“Why don’t you just destroy these people, Lord?” I demanded to know. “They have already killed almost all of your children in this country. Not one of these people deserves your salvation or your grace!” The Spirit of God spoke to my heart in that instant: Neither do you, Nik! You were no less lost than they are—but, by my grace, you were born in an environment where you could hear, understand and believe. These people have not had that opportunity.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
Lostness was the enemy. The enemy was the evil that viciously misleads and traps people like lost sheep without a shepherd. The Somalis were the victims. They were not the source or even the cause of the evil in their land. They were victims suffering evil’s grim effects.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
For perhaps the first time in my life, I was dealing with something that I could not fix. Prayer and obedience and hard work and good training and godly intentions and sacrifice—none of it seemed to make a difference. The situation had changed so slowly and so little in Somalia since I had made my first flight into Hargeisa.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
Everything in my background told me that if I trained better, worked harder, prayed longer, sacrificed more, and sowed more widely, God would grant an abundant spiritual harvest. But that did not happen in Somalia.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
It wasn’t that our sending agency had sent us out ignorant and unqualified. The problem was deeper than that. In our local church upbringing, we had never experienced anything that had prepared us for Somalia.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
Those of us who have grown comfortable with the teachings of Christ have allowed His teachings to lose their edge. So much of what Jesus taught makes no sense from a human perspective.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
The stronger the persecution, the more significant the spiritual vitality of the believers.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
“Nik, that’s why we haven’t made books and movies out of these stories that you have been hearing. For us, persecution is like the sun coming up in the east. It happens all the time. It’s the way things are. There is nothing unusual or unexpected about it. Persecution for our faith has always been—and probably always will be—a normal part of life.”
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
I had always assumed that persecution was abnormal, exceptional, unusual, out of the ordinary. In my mind, persecution was something to avoid. It was a problem, a setback, a barrier. I was captivated by the thought: what if persecution is the normal, expected situation for a believer? And what if the persecution is, in fact, soil in which faith can grow? What if persecution can be, in fact, good soil?
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
You don’t have to come back. You just have to go.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
I was sure that I had never been told that a father should value his faith over his family.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
“Son, when did you stop reading your Bible? All of our stories are in the Bible. God has already written them down. Why would we bother writing books to tell our stories when God has already told His story. If you would just read the Bible, you would see that our stories are there.” He paused and then he asked me again, “When did you stop reading your Bible?”
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
“Don’t ever give up in freedom what we would never have given up in persecution! That is our witness to the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ!”
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
You can only grow in jail what you take to jail with you. You can only grow in persecution what you take into it.”
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
“If ten million believers in your movement cannot take care of four hundred families, do you have the right to call yourselves the Body of Christ, the Church, or even followers of Jesus?”
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
I sensed a growing conviction that the most important lessons to be learned from my ongoing pilgrimage would come not from the facts and details, but from the stories.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
God, evidently, was doing today everything that He had done in the Bible!
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
Rather than thinking that we are all alone and that we have to start from scratch in wolf country, a much better and more effective strategy for carrying out the great commission, especially in our world’s toughest and most discouraging places, would be to learn what God already has been doing and is doing there, join Him, and together figure out how we can build on that.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
When Ruth and I first departed for Africa with our boys almost thirty years ago, I was a young, naïve Kentucky farm-boy who believed that God was sending us around the world on a great adventure to tell people who Jesus was and to explain what the Bible was all about. Today, I realize that God allowed us to go out into the world so we could find out who Jesus was from people who really knew Him and actually lived the Word of God.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
For decades now, many concerned western believers have sought to rescue their spiritual brothers and sisters around the world who suffer because they choose to follow Jesus. Yet our pilgrimage among house churches in persecution convinced us that God may actually want to use them to save us from the often debilitating, and sometimes spiritually-fatal, effects of our watered-down, powerless western faith.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
the primary cause of “religious persecution” in the world today is people surrendering their hearts and lives to Jesus.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
Ruth and I have seldom encountered a mature believer living in persecution who asked us to pray that their persecution would cease. We have never heard that request. Rather, believers in persecution ask us to pray that “they would be faithful and obedient through their persecution and suffering.”
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
They (and you and I) are just as free to share Jesus today in Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Communist countries as you and I are in America. It isn’t a matter of political freedom. It is a simply matter of obedience. The price for obedience might be different in different places—but it is always possible to obey Christ’s call to make disciples. Every believer—in every place—is always free to make that choice.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
During our time of grieving, we learned an important spiritual lesson: before we can grasp the full meaning of the Resurrection, we first have to witness or experience crucifixion. If we spend our lives so afraid of suffering, so averse to sacrifice, that we avoid even the risk of persecution or crucifixion, then we might never discover the true wonder, joy and power of a resurrection faith. Ironically, avoiding suffering could be the very thing that prevents us from partnering deeply with the Risen Jesus.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
Quite simply, we would do well to ask ourselves whether or not we are being obedient to Jesus. He is asking us—He is expecting us—He is commanding us to share Him wherever we go. He is commanding us to do that wherever we are today.
