24 July 2016 - ENCS

Pastor Josh continued the series on leadership’s 5Cs

Moving from success to significance is one of the keys

Character is what will be known for at our life’s end

It's how we live our life, the result of a long term trend

From Romans five there is a lesson on how to cope

Suffering leads to endurance, then character and hope

Josh said that character is important, per First Kings ten

Although a great leader, Solomon has too many women

He ignored God’s very clear warnings in chapter eleven

And his wives turned his heart away from God in heaven

Josh then said character is a journey, not a destination

David’s sin was a blip that caused much consternation

But his response per Psalm fifty one showed his heart

Unlike son Solomon who from God his heart did depart

Repentance is actually a restoration of true character

In fellowship with each of us, God really does prefer

He knows all of our thoughts, our deeds, and our sin

Per First John one, God’s light over darkness will win

To renounce worldly passions, God’s grace trains us to do

As was written in Paul’s letter to pastor Titus chapter two

Those with good character are zealous to do good works

Leaving no time for bad things is just one of the perks

In conclusion, every great leader has a godly character

Enabling him or her to help others in their walk for sure

17 July 2016 - ENCS

As part of the Leadership series, I was asked to speak today

Talking about "Competence : Not a Laughing Matter” I did say

All of us are leaders, Pastor Josh said a couple of weeks ago

As we influence others, the Oxford dictionary also does show

Leadership is stewardship of every God-given competency

It is a process, not just bossing people around, we did see

Competence is doing something successfully and efficiently

Paul shared another definition in his second letter to Timothy

Doing our best, being proud of our work, and the truth to tell

So in addition to being leaders, we can be competent as well

God wants us all to be competent leaders, make no mistake

And like Christ, that means a servant attitude we should take

But per a Joey Bonifacio post, serving is not always leadership

Although true leadership is always serving, he did aptly quip

Books on competent leadership, there is clearly an excess

Four attributes competent leaders must biblically possess

The first attribute of competent leaders is heartfelt humility

In Deuteronomy, Moses said that God gives us the ability

Do not think too highly of self, in Romans twelve Paul wrote 

Second Corinthians twelve has the “thorn in the flesh” quote

We should be humble because from God, all talents come

Without humility, being a servant leader would be very glum

Biblical leaders were Moses, young David, Jesus, and Paul

Humility is one word that can be used to describe them all

In practical terms, better results humble leaders generate

As a team working as one, individual skills will amalgamate

I tried to give credit to the team while shouldering any blame

And got in a fight with my boss for refusing to provide a name

In conclusion, competent leadership often requires humility

And effective leadership benefits from humility, we often see

In Philippians chapter two, Paul added more perspective

With Christ-like humility and without conceit is how to live

Remember the Proverbs adage that pride precedes the fall

This has been seen both in business circles and in football

Samson and the older David both fell into the trap of pride

Fortunately, they were redeemed for God was on their side

Unlike false humility, true humility comes from one's heart

From a balanced perspective, we should try not to depart

Honesty is the best policy should be used in both directions

Both over and understating reality should elicit objections

The second attribute is that competent leaders are aware

Of their talents and competencies, honestly to compare

In Deuteronomy, Moses said choose wise, respected men

Boast of unique talents, in Second Corinthians, Paul did pen

Knowing one’s strength, as per the Sun Tzu classic quote

Allows your team to build a sustainable competitive moat

Knowing your talents also enables you to others best serve

Sometimes what matters is where you sit on the bell curve

Being aware of resulting talent gaps is at least as important

Per Exodus four, Moses’ speech impediment was not a stunt

Paul said we have different roles in First Corinthians twelve

Comparing to a body’s unique functions, he did then delve

For whenever you veer away from your core competencies

Odds of success decrease and the stress will not please

Competent leaders therefore try to hire to fill talent gaps

Hiring top tier talent allows the leader to take more naps

Honing their talent is the third competent leader attribute

Per First Timothy six, with our gifts we should be resolute

For there is always more to learn and knowledge to expand

Luckily for us, the Bible and prayer are far from contraband

The fourth attribute is that competent leaders must apply

Joseph and Paul used their talents to successfully glorify

Paul said he was an expert builder in First Corinthians three

In that one sentence, he expressed awareness and humility

Of course, leadership is not confined to Christians alone

But Christian leaders must act in line with God’s throne

So the why and the how are as important as the what

Because a competent Christian leader is not just a robot

To be respected more than liked, leaders should choose

When faced with the choice, Biblical leaders did not refuse

Making faith visible, competent Christian leaders should

This helps their leadership and marketplace ministry good

In conclusion, we are all leaders and competent ones too

Thus a servant leadership mentality we should all imbue

Humility, awareness, honing, and applying are attributes

For stewardship of leadership, there are no substitutes

3 July 2016 - ENCS

Tonight Pastor Josh started a new series on leadership

He said we are all influencers so we all need to equip

Our position matters far less than our attitude and action

Leaders help others achieve their goals with satisfaction

5Cs of leadership, starting with confidence is the intent

Then connection, competence, character, and commitment

Confidence, Josh said, is different from arrogance or pride

The main difference is in believing that God is on your side

Hebrews ten says that confidence will be richly rewarded

We must persevere with God’s will even in times sordid

The word confidence translates as “bold resolve” in Greek

Which we need as following God’s plan is not for the weak

And the meanest people are the ones needing God’s light

So in such situations we must allow His love to shine bright

Confidence can come from three places, Josh then did say

Believing in self, in our earthly situation, or in God every day

By believing in ourselves, per Jeremiah seventeen five and six

Our hearts will depart away from the Lord, leaving us in a fix

More practically, we will either be unwilling to admit mistakes

Or when we make one, our whole world collapses and breaks

By believing in our situation, in Luke twelve Jesus did warn

When the situation changes, we will feel empty and mourn

There is nothing wrong with storing surpluses as a decision

But we must worship the provider rather than the provision

The optimal route therefore is believing in God in heaven

We will be blessed, as per Jeremiah seventeen verse seven

Jesus loved, sacrificed, and forgave more than we ever can

Which is why He was the best leader ever since time began

King Abijah demonstrated this in Second Chronicles thirteen

Despite facing a bigger army, his confidence in God was seen

He cried to the Lord and the enemy was thoroughly defeated

We should also ask for help so our mission can be completed