Fall 2014
The theme for Fall 2014 is “Spiritual Leadership.”
Three key truths for spiritual leaders
the summer following third grade, I was invited to go to a two-week camp. The promise of tennis lessons, games, Bible studies, campfires and s’mores sounded wonderful. The “cost” for camp was memorizing 300 Bible verses by school year’s end. I completed the assignment! When it was time to leave for camp, I suddenly recalled that I had never been away from home and that no one else in my class was goi...
You can't lead well without it.
“As the leadership goes, so goes the organization. And, more importantly, as the soul of the leader goes, so goes the leader.” This has been the mantra at Leadership Transformations since the day we opened our doors in July 2003.
Churches and Christian ministries are filled with leadership teams that spend nearly 100 percent of their time talking about everything but the care of the soul. It’s far ...
The secret of lasting fruit
I love the verdant scene painted in Psalm 1:1-3. It portrays a vibrant, fruitful tree with leaves that don’t wither amidst heat or drought. The scene is especially poignant when one considers the arid desert-like landscape of Israel. Just imagine the wonder of seeing that flourishing fruit tree in the midst of such dryness.
The prophet Jeremiah similarly captured the importance of being rooted deeply in God: &ldqu...
Leading from the inside -- out
In his classic book Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (HarperSanFrancisco, 3rd edition, 2002), author Richard J. Foster describes three categories of spiritual disciplines that influence our growth in Christlike character:
• Inward: meditation, prayer, fasting and Bible study
• Outward: simplicity, solitude, submission and service
...Leading by boldly depending on God
Back in the mid-90s, my husband Steve and I prayed that God would use us in some way. We had busy and satisfying careers, but were restless. We didn’t want to waste the rest of our lives. Looking back I can see God was changing our hearts.
Over time it became clear that he was leading us to adopt a child, an idea that terrified me, but not Steve! I wasn’t ready to fearlessly move ahead, but God spoke:
...Joni Eareckson Tada on leading through our weaknesses
CLA president and CEO Tami Heim recently spoke with Joni Eareckson Tada, an international advocate for people with disabilities, and founder and CEO of the Joni and Friends International Disability Center.
A diving accident in 1967 left Joni Eareckson, then 17, a quadriplegic in a wheelchair. After two years of rehabilitation, she emerged with new skills and a fresh determination to help othe...
Spiritual leadership as modeled by Jesus
During the 2014 Christian Leadership Alliance (CLA) National Conference The Choice: The Christ-Centered Pursuit of Kingdom Outcomes (ECFAPress, 2014) by Dr. Gary G. Hoag, Dr. R. Scott Rodin and Dr. Wesley K. Willmer was named as CLA’s featured book selection. It includes a chapter entitled “Following Christ: Ten Marks of Christ-Centered Ministry” and the first mark “Submission to the Father” ...
Prioritizing communion with Christ
Overwhelmed with the pressures and demands of the preceding months, I turned to my husband in desperation and asked, “How am I going to make it through this day?” Knowing what the day held, he answered, “Just put your hand in Christ’s hand and together walk through every hour.”
God’s call to every leader is first and foremost to himself.
“God is faithful, who h...
Let's get to the root of it.
As leaders, do you ever find yourself afraid, abused, broken, fearful or feeling hopeless and insignificant? Do you at times feel lonely or rejected? Have you been in a place where the enemy has whispered a lie into your spirit? Did you believe the lie as truth? Let’s get to the root of it. Jeremiah 8:22 asks the rhetorical question, “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there?” The answer, of cours...
Introducing the new CLATV!
This edition of Outcomes magazine focuses on spiritual leadership. Nothing can impact a ministry more than the spiritual walk of its leaders. With all the noise in today’s world, it is critical that ministry leaders know how to focus their time and attention before God. Those called to lead in such a time as this must discern how to embrace what God is making possible for leadership development and his service.
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