According to Rath, “many people actually say cleaning the house is more enjoyable than sitting in the same room with their bosses.”  However, in the companies Rath has studied, he says ”workers want to spend time around their bosses because they know they really care about them as individuals, what’s going on in their lives, and their career development.”

As leaders we readily accept the biblical admonition for workers to treat us “with respect and fear, and with sincerity,” (Ephesians 6:8). But leaders must also treat their workers “in the same way,” according to St. Paul. (Ephesians 6:9).

“People don’t quit a company,” Rath said. “They quit a bad manager.” When “an employee has a best friend at work, he or she is likely to be highly engaged and much more productive.”

Church leaders know these things. That’s why they try to get their members ‘connected’ to others in their churches. The more friends each member has, and the deeper their relationships with one another and with Jesus Christ, the more dedicated and committed members will be to the church, its mission, and its work.

The times and circumstances are different than ours, but King Solomon knew what it took to increase productivity…

“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herd.” (Proverbs 27:23) “A tyrannical ruler lacks judgment.” (Proverbs 28:16a)

Now they have rejected Franklin Graham – a key leader of the National Day of Prayer – from leading prayers.

In case you aren’t familiar with his work, Franklin’s ministry, Samaritan’s Purse, does more to help those in need than almost any other group. He’s on the scene with medical relief, food, water, and other supplies to help those who suffer. His emergency response teams are usually some of the first to respond to every disaster — the tsunami, hurricanes, famines, and earthquakes. Samaritan’s Purse and his medical teams are in the Sudan, Haiti, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Philippines  – he and his organization are everywhere, helping those in need.

But Graham spoke the truth about those who in the name of their Muslim faith and their “holy war” (jihad) against Christians have intentionally killed thousands of civilians around the world. You may remember those people. They’re the ones who intentionally bomb embassies, night clubs, schools, and our military bases. They’re also the ones who flew planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. But our military “leaders” have banned Franklin Graham, who showers people with the love of God, from praying in public.

This is the same kind of politically-correct stupidity that allowed Nidal Malik “AbduWali” Hasan to counsel our military — the man who allegedly wore ritual Muslim garb and shouted “God is great” in Arabic, and then opened fire on a group of unarmed soldiers at Fort Hood. (I’ve read that military records won’t report what he wore or mention Islam. They don’t even mention the word terrorism. All in the name of being PC.)

Clearly we are at war with unseen spirits in the heavenly realm, but is there no one in the military with the courage and backbone to speak the truth and do justice? Are they truly as ignorant of history as they appear, or is this continued cleansing of Christianity from our land intentional?

Will any of our leaders try to stop this stupidity? Will no one in authority stand up to this ignorance? Will anyone in the (once-courageous and formerly-noble) news media join the fight?

“He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters.”
           - Matthew 12:30

P.S. I forgot to mention that President Obama and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, along with other military and the government leaders, plan to soon do away with “Dont Ask Don’t Tell” and allow openly gay men and women in the military. I suppose it won’t be long before we’ll see annual Gay Pride kiss-ins and parades on our military bases.

But these leaders won’t allow Franklin Graham to pray in front of our troops.

If only the leaders in our military and government had the courage of the brave men and women on the front lines. Is it just me, or is there something wrong with this kind of “leadership”?

I took another book off the shelf this morning. It was written over ten years ago by an expert on leadership development. Here’s a short glimpse from the first chapter…

The development of character is at the heart of our development not just as leaders, but as human beings. What must every person know about character?

Character is more than talk.
Anyone can say that he has integrity, but action is the real indicator of character. Your character determines who you are. Who you are determines what you see. What you see determines what you do.

Talent is a gift.
We don’t have control over a lot of things in life. We don’t get to pick our talents or IQ. But we do choose our character. In fact, we create it every time we make choices — to cop out or dig out, bend the truth or stand under the weight of it, take the easy money or pay the price. As you live your life and make choices today, you are continuing to create your character.

Character brings lasting success with people.
True leadership always involves other people. Followers do not trust leaders whose character they know to be flawed, and they will not continue following them.

Leaders cannot rise above the limitations of their character.
Have you ever seen highly talented people suddenly fall apart when they achieved a certain level of success? Steven Berglas, a psychologist at Harvard and author of The Success Syndrome, says people who achieve great heights but lack the bedrock of character are headed for disaster… one or more of the four A’s: arrogance, painful feelings of aloneness, destructive adventure-seeking, or adultery.

