Letter To Leaders: For Today And The Future!

Leaders have an enormous responsibility. First they are supposed to know where they are going, the dangers that are present, and the alternate routes available for arriving safely at the chosen destination. When we make a HOG(Harley Owners Group)run we have a designated "road captain" who plans the journey from beginning to end. This is a good thing, it takes the pressure off everyone that is "along for the ride." Patrols in the military sense(is this an oxymoron)put a man on point. Huge companies have CEOs, and in the church we have a pastor. All of these persons I mention take on the role of being the leader, only not all leaders lead from the front. You see, being out in front may look and sound wonderful, but it isn't! It's dangerous, it requires a high degree of self confidence, and most of all, to be a great leader one must have the respect of their followers, their trust, if you will. I guess what I would like to share with you today is that if you are a follower you must take some responsibility for "who" you are following and "why" you are following. A leader is not someone that you see out front and choose to follow them because they are ahead of you, that is a "line." Examine, question, investigate, and then make your choice, with careful consideration, who your leader will be. An inept leader can leave some of the group behind because they didn't plan the fuelup locations very well. A bad leader can leave many dead in the wake of their leadership. In the business world an entire company can be brought to it's corporate knees due to inefficient leadership. And in the church,
souls are lost to the neverending torment of hell(removed from God's presence and Spirit)by lack of accurate knowledge of where we want to go and how we are supposed to get there. We live in an age of mindless confusion leaving most willing to follow anyone who is out in front. I am in total agreement with following the person out in front. I admire and respect those who have the gifts and talents to lead from the front. I guess I'm mature(does not mean to imply that I have grown up)enough now to realize that I also want to check the route and all of its' alternatives before commiting myself to the journey. Experience teaches me that the "best" leaders choose to lead from the front, but each of us has to make our own choices. Roger Miller wrote, "Some people walk in the rain, others just get wet." In Christ's Love, Preacher.