Jesus Christ, Level 5 Leader

I am fascinated by how well great truths mirror the teaching and examples in the Holy Scriptures. Cases where the modern-day teacher derives his or her thesis from scripture (e.g. Dale Carnegie) are interesting, but it is those cases where empirical data leads to the same conclusions as the teachings preserved as scripture that intrigue me most. One such example is Jim Collins and the concepts explored in his book Good to Great. Collins entered into his study of why and how some companies make the leap from a “good” company to a “great” company specifically looking for answers other than leadership. What he and his team found, however, is that the organizations that make the leap always did so with the guidance of a specific type of leader. The traits of this “Level 5 Leader” are remarkably unsurprising to anyone familiar with the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.

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Wrestling with Consolation and Desolation

I am having a difficult time reconciling the concept of desolation as a tool in God’s hands and the promise of Jesus that we will never thirst. On the one hand, experience and the word of people who testify in words and in love that they are disciples of Jesus Christ speak of desolation as a valuable, and perhaps necessary, experience. On the other hand, the testimony of this same Jesus.

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