You’ve probably read most of them if you’re striving to be a better leader, although some of you are reading this and wondering why anyone in their right mind would want to lead anything.

I get it. Being a leader is not always fun, but it certainly has its share of blessings.

As a daily blogger, my mind thinks in lists and top 5 outlines, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that there really is one greatest blessing to being a leadership.

Don’t worry – I’m going to share it with you. Get ready for it.

The greatest blessing of leadership is the unobstructed view.

You ever thought about it? If you’re at the front of the line, you get to see it all without hindrances.

You get to see the beautiful panoramic view of what lies ahead.

You get to see the open fields and deep valleys, and the sunshine creeping behind the mountains.

You get to see the winding road with all its furrows and ridges.

But it’s not always clear, the road ahead, you’re thinking.

That is true.

Which is why on a clear day you can see forever.

And on a cloudy day you can see enough.

But on any day, you can see the most.

And with clear vision comes the responsibility and the duty to let others know exactly what you’re seeing and where you’re going and why.

Because as long as they know that you can clearly see the road ahead, they will be willing to follow.

So leader, lift your head high and keep your eyes looking. God is at work, leading, directing, showing, and you’ll be blessed enough to see it the most.

And that is the greatest blessing of leadership.

Joseph was one of the good guys.

He was the son of Rachel, Jacob’s true love, after years of barrenness and waiting.

So he may have been a little cocky. He should have known his brothers wouldn’t appreciate his dream about personal greatness. But he wasn’t lying. He really did have some weird dreams.

And maybe he shouldn’t have worn that many colored coat every single day. I mean…this guy was asking for a beating.

But he sure didn’t deserve to be dumped in a pit while running an errand.

And he didn’t deserve to be sold as a slave to an Egyptian caravan.

Ok, so he was also good looking – I mean hollywood style George Clooney good looking.

But he didn’t deserve to be sexually harrassed by Potiphar’s wife.

And he didn’t deserve to be thrown in jail for saying no.

This guy couldn’t catch a break if he tried.

After rising through the ranks he finally sees some light creep through the narrow prison bars.

He meets a baker and a cupbearer.

They’re not much to look at in the darkness of the prison, but they’re all Joseph’s got. He does what anyone would do. He hopes.

This could be the day he’s finally set free. This could be his moment.

But Joseph’s hopes are quickly and thoroughly destroyed while he remains forgotten.

Talk about a recipe for bitterness. Talk about a set up for anger. Joseph had every reason for payback. He had every right for revenge.

Except that Joseph understood what you and I usually forget.

What satan intends for my hurt God uses for my good.

Or, as Joseph aptly put it in Genesis 50:20

“You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive as they are today.”

Are you going through some difficulties today? Do you feel misunderstood and wrongly attacked? Are you wondering when you’ll finally see some light inside your prison cell?

It’s coming. God is in the process of working all things out for your good and His glory.

Until then, stop asking why and start asking what.

What is God trying to change in me through it?

Chances are He’ll not only show you, but He’ll transform you as well.

This one was no exception.

The 10 year old boy presented with abdominal pain for over a year. As soon as I walked in the room I realized I knew the kid. I’d seen him myself just over a month ago.

The mother proceeded to fill me in on the details.

Things hadn’t been doing great for Johnny. He’d been to a couple other Emergency Rooms and had a few other tests since they last saw me. Johnny eventually made it to the Gastroenterologist where he’d had an Upper GI, an endoscopy, a colonoscopy, a CT scan, an MRI and thousand of dollars worth of tests.

Everything single test was normal.

I looked at the mom, then at Johnny, and asked the obvious question with the least hint of sarcasm.

“So….What would you like me to do for you today?”

“Well, I’d like you to figure out what’s wrong with Johnny”.

I didn’t say anything for a while, simply staring at the nice, though slightly amusing woman and her son.

It was Friday night in late January, the problem had been going on for over a year, the kid had seen more doctors than I could name and had more tests than I could count.

