Leading from the Second Chair – Insight

Thoughts for the day.

I have a desire to be the best leader that I can possibly be and until coming to Hillsville First Methodist I had been in the first chair as the leader of several businesses and organizations. I have read lots of leadership books and I am a big fan of John Maxwell and all of the leadership material that he offers.

However when I came on as the Associate Pastor of 1st Hillsville I found myself in a place I hadn’t been in a long time. By the way, there aren’t many books that address the second chair. I now hold a place of leadership but I am not the one that has the responsibility to cast the vision for the entire church. There are areas that I have that role in the church, such as Out of the Box but just not for the mother church.

I find this to be a two sided coin. I long to be the vision caster. I long to be the one who sets the tone of the ministries and leads those entities. However, at the same time I lovethe fact that all of the burden doesn’t fall on me for all of the decisions. There is a Senior Pastor that has that responsibility. My responsibilities are deep and wide but still not that of the Sr. Pastor.

Here is what I learned or was reminded of as I read chapter 1 of the book today. Joseph was a Second Chair leader, Genesis 41:40,

You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

It is a great encouragement to me to remember and learn from a man the caliber of Joseph. He has always been one of my heros in the Bible and one that I counted as wise and discerning, at least later in life.

I am looking forward to sharing what I learn through this book over the next few days and for now here is a prayer that I believe is very appropriate for the Second Chair Leader.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Sunday Night Live January 3rd, 2010

Start the New Year   on the right track!

Join us every Sunday Night for Worship and a sermon that will be applied to where you are in life.

We are working our way through the Book of Matthew each week, verse by verse, and we are applying it to our lives. Nobody cares what you say you believe but lives will be changed if we live what we say we believe.

This week, the 1st week of the New Year the Scripture is Matthew 7: 13-14

Do you think you know what these verses mean? Come see what the Bible has to say about the wide and narrow, the easy and hard, the straight and crocked. Come see what the Bible has to say about cliff hangers and cliff walkers. Come see what the Bible has to say about you.

Ronnie

From Today’s New International Version

¹³ “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴ But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

From The Message

^13-14“Don’t look for shortcuts to God. The market is flooded with surefire, easygoing formulas for a successful life that can be practiced in your spare time. Don’t fall for that stuff, even though crowds of people do. The way to life—to God!—is vigorous and requires total attention.

The Band for 1st Hillsville is SouledOut, if you haven’t heard them then you are missing out. If you are interested in getting your year off to a great start and then getting each week of the year off to a great start, then come to SNL and get fired up, God is at work in Hillsville.

This Day In The Life Of Your Pastor – December 27th, 2009

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1. We often fall 4 satans traps bcause we put little effort N2 prevention. The only power addictions have over us is the power we give them. about 9 hours ago from TwitterBerry

2. Strongholds in the Bible are Addictions. Addictions always create sadness & often despair. It is another trick of the devil, don’t fall 4 it about 9 hours ago from TwitterBerry

3. going to book for Divine Rhythm in the morning. If you are out of high school and under 40 give me a shout if you want to go $35.00 + room about 10 hours ago from web

4. OK, been blogging and reading. I have a busy week ahead as usual so I need to get to bed. Great day in service to our Lord, He is N control about 10 hours ago from web

5. thank you from the blogger https://imagebearer.wordpress.com/2009/12/27/thank-you-from-the-blogger-2/ about 10 hours ago from web

6. Sermon: Ephesians 5: 15-17 https://imagebearer.wordpress.com/2009/12/27/sermon-ephesians-5-15-17/ about 10 hours ago from web

7. If God can raise Jesus from the dead, He can certainly set us free from addictions. about 11 hours ago from web

8. God’s love is not based on our performance, its based on His Character, His love is unconditional. what does this say about our lv 4 others? about 11 hours ago from web

9. Nothing is off the record with God. Amazingly, He still loves us. about 11 hours ago from web

10. Where there is an effect there must B a cause, a design there must B a designer, where there is a creation there must B a creator about 11 hours ago from web

