Team Work Leads to Winning Teams

Well, I am back. My computer hard drive failed. Call it a nightmare. I was working on my graduate project for my class on Effective Leadership,which is do in January. Fortunately, I was able to recover most of my work and then the hard drive failed again. Today I tried to log into my blogger account and could not, so I am on another computer for the time being.

For the next several days I will be camped out in front of my TV with remote in hand, switching between bowl games and munching on Jeanne's homemade chocolate chip cookies with a coffee cup in hand. Let the college football bowl rush begin. Actually, since Christamas, I have been taking in some of the earlier bowl games. It seems that each year another bowl game is added. Will it ever end? I hope not.

All this leads to this thought morning: winning teams. I have kept this quote around me for a long time. I am not sure who said it, but I liked it. "Individuals play the game, but teams win championships." What are the qualities of a team player? John Maxwell mentions seventeen in his book The 17 Essential Qualities of a Team Player:

Adaptable:

If you won't change for the team, the team may change you.

Collaborative:

Working together precedes winning together.

Committed:

There are no halfhearted champions.

Communicative:

A team is many voices with a single heart.

Competent:

If you can't, your team won't.

Dependable:

Teams go to go-to players.

Disciplined:

Where there's a will, there's a win.

Enlarging:

Adding value to teammates is invaluable.

Enthusiastic:

Your heart is the source of energy for the team.

Intentional:

Make every action count.

Mission Conscious:

The (Big) picture is coming in loud and clear.

Prepared:

Preparation can mean the differencce between winning and losing.

Relational:

If you get along, others will go along.

Self-Improving:

To improve the team, improve yourself.

Selfless:

There is no I in team.

Solution Oriented:

Make a resolution to find the solution.

Tenacious:

Never, never, never quit.

As I watch the bowl games this weekend, I will be looking to see these qualities and listening to the commentators to hear these qualities. I will also be thinking about how I can translate my lessons from football into my daily life and walk with the Lord.

The Call

Elijah had faced the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and had won. He then fled to Horeb to hide from Jezebel who wanted to put him to death. Alone on the mountain, God appears to Elijah in his moment of despair. A conversation follows. God reveals to Elijah that he is not alone, that there are seven thousand more just like him throughout Israel. In fact, God directs Elijah to leave his mountain hideout and go and anoint his successor.

Elijah obediently follows the Lord's direction (1 Kings 19:19-21). He finds Elisha in a field plowing. Elijah places his mantle upon Elisha. Elisha recognizes what is happening. Elisha goes home and prepares for his future calling. He says his good byes and celebrates by sacrificing his possessions. He then sets out to follow Elijah as his assistant.

Who will rise up to lead God's church? Who am I anointing as my successor? Will I recognize that individual in God's timing? Who am I mentoring and spending time with in order to prepare a future leader? These are good questions for all of us to ponder.

Worthy Leadership Equals Faithful Followership

Jan David Hetting, in his book, Follow Me, wrote, "Worthy leadership flows out of faithful followership." I have been meditating on these words for several days now, trying to digest all that they mean. This morning in my devotions I was reading from the book of Daniel. In Daniel 1, Daniel "resolved not to defile himself with royal food or wine. He chose to live a different lifestyle. In chapter 5, Daniel is able to interpret Belshazzar's dream. In chapter 6, the king that replaces Belshazzar, Darius, appoints 120 satraps to rule the kingdom. Daniel is appointed as one of three administrators over the 120. These words then stood out in my reading: "Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom." It sounds to me like Daniel was worthy of this appointment because he was faithful to God and those whom he served. Remember, Daniel was an exile. He was not in Babylon by choice but by force. Yet, he was worthy of leadership because he was a faithful follower of God.

Merry Christmas

To all my readers . . .

Merry Christmas everyone!

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty

God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of

Peace.

Rejoice! God is with us!

Matt 1:23 NIV
"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"-which means, "God with us."

