Leadership

So while driving today…I had a 5 1/2 hour drive…I listened to some of Andy Stanley’s Leadership podcast. The man is just great at communicating but he gave some awesome advice. Now he is mostly talking to church leaders and those on the inside of church operations. But I got to thinking.

A lot of the stuff he talks about is based on scripture. So, it relates to everyone. As a man, husband, father, christian. One tidbit of wisdom he gave (paraphraseing) ‘You’re probably not the smartest person in your organization but you are the leader’. Doh, that can hit ya. The biggest place I see this is at home, he mentions the same also. The Bible calls for the man to be the head of the household.  I lead the house…so that leaves my wife as the smart one. Or until the kids become teeanagers! lol

Seriously though, think about it, you make the decision but how or ‘who’ got you to that conclusion. Remember, Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, surrounded himself with wise counselors; he wrote Proverbs expounding on this wisdom. In Proverbs Solomon referenced wisdom as a woman.  Honestly, we both make decisions but we discuss the options.  As a leader, I have to listen and from good counsel.  She is the smart one.

So what are you leading in your life.  It has to be something.  Just look behind you, if no one is there you may be in the missing out.  You can’t see His face that well from back there, He wants you up here with rest of us.

What do you see?

Time

I have been travelling a lot since the new year. Actually every week, 3-5 days each. When I am at home I am busy. I have to do all the paperwork for work and travel. But even more so with getting ready for Walker to come, fixing up the nursery and trying to sleep. We are exhausted. Steph is extremely worn out, she is 8 months preggers and being comfortable is just not happening. I pray for her to have the strength to go a few more weeks and to rest somehow. Since she is still working and I am out of town, there is no down time for her right now. She is a warrior for sure. I am thankful that God has given me a strong beautiful wife. I don’t know how she does it, it has to be a God thing.

So I left today. She had to come home early to take care of Cade and Addyson. Both are sick with a stomach bug…not good. I am praying greatly that they are better by morning so she can go to work and the kids can go to school.

God be with them, heal them and give them rest.

Well…the name is?

Walker…Walker Andrew to be exact. That’s his name. We finally decided on a name for our son. The kids like it…mostly, they related it to Luke Skywalker which is funny since that movie has transended generations now.

But Walker, to us, is a unique name that you don’t really hear for a first name so he will be an individual in that sense. Also, its kind of rustic, cowboyish and it will go with him if he is born with red hair, yet it is still a strong manly name. She would really like a redheaded child. Now that we have a name we can start to bond with him.

I pray that daily that he is healthy and that he will live beyond my expectations and His expectations. I pray that I can raise him to be a man and that both of us can raise him to be a strong in faith, a child of God.

Names part2

So two post ago I discussed the name that our Father has given us and what it means to know what He thinks of us by the name He has given us.

But if you read the last post you will see that wifey and I are expecting…a BOY! We’ve been discussing names, it has not been easy. We both agree to give our child a strong male name but thats where the agreement ends. I tend to like unique names, Biblical names, names with meaning not some of the stranger yet original names that you here nowadays. She likes some traditional names that are less heard of today and original variations of some common names.

Well through all of this we have narrowed them down to just four name, two from each of us.
Hers: Walker and Jaxson (or Jackson).
Mine: Gunnar and Elias.

Four of the best we like, we both have leanings for our names but I think we will be happy with any of these four.  Hopefully over the next few days we will come to a final decision on what this blessing will be named by his parents.  We are praying for His guidence.  And of course I will let y’all know.

Detour…back on track!

http://arosefilledlife.blogspot.com/2009/11/well-it-is-offical-its-boy.html

I will post about this soon but she sums it up pretty well.

What’s my name again?

What’s my name again?  No really, what’s my name?  We are given names upon birth, it’s our custom and legally something has to go on the birth certificate, right?  Our parents usually discussed names prior to our arrival.  Boy names, girl names, family names, junior, senior, first name, middle name; at some point they come up with something they liked.  I never really went by my first name.  I have always gone by a short version of my middle name.

But these are all just our earthly names.  

