Personal development | Developing Kingdom Leaders - Tom Yeakley

Archive for the tag “Personal development”

09 Mar 2015

In Memory of Jelle

Jelle Jongsma finished his race shortly before Christmas 2014. It was my privilege to have known him and to have journeyed with him as a fellow pilgrim. Below is an article I wrote for the Dutch Navigators about my memories of Jelle.

“In 2003 I began to travel to Western Europe and engage with some of the leaders of the various student ministries. At the first event in Amsterdam I met a large Dutchman who introduced himself as Jelle Jongsma, the leader of the Dutch student ministry (NSV). That began a journey together that has forever changed my life.

“My heart is flooded with many, many fond memories of our journey over these years. It makes me smile just to remember Jelle’s boisterous laugh and overwhelming optimism. Jelle was a contrast of seriousness regarding the advance of the gospel and the lightheartedness of daily life. Jelle was a man who knew a big God and saw the world’s problems as very small by comparison. His vision for the world and desire to be personally used by God were a constant theme in our times together.

“At a staff gathering at the Don Bosco retreat center we were discussing some of the problems facing a rapidly growing Dutch student work. That morning we prayed over Ezekiel 36:37-38 asking that God would fill the Dutch universities and cities with ‘flocks’ of Dutch students and graduates who loved Him. We prayed that they would carry this Navigator vision of laboring to Europe and the nations of the world. While God was blessing the Dutch ministry, there was more…always more. Jelle’s vision saw more opportunity for God to work everywhere he looked. His faith and vision challenged me to trust God for more.

“I remember walking at Kinderdijyk with him praying for the Netherlands and the nations. We visited his childhood home and I learned about his family heritage. He invited me into his home and I watched him and Joke raise two beautiful young girls to become godly women. We talked about everything from mission strategy to qualities of potential spouses for Myrthe and Susanne. He and Joke made me feel a part of their lives and family.

“When Jelle and Bernard (Terlouw) visited us in Colorado, we laughed at the size of the large steak I cooked for them on our grill. I remember laughing about me not liking Dutch krokets, my silliness at placing both peanut butter and jam on my sandwich, and him trying to teach me to enjoy red wine. I’m so grateful for his patience and kindness when I called late at night asking him to please pick me up at the Den Hague train station, because once again I had gotten on the wrong train in Utrecht. In many ways it seems that our roles reversed from me coaching him in ministry, to him teaching me about life and modeling Christlikeness.

“I would have liked to have had more time with Jelle, but I’m so grateful for what time we did have. I’ll never be the same. I will miss him and look forward to seeing him again when he greets me in heaven. No doubt I’ll hear him before I see him, as his laugh will help me find him in the crowd.”

May we all have such friends in our journeys.

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged development, Intentional leader development, kingdom leaders, Leadership, Leadership development, leadership thinking, Personal development

02 Mar 2015

Development Through Tough Relationships

DAVID – LESSONS FROM RELATIONSHIPS: SAUL
1 Samuel 16-26

Character: Christlikeness; the fruit of the Spirit

“Character is developed in community, but tested in isolation.”
Bill Thrall

Lesson #1 Trusting God’s Sovereignty

1 Samuel 18:28-29
When Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, 29 Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.

1 Samuel 19:9-10
But an evil spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the harp, 10 Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.

David was approximately 20 years of age when he fled from Saul and for the next ten years, until anointed in Hebron as king, he was on the run from Saul (2 Sam. 5:4).

1 Sam. 19:1-2 – Jonathan warns David of Saul’s plot
1 Sam. 19:4 – Jonathan defends David to his father, Saul
1 Sam. 19:11-12 – Michal warns David of Saul’s plot
1 Sam. 19:23 – God spares David
1 Sam. 20:32-35 – Jonathan again warns David of Saul’s plot
1 Sam. 23:9-13 – David delivered through ephod warning at Keilah
1 Sam. 23:14 – God continually spares David from Saul
1 Sam. 23:26-29 – David delivered because of Philistine attack on Saul

Lesson: People, leaders, governments, or organizations can’t frustrate God’s plan for my life (cf. Genesis 31:6-7)

Romans 8:31
If God is for us, who can be against us?

Lessons #2 Submission to Authority

1 Samuel 24:5-7
Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6 He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’S anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD.” 7 With these words David rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way…May the LORD judge between you and me. And may the LORD avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you.

