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Do You Have What It Takes To Exercise This Quality of Leadership In These Present Demanding Times!

It is not a difficult lesson but it is vitally important as we exercise leadership no matter in what area of life we are leading.

We have to understand the difference between trust and belief. Leaders have to understand principles and situations which bother some but which leaders have to be able to overcome.

Is this not when trust and security and assurance and all these heavy and crucial words need to be part of our training.

Trust is so necessary in as much as you place your life and your hands and your faith, in Jesus Christ.

Belief flows in action when our trust is real and deep and placed in Jesus Christ.. To be secure in such a way as we are able to lead effectively we have to learn how to trust and believe.

Very few leaders in these days take time to consider how Almighty God would wish them to lead.

This is where real prayer can play such a vital role in the life of the leader.

There are times when it is difficult to believe and we have to trust in God. What are we to do as leaders when it is challengingly difficult?

I have to trust God, and it is as we trust God that we become assured and secure as we lead and give that example which people expect us to give.

Trust Him. Learn how to trust Him, when things are quiet, in minor areas to begin with.

Much of this is flowing from my recent time studying Psalm 125. Do take time and make time to read it.

The first songs in these Psalms of Ascent were centred on pilgrim’s journeys, but now Psalm 125 speaks of God’s surrounding protection around His people.

Leaders need to be surrounded and protected and to be so spiritually is invaluable.

Jerusalem was and is well protected geographically speaking, but at that time of the Psalmist, Zion represented the God surrounding His people.

It is good to have around you a solid impregnable wall.

The wall Jesus Christ had around Him was the Will of the Father and that was a pretty grim wall as we consider and think of His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.

What is our wall of protection? In Moses’ day it was walls of water piled up and Elisha’s wall was fiery chariots and horsemen of angelic origin, and Isaiah’s and Hezekiah’s was their resort to the Lord in prayer. They had spiritual insight.

Our wall of protection is Jesus Christ and The Word and Prayer, which is invisible to most people, and even to many in the visible church!

We can be confronted with challenges which we do not know we are going to handle them, and we came through them.

“Lord, I do not know what exactly You are doing, but I trust You.” Many have prayed that over the ages.

Many have had to speak these words in some form, and they have experienced God to be there, present and strong, and able to do whatever was needed.

God desires to give His people stability and security and rest, so that passive trust can flow into belief and action.

The world craves these blessings and seeks them in different ways, but never find them in a true or abiding form. There is a place where we may find all three.

Over these past weeks it has been an enriching experience to study these fifteen Psalms in that section called the Songs of ascent and this article flows from part of my researches in Psalm 125.

This level of assurance and security is pictured as Mount Zion, and as a city, and that city to which the pilgrims were ascending was Jerusalem.

Of course, now, today, God dwells by His Holy Spirit, in the lives of those who truly believe in Jesus Christ. That has to be the priority.

Our sins are washed away in the blood Jesus Christ shed on Calvary’s Cross. Our sin is forgiven and then, and only then, can we experience God’s peace.

Flowing from our stability in Christ Jesus there comes a security and a rest.

And then, there come that very exciting day when you realise that you are no longer the flighty one you were, up one day and down the next, like a yo-yo, all over the place, on emotional highs and then sunk in the depths.

As you are trusting and as you continue to trust Him, you discover yourself becoming established in Christ.

Do we live now as people who truly belong to Zion? If this is a problem or a question or an issue for someone, then Psalm 125 is for you.

We have to be very careful in this whole area, that our confidence is not placed in self, and not in things, but in God.

The Holy Spirit has done a work within, and there is a solid faith and belief which was not there previously, when we might have been wondering, and even worrying because of the wondering.

Those in positions of leadership can benefit tremendously because this is God’s answer for the problems of the world and this is God’s method of transforming men and women into the type of people He would have us become!

Sandy Shaw is Pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship, Chaplain at Inverness Prison, and Nairn Academy, and serves on The Children’s Panel in Scotland, and has travelled extensively over these past years teaching, speaking, in America, Canada, South Africa, Australia, making 12 visits to Israel conducting Tours and Pilgrimages, and most recently in Uganda and Kenya, ministering at Pastors and Leaders Seminars, in the poor areas surrounding Kampala, Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.

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The Past, Present and Future of Technology’s Evolution

In today’s world, computers, tablets and Smartphones run our lives. In a short amount of time, the explosion of technology in the market has many people never imagining their lives without it. In order to understand how we came from the dark ages to where we are today, we should first understand the evolution of technology. Most of today’s technologies were born out of purpose. Search engines are a good example, they were created to sort out the huge amounts of online data. Every new upgrade of a technology creates something that was better than before.

Every time this happens, technology evolves and has become the thing that is essential today. Future new technologies come from ideas that get compounded to form new technologies. Technologies that exist today evolve into more powerful technologies that they were before. With the speed at which technology is evolving, it is no wonder why people are struggling to keep up. The following is an overview of how fast technology and the internet have evolved in just the past few years.

The Past

As recent as the 1990s, the internet was a new commodity that some businesses and homes had. People at that time remember the painfully slow sound of the dial-up signal as it connected to the internet. As more people saw the value of having internet access, technology once again stepped up to eliminate the use of a phone line to access the internet with an even faster way to connect to the World Wide Web. This advance also caused websites to advance and suddenly everyone had either a Tripod or Geocities website all of their own.

