THE RIBBON IS FREE Not long ago one newly affluent woman presented herself at a small and very exclusive hat shop that had been recommended to her. "Pierre," she exclaimed, "I must have a new…
Sermon Illustrations
ALLIGATOR SHOES One of the basic qualities of effective leadership is to know how to attain what you are looking for. Hard work and determination are important, but they are not enough to assure that…
RISK & SECURITY Change is scary, but people volunteer for dangerous tasks only when they feel safe. Leaders and followers both need something to grab onto before they will let go of their old behavior.…
SERVING/COOPERATION: It is a pleasant thought that when you help a fellow wayfarer up a mountain side, you get nearer the top yourself. From Sword of the Lord, February 5, 1988, page 3A
EIGHTY PERCENT SOLUTION During his visit to the United States the Pope met with the president of the United States. Instead of just an hour as scheduled, the meeting went on for two days. Finally,…
LEADERSHIP SCARS Thomas Winninger, President of Winninger Resources Group says that leaders have to be willing to roll up their shirt sleeves and rub elbows with life's hard knocks. When we look closely at truly…
CARNEGIE DESCRIBED LINCOLN Andrew Carnegie, an industrialist, once said of Abraham Lincoln, "His intellect shone through his eyes and illuminated his face to a degree that I have seldom or ever seen in any other.…
TODAY'S VERSION OF 1 CORINTHIANS 13 If I speak with the confidence of Rush Limbaugh and sing with the ease of Celine Dion but don't have love, my words are like scraping fingernails on a…
PERSPECTIVES ON POWER Alexander the Great sent his officers to the leader of a group of famous wise men one day with a message that "The Great King of Macedonia wishes to speak to you."…
TEACHER TIES A school teacher injured his back and had to wear a plaster cast around the upper part of his body. It fit under his shirt and was not noticeable at all. On the…
AN EYE FOR RICHES For decades even centuries after the first Spaniards landed in South America, there was a desperate and frequently violent search for riches, fabled gold and silver mines. This extended as far…
NOTHING & MISTAKES "It's only those who do nothing that make no mistakes." Joseph Conrad (1857-1924)
GODLY LEADERSHIP DECISIONS Any individual invested with the leadership mantle must fight constantly against the temptation to do that which wins the approval of people, but which almost inevitably sacrifices the approbation of God. Leadership…
EMPHASES OF SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP In his article, "Fit to Lead: Making Leadership Christian," James E. Means warns against the adoption of "Madison Avenue" leadership strategies that are more manipulation than spiritual leadership. To establish spiritual…
CHRISTIANITY PRACTICED The world is not nearly so shocked at hearing Christianity preached as it is seeing Christianity practiced!
SEARCHING FOR EFFECTIVE LEADERS In any search for effective leaders, John C. Maxwell suggests that there are ten leadership qualities to seek in such a person: Character: Character flaws are the weak links in the…
RELATIVE CHOICES Two women came before wise King Solomon, dragging between them a young man in a three-piece suit. "This young CPA agreed to marry my daughter," said one. "No! He agreed to marry MY…
CARE OF OTHERS "I am a participant in a crime . . . so long as I have superfluous food, and another person has none." Tolstoy in What Then Shall We Do?
TRADING MARBLES During the waning years of the depression in a small Southeastern Idaho community, I used to stop by Mr. Miller's roadside stand for farm-fresh produce as the season made it available. Food and…
WHAT TO DO WITH CYNICS Everyone must have a voice, but cynics must be silenced. The most ardent foes of change are those with the most to lose, which means they have power. Says William…