1 Samuel 26:9-11
But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the LORD’S anointed and be guiltless? 10 As surely as the LORD lives,” he said, “the LORD himself will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. 11 But the LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on the LORD’S anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let’s go.”

1 Samuel 26:22-24
“Here is the king’s spear,” David answered. “Let one of your young men come over and get it. 23 The LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. The LORD delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on the LORD’S anointed. 24 As surely as I valued your life today, so may the LORD value my life and deliver me from all trouble.”

Lesson: Leaders are God-appointed and therefore I submit to them, even if they seek to do me wrong, trusting that God will remove them and/or correct/repay them at the proper time (cf. John 19:10-11; Romans 13:1-2; Hebrews 13:17)

What difficult relationship has God placed you into that He means to use for good and for your development as a leader? Are you embracing this or fighting against it?

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged character development, development, emerging leaders, kingdom leaders, leader development, Leadership, Leadership development, mindset, Personal development, Wisdom

16 Feb 2015

2 Comments

A Leader’s Calling

Below is a bible study on the call of God. I used it myself when trying to discern whether God was leading me/us out of a vocational career in veterinary medicine and into a ministry with The Navigators. This was one source of input that the Lord used to guide us in that decision.

Key Attitudes for Following God’s Calling
1. Trust God – Proverbs 3:5-6
2. Living sacrifice – Romans 12:1-2
3. Willingness to obey – John 7:17

Leaders God Called
Abraham – Genesis 12:1-5

Moses – Exodus 3:1 – 4:20

Samuel – 1 Samuel 3:1-13

Isaiah – Isaiah 6

Jeremiah – Jeremiah 1:1-19

Ezekiel – Ezekiel 1-3

Jonah – Jonah 1 – 3:3

Peter and Andrew – Mark 1:16-18; Luke 5:1-11; John 1:35-42; Matthew 4:18-20

James and John – Mark 1:19-20; Luke 5:1-11; Matthew 4:21-22

Matthew – Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32; Matthew 9:9-15

Paul – Acts 9:1-20

Principles of God’s Calling
1. Makes sure it is God calling and not your idea – Galatians 1:1

2. God takes volunteers – Isaiah 6:8

3. The call is often a call to “go” with no geographical limitations – Jonah 1:1-3; 3:1-2; Hebrews 11:8

4. God clarifies His call as we walk in obedience – Genesis 12:1-4; 17:1-8; Hebrews 11:8

5. Failure to respond can bring chastening or loss of opportunity – example of Jonah, rich young ruler

6. Responding to God’s call may mean a change in lifestyle – Exodus 3:1,10

7. The call of God is a call to serve – Mark 1:16-18

Without a clear calling from God the pressures and challenges faced by leaders will cause one to want to give up. Sustainability in leadership can be helped by knowing that one is called to lead. It is out of obedience to Him that we stay and serve.

Are you sure that the Lord has called you to serve others by leading?

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged calling, development, emerging leaders, Intentional leader development, kingdom leaders, leader development, Leadership, Leadership development, leadership thinking, mindset, Personal development

09 Feb 2015

Making Your Contribution

Dr. RJ (Bobby) Clinton shared the following with me some time ago regarding living a focused life. Note that these suggestions are best suited for those in their late 30s and 40s who are moving into mid-career contributions. His thoughts are numbered, my additions follow.

1. Do a thorough Ultimate Contribution Analysis. What is it that you want on your tombstone? What will be said about you at your funeral? What difference will your life have meant when you are gone?

2. Identify the priority Ultimate Contributions you want to focus on the next 5 years. This includes assessing your major role and adjusting it to fit the priorities or changing that major role altogether to enhance your priority legacies. Just how serious are you about this ‘focusing for impact’ idea anyway? What do you need to stop doing in order to begin to develop depth and focus so that God can use you in a greater way?

3. Choose your top ultimate contribution and lay out a strategy for focusing on it. Plans can help turn good intentions into reality. But just because you have a good plan does not ensure execution of it. Create some accountability to turn those plans into progress!

4. Repeat for your other prior ultimate contributions. You will have more than one ultimate contribution, but not dozens. These few contributions will revolve around your giftedness and will require you to concentrate in these areas to develop your life messages in them.

