Catalyst Articles

I am a leader who happens to be a woman. That’s all. My gender shouldn’t define my opportunities or my limitations. It shouldn’t dictate whether I’m a good leader or a bad one. It shouldn’t be the thing that holds me back from leading nor should it be an excuse for me to be given opportunities that I haven’t earned.

As I was finishing up one of my runs just the other day, rounding the last corner before the mile run was over, I was about to go into cruise control. The last 400 meters were going to be easy, I thought. I was a sizable distance behind the next runner, and… who cares? It’s just a run… I don’t have to win this.

The desire for creative team members has never been higher. As constraints grow for organizations, the importance of having people who can think differently grows exponentially. Finding creative people is difficult, but keeping them is even harder.

For years, my identity was self-defined. I defined myself by my work, my money, my status… and privately, I defined myself by my sexuality. Much of my life and focus was spent on those things and, thusly, trying to control how others perceived me.

As you step into this season of Thanksgiving, are you ready to show gratitude and to appreciate?

Most churches don’t have the resources necessary to field a full creative team. We all know that volunteers are the lifeblood of most of our ministries. So how do we promote creativity with our volunteers? 

When I’m busy; 

Each month, Brad highlights young leaders making a local and global impact.

Unfortunately, I believe most of us are a lot like Samson— minus the superstrength and long hair, of course. Just as Samson had potential for greatness, he squandered that potential again and again through foolish decisions.

I believe all of us can identify with the poet Carl Sandberg, who said, “There is an eagle in me that wants to soar and a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.” The key to success is following the impulse to soar more than the desire to wallow.

Click here to find out how you can help make a difference in aiding those suffering as a result of Typhoon Haiyan.

The most important question is not, “What am I getting?” but “What am I becoming?”