Leadership Development Musings: October 2016

Micah 5:2-4: “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are too small to be among the army groups from Judah, from you will come one who will rule Israel for me. He comes from very old times, from days long ago. The Lord will give up his people until the one who is having a baby gives birth; then the rest of his relatives will return to the people of Israel. At that time the ruler of Israel will stand and take care of his people with the Lord’s strength and with the power of the name of the Lord his God. The Israelites will live in safety, because his greatness will reach all over the earth.”

A Leader Who Overcame

He grew up in the country, an area so rural that he had to study on his own because it was too far to travel to the nearest school. In fact, by the time he was an adult, his total official schooling amounted to no more than one year. His parents were uneducated, his mother was unable to read or write.

His family wasn’t rich, so he had to stay around the homestead with his brothers and sisters to help keep up the farm. Because of his limited traveling, he knew little of the world outside of Illinois until he was eighteen years old.

Small town, no schooling, unfamiliar with the world. With a background like that, you might not expect this person to become one of the greatest leaders in U.S. history: Abraham Lincoln.

There’s more to being a leader than where you were brought up, whether you’re rich, or whom you know. Lincoln was a good leader because of his wisdom, honesty, and trustworthiness. People felt confident under his leadership.

The above scripture passage from Micah shares with us another world leader who was born in the “backwoods” town of Bethlehem in Judah. He too overcame his obstacles to lead others to Christ in his own leadership style of ministry.

All of us come from various places, levels of education, and income levels BUT! don’t allow these things to be an obstacle in your pursuit of being a leader in whatever capacity or ministry that might look like as there are ways to overcome these obstacles of say, where you live, your level of education, and even your level of income.

As Barbara shared last month, be in contact with either of us and let us be about God’s work together in ministry.

Blessings on the Journey,
Pastor Laura Leighton-Harris
Co-Minister of Leadership Development