Leadership Thought: Books and Authors Who Have Influenced My Life.

Dear Friends

This morning as I looked beyond my computer to a bookshelf filled with favorite friends, I took a few moments to reflect on how these friends have impacted my life.

I have never personally met any of the authors of these friends, but I live with daily gratitude for the truths they have shared over the years, truths which have forever impacted and influenced my life and ministry

I have learned leadership principles from John Maxwell, preaching insights from Chuck Swindoll, parenting skills from James Dobson, biblical truths from Warren Wiersbe, and devotional inspiration from Oswald Chambers.

I think of other writers like Oswald Sanders, David Jeremiah, Randy Alcorn, Win Arn, Peter Wagner, James Kennedy, and Philip Yancy, all of whom penned words of timely truth that addressed specific areas of need in my life. 

I am indebted to these writers, as well and others like them, but if I had to choose only one from a list of influential authors, it would be Rick Warren, whose wisdom and insights have most profoundly impacted my practice and understanding of ministry.

Rick recently retired after 40 years of ministry at Saddleback Church in California, a church he started, and one which grew to be one of the largest and most influential churches in the world. In 2002 Rick, who once was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world, wrote The Purpose Driven Life, which according to the George Barna Research Institute is the second most influential book ever written.

Today over 30 million copies of the book have been sold. The book became so successful that it generated enough income to enable Rick to return his last 25 years of church salary to his church. That should be enough to make almost anyone curious enough to read his book.

What I appreciate about Rick is his record of personal integrity and his ability to present spiritual truth in clear, concise and practical ways.

I always keep handy his “Purpose Driven Life” booklet, containing the first 7 chapters of The Purpose Driven Life, which is a wonderful resource to share with both believers and unbelievers alike.

I am on Pastor Rick’s e-mail devotional list, and this morning I received a message that sparked today's Leadership Thought. I share it as a sample of the writing that has touched and impacted millions of lives

Should you appreciate the thoughts expressed in his devotional below, I would encourage you to pick up a copy of The Purpose Driven Life. I think you’ll be glad you did.

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S. “We are products of our past, but we don’t have to be prisoners of it.” Rick Warren

Plant Now and Be Patient

November 25

by Rick Warren “Let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest.” Galatians 6:9 (GNT) The time to start planting is now. I talk to people all the time who say, “One of these days, I’m going to . . . ” They’re going to serve more or give more when they retire, or when they get a raise—one of these days.  But “one of these days” is none of these days. You can’t wait for things to get better; you need to start planting now. Why? Because the sooner you plant, the longer you’re going to enjoy the harvest in your life. But the harvest is not always going to come in your time. There’s always a delay between sowing and reaping. You plant in one season, and you harvest in another.  You have to be patient and not give up! This is one of the principles that the Kingdom of God operates on. In Mark 4:26-28, Jesus says, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head” (NIV). The results will come, but they will come slowly and as part of a process. And because it takes time, you have to choose to be patient: “Let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest”(Galatians 6:9 GNT). Choose to forget about last year’s crop failure. Instead, start focusing on the long-term harvest in your life. If you’re in financial difficulty, you didn’t get that way overnight. You took years to mess things up, and it’s going to take a while to put things back together. There is a time of delay between sowing and reaping. The Bible says in Psalm 126:5-6, “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest” (NLT). What loss have you been grieving over? Maybe you’ve lost your job. Maybe you’ve lost your health. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one. Maybe you’ve lost your savings. Maybe you’ve lost half of your retirement in the last few years. Maybe you’ve lost your dream. Mourning is okay; moaning is not. Instead of moaning, get moving!  Today is the day to plant the seed.