Last Minute Tips for Pastors’ Easter Sermon

We all know:

·       Easter is the highest attended day of worship

·       Inactive and less active congregants will attend

·       For those who rarely attend their snapshot of the church will be Easter

·       This is the only chance you get to speak to some

·       Let’s be honest, a lot of us of thinking about Easter Lunch!

Three things you must do!

1. Create an environment of acceptance.  I know what you are thinking. That is the job of my staff and volunteers.  Speak acceptance from the pulpit. Let them know that your church is place where they will be accepted every week. Many folks do not attend church because they fear they will be rejected or judged. A word from the Pastor may change a life!
2. Present the gospel.  This may be the only clear presentation of the gospel some will hear. Follow the example of Billy Graham. Be clear, keep it simple and invite others to come to Jesus.
3. Reverence our risen Lord.  This day is about the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Honor and glorify Him.  When people leave your church  you want them to know they have been in His presence.  John 12:32 says “As for Me, if I am lifted up from the earth I will draw all people to Myself.”

By Lee T. Haley

www.leethaley.com

7 Snares That Will Trap a Leader

Have you ever noticed that a crown and a trap look similar?  It is a short trip from crown to snare. There are 7 deadly traps waiting to bring down leaders.

1.     The first trap that lies in the path of leaders is Hypocrisy. Those you desire to lead will quickly notice the hypocrite in you. It is important that your sincerity is authentic.  Living the life, you teach about will guard you against a life of hypocrisy.

2.     The second snare is Resistance. Great leaders exhibit a high degree of flexibility. When your followers observe that you always resist their ideas or suggestions your ability to lead will be greatly diminished. Learn to be a sincere listener who demonstrates an openness to new ideas and the thought processes of others.

3.     The walk of leadership is often tripped up by Inconsistency.  One of the most devastating trends in the marketplace is the escalating inconsistency of product. Those who exhibit a high level of dependability rise to the top. Great brands have failed because they did not realize the high demand of dependability. New brands emerged because they realized others had become inconsistent and they seized the moment by demonstrating dependability.  A leader who is inconsistent will lose his influence. Make sure those you lead can depend on you!

4.     The Simpleminded forget the importance of discretion and will find themselves ensnared without notice. A leader’s life path must be protected by the highest level of discretion.  One of the great Proverbs (29:11) says “A fool utters all his mind: but a wise man quietly holds it back”. One of the most admiral qualities a leader possesses is that of discretion. It is vital to your reputation.

5.     Few things are as unattractive as a leader who appears ungrateful. This fifth snare often surfaces after a leader has achieved a degree of success.  Focusing on the success of self and taking your eyes off the success of those you lead, allows you to step on the snare of Unthankfulness.  Never forget that your assignment is the success of others.

6.     Pride is possibly the most dangerous trap of all. Believing your status is self-attained and failing to acknowledge your mentors’ investment in you allows this sixth snare to cause destruction of your leadership.  A great antidote is to consistently write “Thank You” notes to those who have invested in you.

7.     The seventh snare is surfacing in every area of society. Rudeness now permeates almost every aspect of our daily lives. This serpent of self-centeredness is destroying the world. A rude leader will be short lived. Place others before yourself. Serve them, care for them and lead them. It is what leaders do.

We have been discussing keys of leadership but great leadership requires reflection. It is not only what we do that matters but what we refrain from doing keeps us leading.

It is afternoon at our mountain retreat and the aroma of fresh coffee is filling the forest calling me aside to reflect and examine my own life.

Watch for my next blog as we look at another key of leadership.

Lee Haley

How Leaders Leave a Living Legacy

“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.”  Henry Ford

“I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion.” Thomas Jefferson

Billy Graham said “The greatest legacy one can pass on to one’s children and grandchildren is not money or other material things accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and faith

Dr. Lee Allen

Growing up poor, sometimes the best entertainment was listening to the memories of the older generation. My grandmother loved to tell us about her father, Dr. Lee Allen. Being a physician in the 1800’s and early 1900’s is a bit different than 2017.  Country Docs went from home to home and were often paid with a chicken or produce from the garden.  Whatever the family in need had to share would be accepted as payment.  Being a physician in that day meant living by faith. Faith that God and good people would share enough that you could provide for your own family. From what I have gleaned about my great grandfather he was a character but also a man of character. As a child, I often thought I would follow in his footsteps.  The practice of medicine intrigued me.  The physician’s oath allured me. Was there more to the vocation than the picture of a family doctor?

Living in a small rural community gives you the opportunity to know just about everyone. When I was a child, a young physician moved down the road from us, Dr. Edwin Walker, newly married to Regina Allen. Over the years, the opportunity presented itself for my life to interface with Dr. Walker, Mrs. Regina and their wonderful daughters.  On my bookshelf is a two-volume set entitled Bible Characters by Alexander White. It was given to me by Ed and Regina Walker on June 28, 1970.  I have read and researched that set many times over the years. Biographies and character studies are my favorite reading. There is much to be gleaned from the lives of others.

