Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Banquet. 

Many have commented and asked for copies of my closing Community Prayer of Hope. To facilitate those requests, here is that benediction:

Our Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the opportunity to gather here this afternoon. We have been singularly blessed by You, as we are the recipients of your love, grace and mercy in our lives.

Lord, we thank you that You are not a discriminator of persons, but have lavished your love upon us freely – despite our race, culture, heritage, education or careers.

We thank you for diversity, as it is our differences which make life exciting; but more so we are thankful that beneath the Cross is common ground.

We also thank you Lord, for those who have gone before, providing us with an example of how to live. We thank you for Dr. Martin Luther King and his example of courage, vision and hope that was fueled by faith.

We thank you for his life and legacy; his dream and encouragement for us to remain steadfast in our pursuit of justice and freedom, even in the midst of difficult circumstances and adversity. Strengthen our resolve to live, speak and act out of convictions and to live more in conformity of your will. Help us to go from this gathering with confidence and courage.

Help us, Father, to glance at ourselves, but gaze upon Jesus, in whose name we pray,

Amen

Stay the Course,

Dr. Greg Morris

A recent survey of Christmas gifts discovered that the fruitcake was chosen by 31% of respondents as the worst holiday gift. That even surpassed “no gift at all!” When asked how to dispose of such a horrible gift, 30% indicated they would hide it in a closet, 21% would return it and 19% would give it away.

If gifts are so significant, what gifts do we bring to God? Perhaps if God made out a wish list of what He wanted and what He considered to be a really good gift, what items would He list?

I think that perhaps too much of what we bring to God – even including our attempts to bring Him gifts of worship – may resemble the proverbial fruitcake more than the preferred righteousness of the heart. Like a last-minute purchase from the “SALE!” table near the cash register, we hurriedly fulfill our religious duties in the cheapest, least costly way possible, or seek to give them to someone else to do, or make ourselves as invisible as possible lest we be “volunteered” to serve in ways we think are beneath our dignity.

The prophet Micah reflected on what God truly desires when he said, “He has told you, O man, what is good; andwhat does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness,and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6.8 ESV)

In contrast to the continual animal sacrifice of his day, or even the idea that a firstborn child might atone for sons (v. 7), Micah revealed that what God desires has more to do with the heart, than with measurable externals.

So what does God want from me? What will please Him?

First, God wants His people not just to speak about justice or even to practice it. He wants us to promote justice.

Second, His people are to love mercy. This mean that He wants His followers to mirror in their relationships with others the same loyal love God always demonstrates in faithfully fulfilling His covenants.

Third, God desires a humble walk before Him. The word translated “humble” implies a careful or modest walk before God.

Knowing that God wants our hearts more than any offering, ought to cause us all to live more cautiously and purposefully. As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, “The only gift is a portion of thyself.”

So the question is; what am I giving to God? Is it a spiritual fruitcake, or is it my very self? When God unwraps His gift from you, will He want to return it or rejoice in it because it really is a great gift? It’s just a thought!

Christmas Blessings,

Dr. Greg Morris

“How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser.”          Lou Holtz

“In the realm of ideas, everything depends on enthusiasm. In the real world all rests on perseverance.”              Goethe

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Pete Hunter had the day off from his job as a mortgage loan officer when the phone rang. He had once dreamed of a long career in the NFL but was now making ends meet by working for the Petra Lending Group in Addison,Texas. After playing Division II college football at Virginia Union, Pete had been drafted in the fifth round in the 2002 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. In just the third game of his third NFL season, Pete tore his ACL in the Cowboys’ Monday night win over Washington, placing him on the injured reserve list for the rest of the season.

Before the start of the next season, Pete had been traded to the New York Jets, where he was waived after less than three weeks with the team. He was picked up by the Cleveland Browns later that year as a special teams player, seeing action in just four games in 2005. But the Browns again cut him and by the beginning of the 2006 season he was out of football.

But Pete hadn’t given up. He moved back toTexasand kept himself in shape by running, lifting weights and putting his body through strenuous conditioning. But he was beginning to wonder if all this commitment was really worth it. “Many days I wanted to give up. Then the day I was ready to call it quits, the call came.”

It was New Year’s Day, 2007 and the general manager of the Seattle Seahawks was on the other end of the line. Injuries – the very thing that had put Hunter out of the game – had now decimated the Seattle Seahawks defensive secondary. Three of their four active cornerbacks had been lost just before the playoffs and to fill in the gaps in a win or go home wild card game, they needed someone with Pete Hunter’s skills. And it certainly helped that he had played for their upcoming opponent, the Dallas Cowboys.

Would he be up to the challenge with the game less than a week away? Adding to the pre-game pressure was trash-talking Cowboys’ wide receiver Terrell Owens, who mocked the rag-tagged Seahawk defense. He referred to Hunter and the other two playersSeattlehad tossed into the line up as just “guys off the street.”