So, what’s a name, more specifically, what’s in a name.  Most names have meaning, although some modern names are down right strange.  Your name can identify you, your heritage, ethnicity and cultural background.  Some people change their names because they don’t like the connotations the name may have or the history of the name.  Some want to get back to their roots from lost fathers or family.  What if we got a different name when we reached adulthood, a name that said This is who I am.  I am no longer a child, I have grown into my own. 

But we do have a different name.  Our Father gives us name, too, just ask him.  Maybe He will tell you that you are a David or a Joseph; Sarah or Ruth, the name doesn’t necessarily have to be Biblical.  He has led your life to accumulate trials and experiences that will define who you are to Him.

I hope you are able to have a conversation with Him, ask Him what He wants to call you.  You may be surprised.

God Bless

Leadership…Book!

Yesterday I go the audiobook version of John Maxwell’s ‘The 360 Degree Leader’. As I dig in and unpack this book I will throw more on here. It came highly recommended from a leadership guru at church. Should be a great read.

Leadership…

I found a blog post by Micheal Hyatt today. It broke down leading via a symphony conductor very simply. Thought I would share this since I am currently discussing it and trying to develop myself as a better leader.

Here is the post: http://michaelhyatt.com/2009/05/8-things-leaders-can-learn-from-symphony-conductors.html

Time…Leadership and Communication

Its been a while since I have posted anything. I have been traveling for work and working my tail off. Any downtime has been spent with family of course.

I have been learning a few things about leadership and communicating. Leading at home is completely different than how I lead at work. Same thing with communicating. It’s a fine line on how to balance them: lead/communicate, home/work.

I am trying to find a few resources to help refine my leadership/communication styles…beyond the Bible which is my #1 resource.

Other than that my leadership experiences come mainly from the Marines. I learned there the differences between managing and supervising: you manage things, you supervise people. But it obviously goes deeper than that with people…especially when they are family. In the Marines you give an order and its usually done, same for the other services. Not everyone is a Marine nor in the service…that has been my hardest lesson.

 

I will try to repost more often and go more in depth with this; also with other trials and tribulations that God leads me through.

Discipline?

D I S C I P L I N E  Discipline, Sir Discipline…

That was a chant we had in Boot Camp.  Sometimes I wonder where it went.  At the time I really didn’t understand a lot of things I was made to do.  As I look back though, some things now make sense.  Some of the discipline I think I lost, I haven’t; it has just become part of my life.  Muscle memory, it is an automatic reaction…good and bad.  Mental, physical, emotional discipline; it was a way to prepare us for following our leaders and doing things with focus, intensity and speed. 

Discipline

How do I apply THAT to Christ?  No seriously.  Spiritual discipline, building and keeping relationships that center around Christ.  To love Christ and seek God the Father through Christ.  Does He not train us up, are we not pupils to His Life and teachings, His disciples?  Doing His Will and focusing on Him.

Following Orders

This is the most difficult part sometimes.  Graduating Boot Camp and off to our first duty station, His Will for us.  He takes us out of our comfort zones, off of the base and into the front lines.  We may not see what He has for us or how He is going to do it.  But He does it.  He’s the greatest Commanding Officer ever and our Leader gave us an ultimate mission.

Mission Accomplishment and Troop Welfare

These are two main leadership goals that we learn in the Marines.  Get the job done and take care of your people, they go hand-in-hand.  One should never compromise the other.  Well, He takes care of us, when we let Him.  And when we let Him, it makes it easier to get the job done…to accomplish the mission, His will.  The missions never end, they have their lulls and their battles.

Battles

Battles are fought by warriors and we are His warriors as well.  He never said things would be easy but He did promise that He will get us through it.  That’s why He gave us a warrior heart that desires to fight for His love.  He also gave us all the armor and weapons we need to do His will, to fight the battles.  Winning the battle and capturing His love for us.

Love

It’s not a rose garden or cute puppies.  Love is hard as it is soft; iron and silk.  Love can be a battle, hard work, unapologetic, painfull and it is also a romance, easy, consistent and painless…faithful.  Christ loved us so much that He suffered unimaginable pain and anguish.  Love can make you do so much.

His Love will let us do anything.