Everyday Leadership | Why Are You Doing This?

Hi this is breathing welcome to the Salvation Army's words of life, the words of my I'm still going on. Burning takes not with us today, but joining me in this video is Stephen Nolan who is the digital media developer first downcast welcome Stephen, thank you, thank you for having.

We are so glad you're with us for these episodes. We hope you are encouraged and inspired by the three testimonies we shared during our last series this week we are launching a new series on leadership with Maj. John Murphy and actually this was a concept that was birthed from Stephen right yeah so we are thinking about new series in one of the things that came to mind, and came to heart was, you know, there's a lot of leadership books and video series that are targeted for a corporate business audience not so much an audience for your everyday leadership. What is that look like for my dad a stay at home mom. Someone who is not a boss or supervisor someone is not a business owner what is Outlook like to have leadership in your life. So we discussed that with Maj. John Murphy on what looked to be in every day leader Maj. Murphy even states that there a lot of resources but not many lands joining John Murphy is a voice that you may know from the previous series Bethany Farrell. She and John start off our series by asking an important question when it comes to leadership, why are you doing this a major Murphy how are you today will Bethany you and I'm excited about this opportunity to sit with you and we go to the same church. We do so I have the opportunity to see with son and all the different ways that you interactive the church or leader in the youth programs your you're there all the time but never really got a chance with you one-on-one to know you some excited to be a part of this process. This should be a lot of fun. It's a great topic every day leadership. There's a lot of information out there about leadership a lot of good books podcast folks talking about all over the place. I think that we can add here is that concept of everyday leadership kind of at the end of each session drawing down.

What can I do, regardless of where I am or who I am what God is given me the position or the place that he is put me. What can I do to kind of better influence the environment around me and that's really were going to start.

I think I think what we can offer here we have to offer in our discussion is really centering leadership. I think where God wants it to be really laying a strong foundation early on in the moving from there and it's exciting. We'll see. Worry we end up but let's jump you said the Bethany that that you know me a bit. Now we see each other around so you know our son Michael. Michael yeah yes I don't know what. If you do know or not but well before Michael, we felt the call to adopt. We went through the process of selecting adoption agency and the interesting thing what drew us to this adoption agency Christina first was that it was it was very open. We produced a portfolio for family stories and pictures and history right and then that was given to the mothers that were interested and in the adoption process and then through interviews and phone calls long passes the mother's chose who they wanted to raise their child on their behalf is an incredible process and we were selected at one point by this wonderful mother and as you can imagine that you have children, we started the process of preparing ourselves nesting lots of classes. Believe it or not and I were so very excited. Christina actually was in the room when the little boy was born to be a part of that, that's great. Yes, one of the first was to hold the baby. This help you little baby boy but events didn't go as we had envisioned them. We did receive a call which we thought was going to be okay now you can come home, come to the hospital and take your your child home, but the call was were sorry can we meet to have a discussion and you can imagine probably what happened. The mother decided that she wanted to raise a child, which I fully understand right, but it was heartbreaking.

I would say that's probably one of the more difficult things that we've gone through together. Christina I and it was processing that loss through asking the questions why something we you know what what really happened here that God really spoke clearly to me what he spoke loudest to me was a question and the question was why are you doing this. What was your purpose. To begin with. Was it for your benefits your families benefit or you really or were you really seeking the benefit of that child and that mother that question really shaped who we became, and really took the emphasis off of what needs are we trying to meet in our self in the actions that we take ends. How are you trying to align with what God desires for his creation not just us. You read everybody around us and I think that's a great place for us to start this first session.

That question who are you doing this for so I think our discussion on leadership needs to begin not with what we must do or what we must believe what God has done what God is doing. What are his purposes because that's the foundation that's the centering point of our leadership as believe you're establishing from the very beginning that God is the ultimate leader exactly exactly.

I don't know if you've read it.