Could Hunter handle the pressure of the game as well as the national attention of a play-off contest? In the most critical game of his career, Hunter had three tackles, a fumble recovery and forced an interception. And on the final play of the game, with the Cowboys driving, it was Pete Hunter who knocked down the Hail Mary pass to Terrell Owens ensuring the Seahawks’ victory. Not bad for just a guy off the street.

Isaiah 40.31 reminds us of the familiar promise to “mount up with wings as eagles.” But it also prompts us to “walk without fainting.” Typically that is not easy. We like the flying, it’s the walking with which we have difficulty. But the reality of life is that there is much more walking and not much “mounting up with wings!”

The exceptional moments of life aren’t a test of a man’s mettle, the better question is, how do you handle discouragement? complacency? routine? Your leadership worth and depth of character is revealed in your attitude toward the ordinary and routine things. Not when you are on stage or in the limelight, but when you feel like you are on the backside of the desert. Leadership effectiveness comes not just from ability; but also from tenacity, perseverance and endurance. Missionary William Carey stated: “If, after my removal, anyone should think it worth his while to write my life, I will give you a criterion by which you may judge of its correctness. If he gives me credit for being a plodder, he will describe me justly. Anything beyond this will be too much. I can plod…to this I owe everything.”

Don’t get discouraged in the process of what God has called you to do and to be. The Apostle Paul who experienced more than his share of setbacks, summed up his commitment to persistence when he wrote in Galatians 6.9, “So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit” (The Message).

Stay the Course,

Dr. Greg Morris

Dr. Greg Morris serves as the founder and president of Leadership Dynamics™, a non-profit corporation committed to the training and development of leaders and their organizations. He has authored In Pursuit of Leadership: Principles and Practices from the Life of Moses. For more information, visit LeadershipDynamics.org, LeadershipDynamics.wordpress.com or contact mail@LeadershipDynamics.org  You can follow Greg on Twitter at @LdshpDynamics

“I want to change the pop world one sequin at a time. Artists tend to take themselves way too seriously and don’t enjoy the fun of making an impact on culture. I just have a good time and sequins represent a good time.”
Lady Gaga

“I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people… I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!”
Paul, 1 Corinthians 9.19-23, The Message

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Few would argue that growing up in today’s world is not only markedly dissimilar but significantly more problematic for today’s youth than it was for preceding generations. Today’s world is more complex, the issues more critical and the ramifications more perilous. Subsequently, ministry to this generation is much more challenging.

Every year since 1998, Beloit College, (Beloit, Wisconsin, USA) has prepared a list of cultural touchstones that differentiate the frame of reference of entering students from that of their teachers, coaches and mentors. It is designed to provide a cultural and generational snapshot to faculty and staff as they prepare to welcome the new students.

After all, members of this year’s college class of 2015 (most of them born in 1993), are the first generation to grow up taking the word “online” for granted and for whom crossing the digital divide has redefined research, informational access and original source documentation. For their younger teachers, Watergate is a distant memory; for their distinguished senior professors – the ones with a pile of vinyl LPs in the closet – the Crash and the Depression probably shaped their lives.

Young students see the world differently and the list is a reminder of just how significantly differently their intellectual framework is. Cultural references familiar to professors, might draw blank stares from their students. As Beloit College professor Tom McBride, one of the list’s creators says, “It is an alert for those of us who may be suffering from hardening of the references.”

The following abbreviated “Mindset List” may remind us that a generation, along with their rapidly changing worldview, comes and goes in the blink of an eye. (The full list can be found here or at at www.beloit.edu/mindset/2015/ ):

1. Andre the Giant, River Phoenix, Frank Zappa, Arthur Ashe and the Commodore 64 have always been dead.
2. There has always been an Internet ramp onto the information highway.
3. There have nearly always been at least two women on the Supreme Court and women have always commanded U.S. Navy ships.
4. They “swipe” cards, not merchandise.
5. “Don’t touch that dial!”….what dial?
6. Amazon has never been just a river in South America.
7. Refer to LBJ, and they might assume you’re talking about LeBron James.
8. O.J. Simpson has always been looking for the killers of Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
9. The Communist Party has never been the official political party in Russia.
10. Jimmy Carter has always been a smiling elderly man who shows up on TV to promote fair elections and disaster relief.
11. Dial-up is soooooooooo last century!
12. Sears has never sold anything out of a Big Book that could also serve as a doorstop.
13. They’ve often broken up with their significant others via texting, Facebook, or MySpace.
14. Frasier, Sam, Woody and Rebecca have never Cheerfully frequented a bar in Boston during primetime.
15. They won’t go near a retailer that lacks a website.

