Dare Great Things For Christ

DGT Episode 156 - King Saul, Falling From Fear - The Anti-Leaders Part 14

The one who rules by fear will also fall by fear.  This saying was never so true as in the life of King Saul.  In this fourth and final episode of our commentary on Saul as an anti-leader, we see the end of his life.  He ends his life in the same way that he led it:  fearful, controlling, and inconsistent.  Saul’s life is a wonderful pattern for us to avoid.  He shows us that the temptation to control ends in folly.

DGT Episode 155 - King Saul, Of Insecurities, Intrigue, and Insanity - The Anti-Leaders Part 13

While seeing how leaders fail is never pleasant, it can also be very instructive.  The rise and the fall of King Saul in the Bible presents us a good example of a life gone awry in authority.  His jealousy over David is the most well known symptom but the cause of his downfall is rooted in something much deepers.  Not only character flaws but a stubborn pride that keeps him from accepting God’s will.  Here’s part three on my series on King Saul.

DGT Episode 154 - King Saul, Goliath, David, And The Wages Of Temerity - The Anti Leaders Part 13

Most of us remember the life of King David in the Old Testament but few of us have ever studied the life of King Saul.  Just as the life of King David is an example to us of great leadership, the life of King Saul can be seen as an example of what I call “Anti-Leadership.”  In 1 Samuel 18 and 19, this anti leadership is on full display.  Saul is not only afraid to fight Goliath but gets jealous of David.  And his fear and jealousy have a lot to teach us about our own leadership today.

DGT Episode 153 - King Saul, A Rise To A Fall - The Anti-Leaders Part 12

When it comes to leadership, I think you can learn as much from bad leaders as from good ones.  It is certainly the case in the life of King Saul.  King Saul ruled over Israel for forty-two years, beginning when he was 30 years old and his life spanned in 1 Samuel 9 all the way to 1 Samuel 31.  During his remarkable rule his faults become more and more evident.  And by studying them we can learn to avoid them in our own lives.

DGT Episode 152 - Being Realistic - Flexibility, The Art Of Power Part 4

Anyone who has ever successfully led a project to its completion can readily attest to the fact that leadership is as much of a challenge from the inside as it is from the outside.  Leaders not only have to adjust to changing circumstances and vicissitudes beyond their power, but leaders also have to play the mind game of being ready to pivot.  Being able to let go of the ideal that can sometimes keep us from success.  Our faith can help us here.  Not only by inspiring us but by keeping us realistic.

DGT Episode 151 - Staying Awake - Flexibility, The Art Of Power Part 3

Every Advent Christians are treated to readings from the Gospel which remind them to stay awake.  In Luke chapter 21 Our Lord says, “Keep on the alert at all times.”  Obviously Our Lord here is referring here to a spiritual alertness but it’s also something that we can apply in the world of business.  To what degree does a leader need to stay awake at all times?  How can his faith help him to do so?  And how can his business help him to stay awake in his faith? 

DGT Episode 150 - Pivoting Our Way To Success - Flexibility, The Art Of Power Part 2

There’s an old adage in Christianity that God writes straight with crooked lines.  The same can be said with many on their course to success.  A good leader needs to know how to bend and when to bend.  It’s like the old adage, “Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em.”  That ability to change course in the midst of a project we refer to as “pivoting.”  Beginning by our understanding of success and lived through our willingness to change , sometimes our ability to succeed depends upon our ability to pivot.    

DGT Episode 149 - Capturing Analogy - Flexibility, The Art Of Power Part 1

We all know how important determination and effort is to succeed at what we do.  After all a large portion of success is determined by our effort to get there.  What can be overlooked in this process, however, is the nimbleness and agility of mind necessary in order to make the adaptations or even change course as needed on our pathway to success.  This flexibility is something that we can cultivate and grow and it is at the very root of the art of power. 

DGT Episode 148 - The Love Of A Servant - Gregory The Great Part 6

The second book of Pope St. Gregory The Great’s “Rule For Shepherds” comes to a close by tackling one of the thorniest problems in the heart of a leader.  Whom do we serve?  On the one hand if we serve only God we run the risk of losing the people that we are called to lead.  However, if we serve the people that we are called to lead we can sometimes run amuck of our relationship with God.  The proper balance can only be found in what I call the love of a servant.

DGT Episode 147 - In The World, Not Of The World - Gregory The Great Part 5

Christian leaders have to face a constant dilemma.  Belonging to Jesus Christ and at His Service their hearts are focused on heaven, and yet having to care for the things of this world their time and their mental capacity are dominated by the things that pass.  How do we keep our souls alive and fresh in God when are time is spent with the anxieties and cares of life?  This constant problem for Christian leaders could be summed up by the expression “We need to live in the world, but not of the world.”