Last evening I had the great pleasure of sharing with the men of Grace Baptist Church and surrounding community in Cape Coral, Florida the topic of Leading Through Adversity. I really enjoyed my time with men so committed to the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Some of the take-aways from that talk are given below. Enjoy, and lead on!

* Never underestimate the power of one person to make a difference

* Anyone can lead, and in fact, everyone will be called upon to do so at many points in life. 

* The question isn't, "will we be called upon to lead?", but rather, "will we be prepared?"

* The way to accomplish more is to grow in our leadership ability

* Leadership has little to do with title, authority, or position, but rather is the action of an individual to attack the status quo that results in others following that example

* Adversity can be looked upon as a "desert experience", akin to the experience of the Jewish nation for forty years following their exodus from Egypt. It was in this period that the Lord saw fit to fashion them for the promised land. 

* Adversity accomplishes the following:

    1. provides an opportunity for learning

    2. toughens and seasons one with increased wisdom and experience

    3. may develop a network of connections and relationships that will prove valuable later

    4. should strengthen one's faith

    5. can give one a more attuned perspective on life and what's truly important

    6. provides a platform through which the individual can glorify God by showing the world how a believer handles struggle

* We should not be trying to "GET through" but rather to "GROW through" struggle

* We should never squander the lessons that calamity can teach

* We must resist the temptation to turn inward and become focused only upon our own little world

* Looking outward to determine whom we can serve is the roadway out of adversity

* The only way to grow our circle of influence is to expand our circle of concern. This provides a positive tension on our current situation and draws us outward and upward

* Adversity should drive us deeper into the arms of God

* Adversity provides the opportunity to prune the fat from our lives, shedding the fluff that is not only unnecessary, but can also hold us back from moving on to greater accomplishment