†

The excerpt above is from The 21 Indispensable Qualities Of A Leader by John C. Maxwell. It sold over a million copies because it is packed with insight on becoming a person others will want to follow. You may have read it. If not, get a copy. You won’t regret it. And don’t let it sit on the shelf. This one is well worth the time and money.

The Economy
Yesterday I received a fundraising letter from the director of Suncoast Haven of Rest Rescue Mission in Pinellas Park, Florida. In his letter he mentioned two sides of our “economic recovery” — the one portrayed by the media, and the one he actually sees everyday:

“Today, the ever-smiling news person excitedly gushed that the ailing economy of the Great Recession is recovering marvelously, and in substantiation of that fact, he declared that the Dow Jones average was about to hit a new high and break through 11,000 points… May I say as an ex-stockbroker that the Dow Jones average is no longer relevant to any earthly reality… The real world for the vast majority of us lives in stark contrast.… Forget the Dow Jones. Day-labor businesses are an in-your-face bottom-line measure of the economy. When there is lots of day-labor activity, the economy is flourishing, and when there is little day-labor activity, the economy is floundering. [Suncoast prepares bag lunches for 11 day-labor businesses in Pinellas County, and their requests for bag lunches is down  by almost 70 percent.] …Several of the day-labor businesses have either closed, down-sized, or merged. We don’t need a rocket scientist around to tell us that there is no business activity… We can SEE that there is no business. As you ride down the street, how many closed stores do you see? And the rest are floundering. Consequently, 50% of the homes in the Tampa Bay area are ‘underwater,’ and their either poorly employed or unemployed innocent families… have become thousands of new patron candidates for our Rescue Mission. So while our poor-hungry population continues to steadily increase… the smiling newspersons and their political guests… keep on quite-convincingly telling us things are getting better and better.”

Political Leaders
Then, this morning I read Frank Rich’s NY Times column describing the many sides of President Obama:

“Depending on where you stand — or the given day — he is either an overintellectual, professorial wuss or a ruthless Chicago machine pol rivaling the original Boss Daley. He is either a socialist redistributing wealth to the undeserving poor or a tool of Wall Street’s Goldman Sachs elite. He is a terrorist-coddling, ACLU-tilting lawyer or a closet Cheneyite upholding the worst excesses of the Bush administration’s end run on the Constitution. He is a lightweight celebrity who’s clueless without a teleprompter or a Machiavellian mastermind who has ingeniously forged his Hawaiian birth certificate, covered up his ties to Islamic radicals and bamboozled the entire mainstream press. He is the reincarnation of JFK, LBJ, FDR, Reagan, Hitler, Stalin, Adlai Stevenson or Nelson Mandela.
…The speed with which Obama navigates out of the recession, as measured by new jobs and serious financial reform, remains by far the most determinative factor in how he, his party and, most of all, the country will fare in the fractious year 2010. If he succeeds in that all-important challenge — or for that matter if he fails… It will be the moment of clarity that allows us to judge him, as we should all presidents, on what he’s actually done, rather than on who we imagine he is.”

Two Sides of Us
The president is not the only person who will be judged on the basis of what he has done. Each of us struggles with sin. And our family members, friends, co-workers, customers — and God — judge us by what we’ve done, not what we say. Our best efforts to manage our image will not cover up wrong decisions, character flaws, and sin. No matter how we try to promote ourselves the truth will find us out.

Even after we have decided to follow Jesus with our whole hearts, there’s still a war going on for our souls — a battle raging in each of us — between the desires of our flesh and the Holy Spirit. St. Paul was right when he told us “the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” (Gal. 5:7) And Jesus said, “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matt. 26:41) He instructed us to pray “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” (Matt. 6:13)

Of course, we cannot expect God to prevent us from sinning if we are determined to. He will always provide a way for us to avoid sin, but He will never force us to do what He wants. We still must choose. Free will is a gift from God that allows us to love Him and others, as well as sin. This gift of choice puts the responsibility where it belongs — on us. As a result, we can never say ‘God lead me into sin’ or ‘the devil made me do it.’ We choose right or wrong. And as a result, the guilt of our sins is ours alone.

