-- Post From My iPhone
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Monday, August 24, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
Lifting
Did you know that every time the moon's gravity causes a ten-foot tide at sea, all the continents on earth rise at least six inches. Wow! For me this adds a new level of understanding to the words “A rising tide lifts all boats.”
Today, I would like to for us to think about this principle in our leadership path: Who are we lifting. Too often in our Western idea of leadership; it is about what people can do for us, rather than what we can do for people. Simply put, if we are not lifting, we are not leading. Anthony D’Angelo puts it this way, “Build your reputation by helping other people build theirs.” John D. Rockefeller states it this way, “Good leadership consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people.”
I have always been blessed by the experience of King David—particularly his experience in the cave of Adullam. In I. Samuel 22: 1-3 we are told that four hundred men came to him. However, they were “distress, in debt, and discontented. But later many of these men become David’s “mighty men of valor.”
David lifted them! Average people—with all of their issues, under his leadership did the work of superior people. We do well to notice, David did this while he was running for his own life! He did this while dealing with his own issues! Wow! That’s good leadership.
So, today let’s commitment to lifting and who know, the person that you life today; may the very person that has to lift you tomorrow! Anthony Payton, Pastor/Teacher
-- Post From My iPhone
Today, I would like to for us to think about this principle in our leadership path: Who are we lifting. Too often in our Western idea of leadership; it is about what people can do for us, rather than what we can do for people. Simply put, if we are not lifting, we are not leading. Anthony D’Angelo puts it this way, “Build your reputation by helping other people build theirs.” John D. Rockefeller states it this way, “Good leadership consists in showing average people how to do the work of superior people.”
I have always been blessed by the experience of King David—particularly his experience in the cave of Adullam. In I. Samuel 22: 1-3 we are told that four hundred men came to him. However, they were “distress, in debt, and discontented. But later many of these men become David’s “mighty men of valor.”
David lifted them! Average people—with all of their issues, under his leadership did the work of superior people. We do well to notice, David did this while he was running for his own life! He did this while dealing with his own issues! Wow! That’s good leadership.
So, today let’s commitment to lifting and who know, the person that you life today; may the very person that has to lift you tomorrow! Anthony Payton, Pastor/Teacher
-- Post From My iPhone
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Who Has Your Ear
1 Kings 13:15-19 (HCSB)
15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16 But he answered, “I cannot go back with you, eat bread, or drink water with you in this place, 17 for a message came to me by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or go back by the way you came.’ ” 18 He said to him, “I am also a prophet like you. An angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” The old prophet deceived him, 19 and the man of God went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.
This morning for my devotional, I was reading I. Kings 13. I invite you to read it as soon as you can. It is the story of a prophet who is told one thing to do—by God, and does another. Why? An older prophet lies to him. As a result of following the false prophet, the prophet loses his life! Whether prophet and/or leader, we must be careful of who has our ear. Lies to you and about you will often come on the heels of your most successful moments. Today, please remember; you are in a war, and in the words of Aeschylus, “In war, truth is the first casualty.”
As a leader, there are always forces attempting to take you out. The bible says that in the multitude of counselors there is wisdom. Make sure you have people around you that will tell you the truth in love. These are wisdom keepers, and transmitters. We need them. The interesting thing in this story is that the “prophet of God” is bamboozled and loses his life and the false prophet, lives to bury him!
Today, watch out for lies, stay the course. Do not be bamboozled!
Anthony Payton
-- Post From My iPhone
15 Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” 16 But he answered, “I cannot go back with you, eat bread, or drink water with you in this place, 17 for a message came to me by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or go back by the way you came.’ ” 18 He said to him, “I am also a prophet like you. An angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’ ” The old prophet deceived him, 19 and the man of God went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.
This morning for my devotional, I was reading I. Kings 13. I invite you to read it as soon as you can. It is the story of a prophet who is told one thing to do—by God, and does another. Why? An older prophet lies to him. As a result of following the false prophet, the prophet loses his life! Whether prophet and/or leader, we must be careful of who has our ear. Lies to you and about you will often come on the heels of your most successful moments. Today, please remember; you are in a war, and in the words of Aeschylus, “In war, truth is the first casualty.”
As a leader, there are always forces attempting to take you out. The bible says that in the multitude of counselors there is wisdom. Make sure you have people around you that will tell you the truth in love. These are wisdom keepers, and transmitters. We need them. The interesting thing in this story is that the “prophet of God” is bamboozled and loses his life and the false prophet, lives to bury him!
Today, watch out for lies, stay the course. Do not be bamboozled!
Anthony Payton
-- Post From My iPhone
Monday, August 17, 2009
The Breakfast of Champions
I like old comics. They could tell a joke that could stay with you for years. W. C. Fields is a classic example of this. He always did his act with a drink in hand. He once said with (a drink in hand), "Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water." I like that joke.
Speaking of food, Would you believe that the breakfast of champions is not cereal, but opposition? That's right, opposition. Chances are you tried to skip breakfast this morning. However, please allow me to remind you that this breakfast is not self-service, but forced fed! Go head, ask any one that has achieved anything and you will receive a healthy and hearty amen to that fact!
But you know what? You can handle it. Correction, please, with and through God you can handle it. The duty of Opposition is very simple... to oppose everything, and propose nothing. A champion views resistance as a gift of energy. Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds.
So, go head, eat your breakfast, and say amen! Anthony Payton
-- Post From My iPhone
Speaking of food, Would you believe that the breakfast of champions is not cereal, but opposition? That's right, opposition. Chances are you tried to skip breakfast this morning. However, please allow me to remind you that this breakfast is not self-service, but forced fed! Go head, ask any one that has achieved anything and you will receive a healthy and hearty amen to that fact!
But you know what? You can handle it. Correction, please, with and through God you can handle it. The duty of Opposition is very simple... to oppose everything, and propose nothing. A champion views resistance as a gift of energy. Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds.
So, go head, eat your breakfast, and say amen! Anthony Payton
-- Post From My iPhone
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