Month: May 2016

Summit Faculty in the News, Spring 2016 Edition

Posted on May 10, 2016 by - News & Updates, The Global Leadership Summit

GLS Faculty alumni continue to be involved in interesting projects and ministries. Catch up with some of your favorite speakers and artists below.

GOP presidential hopeful Ted Cruz selected Carly Fiorina (2014, 2009, 2007) as his vice president running mate. However, after losing the Indiana primary, Cruz dropped out of the race.

Allen Catherine Kagina (2014), now the head of the Uganda National Roads Authority, stated her commitment to rehabilitating and reconstructing the government agency.

Andy Stanley (2013, 2010, 2006, 2003) apologized for a portion of a sermon that was considered discourteous to small churches.

Beat-box cellist Kevin Olusola (2012), now a member of the a cappella group Pentatonix, announced world tour dates for this summer.

Citing community standards, Facebook removed a post by Australian apologist John Dickson (2011), in which he argued for respectful language in the LGBT debate. The post reappeared on Facebook after Australia’s human rights commissioner approached the company.

A 21-minute film about art, faith and the relationship between Christian scholar and poet Eugene Peterson and Bono (2009, 2006) was released on YouTube.

Ashish Nanda (2006) received the IILM Distinguished Global Thinker Award.

Dan Allender (2002) participated in a documentary film with John Eldredge, setting out via motorcycle into the rugged back country of Colorado. A Story Worth Living will be released on May 19 for a special, one-night event across the US.

Rich Devos (2000), senior chairman of the Orlando Magic since 1991, was inducted into the Orlando Magic Hall of Fame.

Darlene Zschech (1998) shared about her battle with breast cancer to Charisma News online.

And finally, it is with sorrow that we would like to acknowledge the passing of two beloved Global Leadership Summit faculty alumni Gary Smalley (2000), marriage expert and author of Making Love Last Forever and Steven Sample (2004), former president of USC and author of The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership. Both gave impactful and life-changing messages at the Summit. We would like to celebrate their contribution to our leadership conversation and express our condolences to their families.

Building Margins and Resources

Posted on May 9, 2016 by - Articles, Leading Yourself, Relationship with God, Replenishment

Wayne Cordeiro, founding pastor of New Hope Christian Church in Honolulu, Hawaii and GLS faculty in 2006 and 1999, wrote the following post for his Mentoring Leaders blog.  The post gives a great perspective on “hitting the wall” – our leadership theme for May 2016.

Margins may be defined as “the space between your load and your limit.” The load represents the things that you carry every day. You reach a limit when you crack and go over the edge.

Necessary Margins

If you lived in a perfect world and had no problems at all, you wouldn’t need margins. But guess where you get the tolerance and patience for problems? It comes from the margins of your life.

Every single one of us needs margins because that is where character is developed. The margin contains the tolerance that we have for each other. Located in the margin are your mistakes — you can handle these errors because your slip ups cut into your margin. But if you are on the edge, every little thing that someone does wrong pokes at you.

Margins afford you plenty of “buffers” so you can handle the things that are going wrong.

It is the midst of the margins where you develop things like character and joy. If you possess no margins, you will never have joy because that’s where all the character resides. There is peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Where are all of those character qualities found? Yes, that’s right, in the margins of our lives. Our lives are fruitless when we lack these margins.

Here are some correct ways to increase our margins.

Develop a Great Attitude

Do you know that no one has been given an unalterable attitude? Every single person has been given an attitude that can increase in its value. You must be willing to develop a great attitude.

“Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant …” (Phil. 2:5-7).

Develop a Christ-like attitude. Jesus was so busy, but did you see Him getting flustered all the time? There is something about His perspective.

Jesus said we are to possess an attitude in ourselves that was also in Christ Jesus. Even though your plate may be somewhat full, you will find that you will have margins in there. If you’ve got a bad attitude, it eats up your batteries. But, if you’ve got a great attitude, it builds margins. In fact, it increases your margins.

Start Earlier

“… the precious possession of a man is diligence” (Prov. 12:27).

The word “diligence” in its etymology comes from the word “daily.” It started with the word “daylight.”

The Bible is instructing us on how important it is, if we are going to build margins, to start earlier. Get up at an earlier time. Develop an ability to be diligent in getting up so that you can have your quiet time. Start a little earlier in planning. Start a little earlier in whatever you might need to do.

Fillers and Drainers

Each of us has an emotional reservoir. It’s like a big tank. Your emotional reservoir needs to be full. If you are running on empty or your emotions are low, then you are on the verge of an emotional breakdown because you have no emotional energy.

You need to know what drains your tank. There are certain things that will drain your tank and pull from you — you need to know what they are. When you don’t know what fills your tank, by default, you will be so involved in doing things that you are giving life away—giving energy away—and you are not filling your tank.

