Ever since the interview a few weeks back, God is reaffirming in my heart the desire to lead.

 

I came across a twenty-year-old video of a young and passionate Bill Hybels giving a speech at the 1995 leadership summit on Vision Casting.  His speech added fuel to the fire of my soul. Helping me realize I have to keep the fire going.

 

This talk was so personal to me, it got right up to my doorstep let itself in my house and was just staring at me right in the face.

 

In the talk, Bill mentioned how he fervently prayed and held multiple strategic meetings to deploy, as he calls them, Big Hairy Audacious Goals for Willow’s new era.  Just finishing a 20-year anniversary celebration at the United Center here in Chicago, he talked about the future vision of Willow.  The vision included building environments to grow the faith of current members by investing in small groups, building strategies to invite more people into the church, and goals to increase the number of people who serve the poor.

Bill used an extremely innovative approach to church planting, he used the same leadership strategies that Fortune 500 companies used to grow their businesses. He studied the top leadership and management strategies of the top business schools and was even mentored by some of the world’s finest leaders.

 

I love leadership, it fascinates me.  I find myself always paying attention to the leader of any organization. I learn so much from watching leaders. This is why I fell in love with the Willowcreek Global Leadership Summit, some of the greatest leaders come and speak. Leaders from all walks of life, from Fortune 500, Top business schools, top consulting companies, the government, the movie industry, church pastors from all over the world, actors, singers and the list goes on and on.

 

On a side note, I am so excited to see one of my favorite speakers is attending the Willowcreek Leadership Summit 2018, Simon Sinek!!  Whoohoo!!!  I am excited. I studied his golden circle theory in my MBA program, read his book Start with Why and fell in love!! So excited to see him at the Summit.

 

Okay back to Bill’s talk. Bill talked about all the prayers, sweat and tears that he and the leadership team went through to make these goals become a reality, thus the title of the talk how to go from a visionary leader to a get it done leader.    Through his strategic efforts in his words divinely appointed by God, Willow was able to surpass their 5-year goals in just 2 years time. And remember these were not simple little goals these were Big Audacious Hairy Goals (from Jim Collins book Built to Last) that seemed impossible to them at the time. As he talked more and more about the details of the strategies to reach new people, it was starting to come around full circle.

 

Bill told a story about a woman who shared with him her story on how Willow had transformed her life. Her story was so familiar becuase it was identical to mine, when he told the story I felt like he was telling my story.  Bill was tearing up as he told the story.  He said that her story will never get old to him. He said with much passion and conviction, that it is for her story that he will continue to dedicate the rest of his life to make more of these types of stories come to life and let the world know that the local church is the hope of the world.  His tears moved me.

 

And then it just hit me like a ton of bricks, God wanted me to watch this video not only to inspire me and give me insight as a leader for the blog but to understand that God took an obedient leader like Bill and used him to reach me. Willowcreek had put a hope in my heart that I had never experienced before in my life.

 

God showed me that amazing things are possible if I would just let Him use me to live out His purpose in my life.  Wow!!   God showed me how he is able to place His heart in the heart of a person.  I know the passion and love in Bill’s statement about dedicating the rest of his life to this cause was the result of a divine connection with God.  God showed me through Bill’s story that he has just touched the surface with me and that there is so much more to learn.

 

Now I stand before you Lord singing the words of Hosana (Hillsong)

“Break my heart for what breaks yours,

Everything I am for your kingdom’s cause.

As I walk from earth into eternity”

 

What is God placing in your heart as His purpose for your life?

 

Love in abundance,

 

Jamie