In my last post I talked about the need for simplicity and focus. Here are 7 things I'm doing about it.

7 Things I’m Doing to Simplify My Life and Ministry:

1. Turning down opportunities that might be a good use of who I am but not the best use of who I am. Just last week I said no to two people who offered me a great chance to do something.
2. Never saying yes to anything over the phone, but buying time to think and pray about it.
3. Practicing the theology of enough. I have no list of things that fall into the category of: I would be happy if______.
4. Asking God to deliver me from an unhealthy appetite for acclaim, approval, position, power, and honor that would push me to do more and more for the wrong reasons.
5. Praying to be released from the restless, gnawing greed for more money and more stuff.
6. Daily reminding myself of who I am and who I am not—being content to be me.
7. Carving out sufficient time alone with God for humble contemplation—to give him opportunity to quiet my anxious heart and keep me focused on my “few themes.”

It’s not easy living “simply” in a culture that demands more, rewards competition, and admires power and position. But, by God’s grace, I’m going to live in biblical simplicity.

How are YOU doing? Do you need to do some spring-cleaning in your life and ministry? How about a retreat to think through some things and be reminded of who you are in Christ and the “few themes” he wants you to be about?

Leaders Who Last

Too many Christian leaders stumble, burn out, or veer off track. Learn how to endure from a seasoned pastor and leadership coach in Leaders Who Last.

Simplicity. That word keeps popping up! It comes up in conversations I’ve been having. I hear it used in movies and in books. It’s something people desire but have given up hope of ever experiencing. But I long for it—long to live a simple, uncomplicated and focused life, a life that is not moving too fast where I try to do too much. A life that is not allowing the Tyranny of the Urgent to take over and run me ragged physically and emotionally.

How Do I Focus?

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about living simply—keeping my life and ministry simple. Recently, the concept of simplicity has quietly and forcefully surfaced in my Bible reading (some examples include Luke 14:11, 1 Cor. 2:1-2, and 1 Tim. 2:2).

When I think of simply being myself, of operating simply in life and ministry, I am not thinking of being semi-retired, or of joining Henry David Thoreau on Walden Pond. I'm thinking of focusing on a few things in ministry and life, and practicing the advice of Steven Covey: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” It's about priorities and concentration.

Simple Contentment

Leaders I work with struggle to consistently keep things simple—to clearly know what they are about, what they are called to, and gifted to do. They bounce from one thing to the next, filling their schedules with lots of activities, being more reactive than proactive. Author and speaker Fred Smith says that “busyness is the new spirituality.” Many leaders are not content with who they are, where they are, what they are doing, and what Jesus is doing. They long to be someone else, be somewhere else, and do something else.

Whatever happened to simple contentment? Life seems to hurl a lot at us. Go there, do this, buy that, help with this, commit to that. I find it so easy to be distracted from the simplicity of who I am and what I am about. I’m often tempted to cave in to the expectations and demands of others—especially those whose opinions matter deeply to me. At times it’s difficult to hear the voice of God in the midst of all the noise of life.

In my next post I'll give you 7 things I'm doing to simplify my life.

To be continued.

Leaders Who Last

Too many Christian leaders stumble, burn out, or veer off track. Learn how to endure from a seasoned pastor and leadership coach in Leaders Who Last.

I recently had an interesting and revealing conversation with a young man at Mars Hill Church. The bottom line was that he lacked any serious motivation and direction in his life and didn’t have a clue as to what he wanted to see happen in/through his life.  I was reminded of the line from Tombstone spoken by Wyatt Earp: “I spent my whole life not knowing what I wanted out of life.” Those words have always haunted me and led me to pray that Jesus would continue to give me clarity regarding what my life is all about. As this young man and I continued to talk about how he should go about getting some gas in his tank and fire in his belly, I shared three things with him:

3 Things to Do If You Lack Direction

1. Determine exactly what it is you want to achieve.
2. Ask yourself what it will take to achieve it.
3. Pay the price and do what it takes, regardless of the cost or inconvenience to you.

The gospel needs to be the foundation from which these three steps flow. It is imperative that I begin with who I am in Jesus and who he is in me. It is important to get in touch with my God-given passion, gifts, and calling, which will aid me in determining my unique contribution.

Life Planning Retreats

I often suggest to those young men I coach that they start this process by getting away on a “life planning retreat” for most of a day to think, pray, and seek his will.  This time will often jumpstart a process which may take months or even years. We are talking about a combination of both dreaming big and, at the same time, focusing on a few things to give my time and attention to—maybe only one thing over time. I was captivated by a statement I recently heard: “I want to be 100% good at a few things rather than so-so at a lot of things."

Dream big and then focus your energy and time like a laser. You might not achieve all you dream of, but you most certainly will not achieve anything you don’t dream of.

Check out Dave Kraft's new book, Leaders Who Last.

Leaders Who Last

Too many Christian leaders stumble, burn out, or veer off track. Learn how to endure from a seasoned pastor and leadership coach in Leaders Who Last.