There's a great book by Arthur Glasser called announcing the kingdom and he states that there are six major axioms in the Old Testament that are central to our understanding God in his mission and ultimately our participation in that. So let's run through those if we can have just three of them okay so first, God is absolute in his kingship on German. That doctrine, you probably remembered it or you probably memorized the words we believe, how about that God is the creator of preserving her preserver and governor all things right and in addition his rule over individuals and nations is always just right always just always righteous because whatever he does reflects his character which is righteous and just in God's power, his goodness and his holiness, his justice, patience and mercy are always prompted by a loving concern for us. His creation amazing it is. It's just as humbling thought that the ruler the creator of not just the world but the heavens that like everything that there is that he cares so deeply for ask these little peons when early executives are asking works for us and for our benefit of Bethany. The second axiom is this God's rule demands personal commitments that would be unfamiliar to believers, certainly not us right in in the Salvation Army, those of us who knowledge, God should be our God must personally commit themselves to him and his righteousness. In fact, if you read through Scripture and also the Christian tradition right in the teachings of the church. There is no acceptable alternative to that. I love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, with all your mind yes and love your neighbor as yourself. That commitment is just that those that bear his image are those people in the last in a talk about is those of us who commit ourselves to God, his subjects together, we must constitute as servant community. We are called to serve. That's who we are because God is not concerned solely with us as individuals, but with us as families as people groups as entire nations and in that because of his justice and his holiness and his righteousness, he reveals himself as opposed to racism and nationalism, sexism, worst poverty and the abuse of power. That's who he is and who he calls us to be as well so that service aspect of who we are, individually and in community is to be one of the distinguishing marks that we bear as we live out our understanding of faith in God. Earlier we talked about how God is the ultimate they met as leaders.

That's the first thing we recognize that he's the leader and follow his example and everything that you just talked about is so beautifully demonstrated in the New Testament we see Jesus living on earth right.

He was a servant leader in anything and he always spoke to the father before he made in made it and made a move on and it was just such a beautiful representation of servant leadership and I think I think were we get lost.

As believers, as we recognize the example of Jesus in that, but we don't necessarily see our role right we don't necessarily see that as the foundation for our leadership is especially when were given a task whether be related to my occupation here. Go finish this more.

Go start this or maybe it's related to my family.

I have to care for my son whose 10 years old have to take them to baseball this evening and I have to talk to the coach to have to do those things for some reason we can segment those two things and while we are influencing and were leading were not keeping in the back of her mind.

Is this for God's purposes are not goes back to my original story right.

I can I can speaking for everybody. I can go through life in unconsciously segment. I know that this is advancing God's kingdom. I know what his purposes are. I know he's for the redemption of the world, but when I'm doing this that that doesn't necessarily connect to that in a and I think that's a disservice it's doing a disservice to us right as kingdom agents.

If we want to put it that way but it is it is not honoring God in being his creation and understanding why he is giving me the opportunity to raise a 10-year-old boy right given me the opportunity to perform this task given me the opportunity to speak to my sons coach. All of those in his mind relate to the redemption of the world and I need to consistently remember that in my own life major. I love that because it's just unique from all those other leadership resources and books and things that you can get where and the goals are just so different. But when it's when it's the view of Christian leadership. It's very clear on reinventing the kingdom. There is a definite there is a foundation and there is a definite direction and everything revolves around that I truly believe that, and it applies to every person doesn't matter if I'm a boss of anybody or not, or if I just sit in a cubicle and go home at the end of the day.

Everybody's got a part in this leadership will will definitely later looking forward to that. So what can we go home with firmness at this, choose one right just one one task one obligation one responsibility and a lot of those write one conversation one relationship just want one of those things that you have presented to you. We could say one of those things is on your table right just choose one of those and ask yourself sincerely why am I doing, why am I doing in my working to advance the kingdom. How am I serving God's purposes in this specific instance and you'd be surprised. You really would be surprised the Salvation Army's mission doing the most good. Helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army visit Salvation Army USA.org to offer your support and would love to hear from call 1-800-229-9965 or visit Salvation Army radio.org to connect tell us that we can help your prayer requests or your testimony with your permission would love to use your story on the show. You can also subscribe to words of life in your favorite podcast store or visit Salvation Army radio.org to learn about more programs produced by the Salvation Army and if you don't have a church home. We invite you to visit your local Salvation Army worship center will be glad to see you join us next Salvation Army's words