"God with us." Now that is the best message of all for you and I to know. It is not just at Christmas that He is with us - it is 24/7 - 365 days a year; for a life time. Rejoice!

When God is with us it is possible to live out these words found in 1 Peter 3:8-18 in The Message:

Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless — that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing. Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good,Here's what you do:Say nothing evil or hurtful; Snub evil and cultivate good;run after peace for all you're worth. God looks on all this with approval,listening and responding well to what he's asked;But he turns his back on those who do evil things. If with heart and soul you're doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you're still better off. Don't give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They'll end up realizing that they're the ones who need a bath. It's better to suffer for doing good, if that's what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That's what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others' sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all — was put to death and then made alive — to bring us to God.

God does not promise that life will always be easy - He promises that He will be with us in life. We must just have faith and believe. When the message came to Joseph that Mary was pregnant with God's Son, Joseph had been pondering quietly whether he should divorce her quietly, for Joseph believed that Mary had been unfaithful. The message of the angel assured Joseph that everything was okay. Reading on in the Christmas story we discover that things didn't get any easier for Joseph and Mary. But we also discover in the Christmas story that God was with them. Keep your faith in God and His Son, Jesus. He is with you. Rejoice!

Simeon's Dream

Ever have a period of disappointment? Or a life time of struggle or heartache? How do we get through such times?

Simeon, in Luke 2:21-33, was such a man. He had waited a lifetime for the promise of the coming of the Messiah. He kept waiting and dreaming. He kept praying. He kept expecting. He was now an old man by the time Mary and Joseph brought the eight day old baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to dedicate the Son of God.

God had promised Simeon that he would see the Messiah, the fulfillment of his dream before he would die. I wonder how many times he had prayed, "O lord, when is it going to happen? When is the Messiah coming? How much longer must I wait?" The thing that impresses me most is that apparently Simeon never gave up on his dream or God's promise.

One day he goes into the Temple and he saw the fulfillment of all his prayers, hopes, and dreams. It is the Christ child. The promise of God had been kept. Simeon is now ready to die a happy man. He takes baby Jesus in his arms, after a life time of obedient waiting and hoping and praying; it has been worth the agony of the wait.

I am impressed. Simeon never let "the things as they are" get the best of him. The testing of one's faith is important to our growth and the development of our character. God is bigger than your biggest dream. Don't give up. In the fullness of time God sent His son. In the fullness of time God will answer your prayers.

I read these words this morning in my devotions: ". . . the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn." (Luke 2:6-7 NIV) Notice the words "the time came for the baby to be born." There is a season for everything, so said Solomon (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). Have faith - keep your faith - rediscover your faith this Christmas season.

My Christmas Gift to You

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

(2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV)

Probably one word more than any other falls from our lips during the Christmas season. That word is "gift." What expectations do you have concerning the gifts you will receive?

Usually, a gift is exciting to receive. You open it up and exclaim how beautiful it is or how much you always wanted it or some similar comment.

I have received many gifts over the past fifty-five years. Most were pleasing. Most were what I had expected or hoped for. But then, there were a few that were real disappointments. Have you ever received a disappointing gift?

Jeanne on several occasions has asked me what I would like this Christmas. She asks me because she aims to please. She wants to fulfill expectations.

Christmas lists - we all have them. We are willing to give that list to anyone who will listen.

This Christmas, I have another list. It is my request for you to my
Heavenly Father.

At the top of the list is my request for grace. More than ever before I am convinced that I cannot make it myself. I need God's help. It takes grace to bear up under trials and difficulties. Trials, situations, and circumstances change, but grace never changes. Grace delivers and grace bears. Thus, I am asking God to give you grace this Christmas.

My second request is for peace. The war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the continued conflict in the Middle East between countries, and the continued threat of terrorism bears this out. Then also, there are so many shattered and broken relatioships in need of healing. So I am asking God to give His peace to you.

