Okay, that’s a big claim. But that’s the category this question falls into for me.

I can’t get the question off my mind. I heard the question from Michael Hyatt and it’s proving to be so helpful.

The question addresses one of the most serious issues anyone leading anything faces: obstacles that will set you back and discourage you.

Been there?

Before we get to it, let me give you some context.

When you start out in leadership, you see the road ahead as filled with opportunities.As you get a little more experienced, you see that it’s also filled with obstacles.

Between you and the opportunities are obstacles that take out more than a fair share of leaders.

The obstacles leader routinely hit include:

Lack of money

Slow progress

Criticism

Difficult team members

Personal discouragement

Your own limits as a leader

Unforeseen circumstances

It’s easy to end up discouraged, defeated and deflated because things didn’t turn out nearly like you thought they would.

But the truth is things rarely, if ever, do turn out the way you originally think they will.

The difference between leaders who make it over time and realize their mission and the leaders who don’t is simple: successful leaders learn how to navigate obstacles.

That’s where Michael Hyatt’s excellent question comes into play.

Here’s the question:

Keep reading this post…

I was out on a bike ride the other day, and I passed someone’s house who goes to our church.

I had that thought that I think every ministry leader has had at some point.

Hey…I don’t think I’ve seen them for a while. Has it been 3 or 4 months? (Pause).

I wonder if they left?

I even tried to help one of their family members through a crisis recently. Then I thought I wonder if I made it worse…not better.

I then found myself in that awkward space. We are a larger church (about 1500 people call us home) with two locations.

How do you drill down on that?

I realized we have people who are within this family’s natural sphere of care and so of course we’re going to check in on them and make sure they’re okay.

It also made me think about how people tend to leave churches these days.

Some leave angry and cause a fight. 

Most just disappear, often without a word.

We don’t have a lot of the first kind at our church these days, but I’m sure we have some of the second.

It got me thinking…

Keep reading this post…

We’re all gifted at something.

Sometimes in the name of false modesty we pretend we’re not really that gifted. But that’s just not true.

You’re gifted at something:

Communication

Leadership

Mercy

Serving

Discernment

Music

Encouragement

Giving

And besides, it’s always good to remember that our gifting says as much about the Giver as it does about the recipient; your gifting is a reflect of God’s handiwork.

You would think a gift could only help you. But that’s not necessarily true.

It can actually hurt you.

So how does that happen?

Here’s how:

Keep reading this post…