WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE MAKE POLITICS OUR PRAISE

Not long ago I passed a house with a shocking photo on display in the front yard. It showed a man holding up a middle finger above a caption that used the ugliest epithet to suggest what viewers could do if they didn’t vote for this guy’s presidential choice.

At first I couldn’t believe it, but quickly I realized how typical this is of what’s happening too often today. But here’s the worse part. Behind this unpleasant middle finger soared a huge white cross, the symbol of Christian love and sacrifice, also on display in the yard. But I doubt many who saw the photo noticed the cross, and those who did certainly received no clue of what the cross of Christ is all about.

When we put our political views in front of the cross of Christ, we hide it from a watching world. When politics becomes our praise, our effectiveness for God in this world is diminished, if not ruined.

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageSeptember 16, 2020politics, praise, political, worship, church, love, unity, leadership, serving, policy, platformComment

THREE WAYS TO DESTROY YOUR LEADERSHIP

If you’re interested in improving your leadership, there’s no shortage of resources to help. Most leaders have a shelf of such books, and many have spent good money attending seminars or classes that tell how to be a better leader.

But today I want to take a different angle. Recent public leadership failures have led me to think about how to DESTROY your leadership. Let me highlight just three of the many ways this can happen

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageSeptember 9, 2020leadership, mic, Thom Brennaman, Jerry Falwell Jr, Story, narrative, character, reconciliation, platform, destruction, destroy, church, liveComment

THE PERIL OF THE PLATFORM

It is easy, and perhaps even appropriate, to criticize, and perhaps even condemn, Jerry Falwell Jr. for his multiple indiscretions that finally led to his departure from Liberty University last week.

Most reports of his resignation also include a few facts about all that Falwell did to benefit the university: the property acquisitions, the fundraising, the endowment building, the enrollment growth. The school’s financial situation is exponentially stronger today because of Falwell’s accomplishments. So I’m pondering who’s really responsible for whatever negative fallout the school will receive because of this scandal. And who is responsible for the scandal itself?

Clearly, Falwell himself must shoulder significant blame. His repeated lapses in judgment and then clear violations of evangelical and Biblical norms leave him without excuse.

While some of these happened in private and the details surrounding some of them are in dispute, Falwell’s missteps have been known for years. Were those responsible for the school unable—or unwilling—to keep Falwell on a proper path?

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageSeptember 2, 2020leader, leadership struggle, character, speaking, platform, Jerry Falwell Jr, boards, management, mission, success, ministryComment

FIVE KEYS TO LEADING LONG-TERM PART 2

Last week I shared three key principles for leading long-term:

1. Have short-term memory. (Don’t let yesterday’s missteps sabotage today’s potential.)

2. Simplicity saves souls. Complexity causes confusion.

3. Make one next good decision each day. (Otherwise you’ll become overwhelmed or distracted, or both!)

These are not isolated ideas; each one leads to the next, and so let’s move from the third principle to the fourth.

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageAugust 26, 2020keys, leadership, memory, simplicity, decisions, marathon, resilience, results, leader, people, progress, coach, football, church, church leaders, wins, pandemic, corona, covidComment

FIVE KEYS TO LEADING LONG-TERM- PART 1

The longer I lead, the more I’m convinced that “longer” is the right goal. The longer you stay in the game, the more likely you are to see results.

But it isn’t easy. Walking away is easier. Giving up is faster. Blaming circumstances or people or any one of a dozen other factors may seem more reasonable. So I’ve been thinking about not only why longer is better, but also how to lead long-term. Here are three principles I’m learning to apply. (Next week I’ll add two more to complete my list of five.)

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageAugust 19, 2020leadership, leading, longevity, long-term, memory, golf, simple, good decisionsComment

Trevor DeVage

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