Run Baby Run
There are two primary instruments God gives us to avoid sin: our minds and our feet.

1) Our Minds: What we see and think about — what we dwell on — can quickly lead us into sin. St. Paul told us that “Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.” (Rom. 8:5).

2) Our Feet: When we see trouble — temptation to sin — we are instructed over and over to flee from it. Not linger over it or think long and hard about it. God tells us to run from it:

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. (I Cor. 6:18) Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. (I Cor. 10:14) People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. …But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. (I Tim. 6:9,11) Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (II Tim. 2:22)

In the end, it’s not just about the image we try to project or promote. Over the long haul, our image will only be as good as our character — what we actually do. That’s why King Solomon said ”A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” (Proverbs 22:1) He wasn’t talking about a reputation created with a public relations campaign, media blitz, press conference, or advertising promotion. He was referring to doing the right thing — making right choices over profiting personally. That’s what will give us the kind of reputation — and a legacy — that we really want.

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. (I Peter 2:1) Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

Then we won’t succumb to temptation. Instead, we will be delivered from evil. And our best side will shine… the side we really want others to see.

We actually rode the bus for about eight hours. The other two hours were spent in restaurants…

There were 7,500 other guys at the conference, so when we worshiped it was pretty amazing.

I’m pretty sure this was the first time I was not the slightest bit self-conscious about my singing. (I wonder sometimes if God holds His ears so He can just hear my heart when I’m worshiping Him in church.) I sang as loud as all the other guys, and didn’t give a hoot about the terrible noise I was making.

In addition to worshiping we heard some awesome teaching by Dr. Johnny M. Hunt and other men. Johnny is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church Woodstock (FBCW), and the current president of the Southern Baptist Convention. (He used to live here in Wilmington, North Carolina, before he became famous. He was born in Lumberton, NC, and he’s a member of the Lumbee Native American Indian Tribe.)

My Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) helped me decide to attend the leadership session entitled “The Adventure of God’s Will.” I’m glad I did. Allan Taylor, the minister of education at FBCW, was the speaker, and he was exceptionally good. Allan has written several books, and he also leads Ember to Blaze Ministries.

About 600 men attended Allan’s teaching sessions on Friday and Saturday. He based “The Adventure of God’s Will” on Joseph — Mary’s husband — in Matthew 1:18-25. As Allan said, we call this the Christmas story and we usually read it about once a year. As a result, we don’t often hear much about Joseph. Allan captured some interesting things from this scripture passage about Joseph’s decision making and leadership…

Leadership is based on adventure — the ride and the journey.
Like Joseph, the God-centered man must leave his security and go where faith is required. Often it is insecurity and instability that is the very center of God’s will for us. God’s call drags us from the comfortable and calculated into the adventurous.

God’s plan has many twists and turns in the road.
When things don’t go as we expect, like when Joseph found out his fiancé was pregnant, we must believe that our adversity has God-given potential. Rather than change our plans or direction, we may need to change our perspective, like Joseph changed his after his dream. Even though it may seem quite bizarre, we must remain open to the will and plan of God.

God’s adventure has greatness in it.
Because He is so great and good, God often leads on paths that look disastrous, only to provide a divine outcome for His glory. However, He requires faith — belief that God 1) is sovereign and in full control; 2) has thought it through beyond our comprehension; 3) knows the why, how and what is next, even when we don’t; and 4) will always be with us and do what’s best for us.

God’s plan asks for our obedience.
Like most people, Joseph wanted status, security and stability. But God wanted Joseph’s submission — one of the greatest signs of respect and honor we can offer Him. We cannot be compelling leaders until we are complying followers of Jesus Christ. Our greatest privilege is also our greatest responsibility — obey. We cannot fully understand, but we can fully obey, just as Joseph did.

The reason for gaining Bible knowledge is so we can learn to do God’s will and obey Him. If our will is to do God’s will, and we make it our business to do God’s business, it then becomes God’s business to do our business. And He will take care of those who do His will.

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” — which means, “God with us.”
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

For more of Allan Taylor’s insight into fanning the flame of your heart, leadership, ministry and church, visit his web site at Ember to Blaze Ministries.

I went to Clearwater, Florida, last week to visit retired Colonel Myrl Allinder. It had been almost four decades since I had seen the man we used to call “Major” during our Saturday night meetings at the log cabin in Oakton, Virginia.

