The Enduring Value of a Mentor

There we sat, a cluster of six. A stubby orange candle burned at the centre of our table, flickering shadows across our faces. One spoke; five listened. Every question was handled with such grace, such ease—each answer drawn from deep wells of wisdom, shaped by tough decisions, nurtured by time. And pain. And mistakes and […]

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True Teamwork: What It Takes

As a lifelong admirer of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, I have devoured more than a few biographies about him. Among the best was Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin, a volume that presents Lincoln’s brilliant political act of enlisting into his cabinet some of the men who had run against him. Surrounded by a […]

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The Dark Side of Greatness

“There lies the most perfect ruler of men the world has ever seen . . . [and] now he belongs to the ages.” Of whom was this said? One of the Caesars? No. Napoleon? No. Alexander the Great? No. Eisenhower? Patton? MacArthur . . . or some earlier military strategist like Grant or Lee or […]

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Servant-Hearted Leaders

Read Esther 2:10-20. Esther sustained a continually teachable spirit. “Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make them known . . . Esther had not yet made known her kindred or her people, even as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther did what Mordecai told her as she had done when under his care” […]

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Innovative Planning

Read Genesis 47:1-26. Joseph had an innovative plan, something that had never been done before. “In order for the land to produce, we must spread out over this land,” he said. Prior to this they had been settled in only a few well-populated regions. Those places represented their homes, their work, their farms, and their […]

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How to Handle Straying Saints

Have you ever rescued someone from drowning? If so, you know how victims often fight their rescuers in the hysteria of that terrifying moment. The same is often true when an attempt is made to rescue those who are floundering spiritually because their faith has suffered shipwreck. Author and teacher Howard Hendricks tells the story […]

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Spiritual Leadership

Leadership is influence. To the extent we influence others, we lead them. Lord Montgomery implied this when he wrote . . . Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose, and the character which inspires confidence. We could name many great people who did just that, whether they […]

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Seven Building Blocks for Leaders

I can’t think of a better model of leadership than Nehemiah. I once sat down and looked over Nehemiah’s shoulder for a couple of hours, reviewing the things this ancient Jewish leader recorded while rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem. As I read, it dawned on me that his journal is a storehouse of leadership insights. […]

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One Person We All Need (and One We Need to Be)

“When all else fails, read the instructions.” That little, seven-word warning ought to appear on every electric train set, every plastic model, every backyard swing set in a two-ton package, every high-tech gizmo—anything that comes disassembled or requires electricity. Don’t try to pretend this doesn’t apply to you! I have no doubt that, just like […]

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