To keep my list short, my third request is for joy. Life is so full and hectic. There are so many around me who are feeling frazzled. Life is robbing many of their joy. But at Christmas we are reminded of One who brings us great joy - the Christ Child!

James wrote: "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

If I could give you any gift this year, it would be these three spiritual qualities: grace, peace, and joy.

The Family Tree

It seems that at one time or another everyone becomes interested in their past. We become interested in who in our past played a role in history and in the making of who we are in the present. We look for our roots be researching our ancestry. Sometimes, in digging into the past we discover a bit of history that one wished they never discovered.

Yet, when we open our Bibles to the beginning of the book of Matthew and its introduction to the Christmas story, most people skip right past the geneolgy of Christ. Come to think of it, Did you ever receive a Christmas card with these words? "A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: . . . " (Matthew 1:1 NIV)

Why do people skip over these verses? I suspect we all do, for even I have caught myself doing it? After all these are part of the Bible, the inspired word of God. Certainly there is a reson that they were placed in Matthew at the beginning of the Christmas story. Do we skip over the geneolgy because we struggle with the pronouciation? Is it possible that we skim past this list of names because we are lazy or short on time and do not want to make the effort to discover who these individuals are? Do we decicide out of lack of knowledge that this is just unimportant passages of Scripture? We must remember that God thought them important or He would not have inspired, Matthew, the writer to include them. Most people probably only recognize six or less names on the list.

If you will take the time to discover who these people are that are listed, you will discover that this geneology is a lesson on human life; its shortness, its changes; its succession. The list ranges in scope from a patriarch, Abraham, in whom God promised that in his "seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" to kings such as David to whom the promise was made that the Messiah would come through his lineage, to Joseph, a carpenter, "the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ" (Mastthew 1:16 NIV).

Looking at the list we find several names that one would think would be a disgrace for the Son of God to have in his lineage. To name three, there was Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28:1-5,19,22), Manasseh (2 Kings 21:1-16), and Amon (2 Kings 19-23). How could God allow the likeness of such sinful men be placed in the lineage of Jesus Christ? Because we find Jesus appearing "in the likeness of sinful flesh" but yet without sin.

What really caught my interest was the fact that in this geneolgy were the names of three women and the mention of a fourth to which there is no doubt as to who she was. I find it surprising and interesting that women would be listed in a Jewish pedigree. And of all the women to choose from, four of the most unlikely candidates were chosen.

Tamar - twice left a childless widow. Was betrothed to be married to Judah's son, Shelah. It is thought that she may have been a Canaanite, a condemed race that Joshua had been commanded to destroy. When promises were not kept, she sought revenge by becoming a prostitute and committing adsultery.

Rahab - Also a prostitute and a Canaanite. However, she feared God and helped Joshua and the Israelites.

Ruth - a childless widow. She was a Moabite, a people hated by Jews and forbidden by God to enter the house of the Lord unto the tenth generation. Moabites were the result of incest on the part of Lot's oldest daughter. Yet, Ruth chose to remain faithful to God's people.

Bathsheba - She is not mentioned by mane, but the statement draws attention to her sin of adultery. She was as guilty as David. She undoubtedly used her seductiveness to draw attention to herself as David walked his roof in the evening and was able to look down upon where she lived.

What should all of this tell us? There are no limits or boundaries to God's grace. He can use any and everybody to work out His will.

Kitchen Table Talk

I am at Maine Bean, in my favorite booth, with a fire burning in the fireplace, sipping on a large cup of my favorite coffee, Cabin Comfort, and munching on a chocolate Croissant. As I waited for my laptop to boot up, I found myself reflecting on last night and my time with Joy at the kitchen table. She was sharing with me her report on Moses. This has been a several week project that required her to read Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Dueteronomy in order to do her report. As I read through her report, we would often comment and sometimes discuss her findings or discoveries about Moses. Often mixed into our conversation were other things outside of her project that were more on the personal side. She also shared with me her school schedule and other projects that were due before Christmas break.