5. Identify your effective methodologies that are needed to be released in order to accomplish these priority legacies. Make sure you are using your effective methodologies to the utmost. Strategize to change your activities (major role adjustment) in order to use your effective methodologies. You effective methodologies are means by which you can platform and communicate your life messages. Will it be through direct or indirect leadership? Will your influence be written or oral? Will you concentrate on a few or seek to influence broadly? ‘

Focus for impact’ is the mantra of a life that will help to change the world for Christ! Are you becoming more and more a generalist or are you developing and honing your life messages for greater impact? How’s your focus?

Posted in #2 BE - Who a Leader Is and tagged character development, emerging leaders, Intentional leader development, kingdom leaders, Leadership, Leadership development, mindset, Personal development

05 Jan 2015

Learning from Your Mistakes

King David had a great idea…let’s bring the ark of God back to Jerusalem to the place it rightfully belonged. So, he consulted with his leadership and they all agreed that this was a wonderful idea.

They got a new ox cart (this certainly would be God-honoring) to carry the ark and a great procession was planned to bring the ark to its new home. Things went well until the oxen stumbled and Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark and God struck him dead. This tended to throw a cloud of gloom over the entire event and David decided to end this procession, being frustrated with God his failure to accomplish his plan (see 1 Chronicles 13).

Sometime later David is now well established as king in Jerusalem and he once again remembers that the ark of God is residing in a tent outside of Jerusalem. With this idea in mind, he again confers with his leaders, but note the difference. He acknowledges that previously that had forgotten to ‘inquire of the Lord’ as to their plans. This time they realize that the ark is to be carried only by the Levites and that it is to be carried with poles inserted along the sides. This time the procession goes to completion with great rejoicing (see 1 Chronicles 15).

David had learned from his previous mistake. He acknowledges that they did not consult the Lord on their prior attempt and they ended in failure. As leaders we all make mistakes, just like David. The key question is do we learn from them? Do we adjust and continue to move ahead? Do we own our mistakes?

How about you? Made any mistakes recently? Welcome to humanity! Now, what are you learning from them?

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged assessment, development, emerging leaders, Intentional leader development, leader development, Leadership development, leadership gift, Personal development, Wisdom

29 Dec 2014

Happy New Year!

As we come to the end of another year and look ahead to the beginning of a new one, it’s a great time to stop and reflect. Put aside that busyness and reflect upon your life past, present, and future.

Some questions to help with your reflection:

1. What has God been speaking to you about during these past few months? Are there general themes or topics that seem to be repeated?

2. Is your life in alignment with the general purposes of God and does it reflect an eternal value system?

3. Are you at peace?

4. Are you contributing in your strengths and operating out of your passions?

5. Does your lifestyle model something that is attractive for others to imitate?

One of my favorite passages on new beginnings is Isaiah 43:18-19 –

“Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
¹⁹See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.

May this be the year of new beginnings – a year that brings Him glory!

Happy New Year!

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks and tagged Balanced life, development, Goals, kingdom, kingdom leaders, leader development, Leadership development, leadership thinking, mindset, Personal development

22 Dec 2014

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

One of the blessings of the years our family spent in Indonesia was that we lived as a Christian minority. The blessing in this became evident at the time of major Christian holidays, like Christmas. There were no cultural distractions to have to explain or avoid. Rather, Christmas was what we made it. We could introduce our own traditions and values without having the distractions from the society around us.

Today we live in America once again and are confronted with all of the Christmas traditions that go with the holiday season. Perhaps like me, you’ve wondered where all of these traditions came from. Here’s some background to help with giving some new (old?) meaning to these seasonal traditions.

December 25 – The Day of Jesus’ Birth

In ancient times birthdays were celebrated only by kings and royalty. It was not customary to record the specific date of an individual’s birth. Being unsure of the exact date of Jesus’ birth, many dates began to be observed as Christianity spread from country to country.

Bishop Hippolytus calculated the birth of Jesus to be December 25 in 235 AD. Emperor Constantine ordered the celebration of Christmas in 320 AD. Since 400 AD Christendom has accepted this date as the traditional date of Jesus’ birth.

Christmas was first celebrated in America in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia. In 1836 Alabama became the first state to establish Christmas as a legal holiday. Colorado recognized Christmas as a state holiday in 1861.

