Leadership Thought: What Is the Right Way to Worship God?

Dear Friends

Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals. Psalm 150:1-6

Your worship looks a little different from the Psalmist's description of his worship.

I remember the time when a couple of members of a Vineyard Fellowship joined us for worship. The Vineyard churches place a strong emphasis on freedom during their services. If you attended a Vineyard church, you might see several different forms and expressions of worship, and one of the forms you might see is people dancing during the service.

Now you might be comfortable with people raising their hands in worship, but dancing- that’s where I would draw the line.

One Sunday, I watched a couple dancing during our praise and worship time, dancing in front of their chairs. With their hands lifted high, they expressed the joy in their hearts. It was a different way of worshipping than I was accustomed to, but for them, their form of worship was a real and natural way of expressing their love for Jesus.

As I watched them, my mind drifted back to my first worship experience while on a mission trip to Haiti, where I witnessed the freedom and exuberance of the Haitian people as they worshipped God.

There is no formula for true worship, any more than there is one way to pray. Praying and worshipping are matters of the heart, and as such, they will be expressed in different ways by different people.

Let us never be like the man who sat next to a friend of mine in worship. During one of the praise songs, my friend asked the man if he minded him raising his hands during his singing.

“Yes, I do,” the man replied.  Now that might have been the last time my friend ever worshipped in that church, but he was gracious and respectful, and he honored the man’s wishes.

The word worship comes from a Greek word meaning to turn and kiss. When you turn to kiss your wife, you don’t follow a ten-step formula for kissing her; you just kiss her as your heart moves you to do. There is no set way or right procedure; you just let your feelings dictate your expression, and you don’t worry about how or where you do it.

There is no set way for worshipping God. Some might raise their hands, and some might keep them in their pockets. Some sit quietly, and some get up, waving worship flags as they dance throughout the sanctuary. Now, I don’t know if your church is quite ready for dancing and flag-waving, but for some churches, this is how people express their worship.

When David brought the ark of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom into the city of David, he did so with great joy, and we read, “David danced before the Lord with all his might, and he was girded with a linen ephod” (short for boxer trunks). David danced as trumpets played and people shouted forth their praise. And we are told that when Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked out and saw David dancing in his boxers as he leaped and danced before the Lord, “she despised him in her heart.” (2 Samuel 6:16)

Now, somewhere during that service, we too might have drawn the line, but David didn’t care. He was so excited, so filled with a heart of worship, that he didn’t worry about what people might say or think.

However, we worship, may it be an enthusiastic and uninhibited expression of our love for Jesus, always remembering with A.W. Tozer, who said, “worship means to feel in the heart.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: The Divine Domino Effect

Dear Friends,

Tom Harper oversees Biblical Leadership, a teaching ministry for those engaged in church work.  This is a wonderful teaching tool for those seeking to increase and develop their leadership abilities.

Tom’s message yesterday was very convicting, and I hope it will be for you as well.

Tom writes, In the summer of 2001, I embarked on my first-ever short-term mission trip. We went to Cuba, where my faith was stretched. God's character and his ways overwhelmed me.

A few months later, I decided to try to read the Bible all the way through. During this spiritual journey, our second child was born. Soon after, I tried my hand at teaching in church.

These events were like dominoes falling. Each clinked against the next like a schoolchild nudging his neighbor with a whisper "It's your turn."

I recently found a journal entry from 2004, right after I'd finished my three-year initial traipse through the Old Testament. It hits me squarely these decades later:

"As I'm beginning the New Testament, something just occurred to me. If I think there is so much wisdom, truth, knowledge and power in this Bible, if I believe it speaks to every area of life, if I believe it can cut to the heart of a man and save him, and if this book is the only one written by God himself—then why am I not studying it more deeply and seeking to become more intimately familiar with it, with all my heart and mind?"

I'm still hungry to learn and grow. Are you? No matter how many dominos have toppled in our wake, we have more to learn, new places to go.

Let's embrace the Word with full faith that it can change us. That it can strengthen us for whatever God has planned next.

In growth mode,

(See below to sign up for his free bi- weekly ministry resources).

Tom Harper
Founder, BiblicalLeadership.com

Leadership Thought: Wake up!!!! And Get Out of Bed!!!

Dear Friends.