The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected
Nik Ripken and Gregg Lewis
1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
The King James Version of the Holy Bible (Halcyon Classics)
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1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
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2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
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2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
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3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
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3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
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6:5 And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
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6:8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
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6:22 Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
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11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
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Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
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18:19 For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
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18:21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
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29:20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.
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he loved also Rachel more than Leah,
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32:8 And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.
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And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
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that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.
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This is the finger of God:
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9:14 For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.
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9:16 And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.
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11:6 And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more.
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14:14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.
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15:2 The LORD is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him.
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15:11 Who is like unto thee, O LORD, among the gods? who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? 15:12 Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them.
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15:18 The LORD shall reign for ever and ever.
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15:26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
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your murmurings are not against us, but against the LORD.
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Come near before the LORD: for he hath heard your murmurings.
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16:12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel:
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18:18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone.
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19:5 Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine:
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20:1 And God spake all these words, saying, 20:2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. 20:13 Thou shalt not kill. 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 20:15 Thou shalt not steal. 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.
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33:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
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Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. 33:13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.
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33:17 And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.
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33:19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
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34:6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 34:7 Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.
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34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:
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35:5 Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD;
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35:10 And every wise hearted among you shall come, and make all that the LORD hath commanded;
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35:21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD's offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.
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35:30 And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah; 35:31 And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;
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‘I wish it need not have happened in my time,’ said Frodo. ‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien
Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien
But you have been chosen, and you must therefore use such strength and heart and wits as you have.’
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door,” he used to say. “You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to.
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien
The wide world is all about you: you can fence yourselves in, but you cannot for ever fence it out.’
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien
The rare, strange thing is to hit the mark; the gross, obvious thing is to miss it.
The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare
G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
And it is always the humble man who talks too much; the proud man watches himself too closely.
The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare
G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
Nor was his hatred of anarchy hypocritical. He was one of those who are driven early in life into too conservative an attitude by the bewildering folly of most revolutionists.
The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare
G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
"The composure of an army is the anger of a nation."
The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare
G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
The class sympathies which, false as they are, are the truest things in so many men, broke out of Syme before he could control them.
The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare
G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
has long been of opinion that a purely intellectual conspiracy would soon threaten the very existence of civilisation. He is certain that the scientific and artistic worlds are silently bound in a crusade against the Family and the State. He has, therefore, formed a special corps of policemen, policemen who are also philosophers.
The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare
G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
We say that the most dangerous criminal now is the entirely lawless modern philosopher.
The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare
G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
Like any man, he was coward enough to fear great force; but he was not quite coward enough to admire it.
The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare
G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
It expands; it only destroys because it broadens; even so, thought only destroys because it broadens. A man's brain is a bomb,"
The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare
G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
The poor have sometimes objected to being governed badly; the rich have always objected to being governed at all.
The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare
G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
Bad is so bad, that we cannot but think good an accident; good is so good, that we feel certain that evil could be explained.
The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare
G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
"Shall I tell you the secret of the whole world? It is that we have only known the back of the world. We see everything from behind, and it looks brutal. That is not a tree, but the back of a tree. That is not a cloud, but the back of a cloud. Cannot you see that everything is stooping and hiding a face? If we could only get round in front—"
The Man Who Was Thursday, a nightmare
G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
Tony began most team meetings by reminding everyone to refrain from questionable behavior. To emphasize his point, he used an overhead projector to display newspaper clippings involving other professional athletes who had been arrested or accused of illegal activity. He highlighted the circumstances surrounding the incidents and discussed ways to avoid a similar fate.
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker
I also asked him whether he was inclined to demonstrate a show of force in response to the incident from the previous week. His simple five-word reply—“It is not about me”—resonated with my spirit, and it is one of the most profound lessons I learned from him.
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker
Good to Great, Jim Collins
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker
If all you’re about is winning, it’s not really worth it. I’m after things that last.
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker
It isn’t a structured program that necessarily makes the difference; rather, the difference is made moment by moment by leaders who care—for others.
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker
As their title suggests, mentor leaders seek to have a direct, intentional, and positive impact on those they lead. At its core, mentoring is about building character into the lives of others, modeling and teaching attitudes and behaviors, and creating a constructive legacy to be passed along to future generations of leaders. I don’t think it’s possible to be an accidental mentor.
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker
If along the way lives are made better, we too often view it as a wonderful by-product rather than as a primary purpose of leadership.
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker
You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your grandfather was.
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker
Unity of purpose and a desire to make other people better must start at the top if these goals are going to ripple through an entire organization.
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker
Mentor Leaders Put People First Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker
Shortsighted leadership focuses primarily on the bottom line.
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker
Relationships are ultimately what matter—our relationships with God and with other people.
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker
we should be asking ourselves, how do others around me flourish as a result of my leadership?
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker
How does my leadership, my involvement in their lives—in whatever setting we’re in—have a positive and lasting influence and impact on them?
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker
Simply stated, leadership is influence.
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
Tony Dungy, Jim Caldwell, and Nathan Whitaker