It was an amazing and enjoyable four hours together. What made it amazing? What made it enjoyable? The spiritual tone and discussion. It was quality time. The Word of God is a powerful and positive tool in the life of family and friends. I'm proud of Joy. God is doing an awesome work in her life. She is also allowing God to do an awesome work in her.

After having reviewed Joy's work, I am almost tempted to change one of my biblical examples of a leader to Moses, for my graduate work. He had an incredible privilege and calling - to lead the children out of bondage in Egypt and into the Promised Land. It was not an easy task as the children of Israel on several occasions rebelled against him and God. Moses was not perfect either. His passion got him into trouble; he murdered an Egyptian, struck a rock when he was only to speak to it, even wanted God to wipe the children out on one occasion in his frustration with them. But ultimately, he was a great prophet, leader and intercessor. Listen to this testimony of Moses in his final days and hours. What will mine sound like? What will your testimony be?

Dt 34: 1-12 NIV
Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land — from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it." And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over. Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses. Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt — to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

You can learn a lot at the kitchen table when God is there with you.

God Speaks

Yesterday during staff devotions our discussion centered around the ways that God spoke to different people in different formats in the Christmas story. God spoke to Zechariah in the Temple through an angel. He spoke to Mary through an angel. He spoke to Joseph through a dream in which an angel appeared. God spoke to Elizabeth through a child in her womb. To the Magi, God spoke through logic and astronomy. To King Herod, God spoke through the religious leaders and teachers (even though Herod's intention was evil). The shepherds were informed by signs and wonders - the glory of the Lord shined brightly around the angels and they heard a great heavenly host speaking.

That devotion has got me to thinking about the various ways that God has spoken throughout the Bible: Moses and the burning bush, Balaam and the donkey, Elijah and the wispering voice. John on the Isle of Patmos heard a voice that sounded like a trumpet. The point is this, that God is not limited to our personal spiritual experience. He is able to Divinely speak through many varied avenues. So often we look at God through the limited lenses of our own spiritual journey or spiritual experience. Could we be limiting God by doing so? Isn't it possible for God to do something totally radical, outside of what we might consider the "norm"? The birth of Jesus to a virgin certainly shook up the religious and secular world 2000 years ago (not to mention the lives of Joseph and Mary). How does He want to shake us today in order to again hear Him?

A Child Is Born - His Name?

A young woman walked into my office yesterday and announced, "We're having a baby." This will be her and her husband's third child. Yet, in the announcement there was pride, excitement and anticipation. I was reminded of her announcement as I read the words of Isaah, the prophet, "For to us a child is born,to us a son is given," (Isaiah 9:6 NIV). It won't be long before these young parents will be discussing the naming of their child to be. Names are important. They mean something. My name means "watchful." Having been a pastor and now district leader, I understand the value of my name. As a minister, I am like a shepherd watching over his flock. That name has meaning, yet, I don't really know how my parents ever decided on the name "Gregory." Did they know my name's meaning? Did they have a seed thought of who I would become? Undoubtedly, God did ,and in His sovereign way, He had a part in my naming somehow.

Listen to names of the child to be born to us in Isaiah's announcement: "And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Those names mean something. Those names describe the child that was to be born and was born nearly two thousand years ago. A child whose birth is still being celebrated every year on December 25th. His name is Jesus, "because he will save his people from their sins."

Jesus is our Wonderful Counselor.
Jesus is our Mighty God.
Jesus is our Everlasting Father.
Jesus is our Prince of Peace.