For as long as I can remember, smart was equated with intellect and brain power. Smart had to do with grades in school, SAT scores, and one's GPA. This was the case until author Daniel Goleman kicked the old paradigm in the head in 1997 by writing Emotional Intelligence, which redefined how we understand intelligence. Goleman makes a case for relational intelligence that knows how to get along with others; being smart at building collaborative relationships. The good news is that emotional intelligence (EI) is not fixed, as IQ is generally thought to be. EI can be nurtured and strengthened in everyone.

Real Wisdom = Healthy Relationships

"But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere" (James 3:17).

It seems to me that James is equating real wisdom with healthy relationships. Is he leaning toward EI rather than IQ in describing wisdom that comes from the Lord Jesus? I find it helpful that Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of James 3:17 in The Message starts the verse off with, "Real wisdom, God's wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others..."

This is the era of the team, not the solo leader. Leadership today is more about enabling and empowering than bossing direct reports around out of personal intellectual brilliance. Leaders who are good at developing and maintaining healthy relationships and tapping the power of those relationships will be the most valuable leaders to an organization or church. Long gone are the days in leadership where the know-it-all does it all as he sits at the top and dictates while both under-valuing and under-appreciating what others bring to the table.

So, how smart are you?

Churches Helping Churches

Who will help local churches in the wake of catastrophes? You can. Learn more here.

Fatal Flaws of a Leader series: Click | View Series

The Challenge of Sexual Purity

A month or so ago, I was talking with the counselor at my church and he told me that sexual addiction is the number one problem among men with whom he counsels. This scares me to death. We live in a cesspool of explicit pornography and graphically displayed sex that is hard to escape or avoid. I have been faithful to my wife for 41 years, and, with God’s help and grace, intend to keep it that way. It is an increasing challenge.

Flee Youthful Passions

2 Timothy 2:22 says, “Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” Although I am not young any longer, the advice still stands. I need to run away from movies, books, magazines, music, and web sites that displease the Lord and can cause me to go down a road that can be hard to come back from.

The song A Pure Heart by Rusty Nelson speaks volumes to me. Its lyrics say, “A pure heart, that’s what I long for; a heart that follows hard after Thee. A heart that hides Your word so that sin will not come in; a heart that’s undivided, but one You rule and reign; a heart that beats compassion, that pleases You my Lord, a sweet aroma of worship that rises to Your throne.”

Failure Can Be Fatal

I am reminded of Paul’s warning in 1 Corinthians 9:27, “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” What a horrible thought—to be taken out of the game and on the sidelines watching the action from a distance.

Is failure never fatal? In some cases it may well be. I have seen it and so have you. Do you need to make some changes? How close to the edge are you getting?

Get Pastor Dave's new book, Leaders Who Last—available now.

Leaders Who Last

Too many Christian leaders stumble, burn out, or veer off track. Learn how to endure from a seasoned pastor and leadership coach in Leaders Who Last.

Fatal Flaws of a Leader series: Click | View Series

Don’t Stop Growing

I can’t lead if I don’t grow, especially considering the warp speed at which everything is traveling and the number of major changes coming my way on a daily basis. I must continue to develop and grow myself, especially spiritually, to stay vibrant and relevant in my living, thinking, and practices.

Be Teachable

Very much related to growing is being teachable. I am reminded of the person who said he wanted to learn, but didn’t want to be taught! No can do. Learning is synonymous with being taught. I am a committed life-long learner. I am ready to learn from any source, any person, and at any time. At times, I am humbled by the sources from which I receive needed insight and instruction. I once had a non-Christian make significant suggestions on how to change my gospel presentation. That was hard to take. Listening well is a good way to grow myself.

Last year I talked with an extremely gifted and articulate woman responsible for the women’s ministry at a megachurch. She shared with me that the most important thing she was learning was to be a better listener by asking lots of questions rather than doing most of the talking. I am learning that as well. I don’t feel I have arrived in any area of my life, even though I have been a Christian for 41 years, married 33 years, in vocational Christian ministry for 33 years, and have four adult children. I am eager to learn even more about ministry, marriage, raising kids, and cultivating my intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Stagnation can be a fatal flaw. How are you making sure you continue to grow?

To be continued.

Preorder Pastor Dave's new book, Leaders Who Last.

Leaders Who Last

Too many Christian leaders stumble, burn out, or veer off track. Learn how to endure from a seasoned pastor and leadership coach in Leaders Who Last.

Fatal Flaws of a Leader series: Click | View Series

Flaws Can Be Fatal

Someone once said, “Success is never final and failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.” Actually, there are many examples of seemingly successful leaders failing because of serious flaws (or sins) in their lives. President Richard Nixon comes to mind. Perhaps President Clinton is another that may well be remembered for his flaws as well as his successes.

Are there certain kinds of flaws Christian leaders may develop that could spell the end of their leadership effectiveness, their leadership altogether, or worse yet, the downward spiral of their walk with Jesus? I believe there are.

Integrity Is Essential

Integrity has been at the top of my “Essential Leadership Qualities” list for a number of years. Integrity leads to credibility, which leads to trust, which leads to influence. If you have no influence, there is no leadership. People should be able to trust me without wondering if I will do what I promised and deliver it when I promised.