One of my good friends, Dan Herrman, is a hospice chaplain, and periodically he is responsible for providing a reflection for those on his hospice team. Last week, he shared the message below that I am passing along to you as I thought it was an excellent Leadership Thought to share with each of you today. 

Have a wonderful weekend,

Tom

Reflection:   Wake Up!!!  And Get Out of Bed!!!  

Good morning!!!  I pray your day is off to a good start.

Last reflection I shared with you “Don’t Turn off the Movie!!!”

Today I share with you WAKE UP!!!  GET OUT OF BED!!!

And I mean that literally, and figuratively and metaphorically.

Yes.  WAKE UP AND GET OUT OF BED!!!!

I know what we do is not easy.  It’s not fun.  And sometimes we feel lousy, sometimes we are exhausted, sometimes we are sad and maybe even depressed.  If I didn’t have something worthwhile to do, something important to do, I think I might never get out of bed.  The good news is, we all have something very important to do.  As Chaplain Mario says, “It’s not what we got to do, but what we get to do”.

So how do we get going when we don’t feel like getting going.  We are all looking for the magic pill.  And here it is.

THANK YOU, GOD!  THANK YOU, LORD!  THANK YOU, LORD!

Try it.  It always works.  Repeat it several times.  What may come up first is the thought that you had the sense to say thank you.

Or try this.  Lord, I am not ok today.  Lord, I have no energy.  I can’t do it. PLEASE HELP ME!  Whoever told you that you are supposed to do life on your own, in your own power, was lying to you.  God’s great promise to each and every one of us is “I will never leave you or forsake you.”  He is always ready to help us.  And you know what, it gives Him great joy when we ask Him for help.  It’s not an imposition.  So wake up and get out of bed.  Be thankful for what you have, and for what you don’t have.  And never, ever forget to ask for help.

I pray today that you have joy as you navigate through today’s tasks and challenges.  I pray that you have the wisdom to realize that you can’t do life in your own power.  I pray that you remember that your God is always with you, always ready to help you.

AMEN AND AMEN!!!

Leadership Thought: It’s Time for Our Political Leaders to Start Leading

Dear Friends,

Yesterday I was amazed to watch a congressional hearing where politicians on both sides of the aisle spent most all their time tearing down one another. There was little effort to listen or try to understand one another's position.  It was the “I gotcha" game at its best.

The goal of each speaker was to attack his/her opponent, often by demeaning and embarrassing them. No one wanted to solve a problem or try to understand one another. No one wanted to listen to what their opponent had to say. The obvious goal of the discussion was for each person to win his argument by tearing down the other person.

Sadly, nothing is ever accomplished and there are never any winners in a game like that. Shame on our politicians for being what John Maxwell calls "low road' leaders.

In his new book High Road Leadership, John describes the need today for a different kind of leader, a "high road” leader 

"We desperately need high road leaders today who are more concerned about solving problems than winning  arguments.”......"No matter what the circumstances, if we want to be good leaders, we must come to the table, sit in the middle without choosing a side, listen to others, and work to bring people together..... If we can't work with people who disagree with you, you will never become the leader you could be."

How does one become a” high road” leader? John says, “By treating others better than they treat you, and with consistency and without judgmentalism… High road leaders don’t focus on the chasm between people, they focus on connection.”

Sounds a lot like the teaching of Jesus who taught his followers to heed His example by loving one another as He loved us- sacrificially, unconditionally, and through actions rather than just feelings.

And yes, Jesus instructed his followers “to love their enemies,  and to do good to those who hate them, and pray for those who mistreat them” (Luke 6:27-28).

Maybe our leaders need to open their bibles and take note of the words of the greatest ‘High Road’ leader who ever lived.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S. "Hate has caused a lot of problems in the world but has not solved one yet." Maya Angelou.

Leadership Thought: Preachers and Their Five Thousand Dollar Sneakers

Dear Friends,

The other day l received an e-mail article from a good  friend. The headline intrigued me: “Preachers and their $5,000 sneakers: Why one man started an Instagram account showing churches’ wealth.”  

The article by Ben Kirby documents well known pastors whose names many would recognize (I choose not to mention them, but should you be interested, you can go to the link at the end of this message for the article). The story spoke of pastors wearing new designer suits in the $ 2,000’s, sporting $5,000 sneakers,  and $ 2,ooo crocodile belts. 

