Dare Great Things For Christ

The generosity of the disciple.  Sometimes we feel that God asks us for a lot.  Sometimes it feels like God asks us for too much.  What’s the point of generosity in our and how can it help us instead of hurt us.  In today’s talk, I explore the lesson of generosity that Jesus teaches his disciples in Mark chapter 6.

In this exciting six part series, Fr. Nathan looks at what the Gospel of St. Mark teaches us about leadership and how our Lord formed his disciples to be great leaders.  We begin by looking at the Lord’s call that they leave everything behind and follow him as an essential attribute of their leadership.

Have you ever wondered what the Bible has to say about leadership?  In the life of St. Joseph we find four amazing lessons.  In this talk, I would like to uncover those lessons of leadership from St. Joseph’s own life an the teaching of the Bible.

We know that St. Joseph was not present at the Cross but that doesn’t mean the Cross was not present for St. Joseph.  As a matter of fact the Cross is something that each one of us has to carry in order to enter into eternal life.  It’s the condition that our Savior laid down for true discipleship.  The Cross, present in St. Joseph, speaks to us about how God wants us to lead in the places that He has put us.

The secret of a great leader comes from his strength but where does this strength come from. Today I would like to reflect with you on St. Joseph, this incredible leader and his quiet strength which comes from a surprising source – from the mystery he contemplates.  A leader is as strong as the depth of his contemplation.

In the life of every leader there is the thought of doing great things.  There is the hope that what we do will really make an impact in the world.  We need to also see the importance of the ordinary and that God does his most extraordinary things when the leader is faithful to ordinary circumstances.  This is what St. Joseph shows us in his life.

Much has been said today about the need for leaders to be strong.  But usually, the way we look at strength is in models that aren’t necessarily successful in every kind of struggle.  One hidden kind of strength is the strength that Our Lord and Saint Joseph showed us, resiliency.

Everyone who strives to do something great will encounter difficulty.  The question is, "What will we do when we are encountered with a difficulty?"  For many, they respond by anger, an outward anger that can sometimes even be violent.  True greatness, however, is to be able to channel that anger, like St. Joseph, into effective results.   

Making decisions is hard.  For some, it's the thing we dread the most.  St. Joseph shows us how we can make decisions with the grace of God and what he shows us might surprise us.  Making decisions in his own life Joseph had to turn not only to contemplation and thought but also to action.  Here are some thoughts that might help you to do the same.

Have you ever felt like leadership is real burden to you? Today’s reflection focuses on what St. Joseph shows us about how anxiety and difficulty actually spur us on to an ownership that allows God to do his great work. How we deal with anxiety and our way of carrying it through helps us to realize that daring something great for Christ is a privilege and an honor. This is the first part of a series of talks that I am going to be giving on St. Joseph, biblical model for modern leaders.