Both Together

This morning I began reading the Christmas story from Luke. As I read about Zechariah and Elizabeth, these words caught my attention: "Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly" (Luke 1:6 NIV). The testimony of our lives should be that of being upright in the sight of God and blameless. What really caught my attention was the word both. The Message reads, "Together they lived honorably before God, careful in keeping to the ways of the commandments and enjoying a clear conscience before God." What was occurring in this relationship was harmony. This marriage was built on a spiritual journey together. In a world that is filled with broken promises, broken hearts, broken relationships, broken marriages, broken families, God wants to use healthy relationships to reconnect the world to Him. The son that was to be born to Zechariah and Elizabeth would become the one who would announce to the world, "Behold, the Lamb of God."

Ministerial Beatitudes

Earl Creps in his newsletter, The Leading Edge, shared this quote, "Would you agree with me that North America is experiencing a leadership crisis? It is seen at virtually every level of society, the church not being the least obvious. Thom Rainer stated in his newest book, Breakout Churches that 62% of our SBC churches are in serious decline. There is no simplistic answer for why this problem exists, but certainly a major contributing factor is ineffective leadership" (--Richard Harris, The Planter Update, 20 May 2005).

Leadership crisis and ineffective leadership got me to thinking about my graduate course and my present project on Effective Leadership. It also got me to do some digging in my files for a long lost copy of what is called Ministerial Beatitudes. This was mailed from our General Council Secretariat when I was first credentialed as a minister with the Assemblies of God. A truly effective pastoral leader models (lives) the following values:

Ministerial Beatitudes

1. Blessed is the Minister who speaks the truth in love.

2. Blessed is the Minister who is honest with God - with Himself and with his Fellowman.

3. Blessed in the Minister who can say, "I owe no man anything except to love him,"

4. Blessed is the Minister who leads his people to respect fellow Ministers.

5. Blessed is the Minister who will Faithfully discharge his duties among his Own Flock and who will aprreciate the abilities of his fellow Minister to do the same among his flock.

6. Blessed is the Minister who will practice the Golden Rule, and do unto others as he would have others do unto him, in all matters pertaining to Ministerial Relationship, Courtesy, and District Cooperation.

7. Blessed is the Minister who will properly evaluate his relationship and fellowship with his Ministering Brethren.

8. Blessed is the Minister who will appreciate the Ministry of his Brethren and will hold them in high esteem.

9. Blessed is the Minister who makes loyalty a practice of his life.

10. Blessed is the Minister who puts God, and the Work of Gd first in his life.

11. Blessed is the Minister who will take proper care of his physical being, remembering the Body is the temple of God as well as the instrument through which he ministers.

12. Blessed is the Minister who will maintain a Sweet Spirit at all times and under All circumstances.

13. Blessed is the Minister who can smile and be Happy when another is being Praised or Promoted rather than he.

14. Blessed is the Minister who values the time and has learned to budget and Redeem the time.

15. Blessed is the Minister who has learned to Respect and love those in Authority who are over him in the Lord ans to Esteem them highly for the sake of the Lord.

16. Blessed is the Minister who Practices what he Preaches and is first a partaker of the fruits.

I have no doubt that as we live out thee above guidelines that we will see the fruit of our labor and God will say, "Well done." Pastor, minister, missionary, evangelist, lay person, don't be discouraged. Be encouraged. God blesses the faithful. Effective leadership begins and ends with character.

I'm Back

Sorry about the short hiatus. Being on the west coast really messed up my inner clock. It is amazing how settled we can become with routine. That's not always good. Sometimes we need a curve ball thrown at us to keep us on our toes. It's helpful to get out of our comfort zone. I must confess, as much as I liked the warmer weather of Southern California, I found myself yearning to come home to the cold weather of Maine. And did I. This morning we are getting a wintry mix of snow and sleet, along with a bone chilling wind. It's great!!!!! Maybe my lessen for today has to to do with learning to be content and not taking life for granted. Or maybe it should be learning to be content in all circumstances. The apostle Paul learned how to be content with and without. "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation" (Php 4:12 NIV). He was an individual who never lived within the comfort or confines of life. He allowed or pushed himself to live on the envelope of life in God. "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Php 3:12-14 NIV).

