Everyone has influence, which means that everyone is capable of making a difference in the lives of others. We don’t need a fancy title or high paying job to be considered a leader. The fact is, God takes ordinary people and gives them extraordinary opportunities.
Pastor Troy Murphy showed and discussed four clips from the 2017 Global Leadership Summit on Sunday, June 10, at Community Church. Here are some highlights:
ANDY STANLEY
In looking back over your life or your career, what would you do all over again? Pastor Andy Stanley asked that question at the GLS to make this point: We need to do an autopsy of our successes more than on our failures. It’s important to know why something is working — otherwise you won’t know how to fix it when it breaks.
Troy’s take: What has God already given you that you can embrace? The world tells us what we’re not good at and it’s easy for us to spend a lot of energy reviewing our failures and mistakes. But we must not forget to leverage what God has given us that is good and excellent. Don’t worry so much about who you are not. Focus on God and who he made you to be.
DICK AND TERRI GREENLY
This couple lived an ordinary life running a water pump company in Oklahoma and were thinking of gliding safely and easily into retirement. Then Dick went on a mission trip and discovered how impactful pumps could be in parts of the world that didn’t have access to clean water. Through their efforts 1 million additional people have access to clean water in 32 different countries.
This is an example of God taking the little that someone has and making it into much.
Troy’s take: God’s pattern is all about using ordinary people like you and me. If you’re willing to change the way you do things and open yourself up to something new by leveraging what God has given you, he can put you in extraordinary spaces. It isn’t easy to let go of our plan, but it’s hopeful that God is laying a foundation to make something glorious in our lives.
JULIET FUNT
The author of "WhiteSpace At Work" asks the question: What happens when we put a stop to the frantic busy-ness of our lives? How could that affect you? We leave no margin to think and dream. We leave precious few moments of our life that remain unfilled. Our schedules are overflowing. We leave no room to pause, which would allow us to strategize and think. Great ideas come when we slow down and take time to reflect. But taking time to pause has been squeezed out by technology and non-stop schedules. When talented people don’t take time to think, productivity suffers. What are the costs of worshipping the false god of busy-ness?
Troy’s take: All throughout the Bible we see how difficult it is to slow our life down to listen to God. We get consumed by life, and we’re starving ourselves from hearing God’s voice. Many times we find Jesus going to a quiet place to get away from the crowds and the noise. Even the son of God had to retreat to slow down and listen. In the Old Testament Elijah finds God in a whisper. God longs for us to stop and listen to him. When we start to believe the lie that our busy-ness makes us who we are, we lose perspective. In stillness, we hear God’s voice.
IMMACULEE ILIBAGIZA
After watching most of her family members murdered in the Rwanda genocide in the 1990s, she committed her life to peace, hope and forgiveness. She had to learn to forgive murderers, or else get swallowed up in a pool of bitterness, anger and hate. She went on her knees and begged God to help her. Through this process she learned that God was real and that faith is a gift. She said: "When you can’t, he can." God can work through you. We can’t change others but we can change ourselves with God’s help and follow the command to love others.
Troy’s take: God offered a way for us to be forgiven because we his enemies. God forgave you, and you in turn are called to extend that forgiveness to others.
