Easily Broken, Difficult to Repair
“Trust” is a wonderful word. If I trust you I am attesting I am confident about your integrity, strength, and/or ability. Trust doesn’t come easily. When lost, it is difficult-nigh to impossible- to regain. Trust is made up of interaction (getting to truly know someone) and an established track record. It is destroyed daily in small ways. A little lie, failing to follow through on something promised, or a confidence broken. Failure to walk the talk and to do what one says he will do both rank up there on the list of trust destroyers. Truth and trust are interrelated. Read more 
The Ingredients of Leaders (in Developing Nations)
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13).
The New Testament in Contemporary English entitled, The Message by Eugene H. Peterson tells us, “They couldn’t take their eyes off them-Peter and John standing there so confident, so sure of themselves! Their fascination deepened when they realized these two laymen had no training in Scripture or formal education. They recognized them as companions of Jesus” (Page 245).
Here stood two men, uneducated and unlearned, and a group of Jewish leaders who could not take their eyes off them, and marveled. It is time for leaders in developing nations of the world, even with their limited educational background and disadvantages of poverty and adverse situations, to stand up and take their place in leadership. There is no reason for intimidation or feeling you are lesser than leaders in developed countries. Read more
The Character of a Leader – Integrity
Integrity is the quality most needed to succeed.
Integrity commits itself:
- to character over personal gain
- to people over things
- to service over power
- to principle over convenience
- to the long view over the immediate. Read more
Integrity, Where has it Gone?
In the past 100 years we have seen so much advancement in the world. More knowledge is available today than ever before! In Wayne Schmidt’s book entitled, “Soul Management – Maximizing Your Spiritual Assets in a Bottom-Line World (1996)” gives us some very interesting facts:
➢ 50% of all the scientists who ever lived are alive today.
➢ 50% of all the discoveries in natural science were made in the last century.
➢ 50% of all the books ever written were written in the last 50 years. Read more
The Day “It” Died
No one remembers the day, or for that matter the year, “It” died, but we all experienced the emptiness “It” left within society. “It” was not loud or bossy. He was not arrogant or proud. “It” was honest, faithful, blameless, dignified and honorable. “It” lived according to the strictest code of conduct and could be depended on to do the right thing, even when no one else was looking. Yes, “It” was complete within himself. He had nothing to fear, nothing to hide and nothing to prove. He was always just himself. “It” had a wholeness that few, if any, could match.
You will remember “It” when I use his full name, “Integrity.” In a world of relativity, integrity has become passé, old fashioned, and unpopular. Get to the top at all cost seems to be the order of the day. Yet the Bible has a lot to say about “It”. Read more
Keep Your Motives Right!
“He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it” (John 12:6, NIV).
A motive is a need or desire that causes a person to act or speak. The biblical example of Judas, shows how dangerous it is if our motives do not match our words. Let’s speculate for a moment. When this incident took place John probably did not know Judas was a thief. When Judas said this, it sounded good and maybe even right to John. Yes, he probably thought, “We meet poor people every day and this ointment is worth a lot of money. Yes, we could help many people with this money.” It was much later while writing his letter about the life and times of Jesus that it was all clear to him. John could not help himself; he had to mention Judas’ wrong motives. Spoken words do not always reflect what is in the heart. Read more
A Man of God, A Man of Integrity
“Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity, than he that is perverse in his lips, and is a fool”. Proverbs 19:1
With out doubt of all the traits needed in the ministry of highest priority is integrity. It was King David in the Old Testament that spoke of the benefits of integrity. (Psalms 26:1-12) Read more
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