About this time, the blogging craze took off on the consumer level. This allowed the sharing of information to become much easier. Rather than handing over a floppy disc or CD-ROM, more people started to email documents or store larger files on a USB drive. With the advance of new technologies popping up, they would compound and form a stronger, faster and better technology. As this technology developed, it changed the way people operated, worked and coincidentally live today.

The Present

Since the 1990s, internet access has popped up nearly everywhere. It is rare to find a place of business, library, or coffee shop without access to a Wi-Fi signal. Even without a Wi-Fi signal in close range, most people can still access the internet with their cellular device or Smartphone. Because of this anytime/anywhere internet access, many businesses have created web apps that will answer the consumer’s common needs. These apps or applications will do everything from sending huge amounts of information to tracking food portions with just the click of a button. One of the differences that is most noticeable with today’s internet is the ability to be personable in such an impersonal setting. It has been social media that has changed the way people engage with each other online.

Even though this form of communication is superficial, it has helped people remain close that may otherwise would have lost contact all together. Even face to face conversations are becoming easier because of web/video conferencing that has broken the barriers of geography. Now, businesses can communicate with customers in more of a human manner, people can have a face to face conversation without having to travel across the country, and people can reach out to others across the world in an easier and faster manner. With all the new technologies influencing how people access each other and information, the future looks promising.

The Future

Technology will allow work to be accomplished faster and easier, internet access will become faster and more streamlined. Devices like tablets and Smartphones will keep evolving to work together better.

Data between these machines will be shared automatically, which will limit the need for human involvement. More and more businesses and people will put themselves in the cloud or have everything stored online rather than on a single device. This will allow an enormous potential to change how business is done, how the traditional office will look and how companies and people will interact with each other on a daily basis. As technology continues to evolve, the world will change with it and create new ways of working together and new habits.

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Mind the Three Ps For Effective Presentations – Posture, Presence and Projection

Effective presenters pay close attention to the three Ps. They make sure that their posture is erect, their presence is self-confident, and their projection is loud, but not too loud, and clear. They also use body language that enhances their message.

There are three elements that contribute to an effective presenter’s platform, or stand-up training, effectiveness. The first is posture: how you physically carry yourself. Do you stand erect, with your shoulders comfortably back and head up- or do you hunch your shoulders and shrink into yourself? Your posture has a direct impact on how your audience will perceive you (presence) and how easily they will be able to hear and understand you (projection).

The second is presence: the impression of your personality. You can appear professional, self confident, calm, and approachable. Or you can appear uncertain, anxious, distant, and humorless. It depends on your posture, your tone of voice, your willingness to smile, your comfort standing in front of people, your general or “on-stage” personality, your sense of humor, your choice of words, and your joy and/or belief in what you are doing.

The third is projection: the range and clarity of your voice. Some presenters are easy to hear and understand. Their words are loud and clear enough to distinguish their meaning. Other presenters speak softly or too rapidly, slurring syllables and making it difficult to hear and understand what they are saying.

Your posture has a great bearing on your ability to project. If you hunch over and constrict your diaphragm, it is almost impossible to get a deep breath and expel it in strong and carrying tones. However, if you stand comfortably centered and erect, and speak from your diaphragm, you will be able to bounce your voice off a far wall!

After you have taken the trouble to research and design interesting and effective learning content and activities, why would you want to unwittingly sabotage it by appearing meek and uncertain, and swallowing your words so that no one can hear them? The simplest way to check your three P’s is to have someone videotape a short presentation. Typically, people are pleasantly surprised when they play back their tape. In addition, if there is a need to polish one of the P’s, they have immediate and useful feedback.

Body language (how you look and move) can either enhance or undermine your message. Good body language will help you appear confident and knowledgeable. Poor body language will interfere with your message and your credibility.

For more effective body language communication, fight the urge to:

  • Lean into a stationary microphone (use a lavaliere microphone instead, and remember to turn it off during private moments…);
  • Stand poker straight or immobile, or do the opposite- rock or sway in place, or pace (yes, Tom Peters paced- and it made us dizzy!;
  • Use a single gesture repeatedly, or use obviously practiced gestures;
  • Chew gum or suck on candy (we really do notice!)- unless you are using a lozenge to keep from coughing, in which case, explain that to your audience;
  • Lean on or grip the lectern white-knuckled, as if holding on for dear life;
  • Look at the floor, or close your eyes;
  • Hide behind the audiovisual equipment, or turn your back to the audience;
  • Take deep sighs;
  • Play with your clothing, adjust body parts or undergarments, or lose your undergarments!
  • Shuffle your notes unnecessarily, or click your pen or laser pointer on and off;
  • Crack your knuckles, examine or bite your fingernails, clean your ears, or perform any other body care activity!
  • Cross your arms in front of your chest;
  • Twirl or pat your hair, or play with your jewelry (that includes you, too, guys!);
  • Jangle change or keys in your pockets; or
  • Whisper, whimper, mumble, or shout.

The next time you give a presentation, pay attention to your posture, your presence and your projection. Remember that your body language will either enhance or undermine your message, so stay poised and in control.

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