The lens we view life from colors how we see everything. The lens that changes life is the Gospel.  Gospel-centered discipleship filters our life through the redemptive power of the cross.  We were saved are being saved and will  be saved.

Razor blade leadership slices those it attempts to lead. With sharp words, cutting remarks, sarcasm or other passive aggressive techniques, this style uses force instead of love. Razor blade leadership is often disguised as visionary leadership when it is really self-kingdom building leadership that leads others to follow the leader and not the leader of leaders-Christ. Razor blade leadership cuts staff instead of coaching staff. Razor blade leadership pushes others towards a goal instead of persuading others towards Christ. Razor blade leadership is not relational leadership but task-oriented leadership. Yes goals and tasks are important but they must be a means to an end and not an end in themselves. They must point others to the Gospel. The goal is always the Gospel. The goal is never bigger, better or even excellence as much as we try to equate that with godliness. We can be excellent and be excellently wrong.  Excellence is great but the goal is the Gospel.  Razor blade leadership may even mention the Gospel but it does not bleed the gospel. It bleeds self-promotion and ego-driven ministry, not Gospel-driven ministry.

We can also lead with a pillow.  We can lead very softly.  We can avoid conflict, cower under difficult choices and never firmly challenge others to pursue the cross. We can avoid consequences for sin, run from church-discipline when one is caught in sin and pretend things aren’t as bad as they really are. We can lower expectations and put up with others leading out of comfort and not calling. We can be soft. The pillow leader attracts soft, emasculated men—men who want to hide in the soft comfort of their sin and past. Pillow leadership is just as bad as razor blade leadership. Instead of killing others it lets others kill themselves.

But Jesus came to show us another way to lead. We lead with a shepherd’s rod or staff. The rod is not sharp like a razor blade and not soft like a pillow, but it is firm. No cutting will happen with the staff but the staff is hard enough to strike blows to the ravaging wolves seeking to kill the sheep with false doctrine. The rod is firm enough to reign in sheep headed towards a perilous cliff. Would I ward you off from danger with a pillow or staff?  The pillow would only encourage you to move toward the comfort of the pillow and thus fall off the cliff. Perhaps even taking me with you. The razor blade could kill you. However, the rod would firmly shove you away from the cliff. The rod restores by pointing others to God’s Kingdom, to His Gospel. The rod builds others, coaches others, and courageously confronts others. The rod shepherds others.

I’ve found myself leading in all three ways.  With the razor I’ve damaged others with words, or moved way too fast, being obsessed with goals and using people instead of building into people. With the pillow I’ve avoided conflict out of fear of rejection, which is pride. But only one is truly shepherding. Only one tenderly, yet firmly leads with strength. The rod. No wonder John 10 describes Jesus as the Good Shepherd, not the Good Butcher or the Cotton King. Jesus as the good shepherd protected and loved the sheep and lead with great strength and compassion. What do you lead with? Ask others you have lead. Maybe they’ll tell you the truth.

The Israelites wanted to persuade other countries to bail them out from God’s impending judgment through the other nations. Instead, Judah should have repented.  Judah should have taken off the make-up and repented. Do you need to take off your mask/make-up?  We can build a platform for our life but in the end God elevates the humble and humbles the elevated.  As ministers manipulation, lowercase “k” kingdom building, and boasting may build a big stage but it will be a hollow stage from which we will crumble. What we build with our hands out of pride will be opposed by God (James 4:6). God already sees through it and loves you still. To paraphrase what CJ Mahaney said, “I am an arrogant man pursuing humility.”  To often it is “all Shawn, all the time.”  Too often I look to others to help me out instead of looking to God for the answer. My deep desire is that it would be all God, all the time because in the end everything is from Him—every good thing that is. It is all for His glory. My prayer is that God will use this ministry how He sees fit. I am simply His instrument.

Perhaps the greater the man the deeper and more frequent the repentance.  I love what the old hymn says, “Prone to wander Lord I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love.”  And David’s greatest strength was his humility (Psalm 51).  Paul’s greatest strength was his greatest weakness, which led to his dependence on God (2 Cor 12:7-10).  Repentance not only turns from evil or omits evil it turns to God and commits to God in complete humility and dependence. When we sin we’re turning our back on our daddy and like a 3 year old running across the highway without his help. I’m afraid if we don’t repent, God will bring us to our knees like He did Israel.  Of course this is His grace and love to.  He opposed to woo us back not to just jack us up. Yes there were consequences of devastation for sin, and there still are today, but God desires to bless us and bring us back to him, not merely put us in an infinite time-out (Gen 28-30).  God disciplines us to restore us because He loves us (Heb 12:4-11).  If you know the Lord, ask Him to show you what areas in your life need plowing up and ripping up through repentance.  If you don’t know Jesus turn from your sins for the first time by confessing your sins and confessing Him as Lord (1 John 1:9; Romans 10:9-10).

I love to read. It’s one of my favorite past times and is a great way to wind down an evening with. I get asked for reading recommendations from friends and family all the time so I’m putting together this list of my recommended “great reads”. I’ll update this list periodically, so be sure to check back!

Theology
The Prodigal God- Tim Keller
The Knowledge of the Holy- Tozer
The Cross of Christ-Stott
Systematic Theology- Grudem
The Reason for God- Keller
The Case for Christ- Strobel
Total Truth- Pearcey
Desiring God- Piper
The Works of Jonathan Edwards
The Words and Works of Jesus- Pentecost
The Mortification of Sin- John Owen
On the Incarnation- St. Athanasius

Leadership
21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership- Maxwell
Spiritual Leadership- Chambers
Communicating for a Change- Stanley
Good to Great- Collins
Tozer on Christian Leadership- Eggert
Biblical Preaching- Robinson
Christ-centered Preaching- Chappell
Now Discover Your Strengths- Buckingham

Church
The Unstopbbale Force- McManus
Church Planter- Patrick
Planting Growing Churches- Malphurs

Spiritual Formation
A Tale of Three Kings- Edwards
The Pursuit of God- Tozer
Walking with a Limp- Dan Allender
Inside Out- Crabb
Anonymous- Chole
Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership-Barton
Overcoming the Dark Side of Leadership- McIntosh and Rima
Samson and the Pirate Monks- Larkin

Money
Extreme Money-makeover- Ramsey
The Treasure Principle- Alcorn

Biblical Studies
www.bestcommentaries.com
Living by the Book- Hendricks
A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew- Keener

Misc
Donald Miller- Blue Like Jazz
This Present Darkness- Peretti
The Screwtape Letters- CS Lewis