What happens is that sometimes you cannot stop the drain because it’s just something you have to deal with. If that happens, you must make sure you fill the reservoir. Make sure the input is strong and filling you.

Think about what fills up your tank and write it down. If you can work these things into your week, this will help with the drain. Also write down what depletes your tank. It doesn’t necessarily need to be something that is wrong … it is just something that drains your tank.

Build Margins

I want to encourage you to build margins. It is such a crucial aspect of living. That is where character is built. Character is always built in the margins. Fruit always comes from the margins. If you have no margins, you will have a fruitless life.

Take the time to have a great attitude. Build it into your life. Also, start earlier. Know what fills your tank and what doesn’t.

Take Sabbath moments. Slow down. Don’t fill your plate so full that it doesn’t leave you time to just stop and get a soda by yourself and talk with Jesus.

Build margins into your life. I guarantee that, when you do, you will start to see character and fruitfulness coming to the surface.

The Summit Inspires a Grander Vision | 7,000 Water Wells & 1M People Impacted

Posted on May 9, 2016 by - Africa, Nonprofit, North America, Stories

Richard__Terri_Greenly_webDick and Terri Greenly own a water pump company in Oklahoma. In 2007 they attended the Summit and were moved toward their calling and a grander vision to build wells around the world. Jump ahead a few years, and they are now running one of the largest water pump projects in the world, and empowering local leaders to build and maintain over 7,000 wells in areas that are desperate for clean water.

“We never know the impact we can have by looking for opportunities to say yes to God!” – Dick Greenly

The inspiration behind this vision came directly out of the Summit!

We continue to be humbled by stories like this one. Be inspired by the rippling impact of the Summit, and the impact of the Greenly’s organization, Water4.

The impact goes beyond providing wells. Now Water4 is working on a project in the Congo where they are trading water wells for the freedom of slaves – so far several thousand! Check out this short video to learn more:

https://vimeo.com/127854856

 

We are in awe of how God uses the Summit to inspire leaders and bless people around the world.

What might God do through you?

One Key Element to a Life of Faith | Wilfredo De Jesús | 2016 GLS Faculty Spotlight

Posted on May 5, 2016 by - News & Updates

In 2014, Chicago Pastor Wilfredo De Jesús  delivered a powerful message on courageous faith. He should know. He built his church from 120 people to 17,000 in fewer than 15 years – with a mission to be a church for the hurting that reaches people for Jesus. Read how he applies his vision of courageous faith to the story of Rahab from Joshua 2, in the Bible. 

Many people want to live a life of faith, but few people are actually doing it. There are all kinds of reasons for this. Some of us are scared, some entitled and others just addicted to comfort.

But there is also an element of faith I think most of us are missing — grace.

Stories of great faith are invariably stories of great grace.

Take Rahab for example. Rahab was a poor, pagan woman. She was a prostitute nonetheless. She was the least likely candidate to change the course of history. But in one of the most miraculous events of Scripture, she took action to save God’s people from capture by Jericho’s soldiers.

When I think about the story of Rahab, I realize she must have been afraid. She hadn’t grown up with any faith in the true God, so when she felt God calling her to do something crazy — defy her government — I wonder if she thought to herself, this is crazy!

I wonder if she thought about how she could be punished.

I wonder if she worried about what the consequences would be.

I wonder if she wondered if God would be pleased with her for what she had done.

Still, she took a step of faith to be obedient to God, despite her fear, and God used her obedience for his good. She didn’t wait for courage to act. Courage came when she took action. And I love how God responded. He responded by using her, despite her status and her resumé, to do something amazing for him.

I think many of us are like Rahab. We don’t see ourselves as anything special. We’re just a plain-old Joe, working a plain-old job. Or maybe, like Rahab, we’ve done things we wish we hadn’t. We worry we’re a lost cause for God, that he has given up on us. At the same time, many of us feel like God has put a desire inside us to do something great for him.

If God has placed a desire inside your heart to do something great, but you’re not sure you have the credentials you need, think of Rahab. If you’re not moving forward with your dream because you’re afraid, think of Rahab. If you’re worried you don’t have the resources or the clout, think of Rahab.

I dare you to have the courage she had.

I dare you to step out in faith.

I dare you to experience Grace like she did.

I dare you to see what God does.

Question: In what ways is God asking you to step out in faith? What is holding you back? 

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Check out the Global Leadership Summit Website to see other members of the faculty and for additional information on the Summit. Register here to attend the GLS at a premier host site near you. Super Early Bird pricing ends on May 24, 2016.

dejesusUnder Wilfredo De Jesús’ (GLS 2014) leadership, New Life Church has grown from 120 people to more than 17,000 through church plants and to more than 130 ministries reaching the most disenfranchised – the poor, homeless, prostitutes, drug addicts and gang members. Named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2013, de Jesús is the author of In the Gap and became a Summit favorite following his challenging and inspiring talk in 2014.