Myrl Allinder made quite an impact on me when I was young. Next to my wife, he stands out as the person God used most to turn me around. Myrl would lead us in worship, share a funny, personal story or two, and then tell us something he had learned about the Lord. One moment he would have us laughing out loud, and a minute later we would be convicted to our core by his message. His leadership was truly life changing for many of us.

I wasn’t aware of the Major’s accomplishments during the 1960s. I didn’t know how he had risked his life in Vietnam or that he had rescued hundreds of orphans in 1969…

…with a couple of C-47 Chinook helicopters…

Myrl never boasted about those things. He simply demonstrated his love for Jesus, and shared what Jesus had done for us (and him). And he never minced words when he told us what the Lord expected from His followers.

Over the years I’ve thought about Myrl at least once a week, but it didn’t occur that I should pray for him. Oh, I pray general prayers for those serving in the military, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan. But because Myrl and I didn’t stay in touch, I had no idea how much he needed prayer.

While we were apart and Myrl was serving in the Marine Corps, he worked with a handful of other leaders to prepare a global strategic war plan for the Chief of Naval Operations. He taught at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. He commanded several outfits and worked for the Secretary of Defense. He briefed admirals, generals and congressional leaders, and was awarded the second highest award in peace time.

But none of these things mattered to an Air Force general at MacDill Air Force Base. The general didn’t like the fact that Myrl regularly read the Bible early in the morning, before work, with some other men. So one Monday morning in May, 1986, the general told Myrl, “You’re through,” and claimed Myrl broke the law when he brought a Bible into a federal building, held unauthorized meetings in his office, showed favoritism to fellow believers, and “persecuted” those who held different beliefs.

These events forced Myrl to retire. After serving the Marine Corps for so many years, all of his accomplishments were forgotten because he believed in God and demonstrated it – on his own time, before work — with others.

But God works everything out for good, and after Myrl retired, he went on missions trips around the world sharing his faith. And he continues to serve the Lord by ministering to prisoners at the Pinellis County Jail and through the Suncoast Haven of Rest Rescue Mission.

Myrl shared some things with me that I’d like to tell you about. As always, he didn’t mince words, so sit down…

…to be continued…

A few of the aging Christian leaders who seem to be losing their influence, but haven’t yet left the scene, include names like James Dobson (Focus on the Family), Billy Graham (Evangelist), Pat Robertson (CBN), and Robert Schuller (Crystal Cathedral). Most of these leaders are seldom heard from anymore in mainstream media.

Newer names such as Franklin Graham (Samaritan’s Purse), TD Jakes (Potter’s House), Joel Osteen (Lakewood Church), and Rick Warren (Saddleback Church) each continue to generate millions of dollars in donations and product sales like the generation before them. But they don’t seem to be making much impact on society — and like the older generation, these leaders also have little influence through mainstream media.

The “Most Admired” man according to Gallup’s 2008 survey was Barack Obama at 32 percent. Billy Graham and Pope Benedict were the only two Christian ministry leaders who made it on the top-ten list. (And they were way behind Obama, with only two percent each.) None of the younger Christian leaders even made the list.

Hillary Clinton was the “Most Admired” woman at 20 percent. Not a single woman in Christian ministry made the top-ten list. (Sarah Palin followed Hillary with 11 percent, along with Ellen DeGeneres, Oprah, and Angelina Jolie.) Again, no Christian leaders outside of politics.

There are a few voices that have captured audiences. FOXNews has Glenn Beck, a Mormon, and Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, both good Catholic boys. And conservative Rush Limbaugh still has lots of radio listeners.

But who will God tap to speak with Christian conviction and relevance to the current generation?

Will the new “Christian voice” succumb to the gospel of the politically correct? Will their message be merely about socialism, climate change and the melting polar ice cap? Or will they speak the truth from God’s word? Will they address our sin and selfishness, God’s redemptive work through Jesus Christ on the Cross, and His willingness to help us overcome our sinful life? And if they preach the gospel, how will they get their message to the masses?

Carrying this torch is a God-sized task. I’m grateful He’s given us a roadmap. One that will help leaders of all organizations be more effective: the Bible.

