, sling and five smooth stones. You see David knew that God works through the gifts and talents that he had already been given.

I didn't understand that as a young man, a young pastor. I copied every idea, every method that other leaders did. I not only wore another's man armor, I regularly rotated through a wardrobe of other leader's ideas, methods and programs. It's not that I was learning from them and applying the principles to my ministry. I was just copying what they did. What did I learn; you can't wear another man's armor. What worked in one place does not automatically work in another. While we may learn from each other, God works through each leader individually and distinctly, enabling him to meet the challenges he faces.

Have you ever fallen into the trap of trusting another man's armor, rather than the God who has gifted you uniquely for the challenges you face?

Leader's lead. Each of us uniquely gifted and equipped by the LEADER for the task.