AND NOW FOR MY FIRST FORAY INTO WRITING...a book review on Amazon.com. My motivation was greed:) Tara Barthel was giving away free stuff for those who would write reviews of her and Judy Dabler's book Peacemaking Women. That was a no-brainer. I'm recommending it to all kinds of people already, why not get a free CD of a retreat for doing it? So I did. Actually, I had to do it twice!! I had the first one almost done and hit a wrong button and poof!, it was gone into the world of computerland, never to be seen again. I had just edited it and everything. Talk about irritating! Of course, the second version wasn't nearly as good, but I got it done and sent it, notified Tara, and my free CD is on its way as we speak! I'm becoming a sucker for free prizes (that are worth something to me). There may be some additonal side benefits from that simple book review down the road as well. We'll see. You'll be the first to know;) (that's a wink isn't it?)

Our Ladies' Leadership Team (soon to be renamed) that meets once a month is studying this book together. It is a great study. we're also discussing many issues re ministry, leadership, community, outreach, etc. that get my brain working overtime. It is quite stimulating. Last night we got into some interesting discussion re leadership. Afterward, I was wishing I had asked some more follow-up questions--probably in the areas of spiritual gifts. My views on leadership have changed considerably over the years. For a long time, I felt that everything could be resolved with pure consensus. Now I realize that we are to submit to our spiritual leaders (not blindly mind you) b/c they are "spiritual" leaders. That puts the pressure on us when we are choosing them to be sure they are the people with spiritual gifts, maturity and godliness that they need to be. We need to pray especially for them to have the wisdom they need to make the tough decisions. When we disagree, we need to go to them and ask questions of them realizing they may not be able to give us all the facts that went into their decision-making because of confidential information. At least we will have presented our questions to them and not gossiped about them, their decision, and the possible motives behind them when we are really unaware of the true facts of any of it before we talk to the person.

Spiritual leadership is not something over which we are to get "big heads" because it is purely of God and His enablement that we are able to do it. He sovereignly gives the gifts (and can take them away), He energizes the growth in grace, He brings about the maturity through the circumstances He brings into our lives. There is nothing about the process that develops a spiritual leader that should cause him/her to be proud. Once the person is actually in a position of leadership, there is rarely much to build up one's pride (apart from appearing publicly, if that does it for you) because there is always someone who is unhappy with any given decision (big or small), always a reason for others to criticize (because they don't know all the facts behind the decision-making process), always a reason to attack your motives (which they absolutely do NOT know!). I guess that is what is at the heart of the matter re spiritual leadership! Those of us who are in that position, realize how far short our motives fall at any given time and we realize that apart from Christ and the Gospel of grace working in our lives, this job is an impossible one! Isn't that where God wants us to be? Totally aware of our need for Him? I guess if the complainers and attackers bring us to that point, we can even be grateful for them:)
But where are those who at this point are not in positions of spiritual leadership in a given church. Hopefully, they are developing their arenas of spiritual leadership whether in their family, a group at school, or their sphere of influence. That's the thing about spiritual leadership. It isn't always the kind that is out front, leading a group. That's why each church needs everyone to be spiritually leading in their area of spiritual gift under the authority of the spiritual leaders of the church. I think of the encouragers and exhorters who often work stealthily conversation by conversation, building up people, exhorting them in appropriate ways from God's Word. Churches need more of them, church leaders need a lot more of them influencing people in the church in Godly ways of living, encouraging people in the church to live out the gospel in the ways God has equipped them. That is only a minor illustration of using one gift in a few ways.
Spiritual leadership...especially in an actual leadership position in a local church carries with it a LOT of responsibility before God and before other people. I certainly don't want to minimize that at all. But the leader cannot be paralyzed by his/her own realization of personal inadequacies, personal desires of followers or other factors when it comes to decision making. Yes, I am more than inadequate before a holy God, but I am "in Christ" now. I have all His resources available to do His work in His way. I need to listen to the people I am responsible to lead, but I don't have to do things the way they want, especially if they are spiritually immature or unaware of other ways to carry out the same mission. I am their leader. I have to do what is best for them spiritually in a way that will cause them to follow. Part of that involves knowing where they are, seeing where they need to go and figuring out how to bridge the gap with them and for the glory of God.
I have to decide whether I am going to please God or please people or to say it another way, who do I fear most, God or people's opinions. If my first concern in making a decision is what x will think or how y will take this decision, I'm making an idol of other people. I'm very familiar with that. I lived in that prison for MANY years. I still go there sometimes. It is a horrible place. My primary concern needs to be what does God want? What does His Word command? What will He think about this decision? For both now and eternity that will have been the most important concern.