St. Nicholas or Santa Claus

Nicholas was born and raised in Turkey in 280 AD. When Nicholas reached age 19 he entered the priesthood. He became known as the ‘patron saint of children’ because of his habit of leaving unidentified gifts at the homes of needy families. This mysterious donor is called “Father Christmas” in England.

Introduced as “Sinterklass” to America by the Dutch as the patron saint of their colonies or as the English and French said, “Saneta Claas.” In 1809 Washington Irving portrayed a jolly fellow who rode in a sleigh pulled by reindeer; a far cry from the original St. Nicholas. The giving spirit of St. Nicholas should inspire us all.

Candy Canes

A candy maker in Indiana wanted to make a candy to celebrate the birth of Jesus, so he made the Christmas Candy Cane. He incorporated several symbols for the birth, ministry, and death of Jesus.

He began with a stick of pure white, hard candy. He chose white to symbolize the purity and Virgin Birth of Jesus. He made it in the “J” shape for the name of Jesus. The shape is also that of a shepherd’s staff, to remind us that the Bible calls Jesus the Good Shepherd. The red stripe is to remind us of the blood Christ shed for us when he died on a cross.

Christmas Carols

Until the Middle Ages there was no congregational singing in Christian churches. Trained choirs sang chants and monotonous songs. After the Christmas services, the church members would often gather in the streets to sing songs about the birth of Jesus, called ‘carola.’ Martin Luther introduced congregational singing to the churches.

“Silent Night” is the most popular Christmas carol. Written on Christmas eve in Obendorf, Austria in 1818 by a priest as he walked in the snow house-to-house inviting his members to the service that evening. Returning to his church, the priest asked the organist to write the melody to the lyrics he had composed on his walk. Sung for the first time at the service that evening, it was sung to guitar as the church organ was broken!

Christmas Trees

This tradition was borrowed from the non-Christian people of northern Europe and given a new meaning. These people would bring evergreens into their homes during the winter months to remind them of the hope of the coming spring.

Christians adapted this custom and added that the evergreen symbolizes the everlasting life offered through belief in Jesus as our Savior. Trees were set up on Christmas and decorated with lights (candles) to symbolize that Jesus was born on a beautiful, starry night in Bethlehem. Tradition says that Martin Luther was the first to add lights to the decorated tree.

Creche or Manger Scene

Until the 13^th century, those that celebrated Christmas generally overlooked the lowly conditions of Jesus’ birth. In 1219, St. Francis of Assisi visited Bethlehem where he was struck by the simplicity of Christ’s birthplace. He was dismayed by the contrast of Jesus’ humble beginnings and the lavish church celebrations of his birth.

St. Francis created a rustic stable scene for midnight mass on Christmas Eve 1223. He used live animals and people portrayed Mary and Joseph, shepherds and the angels.

Stockings

Long before Christmas trees were a part of the common Christmas traditions, stockings were hung in anticipation of the arrival of St. Nicholas. English immigrants brought this custom with them to America.

The original Christmas stockings that were hung were those worn for everyday apparel. They were hung with the hopes of being filled with treats from the visit of St. Nick.

What traditions are a part of your Christmas celebrations? What values are you communicating as you celebrate? Perhaps you can lead your family or your friends in remembering the true reason for the season as you reflect upon some of these established traditions. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks, #3 DO - What a Leader Does and tagged kingdom, kingdom leaders, leader, leadership thinking, Personal development, Wisdom, Witnessing

01 Dec 2014

Developing More Leaders – REPRODUCE

We continue to reflect upon a good way to organize our understanding of the complex subject of leadership. Using the simple outline of Know – Be – Do – Reproduce we can categorize the important functions of this vast subject called leadership. Today we will address the category of “Reproduce – Developing More Leaders.”

An essential part of your leadership is to multiply more leaders. Yes, we must accomplish mission and task, but don’t overlook the very important task of leaving behind more leaders. Be intentional about developing those leaders on your team to ensure the are reaching their potential for contribution.

Some leaders are so personally insecure that they avoid developing those on their team. They see their team member’s development as a threat to their leadership, thinking, “If they reach their potential, they could take my role and then what would I do?”

The reality is that all leadership is temporary. We lead for a while and then transition our leadership to another. We can make this transition healthy and positive by intentionally planning our transition. Or we can ignore it and wait until a crisis occurs and then leave the work ill-prepared for the next leader.

Here’s some practical reminders about developing the leaders on your team.