And suddenly it hit me.

Life isn’t just about getting all the answers but accepting the ones you get.

Are you ready to do that yet?

In Genesis 42:36 Jacob says this:

“You have bereaved me of my children: Joseph is no more, and Simeon is no more, and now you would take Benjamin. All this has come against me.”

Here were the facts from Jacob’s perspective:  The famine was life threatening. All the money in the world couldn’t feed Jacob and his family. Joseph had been missing for years. And Simeon was now gone too.

But here was the truth from God’s angle: Joseph was safe and sound in Egypt storing up food for the family. Simeon was being treated like royalty in a minimum security prison under the protection of his brother Joseph.  Food was well on the way since God was a few steps ahead of Jacob.

Are you tempted to make wrong conclusions about the facts in your life?

Don’t.

Jacob despaired but he was wrong. And so are you if you’ve giving in to despair.

Same facts, but entirely different conclusions.

Maybe it’s time to leave the conclusions to God.

Valentine’s day is behind us now. The next big event on the calendar is my 40th birthday in April.

Do you even dare think what I’ll be blogging about leading up to that?!

Meanwhile, it’s Friday. Let’s do our usual give away. If you’re signed up on my subscriber list, I draw a random name to give away a $25 gift card. This week’s winner is: The Pry Family! Email me at lina@livingwithpower.org to claim the gift!

If you want to subscribe to the blog, simply click here!

If I were you, I’d tell my friends about this blog and have them subscribe. Why, you ask? 

I’ve got 3 great reasons for you to tell your friends to subscribe!

1. I’m doing the dirty work on topics you want to tell your friends about but don’t know how to bring up.

2. I’m giving away my iPad when I reach 1000 subscribers. We’re almost there!

3. It’s a greatly fun blog!

I’m sure you can think of hundreds of other reasons, but I’ll leave it at 3! One last thing: I give away $5 per comment left on the blog on Fridays. Currently, the money is going into a fund I’ve called the LWP fund. While it may seem like a small amount now, check back in 6 months. Trust me – God is up to something Big here. I can’t wait to see it unfold.

This week’s question for your comment is:

If you could ask God one question, what would it be? 

It’s been around for almost 180 years.

Yet most of us have never really paid too much attention to it until this year.

If you’re a Christian and have been watching the political scene, a question that may have crossed your mind is this: should a Christian vote for a mormon for president?

And while that is a great question to ask, I do not intend to address it today.

Instead, I’d like to give you 5 things you should know about mormonism in an effort to help you tackle the bigger elephant in the room.

1. Mormons call themselves christians but aren’t. Just because a guy calls himself a duck doesn’t make him a duck. A Christian is one who believes and teaches what the Bible teaches. Mormons say they are christians but believe in a different Jesus Christ and god than Biblical Christianity does. They can call themselves what they want, but they deviate from orthodox christianity. Mark Driscoll has a great article on this topic.

 2. Mormons don’t believe in the trinity. Mormons do not believe in the trinity as Christians understand it. They believe the trinity is three separate Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Regarding the trinity they teach “That these three are separate individuals, physically distinct from each other, is demonstrated by the accepted records of divine dealings with man,” (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 35). The Bible is clear. There is only 1 God in 3 persons. Each person is fully God.

3. Mormons believe in a work based salvation. Mormons do not believe in salvation by grace through faith alone. Article 3 in the fundamentals of mormon beliefs says this “we believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.”  They do not believe that Jesus alone can cleanse us from our sin. Let’s stop right there. The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that Jesus died in my place! Paul said it this way in Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast”.

4. Mormons believe that God was once a man and progressed to become a God. Mormons believe that God used to be a man on another planet (Mormon Doctrine, p. 321; Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, vol. 5, p. 613-614). Joseph Smith, the founder of mormonism said this: “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!!! . . . We have imagined that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea and take away the veil, so that you may see,” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345). Further they believe that God had an actual physical relationship with Mary that resulted in Jesus. The Bible is clear: God existed in eternity past, and Jesus Christ is God incarnate born of a virgin to redeem us from sin.

