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The biggest problem in America today is not economic, political, social, or racial. Our greatest threat is not terrorism, the collapse of our health care system, or reliance on foreign oil. America’s greatest need is better leadership.

America is crumbling because of a lack of wise leadership at every level—a lack of moral leadership in our government, poor educational leadership, corrupt economic leadership, greedy health care leadership, inept business leadership, and complacent religious leadership.

King Solomon poignantly made this point in Proverbs 11:14, “Without wise leadership, a nation falls; with many counselors, there is safety.” (NLT) The stability and success of a nation depends on the quality of its leaders.

The most pressing need in America today is for better leaders to rise up with the moral authority that comes from personal integrity and lead our nation back in the right direction. We need visionary leaders who can cast a vision for a better future for our nation and back up that vision with courage, honesty, dedication, and hard work.

Who are these leaders and where are they going to come from? Well, you could be one of them. Who me? Yes you! Great leaders in history have often risen from places of obscurity to be the agents of change their cultures so desperately needed at that moment in time.

Who would have thought a peasant girl named Joan of Arc would lead the French army to several critical victories during the Hundred Years’ War that eventually lead to the coronation of Charles VII, a turning point in French history?

Who would have guessed that a man who had failed at nearly everything he had ever tired would go on to become the 16^th President of America and the man most responsible for the end of slavery in America? Abraham Lincoln did not have the mythical “greatness” gene. Nothing came easy for him. He would never have been picked “the most likely to succeed. And yet he is one of the greatest leaders ever to grace the canvas of history.

No one could have ever predicted that a Jewish orphan girl named Esther would become the Queen of Persia and save the Jewish race from complete extinction in the 5^th century B.C. Esther was adopted by her cousin Mordecai after her parents died. She lived in Persia, where the Jewish people had been carried away as captives.

Mordecai said to Esther 4:14, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?” Esther seized her moment of destiny and made her mark on history.

I believe that you were “born for such a time as this” as well! You could be one of the leaders that God raises up during one of the most critical moments in America’s history to change the course of a nation. God is looking for a leader like you who has the courage to reject the status quo and fight for the change you want to see in the world.

Will you rise up and be the change our nation so desperately needs? I’m betting you will!

Celebrating life,

Brian

I am remembering 9/11 today. Praying for all those who lost loved ones that day and praying that God turns our nation back to Him once again.

9/11/2001 is a day I will never forget—our lives were changed forever that day. Mercy and I landed in Buenos Aires, Argentina just before the first Tower was hit. We cleared customs and were in the airport lobby and watch the second Tower get hit live on CNN.

We were in Buenos Aires to start a Bible college and host a pastor’s conference. After overcoming the shock of what had just happened, we discovered that the man we had entrusted to hire a secretary for us and organize our pastor’s conference had been stealing from us.

He was the only person I knew in Argentina. I was only 26 years old and wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. I tried to call my Pastor, but he was in Africa and he couldn’t be reached. So Mercy and I went to our hotel, knelt on our knees and asked God what to do.

God spoke to us to confront him and remove him from our ministry. He became very angry and threatened to destroy us and ruin our reputation in the country. He ruthlessly attacked us and our decision to confront him was very costly, but God’ word is true—no weapon formed against us was able to prosper! (Isaiah 54:17)

God opened up so many doors for us in the nation of Argentina during that trip and we made lasting friendships and partnerships that are stronger today than ever. Argentina was a gateway for us that opened up many nations to us—including Brazil, Paraguay, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany.

What I learned is that when you do the right thing, all hell might break loose, but God will stand with you and uphold you. Ask King David said in Psalm 37:17, “For the power of the wicked will be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.” (NIV)

Every decision you make has consequences. There are consequences for doing the right thing and for doing the wrong thing. Doing the right thing is often the toughest thing you can do, but in the end it will bring God’s blessings upon you.

This is the essence of integrity—doing the right thing the right way for the right reasons. Do the right thing today! It will be worth it in the end.

