THE PERIL OF THE PLATFORM

It is easy, and perhaps even appropriate, to criticize, and perhaps even condemn, Jerry Falwell Jr. for his multiple indiscretions that finally led to his departure from Liberty University last week.

Most reports of his resignation also include a few facts about all that Falwell did to benefit the university: the property acquisitions, the fundraising, the endowment building, the enrollment growth. The school’s financial situation is exponentially stronger today because of Falwell’s accomplishments. So I’m pondering who’s really responsible for whatever negative fallout the school will receive because of this scandal. And who is responsible for the scandal itself?

Clearly, Falwell himself must shoulder significant blame. His repeated lapses in judgment and then clear violations of evangelical and Biblical norms leave him without excuse.

While some of these happened in private and the details surrounding some of them are in dispute, Falwell’s missteps have been known for years. Were those responsible for the school unable—or unwilling—to keep Falwell on a proper path?

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageSeptember 2, 2020leader, leadership struggle, character, speaking, platform, Jerry Falwell Jr, boards, management, mission, success, ministryComment

FIVE KEYS TO LEADING LONG-TERM PART 2

Last week I shared three key principles for leading long-term:

1. Have short-term memory. (Don’t let yesterday’s missteps sabotage today’s potential.)

2. Simplicity saves souls. Complexity causes confusion.

3. Make one next good decision each day. (Otherwise you’ll become overwhelmed or distracted, or both!)

These are not isolated ideas; each one leads to the next, and so let’s move from the third principle to the fourth.

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageAugust 26, 2020keys, leadership, memory, simplicity, decisions, marathon, resilience, results, leader, people, progress, coach, football, church, church leaders, wins, pandemic, corona, covidComment

FIVE KEYS TO LEADING LONG-TERM- PART 1

The longer I lead, the more I’m convinced that “longer” is the right goal. The longer you stay in the game, the more likely you are to see results.

But it isn’t easy. Walking away is easier. Giving up is faster. Blaming circumstances or people or any one of a dozen other factors may seem more reasonable. So I’ve been thinking about not only why longer is better, but also how to lead long-term. Here are three principles I’m learning to apply. (Next week I’ll add two more to complete my list of five.)

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageAugust 19, 2020leadership, leading, longevity, long-term, memory, golf, simple, good decisionsComment

HOW TO LIFT THE FOG ON AN EVIL WORLD

Praying as I walk around the whole outside of our church building has become my new way to start most days. Monday it was a special experience. The circle takes about ten minutes, and when I started this practice several weeks ago, I would pray for only two or three of those minutes. But this day my prayers continued, out loud, till I got clear around the building. I was still praying when I finished, and I said, “OK, now it’s time to go inside and listen.”

I want to tell you what I decided as I opened Titus 2 for my study that morning. I can’t stop thinking about Paul’s challenge near the end of the chapter.

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageJuly 1, 2020fog, evil, world, life, wisdom, devotion, racism, pandemic, covid, churchComment

4 WAYS TO FIGHT ANXIETY

Have we ever lived in more anxious times than these?

First the pandemic kept us at home and filled us with fear as we watched the daily rising death toll, reported grimly from every media outlet. Instant homeschooling, isolation from loved ones, improvised home offices, or (worse) lost jobs created tensions that persist.

And then came riots in the streets of neighborhoods nationwide: burning, looting, hatred shouted by both blacks and whites. Even my suburban black friends often don’t feel safe taking a walk or driving through their own neighborhoods. And, if you’re like me, you may wrestle with what to say and how and when to say it in order not to foster controversy.

If any of this creates anxiety for you, you’re not alone. I thought about that last week as my daily Bible reading plan pointed me to 1 Peter 5:5-9. (I knew God had something for me to learn when the devotion I read that morning, unrelated to my reading schedule, “coincidentally” quoted the same verses!)

Here we discover God’s ways for dealing with anxiety, something the persecuted Christians receiving Peter’s lesson needed to hear. We need to ponder it too.

Church, Leadership, LifeTrevor DeVageJune 17, 2020anxiety, humility, humble, alert, stand, firm, lion, prowl, depression, pain, hurt, fearComment

Trevor DeVage

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