5. Mormons don’t believe that the Bible is the only divinely inspired Word of God. In Article 8 of the fundamentals of mormon beliefs, it says “we believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.” The truth of God’s word is quite different than what the mormons teach: There is only one revelation from God that we possess today – the written Scriptures. His word is absolutely sufficient in of itself (Psalm 119:160). It is God breathed (II Timothy 3:16). It is divinely inspired and written by men (II Peter 1:20-21). In Revelations 22:18-19 God gives a warning to anyone who adds to His word. I’m pretty sure He means it.

There are so many other differences between mormonism and Biblical Christianity.

The bottom line is this: mormons need the Lord Jesus Christ. Pray for them. Love them.

And know what you believe.

If you haven’t participated before it’s easy.

Simply pick a verse, write it down in the comments section and on a 3×5 card and work on it for 2 weeks.

We will finish up mid may and have a party for those who have memorized 15 of 17 verses!

Look – it hasn’t always been easy to keep up, but it’s been good. I hope you’re enjoying this discipline!

Can you?

I mean, I know Jesus talked about it a bit. And I realize the Old Testament is full of broken relationships and crazy kind of loves.

But for the life of me, I can’t think of one New Testament divorce.

It certainly could have happened and never been mentioned, although God doesn’t strike me as one who tries to shove things underneath the carpet. He tells us a whole lot about a bunch of other awkward scenarios…

Look – I know it’s valentine’s day, a day meant to celebrate love and stuff. It’s not a day to mention the D word. Yet some of you reading today’s post find yourselves stuck in the midst of a difficult marriage or relationship.

Your hope is that this valentine’s day things will change, love will be rekindled. Your prayer is that a miracle would happen for the sake of your kids, your home.

I’d like to give you 5 ways to save your marriage.

1. Get rid of the D word. Don’t even say it. Don’t even let it be an option. Don’t threaten with it. Don’t think about it. Don’t dream about it. Marriage was meant to be forever. Jesus said that because of your hardness of heart Moses allowed to divorce. Don’t be hard hearted. Don’t be hard mouthed.

2. Do the hard work. I’m not so naively single to think that reigniting the fire in your marriage is easy. I get that it’s hard. I get that you may not feel like looking at him let alone touch him. I get that it’s a lot simpler to just walk away. But great things require hard work. The longer you wait to work on it the harder it will get. Start with small steps and give it your all. Do the hard work.

3. Remember why. Make a list of why you married him. Make a list of his good traits. Make a list of what marriage means to the Christian. Don’t easily forget that you made a covenant before God with your spouse forever. Remember what’s at stake in your life, in the life of your children, and in the life of those watching you.

4. Forgive quickly. It’s not as easy as it sounds, is it? But without forgiveness most marriages wouldn’t last a day. If you don’t forgive the little things quickly they will soon become big things. If you’re facing big things today, then you’ll need the last point in this post.

5. Get help. I don’t have a doubt that some of you are facing issues so big that no 5 point blog can ever hope to resolve. That’s ok. God is still bigger than your problems. Don’t wait to get help. Find a biblical counselor in your area and make an appointment with them today. Click here to find a counselor near you.

I realize this is an odd topic to write about on Valentine’s day, but I believe someone desperately needed it today.

If you need me to pray specifically for you, or would like some help or direction in a specific situation, feel free to email me at lina@livingwithpower.org. No one else sees the emails but me.

You are truly perfectly eternally loved.

Valentine’s day as in tomorrow.

Maybe it’s because you’ve been on a tighter budget this year.

Maybe it’s because you haven’t had much time to shop.

Or maybe, just maybe, you’ve run out of great ideas for Valentine’s Day.

Don’t worry. I’m here to help. In an effort to help rejuvenate your love life, here are 5 great gift ideas for Valentine’s Day for under $1!!

