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“The fundamental task of leaders, we argue, is to prime good feeling in those they lead.”

A thought by Daniel Goleman; Richard Boyatzis & Annie McKee, (2013-07-23) from their book, Primal Leadership, With a New Preface by the Authors: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence (Kindle Locations 79-80). Harvard Business Review Press. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) What a foreign thought.   Most would say that the fundamental task of leaders is to get a job done no matter the feeling of the ones they are leading.     But they say, “At its root…the primal job of leadership is emotional.” And “That occurs when a leader creates resonance—a reservoir of positivity that frees the best in people.”   They continue, “We believe this primal dimension of leadership, though often invisible or ignored entirely, determines whether everything else a leader does will work as well as it could. And this is why emotional intelligence —being intelligent about emotions— matters so much for leadership success: Primal leadership de

“It makes all the difference in the world whether I view my neighbor as a potential convert or as someone whom God already loves.”

A thought by Philip Yancey (2014-10-21) from his book, Vanishing Grace: What Ever Happened to the Good News?   (p. 44). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Let me ask you something.   How do you feel when you know that someone looks at you as a person that they want to convert to their view? I have a very good friend who is a San Francisco Giants’ fan.   He loves the Giants and I love the Los Angeles Dodgers.   Now what if he looked at me totally from the standpoint that he was going to convert me to being a Giants’ fan.   I mean all he does is tell me how much better it is to love the Giants.   They have won the World Series 3 out of the last 5 years.   He just knows that I should want to be a Giants’ fan.   But he doesn’t criticize me.   He just accepts me.   He is my friend. Philip says, “I’ve yet to meet someone who found their way to faith by being criticized.” But we do that all the time don’t we? Philip s

“It takes no grace to relate to someone who looks, thinks, and acts just like me.”

A thought by Philip Yancey (2014-10-21) from his book, Vanishing Grace: What Ever Happened to the Good News? (p. 37). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Now if Christ would have taken the attitude that He only wanted to be with someone just like Him then for sure He would have never come to earth.   I mean He was God.   But we have a tendency to only be around people just like us but that isn’t what He did. Philip quotes Jonathan Sacks, who was the former chief rabbi of Great Britain and he said, “The Hebrew Bible [Old Testament] in one verse commands, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ but in no fewer than 36 places commands us to ‘love the stranger.’ ” He adds, “The supreme religious challenge is to see God’s image in one who is not in our image.” And then Philip says, “All too often Christians take the opposite approach. Some demonize opponents, branding them ‘secular humanists’ or ‘heretics’ or ‘pervert

“God has a large stake in how we love.”

A thought by Philip Yancey (2014-10-21) from his book, Vanishing Grace: What Ever Happened to the Good News? (p. 35). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) That is so true.   He sent His only Son down here because of His real love for us.   He totally put it on the line when He did that.   And then after Jesus, His Son was killed but then rose from the grave Jesus then left and went to be with God again and He left it all to us to do what He started.   He said in the first part of Acts 1 that we were to continue doing what He, Jesus had begun. Philip says, “John adds that through love we make known an invisible God: ‘No one has ever seen God ; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.’” He continues, “Here’s a good test of how well we love: Are other people glad to be with us? Somehow Jesus managed to attract the kind of people frowned upon by most religious types, and yet those reneg

“I doubt God keeps track of how many arguments we win…”

A thought by Philip Yancey (2014-10-21) from his book, Vanishing Grace: What Ever Happened to the Good News? (p. 34). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) He then finishes the statement with, “ God may indeed keep track of how well we love.”   So how are we doing on that list, I wonder?   Philip shares earlier in this book, “Jesus ‘came from the Father, full of grace and truth,’ wrote John in the preface to his gospel. The church has worked tirelessly on the truth part of that formula: witness the church councils, creeds, volumes of theology, and denominational splits over minor points of doctrine. I yearn for the church to compete just as hard in conveying what Paul calls the “incomparable riches” of God’s grace. Often, it seems, we’re perceived more as guilt dispensers than as grace dispensers.” Yes we need truth and we need to share truth but the world really needs grace and love.   Philip says, “When we make condesc

“Giving is one way we get in on God’s miracles.”

A thought by Mark Batterson (2013-09-24) in his book, All In: You Are One Decision Away From a Totally Different Life (Kindle Locations 2105-2106). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) And the whole Christmas celebration is about a miracle.   It is the miracle of God coming to earth as a baby.   That is an unbelievable miracle and giving is one way we get in on it. If you have read the story of the Nativity you know about the Magi, the Three Kings from the East who brought gifts for the baby Jesus.   Mark says, “At first glance, it seems like the Magi bring the wrong gifts to this baby shower, doesn’t it? What kid wants a bottle of frankincense, right? Get the poor kid an ancient Jewish action figure — David with slingshot or Shamgar with oxgoad.”   Now when the Wise Men came searching for the child they went to King Herod and asked where the young ruler was to be born.   The fact that there was this young ruler out there w

“Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard.”

A thought by Various Authors (2010-02-23) from the Holy Bible (NIrV) for Adults (Kindle Locations 66388-66389). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) I am reading through the accounts in the New Testament of the Bible of the birth of Jesus and I came across this line in the first chapter of Luke.   And I found this line a little interesting.   Now I do know the story but I still find this fact interesting. Now Zechariah is an older priest and an angel comes to him and said this statement.   Of course I probably would be afraid if I saw an angel but excited that God had heard my prayer and was going to answer it.   It seems that Zechariah had been praying since he was young for a child and now the angel says it is going to happen and he is afraid. I know it was something he really wanted but with it not happening and he and his wife getting older he may have been praying just because he had always done it.   He had gotten to