Summit Life Today

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” ~ Winston Churchill

Our God is a generous God. He pours out blessings on His children according to His grace. Ephesians tells us that His eternal riches are our inheritance through Jesus Christ. God’s generosity toward us is amazing! When we are generous to others, we reflect the very character and nature of God. He actually gives us abundance so we can experience the joy of giving. As Christian leaders, we must approach life with an abundance mindset and not one of scarcity. God’s ability to provide us with everything we need is limitless.

“A dream is an inspiring picture of the future that energizes your mind, will, and emotions, empowering you to do everything you can to achieve it.” ~ John C. Maxwell

Big dreams can be exciting!  Big dreams can also be scary and intimidating.  Everyone has a dream of some ideal they would like to see become a reality.  Most people have “normal size” dreams that are safe and easy to reach.  Some people, however, dream big, really big.  These dreams can be so big that when they share their vision with others, they get a “you gotta be crazy” reaction.

The biggest question that needs to be asked about big dreams is:

“A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting. A boss is interested in himself or herself, a leader is interested in the group.” ~ Russell H. Ewing

Have you ever thought in terms of needing to gain the permission of those you lead in order to effectively lead them?  Leaders who only lead from a position of power and authority never think in terms of permission.  Leaders who really care about the people they lead will prefer them to follow because they “want to” and not because they “have to”. 

“Whoever teaches his son teaches not alone his son but also his son’s son, and so on to the end of generations.”  ~ Hebrew Proverb

There is a natural attraction between Grandparents and their grandchildren that connect them at a level that makes all of life seem richer. I’ve observed my friends with their grandchildren and can easily sense the unique joy they gain from doing things together.  A comedian once quipped that grandchildren are God’s reward for not killing your kids.

Whether you are a Grandparent or a grandchild, you’ve probably experienced that special bond that’s enjoyed by both sides of the relationship. 

“The way a team plays as a whole determines its success. You may have the greatest bunch of individual stars in the world, but if they don’t play together, the club won’t be worth a dime.”  ~ Babe Ruth

God created you to do great things for His Kingdom, but designed you in such a way that you can’t do them alone.  One is too small a number to do anything great…by God’s design.  No one has ever achieved anything great without the help and encouragement of others.  To be at our best, we need other people with complimentary gifts and abilities to complete us. 

“You have many choices. You can choose forgiveness over revenge, joy over despair. You can choose action over apathy.”  ~ Stephanie Marston

Some people just like to fight.  They have a chip on their shoulder and it doesn’t take much to set them off.  Bullying isn’t limited to school yards.  Those bullies grew up and have wandered into positions of leadership everywhere.  The goal of these leaders is to be “King of the Hill” by pushing everyone else down.  They are insecure and use the power of their position to control people.

The way we treat those we lead, will set the standard for how our people treat each other.  The example of the leader will be reflected in the culture of the organization.  If the leader maintains healthy relationships, the overall health of relationships in the organization will be good.  Remember, how we value people will determine how they value our leadership.

“Faithfulness is not doing something right once but doing something right over and over and over and over.”  ~ Joyce Meyer

Faithfulness is an attractive character trait.  We are naturally drawn to people with the self-discipline and focus to remain faithful in their relationships and to their cause over time.  As leaders, we are all too familiar with how easily distractions and temptations can derail us and take us off course.  Having a clear and compelling vision for the future is essential to staying on track and headed toward your goal.  The key to maintaining focus and gaining perspective for steady and faithful service over time is keeping that picture in mind.

“Memory is the treasure house of the mind wherein the monuments thereof are kept and preserved.” ~ Thomas Fuller

Christmas is a time for making memories.  Too often the hustle and bustle of the season consumes our thoughts and emotions.  Let me encourage you to take time to pause and ponder.  Capture precious memories as they occur and place them in your memory treasure chest.  One of my favorite verses in the Christmas story is when young Mary paused just to try and absorb everything that had taken place in her life over the past 9 months.  She had plenty of thoughts to treasure.

“You can map out a fight plan or a life plan. But when the action starts, you’re down to your reflexes. That’s where your road work shows. If you cheated in the dark of the morning, you’re getting found out under the bright lights.” ~ Joe Frazier

In the Olympics, the difference between a gold medal and fourth place is often measured in hundredths of a second. Can you imagine coming that close to the prize only to fall short? In his book “Good to Great”, Jim Collins makes the point that “good is the enemy of great.” In other words, when we are good at something, we can become so satisfied with “good” that we don’t have the motivation to work harder in order to become “great”.

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.” ~ Stephen R. Covey

You’ve probably heard the little phrase: “First things first.”  That phrase makes me think of this one: “Easier said than done!”  Keeping our priorities straight takes a lot of focus and discipline.  Life happens fast and the tyranny of the urgent can easily turn good intentions for doing “first things first” into doing “first things last.”