We must first understand this generation and its culture if we are to present the redemptive message of God’s Word in a meaningful context. You don’t have to buy into everything they say or do but you must understand their realities. Understanding their fears, opportunities, dangers and world-view will help us to respond and lead strategically. Don’t lose sight of your objective – to have an impact on this generation with the life changing truth of the gospel!

Stay the Course,

Dr. Greg Morris

Gregory K. Morris, Ph.D., is the founder and president of Leadership Dynamics™, a non-profit corporation committed to the training and development of leaders and their organizations. He has authored In Pursuit of Leadership, a study of leadership principles in the life of Moses. For more information, visit LeadershipDynamics.org or his blog at LeadershipDynamics.wordpress.com

“There are many elements to a campaign. Leadership is number one. Everything else is number two.”

Bernd Brecher

 “At a time when leadership is more crucial than ever to our very survival, there is a shortage of qualified people to lead corporations.”

James F. Bolt 

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The headline declared the obvious: “MARKETS SEEK LEADERSHIP.”

That was the front page banner recorded the day after the Dow Jones industrials posted their 6^th biggest point decline in history. Reeling from the first ever downgrade of our country’s AAA credit rating, the stock market buckled under the weight of a European crisis and the threat of a double-dip U.S. recession, giving up 5.5% of its value in a single day. The hemorrhaging has yet to stop as the DJIA is currently down more than 15% from the 2011 high.

On both sides of the Atlantic, the economic and political turmoil of the past week has sparked cries for those in power to step up and lead. But the fear spreading across Europe as well as the U.S. is that not only are our economies teetering, but our political leaders are ineffectual – or worse, incapable. “The market’s looking for leadership and leadership seems to be lacking” observed one financial expert. The analyst continued, “I’d like to see some true leadership…markets can stand bad news, but they hate uncertainty.”

Any organization, whether for profit or non-profit, depends on effective leadership to provide both short-term and continuing success. Every organizational issue, every management decision that is either implemented or postponed, is ultimately a product of leadership. Find an organization achieving excellence and you will find leadership effectiveness. Find failure and you will likely find leadership failure as well.

All around us people are searching for leaders as we instinctively seek them out and recognize the necessity for quality leadership in all areas of life. But despite our need for genuine leadership, throughout society we suffer from a leadership void. It seems that regardless of the direction in which we turn, there is a lack of principled, devoted, committed leaders. Whether the arena is politics, business, education or religion there all too often exists a leadership vacuum and it appears as if the true leader is more of a dream than a reality. The leadership landscape looks desolate and barren and even a casual observer wonders, “Where have all the leaders gone?”

Warren G. Bennis, founder of The Leadership Institute at the University of Southern California sounded the alarm when he stated that we suffer from “…a leadership crisis in most of our institutions. The leadership crisis will probably not become the basis for a best-seller or a blockbuster movie, but in many ways it is the most urgent and dangerous of the threats we face today, if only because it is insufficiently recognized and little understood.” Bennis continued: “It is the paradox of our times that precisely when the beleaguered survivors in leadership positions feel unable to summon up the vestiges of power left to them; we most need people who can lead.”

“The death of leadership is apparent throughout society. No matter where we turn, we see a severe lack of faith in the leadership of our schools, religious organizations and governments. To paraphrase a Business Week article, if Martians descended someplace in the United States and demanded that we take them to our leaders, we would have to think twice about where to take them.”

Those in the arenas of business and industry readily recognize the great need for leadership, but this leadership crisis is not limited to corporate or commercial interests, as it touches every aspect of life, extending even to religion. Pollster George Barna has written: “The church is paralyzed by the absence of godly leadership. We see millions of people busily engaged in meaningless activity in a vain attempt to find purpose, direction and comfort, but pitifully mired in chaos and confusion. It is neither the condition God intended for us, nor the necessary state of affairs.”

I am convinced that leadership is one of the most critical issues confronting us as we navigate the perilous waters of the third millennium. Yet as we embrace the responsibility and privilege that is ours, we must do so in a fresh manner. We need to revitalize organizations and institutions as we cast renewed visions and purge pet programs. New goals need to be set and priorities reorganized as we encourage those around us to accomplish what is needed in an ever changing world. Yet I also believe that we can meet the challenges presented today, if leaders are dedicated and equipped to meet those challenges by embracing unchanging leadership principles in a fresh, unselfish manner.

Harvey Mackay recounts the story of Philip Pillsbury of the Pillsbury milling family and his example and willingness to do anything on the factory floor: “The tips of three of his fingers were missing, the unmistakable mark of a journeyman grain miller. Philip Pillsbury had an international reputation as a connoisseur of fine foods and wines, but to the troops, his reputation as a man willing to do a hard, dirty job was the only one that mattered and you can be sure everyone was aware of it.”

