Leadership...what fun, what fun

So today I came into the office pondering the concept of Leadership. Sure, I've got things to - but I think from time to time it's healthy to just sit, and think. It keeps us fresh - on our toes. And these past few weeks the issue I'm pondering this morning has really been an issue for a few friends of mine. They'll obviously go nameless, but one friend in particular needs our prayers. He's a leader, a shepherd of sorts - yet many who called themselves members of his "flock" have charted a new path for themselves...and attempted to chart a new path for him. It hasn't gone very well so far...M. Scott Peck said, "The best decision-makers are those who are willing to suffer the most over their decisions but still retain their ability to be decisive." My, my, my how true this is for one who serves as a Pastor. And I'm finding every single day that absolutely no one understands the pressures, daily, of a pastor than he who has served, or is serving, in that role. No, a pastor isn't a CEO - Christ is the church's Chief Executive. But a great deal of Administrative responsibility rests on the shoulders of the pastor. After all, he answers directly to the CEO...and no, he isn't just a supervisor, though a church, whether large or small, undoubtedly has those who he serves as a supervisor to. You see, the weight of not only his own spiritual condition weighs on his shoulders, but also the weight of his family, and his church. It's a heavy job, this role we call pastor.Erwin Potts said it best when he said, "The pioneers are the guys with arrows in their backs." To go one step further, I'll add..and the vast majority of those arrows came from those who he considered closest to him. It's a sad thing when a group of people, especially a church, forget who their real enemy is and begin self-attacks. It's been said that the church is the only army that is cannibalistic at the drop of a hat. And how true that is. I think it's safe to say that we all agree on the condition of our world - things are bad, and only getting worse. Not only is disease rampant in every corner of our globe, but sin is holding the vast majority of civilization in a choke hold. People are dying. Even worse, people are dying and going to hell for eternity. We all preach that. We all teach that. We even say we truly believe that. Yet if I were an outsider - looking into the world of the church, I'm not sure I'd buy into it. After all - if people who call themselves Christians truly believed that a lost person was headed for hell - wouldn't they be spending their time trying to reach that lost person instead of tearing each other to shreds? Hmm...there's some food for thought.Yesterday afternoon our worship band was here at the church practicing. I went in to say hello on my way to the house and someone exclaimed, "We have rats!!!" Well, that's a statement you really can't just walk away from so I asked for more info. Turns out, one of our guitarists and his girlfriend have gotten some new pets that they will apparently share custody of...they'll bounce from his house to her house on regular intervals...and you guessed it, they are rats. Not hamsters. Not gerbils. Not guinea pigs. Rats. Real, get into your cabinets and eat your food, nasty long scaley tails, rodent quality, rats. Why? They say they are extremely smart animals, so they wanted a couple. Now they are pretty, I have to admit...but I can't say I'd have one as a pet...but to each their own, I guess.But can I just say this one thing before I sign off from this long book I've written? We aren't the only church that has a rat infestation. Leaders: beware. As you strive to lead those entrusted to you through the peaks and valleys of life, there are probably some rats among the flock. They may be hiding in sheeps clothing, but they'll eat you alive at first chance. They'll be the ones that haven't reached a single soul for eternity, but want to critique the way you have. Lao-Tzu once said, "At the end of the days of truly great leaders, the people will say about them, 'We did it ourselves.'" And so goes the life of a pastor - or any true leader.Just do me this one favor, will you? Before you spend a minute criticizing a leader - spend 2 minutes praying for him. It's amazing what a little time with the Lord will do for our hearts...

That's just a thought...and I welcome yours.

Feel free to email me anytime at pastorblakeman@yahoo.com

Live blessed - blake