Strategic Life Action Plan (original) (raw)

leader's character (the who), motives (the why), and agenda (the what). He puts it like this, "A Godly Christian leader will work to develop, maintain, and pursue a proven character, a doxological motive (they do it for the Glory of God), and a divine agenda (our mission centers around the mission that God has given them)." 9 With all this being said, the question is, what is the "stuff" that limits my time on the main things? The Leadership Principles help flesh out how to maximize our ability to focus on the main things within our contextual leadership position. Personally, some examples of what gets in the way of my main things are lack of rest, busyness, health issues, and external stress (non-work). Let's look at each of the principles, what I have learned, and how I can practically apply them to my current situations: Principle 1: Spirituality-the power of convictions This can be summarized with a Clear Voice, Compelling Vision, and Core Values. The Clear Voice is listening to God's voice; we can't hear His voice in our lives unless we actively take the time to listen through reading His Word, prayer, and personal worship. It, depending on our situations, seems easier said than done, especially with how much I fill my days with busy work, as Peter Scazzero says, "spiritual deficits typically reveal themselves in too much activity… the terror of stopping reveals the depth of their emptiness." 10, 11 It is this spiritual deficit I find myself in much more than not because when I slow down, whether intentionally or unintentionally (i.e., illness), I feel useless and less than. Here is my plan going forward as I strive to implement Leadership Principle 1 into my life: Take time when I first awaken to pray, and not just the "thanks God for the great sleep" prayer, but to pray intentionally for the day, for my spouse, for my children, ask the Lord to help me focus on Him. To take time during lunch to read scripture outside of my normal duties of reading the Word for school studies and sermon preparation, to read it for the benefit of my soul, to meditate on it, asking the Lord to help me understand it for my life and for that day. In the