Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

FaithWalkers

Home
Evangelical
Special Post on “The Leadership Test” for my Equip Leadership friends in Guam

Special Post on “The Leadership Test” for my Equip Leadership friends in Guam

Last updated on: April 19, 2013 at 3:00 am by Bill Blankschaen

Special Post on “The Leadership Test” for my Equip Leadership friends in Guam 2013-04-16T18:12:46-06:00 Bill Blankschaen

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Today’s post is intended specifically for my friends in Guam to supplement my opening session on “The Leadership Test.” Often when attending a conference, it can be a challenge to writie it all down if you’re actually paying attention. So I am sharing a few things I plan to reference tonight to make it easy to follow up for further growth. Of course, I welcome communication directly via social media or e-mail: [email protected] if I can be of further assistance during my stay on this awesome island.

We begin with en excerpt from my e-book Finding the Curve: The Secret to Explosive Personal Growth, available for free for a limited time here. More links and quotation will follow. I trust regular FaithWalkers readers will indulge this more focused post and, perhaps, be encouraged to download the entire e-book themselves and enjoy it for free this very weekend.

When the Going Gets Tough

Why is it that when the going gets tough the last thing we think about is the growing we could be doing? It’s weird.

It’s like we’re trying to avoid it or something.

Oh, that’s right. We are.

The greatest potential for the most explosive growth is found only in the curve.

Words of Wisdom

People of faith like me may recognize a similar thought from someone much wiser than I:

If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small. ~ Solomon [ Tweet this! ]

It would seem pretty obvious. If when the going gets tough, you get going — out of there — then you must not have been that strong in the first place. But the word used by Solomon translated faint is also translated many other places throughout the Bible as “to let go, release, give up, slacken your grip, or pull back.”

So if the going gets tough — like it always does when you enter the curve — and you simply release your grip, let go of your focus, or pull back your effort, your strength is exposed as not being all it should have been.

As not all it could have been.

But then I began to think — always a dangerous activity, to be sure.

What if the opposite is also true in the curve?

What if instead of pulling back, I press forward in the curve. What if instead of giving up, I redouble my efforts in the curve. What if instead of adversity exposing me as puny, it provoked my strength to grow large?

Try this version:

If you press forward in the day of adversity, your strength is large. Or better, en-larged.

Because growth always increases my capacity to grow even more.

Is the going tough for you now in the curve? It may be just the thing you need to get growing.

If you can’t get out of it, get into it. ~ Jon Ortberg [ Tweet this! ]

Download the entire fun take on growing your leadership through testing for free with a click here.

———————————-

Other helpful links I may have mentioned in the Equip Leadership session or that would be helpful to supplement the topic:

Quotations that might be worth remembering:

“Good leaders rarely think in terms of boundaries; instead they think in terms of opportunities.”~ John Maxwell [ Tweet this! ]
“Tests make the invisible visible.” ~ Bill Blankschaen [ Tweet this! ]
“It’s easier to move from failure to success than from excuses to success.” ~ John Maxwell [ Tweet this! ]
“Who we are becoming now will matter most in the next.” ~ Bill Blankschaen [ Tweet this! ]
“Small, seemingly insignificant steps completed consistently over time will create a radical difference. ~ Darren Hardy [ Tweet this! ]
“There’s a big difference between doing the right thing and doing the right thing consistently.” ~ Bill Blankschaen [ Tweet this! ]
“The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg — not by smashing it. ~ Arnold Glasgow [ Tweet this! ]

More to Come

I’ll likely add more following our two Saturday sessions or perhaps just make another post entirely. If I can be of further help to ministry leaders during my stay here in Guam, once again, just drop a note to [email protected].

Previous Post

April 17, 2013

Confessions of a Pastor's Wife: What She Really Wants

Next Post

April 21, 2013 New "Mother India" Film Captures Life through the Eyes of the Orphan

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews Christian Living Church Culture FaithWalkers Family Guest Posts In Your Church Interviews Leadership Movie Reviews Politics Spotlight Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2017 August 2017 July 2017 May 2017 March 2017 January 2017 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 May 2015 April 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 August 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was the name of the King who made Esther his queen?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jeremiah Hezekiah Ahasuerus Barnabas