Leadership for Life: Enduring the hard times 4th August 2013

Leadership for Life: Enduring the hard times

1. What is a leader?

2. What are ‘hard times’?

3. How are we to endure hard times?

Leadership for Life: Enduring the hard times

1. What is a leader?

1. What is a leader?

Leadership is a relationship of influence

NehemiahCountry of origin: Babylon. Moved to

Jerusalem.Previous occupations: Cup bearer to King

of Babylon.Current occupation: Wall builder/project

managerStrengths: A man of prayer and persistence - Brilliant planner, organiser and motivator - Keeps calm in the face of opposition - excellent skills in discernment.

Paul

PaulPlace of origin: TarsusPrevious occupations: Pharisee and persecutor

of ChristiansCurrent occupation: Tent maker, itinerant

preacher of the gospel, esp. to gentilesStrengths: Wrote a lot of letters – many

published. -carried the gospel across the Roman empire on

his missionary journeys- Very zealous for God – ‘for me to live is Christ

and to die is gain’- Bravery in the face of great hardship including

flogging, shipwreck and persecution.

Leadership for Life: Enduring the hard times

2. What are ‘hard times’?

2. What are hard times?Nehemiah: distraction

2. What are hard times?

Paul: his thorn

Leadership for Life: Enduring the hard times

3. How are we to endure hard times?

3. How are we to endure hard times?

Nehemiah: discernment

3. How are we to endure hard times?

Nehemiah: prayer

3. How are we to endure hard times?

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L8Em5vU0FU

3. How are we to endure hard times?

Paul: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’

“A theology of weakness challenges us to look at weakness not as a worldly weakness that allows us to be manipulated by the powerful in society and church,

but as a total and unconditional dependence on God that opens us to be true channels of the divine power that heals the wounds of humanity and renews the face of the earth.”Henri Nouwen

Response1. What is distracting you from God’s

vision for your life?Write them on a post-it and leave them at the cross.

2. As a church community , how can we grow in a ‘theology of weakness’ – of seeing Christ’s power in our weaknesses? What ideas do you have?Write on a post-it and stick it on the board! We’d love to hear them!  (Nouwen quote is on board.)