From the Editor

Recently I was refreshed by the message of a Sprite commercial.

It said, “Image is nothing, thirst is everything – obey your thirst.” For me, the refreshing part of the commercial was that the marketing company was actually challenging the value of “image consciousness.” This is key in that for too long, image consciousness has taken top priority for this generation, while integrity and character formation have taken a back seat.

In this issue, we hope to restore the value of integrity and character to its rightful place and priority. Perhaps the slogan of your heart will become, “Image is nothing, character is everything – obey the Word!”

As you peruse this issue, you’ll notice that the articles center around the theme of sexuality. This seems to be an area of character where many leaders compromise today. Call it the negative influence of the media, the weakness of the flesh, the influence of the devil, etc., but the reality is that we need to strengthen the moral fabric of our character as leaders.

History tells us that one in three leaders finish well. That statistic is tragic in my estimation, but nonetheless I want to be the “one” out of the three. I Timothy 4 says, “Train yourself to be godly, for godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to comeDon’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” Leaders, let’s commit to staying spiritually fit!

Leadership character principles to remember:
Your Private Life Matters. Ask yourself: “Who am I in the dark?” “Who am I when nobody is looking?”
True Ministry that God can honor flows out of who I am on the inside, not from my title, degrees, position, abilities, etc.
Focus on being a person of God before doing the work of God.
Few leaders finish well, therefore, dare to tame the tigers.
FINANCES-Their use and abuse.
POWER-Its abuse for CONTROL.
PRIDE-That leads to downfall.
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT
BROKEN FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
Repair the altar of the heart first (character formation) so that the fire of God can fall on our ministry – I Kings 18:30-39.
This generation struggles with hopelessness and wrestles with trust issues. We are losing many teens to the world because they do not see a passion for purity in our lives. They are not convinced that we have bought-in to the Lordship of Christ because of the inconsistencies they often see in our lives. The call is to INTEGRITY leaders! If not now, when? If not you, who? “Men of Issachar who understand the times,” let’s stand together as men and women of character in order to shepherd this harassed and helpless generation (Matt. 9:36).

1 Comment

  1. Gytha on March 18, 2012 at 11:48 pm

    This is a neat summary. Thanks for sihanrg!

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