True Leadership is ...

Mike Huckabee’s comment about the late Dr. Jerry Falwell summarizes what a true leader should be like. “Dr. Jerry Falwell was the same in public and in private. His extraordinary love of people, deep biblical convictions, and visionary drive combined to make him one of our nation’s most influential figures. He never lost sight that it was about Jesus – not about him.”


Falwell, M. (2008) Jerry Falwell: His life and legacy. New York: Howard Books.

Challenge facing education today

Educators have a huge challenge facing them. Today’s youth are not like those in the past. “Recent studies now claim that only 7% of born-again teenagers base moral choices on biblical principles. Eighty-three percent of teens said that moral truth depends on circumstances. These studies found that the most common basis for moral decision-making was doing whatever feels right or comfortable in a situation. The alarming fast decline of moral foundations among our young people has culminated in a one-word world-view: ‘whatever.’” (Schultz, p.10)

Educators find themselves reeling from more than forty years of moral decline in society. Crime rates are soaring, the family unit is falling apart and/or being redefined, and the church has lost its ability to be salt and light to the world. There are a lot of people who believe that education is the only hope for tomorrow. However, the current educational system now has God and his Word removed from all aspects of learning. Therefore, all efforts to improve educational programs have just lead to more problems and greater frustrations for parents. (Schultz, 2003)

If educational leaders are going to be successful, they are going to have to understand the situation they are now placed in. Leaders cannot merely react to their culture. They need to base their leadership on universal principles. They have to remain relevant to the culture but they are only able to do this if they base their principles on God’s word. This is because God’s word is timeless with respect to context. Every leader ought to be in God’s word daily.



Schultz, G. (2003). Kingdom education. Nashville: Lifeway Press.

Integrity in Leadership

Dwight Eisenhower said: “In order to be a leader a man must have followers. And to have followers, a man must have their confidence. Hence, the supreme quality for a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. If a man’s associates find him guilty of being a phony, if they find he lacks forthright integrity, he will fail. His teachings and actions must square with each other. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose.”


Quoteland.com (2001) Retrieved June 23, 2008 from http://www.quoteland.com/author.asp?AUTHOR_ID=1036

Good Leaders

I just finished a graduate class on Leadership Principles and Ethics.

Here's an excerpt from one of the books I read:

Good leaders will consider the following questions:
1. “Consistency: Are you the same person no matter who’s with you?
2. Choices: Do you make decisions based on how they benefit you or others?
3. Credit: Are you quick to recognize others for their efforts when you succeed?
4. Character: Do you work harder at your image or your integrity?
5. Credibility: Have you recognized that credibility is a victory, not a gift?”


Maxwell, J. (2007). The Maxwell leadership bible: Lessons in leadership from the word of God. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.