Common Grounds - Lead with love

“You can’t lead the people, if you don’t love the people. You can’t save the people, if you don’t serve the people.” – Cornel West, professor at Princeton University.

Leadership and service are hot topics in the world today. Teachers, coaches, bosses, church leaders and politicians impact our lives. What do you think makes a strong leader? What qualities and qualifications in a leader inspire you to follow?

Not all of us feel equipped to lead. We all know people who are fearful of stepping forward and taking on responsibility for others. Yet each of us has an opportunity - actually a responsibility - to lead others by the example of our daily life.

My daily life is not always noteworthy. As a wife and a mother I have many responsibilities. Many are mundane. There is nothing glamorous about mopping floors or washing dishes. I have bratty days when I mutter and complain, “why am I the only one who has to wash the floors?” One day in the midst of my pity party, it occurred to me, “I’m the mom.” These were jobs that I had unwittingly accepted when I became a wife and mother. It’s my turn. I can go about my chores grumbling and complaining or I can adopt a cheerful attitude.

One day I was preparing for out-of-town guests, cleaning spots of the house that were long neglected. As I worked to make my house presentable, a strange thought occurred to me. What if I were getting ready for a visit from Jesus? (I feel confident he would not be scrutinizing the crumbs in the crisper drawer.) My attitude was transformed by the notion. My pace picked up as I hummed a tune. I was no longer slaving out of duty; instead, I was serving out of love. My kids may have wondered, “what’s up with mom?” I hope the lesson wasn’t lost.

“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,” (Ephesians 6:7).

Have you ever had the doorbell ring with an unexpected guest when you were least prepared? How did you welcome your guest? With apologies and your foot blockading the doorway? Or with graciousness and love?

Mother Teresa tells us, “It does not matter how much we give, but how much love we put into our giving.” Give what you have with love. Your attitude when you give is more important than what you have to share.

This was demonstrated to me a few weeks ago. I was in need and feeling lost and distressed. I found myself, uninvited and unannounced, on my friends’ doorstep. They were still unpacking after a recent move and had a busy day scheduled with chores and errands. They lovingly welcomed me to their house and dropped their lives for an hour to help me in my time of need. Their actions were simple. The love and compassion showed through.

As Jesus professed, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40).

My friends are shining examples of service and leadership with love. I am inspired by them to reach out to others just as they did to me. Simple acts of kindness can have a big impact.

Leadership opportunities surround us. We may be leaders in business, in school, in church or in our own homes and neighborhoods. I believe that people are inspired to follow when a leader shows both passion and compassion. My father always reminded me that “people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” If we are looking for a common ground as a basis for a conversation about faith, there is no more universal starting place than love.

Mother Teresa reminds us that “when your heart is large, God’s love will spill over, splashing onto everything you touch and wetting everyone you contact.”


“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3)

Common Grounds - We're all the same.

"In the end we’re all the same." – Ben Kweller, Rock Musician


We are all the same.
On a physical level, we’re all the same. God made us of flesh and in the end we die. Our hearts stop beating and our lungs fail to rise and fall. Game over. There is no advantage in wealth, privilege, fame, popularity, notoriety, wisdom or education. Modern medicine might delay the inevitable but nothing can change our fate.


All the hours spent at work and school can’t save us. All the stuff we labored to accumulate amounts to nothing. As they say, "you can’t take it with you." Yet, we race around working overtime so we can have more stuff: a new car, a boat, the latest gadgets, a sparkling new kitchen. Will our new toys bring us satisfaction or leave us unfulfilled and wanting more? Are we so intent on our next purchase that we forget to enjoy what we already have?


‘"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.’ Ecclesiastes 1:2-4 captures Solomon’s struggle to find the meaning of life. If death is the end, where can we turn for true meaning and purpose in our lives?


We are not all the same.
Through faith in Christ Jesus we know that the end to our temporary assignment on earth is really the beginning of our permanent mission in eternal life. By the grace of God and the power of Jesus’ sacrifice we are redeemed. Only those among us who believe will be saved. In addition, our daily lives on earth become richer through our faith and our growing relationship with the Lord. Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10 KJV)


A friend asked me this week why I bother going to church. I did my best to share the joy and warmth I felt in worship and fellowship. He agreed that he was a big fan of warmth and joy; he finds all the warmth and joy he desires in sleeping late on Sunday morning. My friend is not interested in church, yet it seems he thirsts for something more.


Jesus has commissioned us to share his joy, his word and his way. As Jesus instructed the Samaritan woman at the well, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (John 4:13-14) Our faith in Christ ensures that our death is not the end. How do I share this good news with my friend?


When the Athenians asked Paul, "You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean,"(Acts 17:20), they opened the door to dialogue. They invited further discussion and explanation. Likewise, my friend asked another question. It was an invitation of sorts: "What if you are wrong?"


Do you know someone so afraid of being wrong or fearful of looking stupid that they refuse to believe? "What if you are wrong?" You can tell he is seeking. There is hunger for understanding and thirst for wisdom in such a question. I offered the simplest of replies; "what if I am right?"