All That Glitters

February 23, 2010 in Uncategorized with 5 Comments

Pride kind of sucks. It sucks even worse when it shows up in places that should be protected from such things…like faith.

But it is a slippery slope. People are attracted to success. People love swagger. They want to be around success…people are attracted to winners. As we get success the temptation exists to forgo authenticity and buy the lie (hype) that you have to “be perfect” (or seem so). Then, because of the success we fear we might lose it, so we stop being real and start pretending…and lose our authenticity. This would be ok if it did not create such unhealthy expectations for our staffs and followers. They see their leaders living this “perfect life”, that is fabricated, and they can not live to that level…so they fail and then feel awful, feel condemnation, feel unworthy and lose hope. And the cycle begins.

So as a leader, be honest. Be real. Be authentic. Lead with passion, zeal, and vision…but most of all, always lead with HUMILITY. Make sure you have someone in your life who can stop you dead in your tracks. Listen to people who love you and want the best for you…even if it is not what you want to hear. We need you to do this because if you won’t, who will?

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5 Responses to “All That Glitters”

  1. anewcreation February 23, 2010 at 9:58 am #

    Your post is spot on and I have witnessed what pride in church leadership can do to those who follow. I would definitely suggest that the battle against pride, self-sufficiency and arrogance must be won first before anyone takes any leadership role within a Christian church or ministry.

    It takes a long time to overcome these things, sometimes many years, but hey, if many in the bible like Jonn the Baptist, Moses and Christ himself had to experience “the wilderness” before taking on their ministry, why shouldn’t we?

    Thank you for letting me comment in your blog.

    Reply
  2. Michael February 23, 2010 at 10:34 am #

    I think your last paragraph is dead on. We need to lead with humility and we need someone who can stop us dead in our tracks…my wife does an excellent job and doing this…

    Reply
  3. Jim F. February 23, 2010 at 1:31 pm #

    I agree with Michael and for me it too is my wife who does this for me.

    Thanks for sharing this good word!

    Reply
  4. Grant February 23, 2010 at 6:40 pm #

    good stuff. Thanks for this.

    Reply

Trackbacks/Pingbacks:

  1. Weekly Hit List #7 | ::valenciafamily.org:: - February 26, 2010

    [...] “All that Glitters” from Stephen Brewster. Good reminder about being honest and authentic as a leader. “Small Groups are Dead” from Ben Reed. Interesting discussion about small groups and the church. There are 3-4 posts about it this week. “Think Globally, Love Locally” from Josh Harris, about the importance of the local church and how vital it is in the growth of a believer. “What Will Your Words Do Today?” from Stephen Altrogge. “Ruined for Anything Else” from Tim Challies. Great thoughts about the importance of doctrine. “Silence is not golden…Speak up!” from POTSC. [...]

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