As a young man who never knew his father, I am grateful for the men in my community who modeled a good father image and some who took the time to invest a few moments with me to teach a life lesson.  

On more than one occasion Dr. Ed took the time to talk with me and share a life lesson. But more important than the things he taught was the manner in which he taught. It was always done in a discretionary manner. One that always protected my privacy and exhorted me to develop stronger character. Over the years, I realized I could confide in him. He knew me, the good, the bad and yet he took the time to invest.  That is what leaders do. They make time to invest in others.  I never recall calling him that he did not return my phone call. 

One of the keys of great leadership is discretion. It opens a door to a safe place where others will listen as you inform them.  Thomas Jefferson understood the delicate nature of discretion.

I am sure Doc Walker has forgotten some of those conversations but they were imprinted in me. Some took place at his office, some at our church, a couple over a hamburger and some in his home. Now decades later what I recall is the discretionary manner in which those conversations took place.  Dr. Walker had the ability to avoid words or attitudes which would result in undesirable consequences. He was focused on practical steps of application that would yield positive and lasting results. He exercised discretion at the highest level.  Great leaders understand the difference in discretion and simple mindedness.  Discretion is focused on just, prudent and right living. Simple mindedness lacks judgement and shows little intelligent thought.  Discretion builds character while simple mindedness focuses on the temporal and leads to its own punishment. 

Leaders utilize discretion in their daily lives.  Discretionary living leads to discretionary giving. Discretionary giving yields a life of thanksgiving.  It is a life of gratefulness and a desire to invest in others that matters.  It is not your personal legacy that should be remembered but rather a legacy of giving, forgiving and thanksgiving.  When future generations read, or hear about us, our life of character should rise to the top.  Not what we had accomplished but who we were.

Dr. Edwin Walker

Decades later Dr. Edwin Walker has impacted the lives of others through simply being himself and living a life of giving, forgiving and thanksgiving. I will always be grateful to him and his dear wife Regina for the influence they had on me and the time they invested in my life.

I am honored to call him my friend, a true leader among men.

In a future blog, I will share the investment Mrs. Regina made in my life.

Watch for my next blog when we discuss another key for great leadership and share this blog with someone who needs encouragement to live a life of giving, forgiving and thanksgiving.

I hear that afternoon cup of community coffee calling me aside to reflect on life.  

How does Cream Rise to the Top?

“Time to milk “-those are words a boy hears when he grow up with dairy cows. Twice a day every day without exception that is what happened where I grew up.

A cow gives whole milk that has two components, nonfat milk, and cream. Left to settle, the cream will naturally rise to the top. Homogenization, a process introduced in 1932, breaks apart fat molecules under high pressure, leaving the fat suspended and evenly dispersed throughout the milk. 

We did not homogenize our milk but left the milk to its natural state; this allowed the cream to rise to the top. Homogenization does not contribute any nutritional benefit, but is efficiency for the corporate farm and a convenience for consumers since homogenized milk does not have to be repeatedly shaken or stirred.

Skimming the inches of fresh cream from a jar of fresh milk is a simple art. The milk is refrigerated and allowed to sit for 24 hours giving the cream plenty of time to rise to the top. The following day the cream line appears with the precision of a fine watch. It now is easy to ladle gently the cream from the milk. The cream appears thick and luscious. The milk is thin and less appealing.   

We all have heard that the cream rises to the top and most understand the analogy. Just how does that happen in the world of leadership and life?

Many corporations utilize profile tests in an effort to properly hire and promote employees. Most profile evaluations compare your natural tendencies to the behavior that you have adapted. An employee is most effective when they are behaving in their natural state. What companies really want is predictability and consistency. They want corporate behavior to be as accurate as a mathematical calculation.

They want something more than reliability they want dependability. Dependability carries the notion of reliable consistency. It means fulfilling my commitment at all cost.

Do you want to rise to the top and separate yourself from others? Leaders understand that dependability is not optional but is vital. Inconsistency is thin and less appealing. Dependability is not something one can compromise. Compromising dependability simply homogenizes you. You become uniform and similar. You blend in.

Rise to the top. Be dependable. Those you lead depend on your dependability!

Watch for my next blog when we discuss a rarely taught leadership key that will open doors that no other key opens.

Now for that cup of coffee…

True Humility is marked with a Servant Attitude

There was only one brand of coffee in our home—Community Dark Roast. Community Coffee is a local brand founded by Cap Saurage. Cap owned a country store and wanted to share his coffee with his neighbors. He had a secret blend and word spread quickly that it was the best coffee around. He named his coffee “Community Coffee’ to honor his friends and neighbors. Cap- was a humble man who wanted to share what he had with others. Cap thought more of others and less of himself.