You don’t personally have to do the development of your team members, just lead your team in their development
Be intentional about your team’s development as a whole and as individual members
Model intentional, individual leader development for your team; set the pace
Make leader development fun and interesting, not a duty!
Make sure that the Scriptures are central in your team’s leader development
Reading a book or and article on leadership together as a team and then discussing how it might be applied in your context is an easy way to lead your team in development
Bring in outside resources (people and tools) to help your team grow and develop
Development is a part of your regular team meetings, but can become a focus for an extended team retreat
Have your team members set 6-month personal development goals related to their development as a leader and then hold them accountable for them
Remember to keep this question before your team – “Development for what?” Their personal leader development and the development of your team is to help you all accomplish your God-given mission or task.

Are you being intentional about your personal leader development? Are you leading your team in development?

Posted in #4 REPRODUCE - Developing More Leaders and tagged development, emerging leaders, Intentional leader development, kingdom leaders, leader development, Leadership development, Personal development, Team building

17 Nov 2014

4 Comments

The Leader – BE

1. Develop personal depth

Lead from an overflow of your walk an intimacy with Christ

Your intimacy with Christ grows as you spend time with Him in the Scriptures
Seek to know God’s ways, not just His actions
Develop depth and breadth in the Bible!
Bible reading plans can be very helpful – repetition is the key to learning

Leadership Thinking – KNOW

Using the simple outline of Know – Be – Do – Reproduce we can categorize the important functions of this vast subject called leadership. Today we will address the category of “Know – How a Leader Thinks.”

How we think as leaders directly influences how we act as leaders. Here are some practical ideas on thinking well as a leader.

1. Take personal responsibility for your development as a leader
– Focus on developing your strengths, not weaknesses, unless it’s a ‘career stopper’
– “Maximize your strengths and staff to your weaknesses.”
– Find a mentor to help you grow in specific areas
– Ask them to help you in a specific area for a specific time
– Guide your learning from them with good questions on topics you are interested in

2. Communication is key to good morale – your morale and those you lead
– Dwight Eisenhower – “Morale is the greatest single factor in successful warfare.”
– Ask questions of your leaders – know ‘why’ you’re doing what you’re doing; know the next 6 months events that you will be expected to attend and plan accordingly
– Keep those you lead informed about upcoming events, organizational changes, personnel changes, etc.
– Keep your family informed

a. Travel schedules – goals; itineraries; prayer requests for the trip
b. Help your children communicate what you do to others
c. Help your children feel special regarding the ministry of their parents

– Help your extended family communicate what you do to others
– When returning from a trip; set some guidelines for communication

a. What will your spouse need to hear from you?
b. When will you debrief and reconnect?
c. How will you re-engage with your children?

3. Relationships are key to the breadth and depth of your influence

– Spend individual, personal time with those you lead

a. Get individual time at meetings
b. Phone calls without a reason other than to say ‘Hi’ and catch up
c. Birthday cards or personal email notes

– Visit those you lead in their homes as often as possible
– Focus on the family, not just the ministry

a. Go with them to family events (i.e. sporting events, school activities)
b. Take the family out for dinner; let them choose the restaurant

– Get into the Word together
– Pray together
– Listen much, talk little; seek to understand, rather than to be understood

a. Be an active listener; give feedback and ask probing questions to really understand what God is doing in their lives

4. Bring intentionality to your leadership

– Pray, Teach, Model – 3 primary means of influence
– Never underestimate the power of your own example; you are being watched!
– Travel with someone – the ‘apprentice model’ for developing others
– What you speak on or write about is what you will become known for; therefore choose your topics carefully!
– As a leader you speak at a volume of 2, but are heard at a volume of 10!
– Be sure you’re setting a spiritual tone for the work of the ministry!

Posted in #1 KNOW- How a Leader Thinks and tagged development, Intentional leader development, kingdom, kingdom leaders, leader, leader development, Leadership, Leadership development, leadership thinking, Personal development

Developing Kingdom Leaders – Tom Yeakley

Taking the Mystery out of Leadership

Archive for the tag “Personal development”

In Memory of Jelle

Development Through Tough Relationships

A Leader’s Calling

Making Your Contribution

Learning from Your Mistakes

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

Developing More Leaders – REPRODUCE

The Leader – BE

Leadership Thinking – KNOW

Tom Yeakley

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