Here’s some advice from Proverbs 16 by one of the wisest leaders of all time:
All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the LORD .
The LORD detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.
Better a little with righteousness than much gain with injustice.
How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver!
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant words promote instruction.
A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction.
Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.
A scoundrel plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
A perverse man stirs up dissension, and a gossip separates close friends.
Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper than one who takes a city.

Here’s my paraphrase of Solomon’s words:
Carefully examine your motives. God has.
If you’re too proud, you will fall. Count on it.
If you do what you’re supposed to, the way you’re supposed to, you’ll win.
It’s not about the money. Less really is more.
Figuring out how to do the right thing is more satisfying than making money.
When you know you’re right, duck.
When you say the right thing the right way, they’ll want to hear more.
It’s not about winning an argument, it’s about winning a heart and mind.
Keep cool under stress and your impact will be much greater.

Of course, it’s easier to paraphrase Solomon’s advice than to actually live it…

Here’s an excerpt from the author’s preface:
I have circled the world more than a hundred times. For 60 years I have been observing leaders … heads of states and heads of corporations … to study top leaders and determine what makes them great … This book … will help ignite the kind of thinking and the kind of action that characterizes the world’s great leaders.

And here’s an inspiring excerpt from “Decide to Invest Fearlessly” in chapter seven:
In 1981, I returned to the lovely island of Bali in Indonesia. Since rooms were tight, I did not stay at my usual stopping place, the Bali Intercontinental, but instead secured accommodations at the Bali Hyatt.

When I arrived and started up the steps to the entrance, the head bellman said, “Welcome to the Bali Hyatt, Dr. Haggai. We’ve reserved the Presidential Suite for you.”

I protested that I had reserved a minimum rate single room.

“The general manager insists,” he said. “He wants you to charge everything to the room — your laundry, dry cleaning, meals, telephone — everything. You are his guest.”

At the registration desk an assistant swept me through. “Oh, no, that’s already taken care of,” he said. “Let me escort you to your suite.”

It was one of the most elegant accommodations I had seen in all of my world travels. Within minutes, the general manager, Michael Ou, arrived to greet me. Stunned, I tried to express my thanks.

“You don’t remember me, do you?” he said.

I had to confess I didn’t.

“In the 1960s when you stayed at the Singapore Intercontinental, I was a bellman, hustling bags. Every time you came, you treated me just as grandly as you treated your friend, the general manager, George Milne. I have harbored a secret dream for all these years that someday I would run my own hotel and be able to show you gratitude for the encouragement and inspiration you gave me.”

The Bible tells us, “Whatever a mans sows, that he will also reap.” It’s just a fact. What do you want? Invest the same thing, and you will receive it back in quantity. Do you want friends? Invest friendship. Do you want love? Invest love. Do you want respect? Invest by respecting others.

You receive back what you invest. How much you receive back depends on how much you invest. If you invest little, you will receive little in return; but if you invest a lot, you will receive a lot.

An influential leader invests habitually. He does not do this because he expects a reward, but because he knows that rewards flow from this kind of behavior. When Michael Ou was a bellhop at the Intercontinental, I had no idea I would ever meet him again. Still less did I calculate that he might do me a handsome favor 20 years down the road. I just knew that politeness made life more enjoyable for everyone, and that this was a win-win outcome at almost no cost to me.

The point is, you don’t need to fear investment of any kind. Investment represents a visionary decision to give freely, as often as you can, within the bounds of sound discipline and good sense. Remember also, that you set the tone as a leader. If your leadership is characterized by love, humility, and self-discipline, you will reap loyalty and devotion from the people you lead. If they recognize that you invest your very life for their good, they will more readily follow your leadership and example.

Adapted from: The Influential Leader. Copyright © 2009 by John Edmund Haggai. Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR. Used by permission.

John Edmund Haggai is an internationally acclaimed author and lecturer and the founder and president of the Haggai Institute for Advanced Leadership Training. His practical formulas for winning over worry, pain, loneliness, and impossible situations have helped many thousands of leaders. And his institute has trained more than 50,000 people in over 175 countries.

While the media is trying to decide whether Hasan’s killings were an act of terror, some of our finest leaders are wondering if they’ll need a legal team to defend themselves.

News reports indicate our leaders felt the need to protect Hasan’s freedom of speech. Apparently they knew what he believed based on what he had said, but they weren’t sure how far he’d go. “Maybe he’s serious… maybe he’s not. Maybe he’ll do something, maybe he won’t….”

