“Servant leadership” is a term bandied around.  What do you picture when you hear it?  One genuflected and spineless or better stated genuflected because they are spineless?

Servant leadership in the home, marketplace or church is not wimpish and certainly is not devoid of authority.  What is absent is the drive for pomp and prestige, the willingness to scramble up the “ladder” on the heads, hearts and hands of others.  For sure servant leaders exercise authority, but they do so for the good of those they lead even if such leadership requires sacrifice on their part.

Jesus said this about leadershp:

If you are looking for the final word benediction style then read this:

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. (1Co 16:13 ESV)

Men we are called to be engaged in our worlds, our homes, our families and our marriages.  Where is the justification to check-out?  It isn’t found in these final words.

For me the challenge is to “be watchful”.  My kids seem to be exposed to so much stuff, how do I stay not only informed, but how do I intervene in ways that are helpful?  One tool that I have found helpful is the on-line reviews of media at Pluggedinonline.

What part of this “final word” challenges you?

“Authentic prayer brings heavenly realities to bear on earthly situations.” For the next two chapters, Beltz is going to unpack that for us.

In chapter five, he explains that the Kingdom of God is best understood as God’s reign and rule. Although the fullness of that rule lies in the future, the first coming of Jesus prepared the way for God’s Kingdom to be experienced in the present. Prayer is asking God to intervene into our lives and into our situations now. We are not seeking to force our wills upon God, but rather to affirm God’s will and ask that it become a reality in our lives. The author suggests five key areas to be praying that God’s will be done. This week we will cover the first two.

The first area is our personal lives; we seek God’s blessing and favour by praying for it. The author shares a lengthy list of spiritual needs that he prays for regularly. That list includes:

• To submit to the will of God
• To receive empowerment from the Spirit
• To abide in Christ
• To develop character
• To be humble
• To be useful

The second area is our family; we seek God’s blessing and provision for our spouse and for our children.

Beltz underscores both the responsibility and privilege a father has to exercise spiritual authority by praying for his family.

This week’s assignment is to carry on implementing what we have already covered so far.

For me one of the battles is trying to figure out how to pray for my kids with them there. Their combined schedules seem to make chaos a routine.

Previous post in this series

“Whose side are you on?” I have used that question with varying degrees of import. Lately it’s a line I try to sell when I just passed the basketball to the other team.

Joshua uses it in a situation with far greater significance. He is preparing to lead his people into battle; before him stands a “man” with sword drawn. Joshua approaches asking whether the “man” is friend or foe. “Neither” is the man’s response.

That caught my attention. But after reading the whole account it makes sense. The “man” is the commander of the Lord’s army. His allegiance is to the Lord, neither to Joshua nor to Joshua’s enemies. The real question that needs to be answered is “Whose side is Joshua on?” The Lord’s?

Don’t we face the same dynamic? We are preparing to face a challenge (in the family, at work, wherever) and we would like to know if God is on our side. Wrong question! Much better to ask ourselves whether we are on God’s side. Tougher but better.

When it came to having meals together as a family I thought we were doing pretty well. Let’s review. Last night all of us ate together. Sunday night, well my daughter was entertaining friends downstairs, but we all ate the same stuff. Saturday, hmmm — oh yah we were out. Friday, nope again; one was at work and another at a youth thing. Thursday, nope; we were busy at the church. Wednesday, yes! Tuesday, nope; I was traveling. So what is that? 2 out of 7?

Isn’t that pretty good?

It is not according to a study done at Columbia University regarding the importance of family dinners.

The study found that in comparison to families that have frequent family dinners (5 or more per week), those teens that have supper with their families twice or less per week are:

• three and a half times likelier to have abused prescription drugs
• three and a half times likelier to have used an illegal drug other than marijuana or prescription drugs
• one and a half times likelier to have drunk alcohol

The study also reported that:

• 84 percent of teens prefer to have dinner with their families rather than eat alone
• Teens who have fewer than three family dinners per week are more than twice as likely to do poorly in school

I don’t come away from reading these findings thinking that if we just have more meals together as a family that everything will turn out rosy. But the studies have reinforced for me the importance of regularly plugging into my kids’ lives.

What do you take away?