Lead & Follow

A post-modern society increasingly moving away from absolute truth, seeks to know what is going in the world, without biased commentary and perspective... with hearts set on separating fact from opinion and of late, separating the fakers from the fact-checkers (who've themselves, been exposed to be less than forthcoming as truth-tellers).

The daily irony is endless. The navigation of the conversation can be more confusing than a broken GPS unit stuck in "recalculation" mode.

I've been meaning to post this statement on one of my other blogs, so you'll hear (read: read) it here first.

It truly is tragic, that Gandhi allowed a flawed humanity, even those who declared the Christian faith, to interfere and ultimately stand in the way, of his own personal encounter with God through the person of Jesus Christ.

I thought about this again last night, in light of the words of Paul, the Apostle... "follow me, as I follow Christ."

Thanks, no doubt, to the advent and quick integration of social media, all of us, including leadership throughout all organizations have become more concerned with who is following them, than who they are following. It is symptomatic of the opening lines... a move away from truth, that creates problems defining fact versus opinion and lead to relying more on commentary than the courage of one's convictions.

It is not an easy road that leaders walk these days. The masses of critics are becoming to numerous to track.
Similarly, following leaders is increasingly difficult. The opposing views, the conversations that people navigate; the attempts to understand as well as being understood... all with an increasing expectation that one will set aside their biases, experiences, and even their faith in order to create an objective, factual and compassionate environment.

It's enough to make your head spin and simply wish yourself the ability to walk away and disengage. Sadly, many have. Godly people have stepped out of politics as a result. They have stepped away from the corporate marketplace. Burnout in ministry is on the rise... as is a society increasingly bothered by organized religion and it's views and beliefs. People of all kinds at many levels are stepping back from the church.

Pray, this #deaconThursday for church leadership. May they be strengthened in their daily walk with God; renewed by the Word and encouraged by the Holy Spirit. While the details of their responsibilities within church operations revolve around the engagement of believers, may they keep their eyes set on God. May God grant them the strength to stand by the courage of their convictions and bring revelation to their conversations and decisions processes. While critics will always step forward, and disagreements will unfold, pray the church would operate in a spirit of unity. In times of difficulty and things going awry, may their be a steadfastness about the team, as they remain committed to the plans and purposes God has called them to fulfill.

That the church would lead the way
As the follow God alone.
Let not criticism overcome conviction
Nor lies defeat the truth.
God grant favor to the efforts of those;
Whose hearts remain set on Him.
​For the glory of God.

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