Small-Time Leadership

I have attended some of the best conferences in the country today.  I have heard some of the most inspiring talks about leadership from great leaders.  From Leadership Summit to Saddleback to Willow Creek to Catalyst to Promise Keepers to Passion to Injoy, etc, I’ve been exposed to a lot.  But after all these leadership conferences, you know what happens?

I go home.

Back to my family.  Back to work.  Back to my local church.  And I take out the trash from the kitchen.

Real life.  Real world.

It turns out that leadership isn’t really that big of a deal – at least not in the way it is marketed by the religious machine.  Leadership is forged in everyday moments, not on stages at conferences.

My opportunity to lead comes most often in my home, not in a board meeting or staff meeting.  It’s far more likely that I will be sharing godly wisdom or parental advice with my two sons rather than speaking on a stage flanked by two large LED screens.

But that’s okay.  No, it’s a good thing.  I’d rather be a leader among a few people I can truly influence.  After all, this is what Jesus did - He invested the majority of His time in a group of twelve hand-picked men rather than pin His hopes on the fickle masses. 

For me, that begins with my family.  Beyond that, just a handful of others. 

One-life-at-a-time.