Stephen was the leader I want to be. Not because he was an eloquent spokesman or because he had a large following, but because he was willing to be humble and obedient to the greatest leader of all time, Jesus! If we want to lead, we must learn how to obey God, whether or not his plan abides by our agenda.

Sometimes hectic can't be helped, but many times the chaos is a sign that we need to take time to problem solve. Miscommunication in leadership not only has the propensity to create chaos in your organization, but can also steal your momentum and focus. If we want to lead well, we have to eliminate confusion by addressing assumptions. Here are three ways we can do this...

 sit on the couch with my boys looking through photo books. In this digital age, it feels old school to them, so I have to embrace feeling outdated. I try to skip to the "good" or cute photos of myself, but somehow the awkward ones seem to be the stand-outs.

My ministry experience has shown me women are wired to make a difference, but we have to juggle a lot to make it happen. Our dreams don’t always pay, and doing them alone often feels impossible. We spend energy on our friends, husbands, children, or really, anyone else, and then we feel guilty finding someone to coach, invest, train, and support us.

Truly courageous leaders are brave enough to investigate their organization's weakness because they know a weakness in his or her organization may be a reflection of his or her leadership. Weak leaders avoid their people, while strong ones are willing to associate and serve them. The wise lead by example, but the foolish lead with their mouths.

We all have limits; we all need rest- even prophets who do miracles. God helped his servant rest when it was time. Is it time for you to reign in your schedule for the health of your body, mind, soul and family? 

It’s not easy to obey when you don’t feel it (when you’re not in your pocket). But I’ve found there’s an inexplainable strength found when I shift my focus from what I’m doing, to who I’m loving. Obedience flows from a desire to love God with all our heart, soul and mind. There is power in the pocket, because God honors a man or woman who obeys out of love, even when she or he isn’t feeling it