“Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.” That’s what Jim Collins says at the end of “Good to Great and the Social Sectors.” “Creativity is natural. Discipline is not. The marriage of creativity and discipline is key to leadership success.” Collins said […]

Last week we looked at the great work Nehemiah talked about doing. And maybe you’ve been thinking about great work. But maybe you’ve been looking at the work in front of you and thinking, “It’s well and good to talk about Nehemiah. Of course his work was great. It was God’s work.” That’s what we […]

It would be easy to get into conversations about “what counts as a great work.” I walked that line closely enough yesterday. (See “What makes a work great?”) However, here are some examples of what seem to me to be “great works.” Don and Janet spent fifty years living in southeast Asia and learning a language […]

We’ve been talking about Nehemiah’s work this week. And it makes me say, “So what makes a work great?” Here are some suggestions: Something about it makes you weep. When Nehemiah hears about the condition of the walls of the city of God, it breaks his heart. It’s bigger than you. Hugely so. Rebuilding a […]

No one is indispensable. As Jim Collins said, “Your organization isn’t great if it cannot be great without you.” Making disciples is about equipping people to go themselves and make disciples.  We hear all the time about not thinking of yourself too highly, of learning to be humble and part of a team. I agree. But I also am […]