The Brave Ones

Coach and I are like kids at Christmas tonight. No, tomorrow is not a tropical vacation awaiting our arrival or a chance to win millions of dollars. Friday is LEADERCAST DAY! For those of you who don’t know what that is, let me explain…

Tomorrow a live web cast is broadcast

to 800 locations of a prominent leadership conference hosted in Atlanta. The Macomb location is hosted at The Crossing. The speaker line up is always amazing. I have went the last three years. I have laughed. I have cried. I have been moved beyond words and reflected deep within my aspiration. Every year I walk away saying that was exactly what I needed to fill my soul. This year I talked my soulmate into taking a personal day to fill his cup too. Let me just say, that cup will be a big gulp my friends. My pen is ready. My learning hat is on. I am ready to experience another astonishing line up of speakers. On a side bar, I have talked 5 other people into joining my posse for the cause; being a deepened leader. One of my favorite sayings is, “you don’t have to be THE leader, to be a leader.” You might have taken the leader out of my last job, but the leader is blazing on fire with passion today. I thank them for that fuel ignited to my inner groundbreaker. Your loss is my gain.

Speaking of gain, when I accepted my new position I was somewhat hesitant because I was an office of one. No one to lead. God has me scratching my head. Six weeks into my role I am leading more people than I have ever imagined and have had the opportunity to sit with folks I never dreamed of. Again, proving my point of you don’t have to be THE leader to be a leader.

The topic at Leadercast tomorrow is “The Brave Ones.” I’ll second that motion of being a leader requires bravery. How about David. Do you think it required some inside courageousness to stand before Goliath the Giant? Now Moses leading the people standing before the Red Sea. Yep, again fearlessness. What about Daniel spending the night in the Lion’s Den? I have to say that would require some real valiant. Do you think God equips his children, during times of need, to be brave? I’ve thought about this question often; especially lately. The world wants us to lean on material things to feel brave. Maybe that’s a big $60,000 SUV to hide behind the steering wheel of life or a black power suit faking the hand shake of business. God arms his people with the gift of bravery though prayer. When we acknowledge our fear of the situation to him, he honors us by offering a peace. Now I didn't say whine, I said acknowledge we are powerless without his harmony.

Peace like a river. I’ve got peace like a river… Did you sing that in Sunday School? Think about that. A large fluid body of water flowing into a deeper channel. We have peace like a river and he is our waterway. Feeding into him flows all our terrifying moments right down the current. Next time you feel the need for bravery, grab your life jacket and just float down the river of peace. They don’t call it a lazy river for nothing. I want to float down mine with a Cherry Coke...