June 25, 2008

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What I Learned About Manhood and Fatherhood From My Dad It’s Father’s Day. It’s my third Father’s Day since becoming a dad, and there are so many wonderful things I love about being a dad, too many to name. This year, I am reflecting on what I’ve learned from my own father. Some men don’t like the word “father” because it conjures up some pretty awful memories. They think of stern, tough men who scolded them when they failed and picked at the flaws of their adolescent attempts at life. Some have had abusive fathers, workaholic or alcoholic dads. Some had dads that were emotionally absent, some who were actually absent, men who bailed on their families when they needed them most. It’s hard to blame those dads. They most likely had poor examples in their childhood of what it meant to be a man. But along the way, the tradition of weak men and dysfunctional dads has been handed down like an heirloom no one cares to own. I have become more aware of just how blessed I am to have the dad that I have. He turns 63 this summer and has been a dad for 33 years. Since fatherhood and manhood in general has become a lost art, I decided to put to words just a few of the things I’ve learned from my dad about what it means to be a man. Love God passionately My strongest memories of my dad as I was growing up are of him kneeling in our living in the dark hours of the morning praying. My dad is a man of prayer. I’ve seen him consistently spend time with God, fervently devouring the Bible. I’ve watched him strum the same few chords on his guitar and pour his heart out to God. I’ve seen him weep in prayer, laugh in...
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Leadership and Authority: Why We May Have It All Wrong What gives you the authority to lead others? Whether you're a CEO or a middle manager, your perceived source of authority is crucial. Anyone who has ever read anything on leadership understands that there are basically two sources of leadership authority: positional authority and relational authority. Positional authority is the authority we gain because of the position we hold. It is a delegated authority. It comes from the top down. The boss says you're in charge of all marketing decisions, so you're in charge of all marketing decisions. Whether the people under you in the marketing department like you or not, they know you're in charge. But, of course, since you're not a Neanderthal, you know that to be effective and productive you need to have your team on board; you need them to buy in; you need the chemistry to be strong. You know positional authority is not enough; you have to win their relational authority. Relational authority is the authority you earn from individuals because of their trust in you.(That explains why Michael Scott from "The Office" tries so hard to impress his subordinates, win their admiration, and gain their friendship.) Nevertheless, in almost every corporate environment, positional authority is granted first; relational authority is earned later. We learn early on that positional authority precedes relational authority. And without even questioning this, we take it as a law of life, a veritable "irrefutable law of leadership." In the Church world, we apply it to our leaders, citing Jesus' declaration that "all authority in heaven and on earth" had been given to him, and therefore our authority as leaders comes from God. In essence, we are making the "positional authority" argument with God as the ultimate authority who delegates his authority down to certain leaders. This is harmless enough,...

Glenn Packiam

Lead Pastor, new life DOWNTOWN, New Life Church, Colorado Springs, CO. Author and songwriter.

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