Clarity
“Clarity” is defined by Dictionary.com as “clearness or lucidity as to perception or understanding; freedom from indistinctness or ambiguity.”

I think we all need to get some clarity — especially our political leaders, military commanders, and the media — about appropriate language and freedom of speech. If you need help gaining perspective, try this: board a commercial airplane and then loudly joke about bombing it. You’ll be amazed at how fast you land in jail. (And that’s for joking about it… not being serious about it.)

It’s really pretty simple. There are times we take speech very seriously. In fact, we take it so seriously, most of us don’t even question the fact that our “freedom of speech” is regulated — even eliminated — and that we’d better be careful about what we say.

It’s time to be just as clear about our war against militants who are so determined to kill us that they will gladly give up their lives to do it.

Courage
Here’s the Wikipedia definition: “Physical courage” is courage in the face of physical pain, hardship, or threat of death, while “moral courage” is the ability to act rightly in the face of popular opposition, shame, scandal, or discouragement.

There are millions of examples of “physical courage.” George Washington is one of my favorites. According to author William Federer, George Washington was out in front, leading his troops and risking his life, while he “rode back and forth across the battle … every other officer on horseback, except Washington, was shot down, until even General Braddock was killed, at which point the troops fled in confusion.”

Washington was a powerful example of physical courage. Afterward, he wrote in a letter to his brother, “But by the all-powerful dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four bullets through my coat, and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt, although death was leveling my companions on every side of me!”

There are also many examples of “moral courage” throughout history. John the Baptist is a good one. His hard work and ministry was eclipsed by his cousin, Jesus; he was thrown in jail; and he eventually lost his head for speaking out against the immoral relationship between the king and the wife of the king’s brother. And over the past 2,000 years, the number of Christian martyrs has grown beyond belief.

Everyday both physical and moral courage are demonstrated around the world by Christians. Sadly, the media ignores it. Take a look at a few of the recent headlines from the Compass Direct news service:

Bangladesh
[Muslim] Police Torture Pastor, Two Others
Muslim Villagers Beat Evangelists in Southeast
Muslim Pilgrims Beat Bible Student
Pastor’s Wife Gang Raped, Home Robbed [by Muslims]

China
[Government] Office Becomes New Force for Religious Repression
Authorities Refuse to Renew Licenses for Human Rights Lawyers
[Christian] Bookstore Owner Sentenced to Three Years in Prison
Religious Rights Abuses Cited
Detained Uyghur Christian Taken to Hospital
Action Urged for Missing [Christian] Rights Activist
Tortured Christian Lawyer Arrested, Officials Deny Abuses
Officials Grapple With Spread of Christianity
House Church Raids, Arrests Continue

Egypt
Two Copts [Christians] Imprisoned After Reporting Attack [by Muslims]
Violence Again Erupts Over Quest for [Christian] Worship Site
Police Collusion Suspected in Attack on Church
Two Clashes Shake Coptic [Christian] Community
Village Christians in Hiding After Clash
Rescue of Coptic [Christian] Girl Prompts Muslim Attack
Court Denies Right to Convert to Second Christian
Policemen Sentenced to Only Five years for Killing [a Christian]
Stabbing, Bombing Attacks Strike Near Two Churches
Convert Arrested for Marrying Christian
Islamic Lawyers Urge Death Sentence for [Christian] Convert
Christians Sent to Prison After Brutal Police Raid

And those are just some of the reports. There are dozens of additional stories, both reported and unreported, of Christian persecution and harassment in Burma, Columbia, Cuba, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda and Vietnam.

The most obvious source of this hatred and terrible persecution comes from two sources: religious (Muslim and Buddhism) extremists and Communism.

Leadership
Which brings me to the third point,  “leadership.” Obviously, we need it now more than ever. Men and women with the clarity and courage to say and do what’s needed. I’m not suggesting a holy war against all Muslims or declaring war on all Communists. But I am suggesting that we maintain a proper perspective regarding anyone who wants to take away our freedom and kill us: we should be at war with them. And we should be courageous enough to say so.

When leaders in academia, government, the media and the military unite against this hatred, it may reunite our country so we can win the war. I hope and pray it doesn’t take another 9/11 to find the clarity of purpose that will inspire us and give us the courage to lead our nation to victory.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”     – Joshua 1:9