Why do you lead? –DeMarco Banter

By J. William DeMarco

…or… Why do you want to be a leader?  Is it the honor, the glory, the respect, the perks?  The really great parking?

ImageLeading is so multi-dimensional and if you are doing it right, it impacts all aspects of a leader’s life.  As a leader, there are not many minutes in the day when I am not pondering the organization, the mission, the vision…and what is the next BIG thing we are going to tackle.

Every person is so different, so I can not say this is true for all leaders–I only know this is so for me.  Do I have this perfect?  Absolutely not…hence the reason one of my favorite mottos is….”just trying to get better,” or…”if you are not getting better–what in the world are you doing?”

Standards and responsibility came to mind this AM.  As leaders we have to hold ourselves to a much higher standard than our followers.  If one were to look at their life from a Spiritual, Physical, and Mental perspective… this higher standard must impact all three areas.

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Rebel, Rebel….no, wait…you’re a Christian? by J. William DeMarco

I guess I grew up a rebel…funny now that I am a dad, Air Force Officer, student, pilot, commander, the list goes on…but I think I have always been a rebel at heart.  As a teen, the church I belonged to frowned on that…the long hair (well…that’s gone), the black ’72 SS/RS Camaro, my taste in music (anything loud and anti-establishment)…all added up to what they called a “rebellious hippie.”  The title offended me, not the rebellious part as much as the hippie part…weren’t the hippies done as of 1974?  I was a surfer and as a teen…the thoughts weren’t deep….but I had to ponder…didn’t Jesus have long hair, wouldn’t He have driven a muscle car, what kind of music would He like?

Webster defines rebel as “To renounce, and resist by force, the authority of the ruler or government to which one owes obedience”  First glance,…not so sure being a rebel is a good thing, but in the past few years…there appears to be a rise of folks that sort of get the concept as it pertains to Christianity.  Rob Bell, Donald Miller, Erwin McManus to name a few… these folks have really stepped out and showed those that care to listen, a different and perhaps more true side of Jesus…one we may have forgotten.

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