When I think of confession, I am immediately reminded of the verse I memorised in my early discipleship: 1 John 1:9 ‘But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to purify us from all unrighteousness.’ I was taught that confession was a personal practice between me and God. Yet when we read the famous story of the prodigal son, we see that his confession Read more about 112. How is my confession?[…]
In YWAM we are blessed to have a leader who isn’t afraid of writing a book called – why not women? We are used to hearing teaching on the ‘Father heart of God’, but perhaps less so on the ‘Mother heart of God.’ Right at the beginning of Genesis we read, ‘So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.’ (Gen Read more about 111. Do women have an advantage in leadership?[…]
What comes to mind when you think of the word ‘feedback’? When was the last time you can remember receiving feedback where your response was, ‘that was very helpful’? And when was the last time you were affirmed by someone who was receiving feedback from you? For many of us, we have to think very hard and long! Definition: Feedback is information about reactions or response to a product or programme, a person’s performance of Read more about 110. How do you give and receive feedback?[…]
There are all kinds of statistics given how women talk three times as much as men but actually there is nothing substantial to back them up. The reality is that men & women probably talk as much as each other if they are extrovert and if they are introvert, they don’t talk as much! Talking as an introvert, I am aware that I am economical with my words! But my greatest desire is for Read more about 109. Do you have conversations on purpose?[…]
I have read this little book by Henri Nouwen several times now and I think it will be one of those books regularly taken out of the bookshelf for a recap. It’s a book about the story of our lives. Our lives are made up of a mixture of both joy and sorrow, although if we aren’t careful the sorrow can take over the joy. Or on the other hand, our focus on joy may Read more about 108. Can you drink the cup?[…]
When was the last time you assessed the impact of technology in your life? My mum is 95 years old and has never been good with technology. She has never driven a car, never watched a video, never sent a text or opened a website, never held a smart phone or even know what an app is. All she knows is to turn on the TV and to push the red button on her landline Read more about 107. How is technology impacting your life?[…]
I was watching a TV show the other day where a doctor wasn’t allowing a patient to go through a cultural ritual and as a result, she was very anxious and uptight. After this incident, the doctor’s partner caught the doctor going through his own ritual in getting ready for a surgery – a certain way of washing his hands and repeating certain phrases that he said under his breath. He subsequently allowed the patient Read more about 106. How do you create habits?[…]
The bible suggests that the state of a nation is influenced strongly by the leaders it puts in place. When Israel installed a good king, the nation was prosperous and flourished. When a bad king took over, the nation went downhill. We see the results of good and bad leaders in our families, teams, bases and ministries right across the world. I know that you can’t just accept the results of surveys, but there does Read more about 105. How do you spot leadership potential?[…]
I opened my computer to book a flight yesterday and an hour later, I had read some emails, paid my visa bill, journaled a few thoughts but not booked the flight! How does that happen? How many times are you on route to do something but never actually get there? Do you find you get to bed at night and think – what have I done today that was worthwhile? Where did the time go? Read more about 104. How do you deal with distractions?[…]
They always ask the question – who’s a good boy, never how’s the good boy! I had to smile as I saw this meme. It made me realise how often we don’t pick up on the emotional needs of one another. A question that Peter Scazzero asks in his book, ‘Emotionally healthy spirituality’ is this: Can you be a mature spiritual Christian leader if you are emotionally unhealthy? His answer is a definitive, ‘NO’. The Read more about 103.How healthy are your emotions?[…]