Celebrating life,
Brian

How will you be remembered after you die? Will you even be remembered at all? Your LEGACY depends more on your CHARACTER than on your ACHIEVEMENTS. 

King Solomon makes this point very clear in Proverbs 10:7, “The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.” (NIV) You will be remembered more for who you were than what you did.

The most important thing about you is your character—that’s who you really are on the inside. As H. Jackson Brown, Jr. said, “Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking.” Jesus summarized character this way: “By their fruit shall you know them.” (Matthew 7:16).

Do you want to know the fate of a person? Just look at their character. As Heraclitus so eloquently penned, “A man’s character is his fate.” Your character determines your fate in life, good or bad.

My favorite movie of all-time is Gladiator and my favorite quote in the movie is when General Maximus Meridius says to his soldiers, “What we do in life, echoes in eternity.” Your actions today have implications for eternity.

Remember, what you do today is not only shaping your character, it is defining your legacy. As John Donne astutely observed: “No man is an island unto himself.” So many lives depend on what you today—so choose wisely!

Celebrating life,

Brian

The Book of Proverbs repeatedly stresses the importance of accepting correction and the dangers of rejecting it. It is impossible to become a wise and godly Christ-follower without submitting to discipline. 

Below is a collection of my thoughts from the Book of Proverbs about discipline and correction. Every parent, leader, and Christ-follower will benefit from God’s wisdom.

Proverbs 3:11-12 says, “My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.” (NIV)

Leaders & Parents: DISCIPLINE without LOVE produces REBELS. Love without Discipline produces SPOILED BRATS. Equal parts LOVE plus DISCIPLINE produces REAL DISCIPLES. (Hebrews 12:6,8)

Proverbs 9:7-9 says, “Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning.” (NIV)

How you respond to CORRECTION determines whether you are a MOCKER or a WISE PERSON. Accept correction with grace and humility.

Proverbs 12:1 says, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.” (NIV)

Proverbs 12:1 should be enough to make you rethink your contempt for correction: “He who hates correction is stupid.” Don’t be stupid! 

Proverbs 29:1 says, “A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed–without remedy.” (NIV)

If you continue to stubbornly reject correction, it will lead to your certain demise and destruction. There is no remedy for people who don’t accept correction.

Proverbs 29:15 says, “Wise discipline imparts wisdom; spoiled adolescents embarrass their parents.” (MSG)

Proverbs 29:21 says, “A servant who is pampered from childhood will later become a rebel.” (NLT)

Pampering produces spoiled brats. Correction produces wise, well-behaved children.

Proverbs 29:17 says, “Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.” (NIV)

Disciplining those under your leadership will bring you peace and joy.

Proverbs 1:8-9 says, “My child, listen when your father corrects you. Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction. What you learn from them will crown you with grace and be a chain of honor around your neck.” (NLT)

The reward for accepting correction is grace and honor.

Proverbs 22:15 says, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.” (NASB)

All of us have foolishness bound up inside our hearts. The only to remove it from our hearts is to allow someone to discipline us. If we never submit to correction, we will become more and more foolish with him. However, the converse is true as well—the more you submit to correction from your leaders, the faster you will escape the clutches of foolishness and grow in wisdom.

Proverbs 15:5 says, “Only a fool despises a parent’s discipline;  whoever learns from CORRECTION is wise.”

Do you accept and learn from CORRECTION? Or do you despise and reject correction? Your answer determines whether you are WISE or a FOOL.

Proverbs 15:12 says, “Mockers hate to be corrected, so they stay away from the wise.”

Do you hate being corrected? Do you avoid those who do correct you? Do you surround yourself with ‘yes’ people who won’t confront you but will allow you to do whatever you want?

Who have you given permission to confront and correct you? What is the truth you so desperately need to hear? e corrected, so they stay away from the wise.”

Proverbs 23:13-14 says, “Don’t fail to correct your children. They won’t die if you spank them. Physical discipline may well save them from death.” (NLT)

Discipline is a sign of God’s love. Parents who really love their children take the time to correct them and discipline. That’s real love.

