All posts by Dr. Scott Rodin

Facing our Demons: The Six Temptations Every Leader Faces When it Comes to Money

Any Christian who has served in a leadership capacity knows that the position is dominated by issues related to money. We assume positions of leadership because of our passion and calling to carry out a mission, achieve a vision and accomplish significant work. Whether leading a for-profit company or a not-for-profit ministry, we come into leadership with our eyes focused on some other prize than the merely financial. However it is not long before .

Fighting the Need to Increase

When John the Baptist saw Jesus walking in his presence, he made the declaration, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”  Most Christian leaders would say that in their hearts they would wish that Jesus would increase and they would decrease.  But it is hard to decrease in a leadership position.  There are natural trappings that distinguish those in leadership such as salary, title, prestige, priority, power, influence, honor and advancement.  And in each .

Talk about an ‘Aha’ Moment!

Every once in awhile a short, pithy comment hits you right between the eyes.  You know what its like.  You stand there, mouth agape and head spinning trying to make sense of what you just read or saw or heard.  I have been reading and thinking through the concept of the ‘waiting times of life’.  Andrew Murray has helped and also unnerved me in the ways he talks about waiting on God. It was .

Surefire Way #5 to Lose Your Reputation as a Leader… and live like Jesus.

We are looking at five implications for leaders taken from Philippians 2:7, where Paul tells us that Jesus “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant.”  Are we ready to lead in this selfless, sacrificial way?  If so, here is the fifth of five ways that leading in obedience to Christ will require of us that we become leaders of no reputation. Surefire Way #5.  Lead by waiting .

Surefire way #3 to Lose Your Reputation as a Leader… and live like Jesus.

We are looking at five implications for leaders taken from Philippians 2:7, where Paul tells us that Jesus “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant.”  Are we ready to lead in this selfless, sacrificial way?  If so, here is the third of five ways that leading in obedience to Christ will require of us that we become leaders of no reputation. Surefire Way #3   Don’t defend yourself .

Surefire way #2 to lose your reputation as a leader… and live like Jesus.

We are looking at five implications for leaders taken from Philippians 2:7, where Paul tells us that Jesus “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant.”  Are we ready to lead in this selfless, sacrificial way?  If so, here is the second of five ways that leading in obedience to Christ will require of us that we become leaders of no reputation. Surefire Way #2  –  Tell the .

Five surefire ways to lose your reputation as a leader… and live like Jesus.

For everyone in leadership who wants to follow Jesus, I would suggest the best place to start is Philippians 2:7, where Paul tells us that Jesus “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant.” It does not say that Jesus became a man of bad reputation or of questionable reputation, but simply of no reputation. That is, reputation, image, prestige, prominence, power and other trappings of leadership were .

‘Wait’ is not a Four-Letter Word

I have to admit I really hate the word ‘wait’.  It symbolizes waste.  We wait at stop lights, wait in doctor’s ‘waiting rooms’, wait in line at the grocery store, wait for checks to arrive in the mail, wait for apologies, wait for waiters to wait on us, and wait for storms to pass and better days to dawn. It all seems a big waste of time. And so it was with some trepidation .

Where are the Prophets?

Where are the Prophets?  We have become a nation dominated by antipathy on one side and apathy on the other.  We are either angry, divided and polarized or we have checked out and just don’t care much anymore.  The angry need to heal and the apathetic need to engage.  We all desperately need a prophetic voice to unite and energize our rapidly declining nation. But where are the prophets?  Who is standing up and .

Work that Fills Us

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to spend a day working in a carpenter’s shop with Jesus? What would your day be like? I think Jesus would run his carpenter shop like every other carpenter shop.  He would not use any Holy Spirit power to extract a bent nail, or rely on miracles to plane and shape the wood.  The excellence of the products produced in his shop would not come because .