The writer simply asks, “How much is too much? Is it okay to get rich off of preaching about Jesus? Is it okay to be making twice as much as the medium income of your congregation?  Kirby  highlights a nationwide trend of pastors wearing oversized glasses, tight jeans and pricey kicks, who look  like they belonged at your local craft cocktail watering hole instead of church.”  

As one who does much of his clothes shopping at the Calico Cat and Monarch thrift stores, and who gladly welcomes his family’s hand me downs,  not because I am cheap, but because I never met a bargain that I didn’t like,  I was surprised by the lengths some well-known pastors would go to provide  statements of their status. 

My e-mail friend who sent me the article reminded me of the words of well-known evangelical speaker Tony Campolo who happened to be speaking at a church I was pastoring. I was excited to have him share the pulpit after having heard him at an outdoor Creation Festival in the early 90’s when his message on discipleship profoundly impacted my life. 

I  quickly discovered that inviting Tony to speak was a dangerous proposition; it doesn’t come without risk as  Tony is as unbridled as can be and you take your chances for you can never be sure who he is going to challenge, and yes, even offend. Tony has never been known to mince words when talking about the cost of discipleship.

Midway through the message, Tony asked. “If Jesus had been given $40,000 and was living in Haiti, would he have spent it on the purchase of  a new BMW? It was a penetrating question, designed to make some people extremely uncomfortable, and I am sure it did. I still remember wincing and slinking down behind the pulpit hoping to hide my eyes from the icy stares from some of our more wealthy church members. 

My friend remembered the message and reminded me of it, and the fact that I even invited him back for a second time a few years later.  I e-mailed these words back to him:  “Unfortunately, it is so true that there are well respected pastors who are milking their flocks……. Thanks for sending me the article and the reminder of Tony’s message. Don’t you ever go out and buy a new Beemer or a Mercedes!, that is, unless you want to be the subject in my next Leadership Thought.” 

The writer of Proverbs reminds us “Trust in your money and down you go! Trust in God and flourish as a tree!” No, the Bible is not suggesting it is wrong to have and enjoy wealth, but only that one needs to be careful how you use it, for wrongly used, it will destroy you. 

Pastor Rick Warren  writes in one of his recent  Pastors’ Newsletters, “Money shows what you love most, (and) shows you what your trust most……….. There is a direct connection between maturity and money. There is a direct connection between God’s blessing in your life and what you do with your cash. Don’t miss the connection. How you handle money determines how much God can bless your life.” The bible says, “If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own” (Luke 16 :11-12)? 

I know I may have lost some friends among those of you who own and drive new and expensive cars but having been to Haiti several times on mission trips I don’t apologize for the challenge. It is easy to wear WWJD bracelets on our wrists; it’s another thing to be good stewards of worldly wealth.  

I don’t begrudge any one for the money they make or how they choose to spend it. However, let me provide one last suggestion: “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10). 

Read more at … https://www.washingtonpost.com/religion/2021/03/22/preachers-sneakers-instagram-wealth/

                                                Adapted from a previous Leadership Thought

Leadership Thought: Are You a Member of the Compliment Club?

Dear Friends,

If encouragement is oxygen to the soul, and we can’t live very long without it, and if the Bible frequently exhorts us to encourage one another, (1 Thess. 5:11 and Hebrews 10: 25), why is it that so few people take the time to offer it?

Encouragement is so easy to give. It takes little effort and only a few seconds to give, and yet a few timely words can make a person's day.

The other day, I was having lunch with a friend, and our waitress was especially helpful and attentive.

As she stopped by for the 3^rd time to ask us how we were doing, I thanked her for her continued attention, and I told her how impressed I was with her service.

I said, “In my book, you are the waitress of the year,” and with those words, her face lit up, and she replied, “Thank you, thank you, you will never know how much those words meant to me.”

Just a few short words, but those words helped make a server’s day.

It was Mother Teresa who said, “Kind words are short and easy to speak, but their echoes are endless.”

I still hear those encouragement echoes from my mother, from coaches I’ve had, friends I’ve made, and nurses who recently tended to me while I was in the hospital.

“Great job,” “you can do it,” “I believe in you,” are words everyone longs to hear.

New Testament writer William Barclay states, “One of the highest of human duties is the duty of encouragement. It is easy to laugh at men’s ideals; it is easy to pour cold water on their enthusiasm; It is easy to discourage others. The world is full of discouragers. We have a Christian duty to encourage another. Many a time a word of praise or thanks or appreciation or cheer has kept a man on his feet. Blessed is the man who speaks such a word.” William Barkley, The Letter to the Hebrews.