I can think of few things worse than having someone say, “I don’t trust you!” I am increasingly careful about what I say and how much I promise because I am committed to integrity in all I do. Recently I sat down with a pastor who had sent out an e-mail with information about me that was flattering, but not accurate. Because integrity is a high value, I set the record straight.

Charles Colson was once asked what he considered to be the top three qualities of a leader. He answered: “Well, the first one would be integrity—and the second would be integrity. And the third one would be (you guessed it) integrity.”

To be continued.

Preorder Pastor Dave's new book, Leaders Who Last.

Leaders Who Last

Too many Christian leaders stumble, burn out, or veer off track. Learn how to endure from a seasoned pastor and leadership coach in Leaders Who Last.

What Makes A Leader? Click | View Series

Show It Consistently

Once your vision is clear in your mind and heart, and you are communicating it convincingly to your followers so that they understand what you see, the final step is to walk the talk. If you don't demonstrate that you think your vision is important by modeling it in your life, why should the people you lead think it's important?

It's a matter of putting flesh onto your vision. Here is where integrity of life comes in. By God's grace, I need to practice what I preach and walk the talk, so that I don't have to tell people what my mother used to say to me: "Don't do as I do, but do as I say." Let's face it: talking it without walking it won't work over the long haul. People who follow us will do as we do, not as we say. And when they get tired of doing what we are not doing, we will be walking alone!

Model the Vision

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4:17, "That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church." That's it—being a living epistle of your dream. To hear it from my lips is one thing, but to see it in my life is quite another.

Successful leaders consistently model their vision, realizing that more is caught than taught. When John Wesley was asked why people seemed to be drawn to him, he answered, "Well, you see, when you set yourself on fire, people just love to come and watch you burn." Let your life burn in living color with your dream. It is a careful blend of communicating it with my lips and living it with my life.

What is a leader? He is a person who clearly sees the vision, convincingly communicates that vision, and models it consistently through his life.

Pre-order Pastor Dave's new book, Leaders Who Last.

Leaders Who Last

Too many Christian leaders stumble, burn out, or veer off track. Learn how to endure from a seasoned pastor and leadership coach in Leaders Who Last.

What Makes A Leader? Click | View Series

Say It Convincingly

Once a leader knows exactly where he is heading, the next essential is to be able to communicate the vision convincingly to those he would like to have along on the journey. There are a variety of ways this can be done, but it must be done, or else he will be making the trip by himself.

Sugar Water or Changing the World?

Steve Jobs, founder and CEO of Apple Inc., was trying very hard, but with little success, to recruit John Sculley to the vision that he clearly saw. Jobs was exasperated, and in his frustration he asked one more question, the one that finally caused John Sculley to make one of the most talked-about corporate moves in modern American business. He asked, "Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?" Sculley said it was as if someone had delivered a stiff blow to his stomach. The question eroded all his resistance and made him think like a dreamer or a visionary.

He subsequently left Pepsi Cola and joined Apple. "After all," Sculley mused, "changing the world is a heady thought." In a few words, Jobs had said it convincingly. He had conveyed his vision, the essence of his dream, in words that Sculley could understand—to have a part in changing the world.

In order to recruit and keep motivated followers, a vision must be convincingly and constantly communicated in a myriad of ways. One of the key roles of an effective leader is to manage the dream of the organization, and to keep that dream alive through verbalization, symbols, and visuals.

To be continued.

Pre-order Pastor Dave's new book, Leaders Who Last.

Leaders Who Last

Too many Christian leaders stumble, burn out, or veer off track. Learn how to endure from a seasoned pastor and leadership coach in Leaders Who Last.

What Makes A Leader? Click | View Series

A Leader Sees the Vision

A leader is, first and foremost, somebody with followers. If nobody is following, you are not leading, no matter what outstanding leadership qualities you might possess. Many years ago, my daughter, Anna, had a sign on her bike that read: "Lead, follow, or get out of my way," and the way she rode that bike, I believe she meant it. People are more than willing to follow someone who knows where they are going.

What Is My Vision?

Some of the first questions a leader needs to answer are, “What is my vision?” “Where am I headed?” “Is it clear to me?” and “Does it excite and energize me?” A son once asked his father, "Daddy, when we get to where we're going, where will we be?" I am afraid that many present-day leaders can't answer that question, even though they are certainly busy and getting a lot done. It is very easy to work hard at delegating, managing, and being efficient, but not head towards a clear destination.

Managers do things right, but leaders do the right things. Yet it is probably true that in all too many situations, we are over-managed, but under-led. Where are the leaders today who have a clear vision bursting inside of them? There was a pastor who remarked, "Everywhere Paul went, there was a revival or a riot; everywhere I go, they serve tea." The thing that’s often missing is clearness of vision.

To be continued.

Pre-order Pastor Dave's new book, Leaders Who Last.

Leaders Who Last

Too many Christian leaders stumble, burn out, or veer off track. Learn how to endure from a seasoned pastor and leadership coach in Leaders Who Last.