If I am just rambling forgive me, remember that I am still trying to readjust to east coast time. However, maybe we all can learn a lesson about the need for experiencing change.

One final thought this morning. Jeanne and I went and saw "The Nativity" at a local theater while in San Diego. Other than some timing issues, I was impressed with the film. It is a reminder for all who view it what Christmas is all about.

Healthy Team Ministry

I left this past Saturday for my annual Secretary/Treasure conference and will not be back until late Thursday night. This year the meetings are in San Diego. It is amazing how the three hour time difference affects me. About the time that I adapt to this change it will be time to readapt.

On my six hour flight out here, I was able to read the book, Leading the Team-Based Church, by George Cladis. He shares seven attributes of a healthy leadership team approach to ministry. They are the covenanting team, the visionary team, the cuture creating team, the collaborative team, the trusting team, the empowering team, and the learning team.

A great example of team based ministry can be seen in the four who carried the paralytic to Jesus (Mark 2:1-5). Shared ministry can accomplish so much more than a single or lone ranger style of ministry.

Have a great week!

Be a Frog Kisser!

I think I will continue some thoughts on leadership today using the New Testament. There are many excellent examples of New Testament leaders - Jesus being the only perfect one among them. I could have chosen Paul or even Peter. But instead I want us to think about Baranabas. I think he is an often overlooked indidvidual when we look for highly successful leadership models from the Scriptures.

Harvey S. Firestone said it this way about leadership: "The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership." Ralph Nader said, "The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers." Barnabas did both. He developed other people and produced more leaders. We first meet him in Acts 4:36. His real name was Joseph. However, the apostles chose to call him Barnabas. which means "son of encouragement." His name reveals or hints as to his conduct, behavior, and leadership style. He earned the title by giving generously of his time, talent, and resources in order for others to fulfill their destiny. Barnabas is one of my role models. He was clearly a man of integrity and reputation: the Twelve at Jerusalem trusted him.

Christian leaders reproduce themselves. Barnabas taught Paul everything Barnabas knew. Everyone needs a Barnabas, a more mature Christian to teach us all they know. Then in turn Paul took Silas, Timothy, Priscilla and Aquila, and others under his wing and in turn taught them all he knew. We need to gather our Timothy's so that we can teach them what we have learned and in turn they teach others. The highest calling of a leader is to develop other leaders that can out produce his mentor. As a leader, Barnabas was focused on people. You might call him a “frog kisser.” God used Barnabas to touch people whom we might have called “losers” and turn them into princes.

In Acts 11, Barnabas is the one who sought out Paul of Tarsus, brought him to Antioch, and included him in his ministry. Because of Paul’s previous reputation, no one wanted to have anything to do with him. But that did not stop Barnabas from seeing Paul's potential.

In Acts 15, Paul and Barnabas had a heated argument over another loser, John Mark. Barnabas wanted to take Mark along on their missionary journey. Paul had other ideas. Mark had already failed to finish a previous missionary journey. Paul ended up taking Silas. Barnabas took Mark. In later years, Paul wrote Timothy, saying, “Get Mark and bring him with you because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” (2 Tim. 4:11)

Barnabas is an example of a reproducing servant-leader. His life and testimony, describes at least five biblical leadership characteristics that are highly relevant to today: (1) generosity, (2) a relational risk taker (not afraid of developing deep relationships), (3) discerning eye to see potential leadership giftings, (4) Humble (not afraid of becoming overshadowed by his student), and (5) patient with the failures of others who he is helping.

Barnabas was a baton passer. Earl Creps has a great chapter on passing the baton in his book, Off-Road Disciplines. He wrote, "Fretting over the merits of those who receive the baton distracts us from asking if our lives offer anything worth passing on."

Now to settle back and enjoy my coffee at my favorite coffee shop, Maine Bean, and think more about what I have to offer to others.