Links for Leaders 4/20/18

3 Spiritual Vitality Warning Signs for Pastors—Dan Reiland

Putting a price tag on great training and experience is hard. They are truly invaluable.

But there is also a risk. That theological training and ministry experience you have as the spiritual leader may place you ahead of many in the congregation, much like a doctor knows more about medicine or a lawyer has studied the law.

However, if the doctor or lawyer relies on what they learned years ago, they will lack the necessary freshness to what is new in the field, and they can lose touch or even become irrelevant.

Why Influence Isn’t Based on How Much You Have—Chris Brown

The world says that to be influential, you have to be powerful. You have to be loud, and probably wealthy. You should also wear nice clothes, drive a shiny new car, and have lots and lots of stuff. Influence is reserved for an elite few.

But God says something else: Influence is available to anyone in any walk of life. It’s earned through persistence and wisdom. It comes when you honor God in whatever He’s given you, whether that’s very little or a whole lot. And it comes to those who don’t necessarily go looking for it. In other words, influence is the result of biblical stewardship—managing God’s blessings, God’s way, for God’s glory.

10 Unmistakable Signs You’re Talking Like a Leader—Scott Cochrane

Take the time to study the communication skills of great leaders. Watch and listen for how they deliver their message in a way that is compelling, clear, respectful, and so on. Discern how they apply these principles into their communication.

And then be purposeful in incorporating these principles into your own communication.

Because the mark of great leadership is not only found in what you say, but in how you say it.

Want to Improve Your Communication Skills? Stop Saying These 25 Words—Matthew McCreary

For thousands of years, our most powerful tools to change the world and our surroundings have been our words. That’s still true today.

From the lines you hear on TV, the commentary you hear through podcasts to the social media posts you read on a daily basis, our words guide us through everything. It’s why political campaigns spend so much time on messaging, why companies spend so much time on advertising and why I work as an editor. Because words are powerful, they shape how we see the world.

Don’t Glorify Your Busyness: An Appeal to Community—Caroline Case

Small groups directly counter self-centered living by having us open Scripture, study God’s words, and take on Jesus’ lifestyle. Small groups put us in the position to not only absorb truth, but also to go and live out what we believe. We are able to spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24)—this includes serving our community.

The temptation to hide behind our schedules—to distract ourselves so we don’t deal with our sin and our sainthood—is a real one. But it’s a temptation that gets a little less strong the more we spend time in community with other believers.