Leadership Thought: Spending the Early Morning Hours with John and Jesus

Dear Friends,

Years ago, I began a daily meeting with leadership expert John Maxwell. Each morning before the sun comes up, I grab a cup of tea, spend time with Jesus and the Word, pray, and then study something John had written or listen to one of his leadership pod casts. The routine was not always completed in the same order, but seldom has there been a day when one of these steps was not incorporated into my daily schedule. I can't tell begin to tell you how much this early morning routine has meant to me over these many years, but I can tell you that I have never regretted a moment I've spent with my two early morning friends.

A couple of mornings ago I listened to a message John shared that spoke to my heart and reaffirmed the value of my early morning discipline. 

I share with you just a few of the priceless lessons he shared in a recent message. While what he taught was not new to me-I had heard  the lessons before- but this particular morning I was once again reminded of the value of those early morning hours of  a quiet time spent with Jesus and John. 

Whatever I know about pastoring and leading has largely been derived from those early morning hours I spent with these dear friends who shared both spiritual and leadership principles that have forever impacted my life. 

In a recent message he shared titled "Winners Mindset" John spoke of three very valuable truths that I would leave with you.

1. Never Stop learning and growing. It's what you've learned after you've learned it all, that really counts (John Wooden).

Leadership is developed not discovered. You don’t become a leader overnight. Learning leadership is a lifelong study. The moment you stop learning, you stop leading ( Rick Warren).

Growth does not happen in a day but daily.

2. Don't let anyone steal your dream. Failure is only a balloon prick away. Don't hang around with dream busters. There are too many people around who want to trash your dreams. Be a fire lighter and not a fire fighter. Be the wind beneath someone's wings and not an anchor in their boat.

Dreams are fragile, so guard them carefully. They are like bubbles that are floating close to jagged rocks. It only takes a little wind, and they burst. (Bob Beale).  All your dreams will come true if you have the courage to pursue them. Don't hang around with cop outs, dropouts, burn outs or strike outs. 

3.You can spend your life in any way you want, but you can only spend it once. You call the shots. The value of life lies not in the length of your days, but in the use that we make of those days. You may live long, but yet only live a little. Two things are necessary for your success-to know your purpose and realize your gifts and then do something with them that will outlive your life.

The above are practical truths with significant spiritual implications.

You and I are never too old to begin to learn something new, so if you haven't already begun a quiet time with Jesus or considered a commitment to developing your personal leadership skills, I hope my challenge will jump start one of the most valuable early morning times you will ever spend.

May we heed the words of Paul who exhorts us “to study to show ourselves approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

Further information

John Maxwell is the author, coach and speaker who has sold more than twenty-four million books in 50 languages. Often called the country’s number one leadership authority, he was recently identified as the most popular leadership expert in the world by Inc. Magazine. His company has trained and equipped more than five million leaders in 80 countries.

John is a man of God whose personal evangelical faith provides the spiritual grounding for his leadership principles. For those looking for an excellent book on leadership, I would suggest his book Winning with People or The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

For those looking for a spiritual companion to your personal bible study, I would recommend Warren Wiersbe’s, With the Word a Chapter-by-Chapter Bible Handbook in paperback.

Noted author and writer, Warren W. Wiersbe's  has produced a classic Bible handbook which offers a trustworthy approach to a book-by-book, chapter-by-chapter tour through God's Word.

His book is a highly readable personal "conversation" with Scripture which will guide you through each book, helping you reap the rich, life-changing applications on every page. Its goal is to assist you in discovering and applying some of the basic spiritual lessons found in Scripture, and to that end, it's as applicable and relevant as it was when it was published.