11. It takes more faith not to believe in a Creator than it do to believe in one about 12 hours ago from web

12. Instead of denying your pain, allow it to motivate you to get help. about 12 hours ago from web

13. Do you know how you spell blame? B – LAME When we blame others for something we did, we are being LAME about 12 hours ago from web

14. You will never find healing from your hurts, hang-ups, and habits until you confront your pain. about 12 hours ago from web

15. How is your pain level? Is God using your pain to get your attention? about 12 hours ago from web

16. “God whispers to us in our pleasures but He shouts to us in our pain” C.S. Lewis about 12 hours ago from web

17. Those comited 2 truth R wiling 2 have their preconceived notions stretched/ altered by truth discovered throughout their Christian journey about 13 hours ago from TwitterBerry

18. A Christian accomplishes the purposes of God by bearing fruit. about 13 hours ago from TwitterBerry

19. Satan has already been defeated, it is now our job to advance in the victory that Christ has already won! about 13 hours ago from TwitterBerry

20. Late dinner from Burger King, not my favorite anymore. It was filling though. about 13 hours ago from TwitterBerry

21. Great service with SouledOut tonight, we serve an awesome God about 14 hours ago from TwitterBerry

22. Witness Team Challenge Holston 2010 https://imagebearer.wordpress.com/2009/12/27/witness-team-challenge-2010-holston-conference/ about 16 hours ago from web

23. Running the Spiritual Path https://imagebearer.wordpress.com/2009/12/27/running-the-spiritual-path/ about 16 hours ago from web

24. “If in running, the desire is to connect with God, to pray, it is already happening” Joslin about 17 hours ago from TwitterBerry

25. “Practice the Mother Teresa Run, look kindly N eyes of every person U meet.Whether or not yor gaze is returned, offer them a silent blesing” about 17 hours ago from TwitterBerry

26. If you have the ability to twitter on your mobile & you attend 1st Hillsville UMC, respond and let me know. I have an idea about 19 hours ago from TwitterBerry

27. Riding the 4 wheeler and visiting mom and dad, sharing some apples & oranges, we were blessed with a bunch about 19 hours ago from TwitterBerry

28. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. http://read.ly/1Cor9.26.NLT about 20 hours ago from API

29. “1 Corinthians 9: 24-27 is an illustration of how running can be a spiritual discipline” Joslin about 20 hours ago from TwitterBerry

30. “It is the dynamic of intention that most clearly separates the runner who merely runs from the runner who prays” Joslin about 20 hours ago from TwitterBerry

31. “Prayer is the desire to pray” Thomas Merton about 20 hours ago from TwitterBerry

32. Speaking of prayer as communion with God “literally running became prayer” Joslin about 20 hours ago from TwitterBerry

33. “Running became Prayer” Joslin about 20 hours ago from TwitterBerry

34. Gods presence is all around us, it is our job to be aware of it. about 20 hours ago from TwitterBerry

35. Reading the 1st chapter of “Running the Spiritual Path” by Roger Joslin about 20 hours ago from TwitterBerry

36. Samuel and Kyle got the book “The Christmas Sweater as a a gift, it is really good about 20 hours ago from TwitterBerry

37. 2 Great Services Today, God is @ Work in Hillsville about 21 hours ago from web

38. SNL tonight-SouledOut will be doing a Christmas Music Concert, join us @ 6:30 about 23 hours ago from web

39. headed in to preach @ the 11am service, 1st Hillsville UMC What does God want you to accomplish for Him in 2010 about 23 hours ago from web

40. Leading form the second chair https://imagebearer.wordpress.com/2009/12/27/leading-from-the-second-chair/ about 23 hours ago from web

41. getting ready for the 8:30am service @ 1st Hillsville UMC, join us as we look at what God would have us do in 2010 about 23 hours ago from web

42. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part… http://read.ly/1Cor12.15.NLT 9:47 PM Dec 26th from API

43. As a Christian, I depend on my Christian sisters & brothers for strength to finish the journey. 9:45 PM Dec 26th from TwitterBerry

44. Too many Christians today are on “cruise control” rather than involving ourselves in a dynamic relationship with God 9:41 PM Dec 26th from TwitterBerry

45. Too many times Gods people settle for easy but empty formulas.