Only through modeling authentic servant leadership will contemporary leaders effectively and strategically shape the future. It is said of Jesus, “He came to serve, not to be served.” Servant leaders may voluntarily surrender a palace lifestyle complete with all its privileges and perks to serve and lead others. The best, most effective leaders see themselves as servants. You can easily recognize them –they’re missing the tips of their fingers!

Stay the Course,

Dr. Greg Morris

This article is adapted from Greg’s book, In Pursuit of Leadership: Principles and Practices from the Life of Moses. Dr. Greg Morris serves as the founder and president of Leadership Dynamics™, a non-profit corporation committed to the training and development of leaders and their organizations. For more information, visit LeadershipDynamics.org, LeadershipDynamics.wordpress.com or contact mail@LeadershipDynamics.org  You can follow Greg on Twitter at @LdshpDynamics

William Sloan Coffin 

“First pride, then the crash. The bigger the ego the harder the fall.”

Proverbs 16.18, The Message

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The typical leadership discussion revolves around a model that flourishes with entrepreneurial style. It commonly focuses on the personality or the objectives of a single, strong, charismatic individual. It’s a model based on power: the power to influence, the power to make things happen, and the power to control. And sadly, much of the leadership we see exhibited in churches and other ministries takes its cue from this example. All too often we see Christian leaders leading through manipulation, browbeating, intimidation or coercion. We observe the misuse of power and authority as selfish ambitions are coated with a thin veneer of spirituality. The perks of Christian leadership are almost the same as those of the world with privileges seen as rights and benefits viewed as expectations. The result is that our ambitions go unchecked as we constantly pursue the bigger, faster, newer, latest and more expensive.

Of all the leadership characteristics, traits and qualities at our disposal, humility seems to be the least attractive and least pursued. A look at the contemporary leadership landscape does not seem to reveal humility as a value worth pursuing or developing. Humility is contrary to conventional thinking as Donald Trump and the would-be entrepreneurs of “The Apprentice” have yet to discuss the virtues of humility in the boardroom. In fact quite the opposite is true. Bravado and boasting confidence seem to be leadership qualities the secular world values. As former U.S. ambassador Richard Capen has observed: “Being humble is not commercially viable. It does not sell product. It does not attract media attention.”

While successful leadership in the secular arena may be equated with confidence, self-assurance, power and prestige tucked in to Numbers 12.3 is a fascinating observation of Moses. It says simply that the great Hebrew leader that led Israel out of Egyptian bondage into emancipation “…was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.”

Leaders, especially those that identify themselves as Christians, must set the standard when it comes to integrity, character and humble leadership. God has entrusted leaders with the privilege of influence and developing others for eternity’s sake. The world is addicted to recognition and speaks of leadership in terms of strength, power, command and leverage. In contrast, the Bible talks of leadership in terms of compassion, patience, gentleness and humility.

How do you know if you’re a humble leader? Here are five nutshell principles of humility:

1.  A Humble Leader Accepts Responsibility

A humble leader first examines himself before he looks to others as possible problems.

2.  A Humble Leader Promotes Honesty and Objectivity

The humble leader sees reality more clearly and is more open to honest feedback – even criticism.

3.  Humility Increases Teachability and Accountability

A humble leader listens and learns. He is accountable to others and is open to candid dialogue.

4.  Humility boosts team morale

People are drawn to humble leaders. Humble leaders pass around praise and appreciation which takes team morale higher.

5. Humility promotes and maintains servanthood

With a servant’s mindset, the humble leader continually focuses on the needs of others

During the American Revolution, a man in civilian clothes rode past a group of soldiers repairing a defensive barrier. Their leader was barking out instructions but made no other attempt to help them. When the rider asked why, the leader said with great dignity, “Sir, I am a corporal.”

The stranger apologized, dismounted and began to help the exhausted soldiers. When the task was complete, he turned to the corporal and said, “If you need some more help, son, let me know.” With that, the commander-in-chief General George Washington remounted his horse and rode on!

As a leader, the message you want to convey is, “I’m here to serve you, not use you. I’m here to develop you, not just plug you into one of my programs.” The leader that maintains that attitude of humility stays on the cutting edge, remaining creative, innovative, responsive and relevant! If we allow any form of pride to take hold, we end up focusing on ourselves, not on others. That’s manipulation, not leadership!

Stay the Course,

Dr. Greg Morris

This article is adapted from Greg’s book, In Pursuit of Leadership: Principles and Practices from the Life of Moses. Dr. Greg Morris serves as the founder and president of Leadership Dynamics™, a non-profit corporation committed to the training and development of leaders and their organizations. For more information, visit LeadershipDynamics.org, LeadershipDynamics.wordpress.com or contact mail@LeadershipDynamics.org  You can follow Greg on Twitter at @LdshpDynamics