Everyone struggles with their tongue.  Sometimes it feels like a coiled up viper, ready to strike.  No matter how hard you grit your teeth to stop it, it will come flying out at a moment’s notice!  James described your tongue as a runaway horse:  “And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

How do we control this “horse inside our mouth?”

Everyone wants to know how to multiply their business, their finances, and their influence. Jesus showed us the secret by having the crowd of people sit down in groups of 50 before He multiplied the bread. Order precedes multiplication.

I have observed that multiplication is wishful thinking for most leaders. They forget that God is “not the author of confusion” and that everything should be done “decently and in order.”

With that fact in mind, here are some areas that I try to be sure I keep in order:

Most leaders are struggling to “fit it all in”.  From home, to work, to kids, to spouse, to church, to parents we are all trying to not leave anyone out. We feel stretched and stressed.  Successful relationships happen on purpose.  Here is how to prioritize the relationships in your life and make sure you are hitting the bullseye.

This is a true Olympic archery bullseye.

It gives us a picture of a plan for making it all fit:

Why is it so hard to forgive? I run across leaders all the time who have deep grudges, bitter feelings, and hard hearts.  An unforgiving heart could be in the top five issues all leaders deal with.  

Marriages are affected, health is affected, and even generations are affected.  Forgiveness 101 is all about conversations, decisions, and memories.

Here are my top three thoughts about forgiveness:

Of all the characters in the Bible who rose to the top as a secular leader, Daniel is my favorite.  In a totally hostile, godless environment, he became the top official next to a king who basically ruled the world.  What were the qualities that put him in that position when enemies everywhere were trying to depose him?  He even spent a night with the lions and they still couldn’t get rid of him! 

Here are the five qualities I notice most about this powerful man and how to survive the lions:

Maintaining stability as a leader is one of the greatest crisis in America today.  Business leaders, political leaders, spiritual leaders are “uprooted” from their positions by moral, financial, and ethical failure.  How do you maintain long-term stability as a leader? 

I’ll never forget being in Lebanon and taking a trip to see the “cedars of Lebanon.”  There, perched high on a mountain, these gentle giants were 30 ft. around!  I wondered how they received their nourishment and flourished in such a harsh mountaintop climate. 

Our guide, a native of Lebanon and one of our Surge Project directors, gave us some really interesting insight into why these trees have been so coveted in major building projects worldwide: