Reflections: LEAD Floyd H. Flake

In looking back over my notes of Flake's presentation there were several things that stood out. His emphasis upon being a leader of integrity and trusting God enough to always do the right thing was very important. I've always considered integrity to be the one thing that no one can take away from you but rather the thing that one gives away at great personal cost. Putting it in the context of trusting God was a helpful insight to me. Shortcuts are tempting because there are times when I wonder if God will really be faithful in the midst of the hard things. Given the hard work and lumps that one can take along the way when you stand up and do the right things when they aren't very popular it is no wonder that we are tempted to take an easier, less costly way out and compromise at times. But it really is a trust issue. Do we believe that God will provide and watch over us not just in this life but in the life yet to come. If we trust God to be faithful to all that has been said in the Bible then integrity is not an option, but a sign of faith.
The other focus of Flake's presentation centered around training leaders to do even more than we are capable of doing ourselves. This really rings true for me. It is why every time I turn around in the church I'm encouraging people to work in teams and to bring someone else along to experience the joy of giving in their areas of ministry. Paraphrasing something that Fiorina said, "Everything worth doing is worth doing with others." I pray that our church culture will come to finally embrace this idea that every ministry is a team ministry and that leadership is always in the process of being shared and inviting others to embrace the possibilities that they will be able to partner with God to take the ministry beyond where it currently is.
For me personally I have to continually ask myself, "Am I spending enough time with those who will do more God than I could ever do myself?"
Sometimes the answer is yes, and many times it is a reminder that I have to refocus and prioritize my time. That being said there are a few things that need to get done today so I'm off to attempt to live some of these principles and ideas in my daily life.