Am I a Leader?

This past Monday night I participated in a meeting with the core leadership team of the church plant with which I am working.  Each of these are very talented leaders in their own right but they are willing to commit their gifts and talents to this outreach effort.  I am truly blessed and honored to serve this group of individuals as "Lead Pastor."  After I arrived home from this meeting, the word "lead" kept resurfacing in my thoughts.  What does it mean to lead someone?  Am I leading anyone or am I just taking a walk by myself?  Does anyone care where I am going or is my journey one in which I am walking all alone?  These were not thoughts of feeling sorry for myself or even the thoughts of failure.  These were thoughts of an individual who desires to be a leader but also has a desire to follow those who are leading.  I want my life to have purpose and meaning and I desire to accomplish the goals and plans that God has placed in the plan for my life.  I will either fail or succeed based on my desire to lead and based on my desire to follow those who are leaders in my life.  That may sound confusing but let us look at the next area of possibility.

Each of you are a leader in some capacity.  You are a leader in your home as a spouse and/or a parent.  You are a leader in the work place in which you are employed.  You are a leader in the school which you attend.  You are a leader in the church which you worship on a consistent basis.  You are a leader around the dinner table or when you are at a restaurant with your friends or family.  You are a leader to your family and friends! I could go on with this list but I want you to recognize the important role that you play in the lives of people with which you interact.  John Maxwell equates being a leader with being a person of influence.  You influence people on a daily basis.  Our challenge is to make sure that we influence them in a positive manner and direction.  Many people have influenced my life since I was born.  It began with my parents and even to this day they are still an influence in my life.  We have seen our lives take on maturity and development through all of these individuals that have passed through our lives.  Some of these individuals have been in our life for a brief season and others have been involved in our lives for an extended period of time.  Each of us have been influenced and each of us have influenced others.  What type of influence are you exerting today?

To be continued!