Today I want to challenge you to be intentional. Be on the lookout for  opportunities to encourage someone.

Give positive feedback, let someone know how they helped you, smile, offer a compliment, send a card or write a letter, listen with not only your ears but your heart, express your care, follow up, hug someone, and notice when people encourage you and thank them.

Join the compliment club and you will not only bless others, but you yourself will be blessed for as we all know. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Leadership Thought: Leadership Wisdom from One of the World’s Greatest Leaders

Dear Friends,

During my hip surgery recovery, I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time revisiting several books I had previously read  on the subject of leadership, What I share are some of the notes  I had taken from  The Leader's Greatest Return, by John Maxwell, a book I first read in 2022. I am indebted to John for his leadership wisdom, and most all of what I've written derives  from notes I had taken from the first chapter or John's bestselling book.

My hope is that you will find some nuggets of wisdom that will assist you in becoming a more effective leader.

You may be saying, "Tom, you don't know me. I am not a leader," but nothing could be further from the truth, for everyone is a leader. If leadership could be summed up in one word, and I think it can, it  would be the word influence. You are either a good influence or a bad influence, and the kind of leader you are- a good leader of a bad leader will depend on the kind of influence you exercise. 

“What are the qualities one looks for in searching for a leader?  I suggest you develop your own list. In doing so you might write down words like attitude, relatability, integrity, creativity, personality, intelligence, determination.......Half the battle in finding a good leader is knowing what you are looking for.”

“Recognize that everyone you invite to be a part of your team will do one of two things- make you better or worse, for people decisions cannot be hidden.” 

“Dale Carnegie states ‘Men are developed in the same way gold is mined... Several tons of dirt must be moved to get an ounce of gold, but you don't go into the mine looking for dirt, you go into the mine looking for gold.”

“Great leaders have the ability to make others greater by helping increase the vision they have of themselves.”

“When you believe in your people, they begin to believe in themselves. When people believe in you, they will try harder to please you. Abraham Lincoln said, ‘I'm a  success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn't have the heart to let him down.’" 

“People who believe in you will bring out the best in you”…When you think of high points in your life,  you often will think of some important person's  words of encouragement spoken to you during the course of your life, and those words were life changing. I personally will never forget the words of a former pastor friend Dick Armstrong who told me over the phone, "You are the man for the position," and those words instilled within me the  kind of confidence that assured me that I was capable of leading an inter racial inner city church in Philadelphia church in spite of having no previous experience in urban or inter racial ministry.

“Abraham Lincoln said 'I'm a success today because I had a friend who believed in me, and I didn't have the heart to let him down.’  It is true that people who believe in you bring out the best in you. Former politician Mark Sanborn said, “great leaders help people have a larger vision of themselves.”

“When hiring someone, there are four questions that are helpful to ask to determine if the person will be a good fit. “

“1. How did the culture at your last company empower or disempower you?

2. What are the character traits of the best boss you ever had?

3. Describe how you handle conflicts with one of your coworkers?

 4. What form of feedback do you expect to receive in this role and how often do you expect to receive it?”

“When you bring someone new onto your team, make sure they have clear expectations. Remind them that they are expected to keep growing, and that they must value other people, always take responsibility for their actions and never avoid tough conversations.”

“A former Delta Air executive, ‘ Says we hire for attitude, but we train for aptitude....... Good leaders want more for their people than they want for themselves. ……….Empathy is critical and combined with integrity, it drives trust and gives followers a sense that their interests are being looked after, and this creates positive energy. Followers who sense that a leader appreciates them are motivated to carry out their duties in a more committed way.’”

“It's important to know whether your workers enjoy work. Warren Buffett, chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, loves what he does so much that he says, ' I tap dance to work every day,' and Tommy Lasorda, former Los Angeles baseball  manager, when asked about his attitude, 'said the best day of my life is when I manage a winning game. The second-best day of my life is when I manage a losing game.'”

“Character is about managing your life so well that you can lead others well. The formation of your character produces predictability, dependability, and consistency, and these three qualities motivate people to place their confidence in you”. 

I hope some of the above leadership insights can assist you whether you are in formal or informal leadership positions or not.

And again ,I thank John Maxwell for his insights found in The Leaders Greatest Return

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom