Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

Psalm 127:1

Unless the Lord starts the church, the church planters labor in vain. 

Unless the Lord pastors the church, the pastors shepherd in vain. 

Unless the Lord preaches, the preachers preach in vain. 

Unless the Lord leads the small group, the leaders lead in vain

Unless the Lord makes his presence known in worship, the worship leaders sing in vain. 

And other times it’s important that the right person does a thing. 

A good leader knows the difference. A good leader can tell what’s called for in the moment. A good leader can discern the leading of the Spirit one way or the other.

They deal in areas in which it’s impossible to be right 100% of the time. The soul and weather are wonderfully mysterious.

That don’t need to evacuate when a hurricane is coming. 

They have a plan. A 500 year-old plan. When their spidey senses start tingling because the changes in the atmosphere tell them a storm is coming, they head for the hills. 

Literally. 

Is where God begins. 

Our limits define the borders of our dependence upon grace. 

But we trust in the name of the Lord. (Psalm 20:7)

Some trust in missiles and drones, but we trust in the name of the Lord. 

Some trust in technology and computers, but we trust in the name of the Lord. 

Some trust in science and mathematics, but we trust in the name of the Lord. 

Some trust in the arts and literature, but we trust in the name of the Lord. 

Some trust in venues and live music, but we trust in the name of the Lord. 

But life is not drawn in straight lines. 

The path from Point A to Point B usually looks more like it was drawn by a snail than a protractor. 

Leadership is one great exercise in knowing when to get out of the way.

Out of the way of others on your team. 

Out of the way of the bigger mission. 

Out of the way of yourself. 

Out of the way of the Spirit. 

The pressure to lead like someone else is great. It’s constantly being marketed to us by the “successful.” The message is a simple one, yet loud and compelling: Lead like me and you will be successful, too! 

One problem: You are not them. They are not you. Chances are, if they had led your same thing, in your same context, with your same people, with your same mission, given your same skill set and experiences, they may not be any more measurably successful than you. 

He loves your heart. That part of you that feels things. The whole spectrum of emotions and desire. That part of you that laughs and cries and loves and gets angry. That part of you that wells up with passion and excitement that you find hard to articulate.

He loves your mind. That part of you that thinks things. The infinitely complex system of nerves and synapses that catalogs memories, solves problems, and learns new skills. That part of you that investigates and questions and tests out theories. That part of you that longs to know more, to connect more dots in the universe.