In my hometown, there was an elderly man who lived alone with his afflicted son Burl. Burl sold peanuts out of a homemade cart. They lived quietly, humbly and did not seek to burden anyone. Every Sunday men from all walks of life attended weekly Bible study to hear a self-educated, elderly man explain deep truths of the Bible coupled with his personal wisdom. Mr. Henry had something to share with others but most of all he shared the key of humility to a community. People will interrupt their busy lives and rearrange their schedules to learn about the truth of humility. The key of humility is not something you teach. Humility is something you live. Henry Watts thought more of others and little about himself. He lived humility. You could easily see it.

Someone said ‘humility is giving God and others the credit for your success”. Yet more often, I have heard others proclaim, “I pulled myself up by my own bootstraps”. That is just another way of saying I did it by myself and I did it my way. There is little truth in those statements. 

Someone helped each of us to put on our first pair of boots, pull them up and lace them. Boots need to fit and there is a proper boot for the occasion.   There are boots for formal occasions, boots for work, boots for combat, boots to protect you from the venomous evil of creatures, and boots to protect from the elements of the world. The truth is we learned to wear boots because someone taught us about selecting the appropriate boots and proper fit. Humility like boots is something you wear. It is a part of you. A leader is not completely dressed unless you are clothed in humility and always thinking about others first.

Mama Maggie Gobran was introduced at the 2011 Global Leadership Summit. The very first quality you notice about her is humility.  

Mama Maggie, a Nobel Peace Prize nominee and former professor lived a very affluent lifestyle and was sheltered from poverty and the misfortunate. In 1989, this humble woman gave it all up to become a consecrated servant to those who live in Cairo’s slums. This world leader daily lives her humility.  Her unique life demonstrates servant leadership through humility. It is the key that opens the door to life for others. Humble leadership prefers to improve the quality of life for those you lead.

Leaders who are marked by true humility strive to improve the lives of others while seeking no recognition for their own achievements.  

In my next blog, I will tell you about the greatest compliment I ever received. I am going to get another cup of that wonderful Community Coffee!

The Secret Key to Great Leadership

I grew up in a generation when no one locked doors. Doors to your home, automobile doors even business doors were left unlocked. Vehicles were easily started without a key. There was no need to lock things up because in my rural area of South Louisiana folks shared whatever that had with others.

If you needed to borrow something you simply did and left a note, returned the item in better condition than when you borrowed it. When it was returned, you left a token of appreciation. Rarely was it money because that was a commodity most people did not have. No, what was left was usually a provocative thought: an invitation to share a cup of coffee, or a reminder that if you ever needed anything we had, feel free to stop by. Whether we’re at home or not. What was ours was yours if you needed it.

Oddly, one of my most treasured possessions of child hood was a ring of keys that unlocked nothing. Those keys always mesmerized me. I dreamed about what they could possibly open! I carried them everywhere. I pretended to unlock everything with them. I don’t recall ever locking anything away with them. Nope, keys were made to unlock doors: locked doors that contained life’s secrets and great treasures.

My early life landscape was a rural farming area surrounded by a storybook of colorful people. I was known in my community as the kid who did not have a father. My dad died before I was born. Since doors were never locked there was no need to carry keys yet my early life is full of people who took the time to share a key with me- keys to life, keys to survival and keys to success. These are the most important keys you will ever carry with you.

I grew up in a rural community with my grandparents, mother, my older sister. As a young boy I followed the footsteps of my grandfather as he plowed the rows; followed my grandmother as she did her daily chores; followed my single mother of two children to church each week; followed my sister to the point of aggravation (that is what brothers do) and when I had the chance I followed anyone who would let me tag along.

If I noticed they had a key or key ring they quickly moved to the top of my list as someone I wanted to follow.  Those keys told me they had something special somewhere and if I followed quietly, endeared myself to them –well, I just might get to see the secret treasure they were protecting.

My earliest school teachers told me I was a leader. I had learned an early lesson about leading on the farm that was useful on the first day of school.   One day while walking in the field I asked Papa (my grandfather) “How does the bell cow, the one who leads the herd, get to be the lead cow?”  His answer was simple yet earth- shaking.

“You learn to lead by following.”

Hence, I began following. I followed him every step of the day and when he sat to drink a cup of coffee-, my questions started. I have learned more over a cup of coffee with others than all my time in academic settings. The best teachers were those who shared a cup of coffee with me.

Most aspiring leaders want to begin in front of a crowd of followers. However, great leaders always begin by following. There is no real desire to be at center stage, to entertain, to make others like you, to cause them to laugh or to impress them. The real desire is to lead others to the secret treasures you have discovered. The secrets to life, the treasures of joy, the keys that protect the hidden things—a leader wants to share with those who are willing to follow first.  Tomorrow’s leaders are today’s followers.

The Secret Key to Leadership is to learn to follow first. That key is most often neglected, never used and results in false leadership, failed leaders and self-serving people who use others to benefit themselves. Sadly, false leaders never recognize their failure.

Over the years, I have collected other keys. Some I found along the way. Some I have been given. Some I’ve earned the hard way. The next key I would like to talk about is the Key to Humility.

  Look for it in my next blog post…

  I have to go get another cup of coffee.