1. A Cookie. Yes, I did say a cookie. A cupcake will put you out about two and a half bucks, so if you’re on a tight budget, stick to a cookie. They make them heart shaped or filled with pink and red M&Ms. I know. They sell them at my church.

2. A Card. You can let your personality rip with a well picked card. I wouldn’t over do the humor on this one, guys. Girls really don’t appreciate crass hallmark cards. In fact, go for the “less is more” point of view when it comes to hallmark greetings, and use the rest of the card to sincerely express what your loved one means to you. You don’t get to do it often, so do it well! No pressure, right? And if you’re more of a practical couple, then try a different kind of card: I just bought a deck of cards for 0.99 cents and oh the fun I’m going to have with them. I can’t wait!

3. A Song. We just celebrated the Grammys, so finding a good 0.99cent song on iTunes should be a piece of cake. Your girl probably already has all the adele songs, so be creative. Think memories here. Try to find a song that symbolizes who you are as a couple. You may want to choose a song from your dating era, or your wedding song. You get the gist.

4. A Book. If you’ve got a kindle you’ve got it made, baby. This one’s a piece of cake. The list of 0.99cent books is long. Here’s a piece of advice: don’t get her a free book. A dollar book says a whole lot more than a free one. Trust me. An exception to the free book rule is this one I found on amazon: 40 unforgettable dates with your mate. It’s the gift that keeps on giving all year round!

5. A Picture. Did you know that you can develop a 4×6 picture at walmart for 10 cents?! That means that for a buck you can find a romantic 4×6 picture of you and your mate and spend another 0.8 cents on a picture frame (you will owe 0.1 cents on taxes which brings you up to a buck). How’s that for charming?

Here’s a helpful hint: with occasional exceptions, it’s not what you get but how you get it that matters!

If you’re like me and you’ve watched enough movies and every romantic comedy known to mankind, at some point you probably subliminally acquired the notion that love is your right, and that without it you won’t be happy.

Unfortunately, most people’s love lives don’t follow a hollywood script.

Some people never find the big love.

Others find it only to lose it all too soon.

Yet others find it, marry it, and soon find out that it makes funny noises and doesn’t do the dishes after dinner.

If you find yourself disillusioned about love, whatever that reason may be, I hope you’ll carefully read these 3 principles for survival when your love life doesn’t go as planned:

1. Change what you can. When it comes to love there are some things you simply cannot change. You cannot change your personality. You cannot change who your husband is. You cannot change your age. But there are some things you can change. You can change your haircut. You can change the way you think about your husband. You can change dating methods. But most importantly you can change your expectations: stop believing the hollywood lies that have been shoved down our throats about love and sex and start believing the truth about God and His plan for your life: Only He can satisfy your deepest needs.

2. Accept what you can’t. It may be high time for you to look in the mirror and tell yourself some hard truths: you married him for better or for worse. You haven’t found Mr.Right and you’ve gotten too old to have kids. You were just painfully dumped. It doesn’t matter what your situation is, some scenarios simply hurt. But sooner or later, in order to find peace, you’re going to have to surrender your perception of what your love life should have been and accept God’s best plan for your life. Know this: whatever situation you are in right now is exactly what God had intended for your life. That’s not meant to be a bitter pill for you to swallow, but a freeing truth to revel in.

3. Turn to the Lord. So you’re working on changing what you can, and you’re accepting what you can’t, but you still feel a void in your heart. That’s because you haven’t fully turned to the Lord yet. God’s plan isn’t for us to simply forget about love. His plan is for us to find true love in Him. No matter where you’re at in the spectrum of love, turn to him and tell him how you feel. Pour your heart out to him. There’s nothing he can’t handle. There’s nothing he doesn’t know already. And I know for sure what He’ll tell you: the story is not over yet.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying that we don’t need love for our lives to be complete. On the contrary. I believe it’s all about love – the right kind of love. A love that sets us free to love, no matter what our love story is.

“This is the kind of love we are talking about – not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God” (I John 4:10 the message).