The worst thing parents can do is not correct and discipline their children. You are destroying them when you fail to correct them and saving their lives when you discipline them. As parents, we need to learn how to discipline our children in a godly way without losing our temper.

This is also true in leadership. As a leader, it is your job to shape those under your leadership. The only way to help them fully develop their gifts and, more important, the nature of Christ, is to correct them.

Proverbs 22:15 says, “Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him.” (NASB)

All of us have foolishness bound up inside our hearts. The only to remove it from our hearts is to allow someone to discipline us. If we never submit to correction, we will become more and more foolish with him. However, the converse is true as well—the more you submit to correction from your leaders, the faster you will escape the clutches of foolishness and grow in wisdom.

Praying that today we all have the courage to discipline those under our leadership and to submit to correction from those over us.

Celebrating life,

Brian

Are you suffering from information overload? Do you ever ask yourself, “If there were just ONE thing I could do to make life work and make sense of the world around me, man that sure would make life a lot simpler.” 

The Bible has the answer to that question. In the immortal words of King Solomon, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom.” (Prov. 4:7, KJV). Wisdom is the main thing in life. What is wisdom? WISDOM is the ability to make the right decisions.

Now, wisdom is such a huge concept and overarching principle. So where would I begin with really trying to understand wisdom? Once again, the Bible shows us the way. Proverbs 9:10 reveals the secret to acquiring wisdom, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (NIV) 

The FEAR OF THE LORD is the principal part of wisdom. So the secret to becoming wise is to fear the Lord. Fearing God = wise living.

What is the fear of the Lord? It has two basic components. First, the fear of the Lord is a hatred of wickedness, as seen in Proverbs 8:13: “To fear the Lord is to hate evil.” (NIV) Second, the fear of the Lord is a love for righteousness. Psalm 112:1 says, “Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands.” (NIV)

Therefore, FEARING GOD means we LOVE what He loves (RIGHTEOUSNESS) and we HATE what He hates (WICKEDNESS).

What is the fruit of loving righteousness and hating wickedness? It will increase God’s ANOINTING and JOY in your life. Psalm 45:7 says, “You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” (NIV)

When we fear God, we are afraid to do anything that displeases Him. Solomon said in Proverbs 14:16, “A wise man fears the Lord and shuns evil, but a fool is hotheaded and reckless.” (NIV)

Do you really SHUN EVIL? Or do you tolerate evil? Whatever you tolerate will eventually dominate you. Or do you, worse yet, enjoy things the Bible calls evil? Ask yourself these questions see how much you actually shun evil? Be honest as you take this evil-shunning self-exam.

• Do you walk away when people tell dirty jokes?
• Do you refuse to watch TV shows & movies that take Jesus’ name in vain and promote a promiscuous lifestyle?
• Do you reject the need to boast and praise yourself and put others down?
• Do you listen to or engage in gossip and hurtful rumors?
• Do you refuse to look at any person or image that stirs up lust in your mind?
• Do you reject lying in all its forms? Besides flat-out lies, there are many forms of deception that distor the truth.
• In the past month have you improved the truth? Exaggerated the truth? Minimized the truth? Rearranged the chronology of the truth? Omit parts of the truth? 
• Do you laugh at the things that make God cry?

We have heard for years that we are supposed to “love the sinner, hate the sin.” But it seems like so many Christians no longer hate sin. Not only do they not hate evil, they tolerate it and even revel in it. This breaks God’s heart and destroys our destiny.

In order to be become the person God created you to be, you need wisdom. In order to acquire and sustain wisdom, you need to fear the Lord. Solomon said it best in Ecclesiastes 12:13: “Here is my final conclusion: fear God and obey his commandments, for this is the entire duty of man.” (LB)

So where do you begin? Fearing God starts with a choice. Proverbs 1:29 says, “Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord…”

Choose to fear the Lord today. Shun evil and chase after righteousness like your life depends on it—because it actually does!

Celebrating life,

Brian