HOKMA

Category: Leadership

  • Hidden Criticism

    Hidden Criticism

    If you do what Jesus wants you to do, you will have critics—especially if you are a leader. (See Luke 13:10-17).

    What motivates them? Who can know? They may fear loss of power or some other form of pride.

    They may not criticise directly, they are hidden, like snakes in the grass. Therefore, a leader ought to stay alert.

    Most critics cannot be reasoned with, but the must be answered. Why? You probably won’t win them over, but you will keep their poison from taking root in others.

    Don’t ignore your critics, in fact, look for their work. Answer them to limit their influence.

  • Why do you do what you do?

    Why do you do what you do?

    Photo by Tom Wilson on Unsplash

    “This is why…” (1 Timothy 4:10)

    Motivation is everything because nothing happens without it. All actions—even the impulsive ones—are prompted by something in our head/heart/soul (call it whatever you want!). Paul knew the importance of being properly motivated for doing the work of God.

    There are at least two pitfalls regarding our motivation: (1) we can lack it, and (2) we can have bad motivations.

    When we lack motivation, we are lazy and live unproductive lives.

    When we have the wrong motivation, there are three negative consequences to consider before we experience them:

    First, we will eventually do the wrong things. It’s possible to do the right things for the wrong reasons, but when we continue to operate from an impure heart, it will eventually show through.

    Second, we miss out on the benefits of faithful living.

    Third, we learn the wrong lessons.

    For example, let’s say I serve others because I’m motivated by their praise. How will my soul pay the price?

    Instead of caring about what God wants, I become overly concerned with what others want. When my conscience is ignored, my actions will shift. I might move from sharing sacrificially to sharing superficially. Truth is, skimming the surface will still get you praise from others.

    I exchange deep-rooted joy for unpredictable moments of happiness. When I serve others to please God, it will go unnoticed by others. This isn’t fun, and we need encouragement. The lack of recognition becomes more bearable because I know God is pleased by my service. Confidence is another byproduct of faithful living. But when we live to please others, insecurity abounds. Why? Because you can’t please everyone, and you can’t please any single person all of the time.

    Finally, seeking praise from others doesn’t make me a better person. Instead of learning to be more like Jesus by living as he did, I learn how to receive more praise from others.

    Why do you do what you do?

  • You are more like the Apostle Paul than you think.

    You are more like the Apostle Paul than you think.

    “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God” (1 Timothy 1:1)

    Paul’s calling as an apostle was based on the command of God. While the position of “apostle” was extremely unique, his mission wasn’t any more important than the rest of us non-apostles.

    Everyone who follows Jesus has a mission; it’s a calling that is nothing less than a command from God (Ephesians 4:1)

    My dad was a computer programmer. He wasn’t in full-time ministry, but his faith impacted his day-to-day life. His job put him in contact with many different people. Every month he’d be with a different client. In his one-on-one conversations, he’d often ask about spiritual issues. Growing up, he would tell me about these conversations. “…so I asked this guy, do you believe Jesus was God?” I remember exclaiming, “You said THAT to someone you barely know??” My dad didn’t pressure people, nor did he argue with them. He discovered where they were “at” spiritually and shared about his journey. His command from God was to have significant conversations with others.

    Everyone who believes in Jesus has a significant job in God’s kingdom.

    This teaching is comforting; God has a plan for your life! This teaching is also sobering, for we do not want to ignore his call and miss out on our opportunities to love others.

    Hi. My name is Matt McGill, a husband, father, friend, pastor, community volunteer, and woodworker in the name of Jesus by the command of God.

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  • As a leader, what do you do after you’ve been inspired?

    It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way. Proverbs 19:2 (NIV84)

    A few days ago, I left a meeting feeling inspired and challenged. I loved the vision. It was powerful and I was fired up. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t happen in every meeting I attend–unless I’m leading the meeting, of course!

    Although it may not happen every week when you encounter big ideas, what’s your best response? Here are a few ideas to consider:

    Take a moment to thank God. Ultimately, inspiration is a gift from God. Honor him by giving him thanks for the new excitement and enthusiasm. Ask him for wisdom and discernment as you plot a new course.
    Slow down. It’s easy to jump too quickly into task-mode; creating projects, timelines, and to-do lists. Excitement can distort our perception of reality. For example, “I think this is a great idea, everyone else will too!” Let the excitement boil off a little so that you can see things as they really are.
    Don’t change everything. Chances are, most of what’s happening under your leadership is good—so you don’t need to make vast, sweeping changes. And even if you do need to turn everything upside down, too much change will do more damage than the status quo.
    Make it practical. Time to figure out where the rubber meets the road. Transform your inspiration into something practical—do this on your own or with others. In my experience, vision is often overrated and overvalued. Why? Vision is nothing without strategy and execution. Make your inspiration specific. Actionable. Measurable. Create a Big List of possibilities, and then narrow it down to one or two ideas. Once you accomplish the few, you can always return to your Big List for more. Better to do a few things well than fail at the many.
    Refine your ideas. I’m sure there are dozens if not hundreds of ways to refine ideas. Essentially, you either refine your ideas on your own or with others. The key is to know your “go-to” way to process. Start there and do the opposite. Personally, my preference is to reflect and brainstorm on my own. If I truly want the best ideas, then I need to involve others. If you love processing with others, start there–but also take the time on your own to slow down and hear God’s voice so that you can develop and deepen your convictions.
    Jump into Task Mode. Make a plan. Stick to it unless you have some very good reasons to change course. Great leadership means finishing what you set out to do.

  • Leaders Look Beneath the Surface

    “The purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters,
    but one who has insight draws them out.”     (Proverbs 20:5)

    I’ve made it a priority to make “cold calls” to our students. This isn’t my favorite thing because I’m an over-achiever when it comes to being awkward on the phone.

    In the age of text messages and group threads, phone calls seemed to have gained a greater impact. A few months into the COVID pandemic, I remember a poll from USA Today that affirmed the power of a personal phone call–from a religious leader.

    The other day, I called a student and began with my normal mini-speech:

    “Hi, it’s Matt McGill from Mariners Church. I’m calling through our list to check in and let you know that I’m praying for you. I know that with COVID, some people are having a hard time. Is there anything specific I can pray for?”

    And then there was silence. I was waiting for the hang up (it happens!). Instead I heard a deep intake of air followed by a gigantic sigh of release.

    The response, “Matt, I can’t believe you are calling right now. I just finished school. I’m sitting in my car and I can’t take it any more so I’m crying my eyes out. I never cry, but I’ve just had enough so I decided to let it all out. And now is the time that you call.”

    I’m sure you can imagine my response. I was silenced (which is rare!). I was floored. Humbled. Honored. It was an amazing thing to be used by God to encourage someone who really needed it.

    As leaders, we change lives one conversation at a time. 

    Most of them don’t look like this one! But it’s our responsibility to get ourselves into position so that we can look beneath the carefully fabricated facade that most students project. 

    The surface may be still, but there are deeper waters to explore.