Inside the Sphere

In the latest episode of the Joy of Leadership Podcast, Dr. James Taylor sits down with Cornel Potra, the founding partner at Potra Law Firm, specializing in immigration law. He shares about God’s calling on his career, escaping from communist Romania, his passion for immigration law, and the importance of not forgetting the Lord’s faithfulness.

Breakdown

(0:00) Introduction

(1:08) About Potra Law Firm

(4:06) Cornel's family

(5:14) God's calling on Cornel's vocation

(9:05) Escape from communist Romania

(19:17) Cornel's expectation of his career

(21:51) Desire to live in the United States

(27:08) Time between first escape attempt & successful escape

(31:40) Beginning of his practice

(33:10) Reason for his practice's focus

(40:33) Focus on development of men

(49:26) The impact of Cornel's immigrant story

In the latest episode of the Joy of Leadership Podcast, Dr. James Taylor sits down with Cassie Snow, the Director of Academic Enrichment and Special Education at Hebron Christian Academy. She shares about her path to HCA, how Hebron is building an Enrichment program from the ground up, the challenges of starting a special needs school, and how HCA is praying for a God-sized miracle to build the Lions Learning Academy.

Breakdown

(0:00) Introduction

(1:20) Cassie's path to HCA

(17:30) Building HCA's enrichment program

(23:31) Redefining special education

(29:20) Expanding the enrichment program

(33:16) A $20 million God-sized dream

(42:21) The challenges of building a special education school

(45:11) Modeling an immersive environment

(50:58) Impacting Christian education

(57:06) Closing

In the latest episode of the Joy of Leadership Podcast, the tables have turned, as Dr. James Taylor is in the hot seat and interviewed by Scottie Johns, the chairman of the board at Hebron Christian Academy. He shares why he started a podcast, how a Toyota Tacoma brought him to HCA, how God called him into ministry and his path into Christian Leadership. Now finishing up his third year as the Head of School at Hebron, Dr. Taylor talks about the challenges of Christian education, how he handles conflict and what he envisions for the future of HCA.

Breakdown

(0:00) The interviewer becomes the interviewee

(1:31) The start of The Joy of Leadership Podcast

(3:38) How a Toyota Tacoma brought James to Hebron

(11:17) Growing up in Canada

(15:20) Being called into ministry

(21:24) Marrying his bride

(24:23) The path of being a Head of School

(27:43) The challenges to Christian education

(35:24) How to be approachable and handle conflict

(45:22) Envisioning the future of Hebron Christian Academy

(55:53) How to support HCA

In the latest episode of the Joy of Leadership Podcast, Dr. James Taylor sits down with Kevin Shaffer, a former NFL player and the advancement officer at Hebron Christian Academy. He shares about growing up on the road, his path to the NFL, getting drafted by the Atlanta Falcons and signing a long-term contract with the Cleveland Browns. Through it all, he discusses the role faith played in his football career and what went into his decision to retire.

Breakdown

(0:00) - Introduction

(1:01) - Growing up on the road

(7:36) - Kevin’s path to salvation

(12:31) - Getting recruited to the University of Tulsa

(22:18) - The process of getting into the NFL

(32:17) - Getting drafted to the Atlanta Falcons

(50:18) - Stories from the NFL

(57:49) - Signing with the Cleveland Brown

(1:03:40) - Deciding to call it quits

(1:06:08) - Coming to Hebron Christian Academy

In the latest episode of the Joy of Leadership Podcast, Dr. James Taylor sits down with Ryan Lane, the creator and owner of Lane’s Barbecue. He shares about his shift from the banking world to catering, how he turned rubs into a multi-million dollar business, and how he is taking Lane’s Barbecue worldwide.

Breakdown

(0:00) Introduction

(4:12) Finding a work/life balance

(8:53) From banking to BBQ

(17:26) Scaling the business

(25:55) Taking Lane’s BBQ worldwide

(35:53) Choosing the right grill

(38:10) Faith in family and business

(49:56) What’s next for Lane’s BBQ

In the latest episode of the Joy of Leadership Podcast, Dr. James Taylor sits down with Kenny Grant, the teaching pastor at St. Simon’s Island Community Church and founder of Kenny Grant Ministries. He shares about growing up in south Georgia, how his time in the Marine Corps led him into ministry and how he has followed God’s calling on his life.

Breakdown

(0:00) Introduction

(4:29) Growing up in south Georgia

(7:41) From Marines to ministry

(12:49) Being aligned with your spouse

(22:09) The concept of a calling

(24:53) The start of Kenny Grant Ministries

(31:33) Leading Calvary Baptist Temple

(38:40) Trusting God’s Direction

In the latest episode of The Joy of Leadership Podcast, Dr. James Taylor sits down with Kelvin Cochran, the former Fire Chief for the City of Atlanta. He shares about growing up in poverty, his path to becoming a firefighter, and how his faith led him through adversity. He now holds the position of senior vice president of human resources and faith initiatives at Alliance Defending Freedom, the same law firm that defended him in his case against the city of Atlanta after being fired for expressing his Christian beliefs.

Breakdown

(0:00) Introduction

(1:04) Growing up in poverty

(7:10) The path to becoming a firefighter

(10:09) Climbing the ranks

(14:00) Being fired from the Atlanta Fire Department

(21:53) Proposing on the first date

(28:38) Being bold in faith

(46:23) Advice for leaders

In the latest episode of The Joy of Leadership Podcast, Dr. James Taylor sits down with Dr. Derek Halvorson, the President of Covenant College. He shares about his path into higher education from being a student at Covenant College to becoming their president for over 10 years. He discusses the importance of Christian education and what it means to lead the next generation of students.

Breakdown

(0:00) Introduction

(1:04) Moving from west coast to east coast

(11:21) Derek Halvorson’s faith journey

(16:00) Life after college

(24:01) A calling vs. a job

(34:08) Leading the next generation

(37:44) The why behind Christian education

(42:22) How COVID affected education

(48:04) What’s next for Covenant College

In the latest episode of The Joy of Leadership Podcast, Dr. James Taylor sits down with Darrell Jones, the President of the Herzog Foundation. He shares about the founding and mission of the Herzog Foundation, how the organization is developing leaders in Christian education, the impact of school choice, and how the Herzog Foundation plans to impact Christian education for decades to come.

Breakdown

• (0:00) Introduction

• (1:41) Background on the Herzog Foundation

• (7:15) COVID’s impact on Christian education

• (9:50) Developing leaders in Christian education

• (16:02) What school choice means for private schools

• (26:49) Personal background and career journey

• (34:19) Longevity in ministry

• (40:36) Next steps for the Herzog Foundation

In the latest episode of The Joy of Leadership Podcast, Dr. James Taylor sits down with Arthur Tripp, the Executive Director of the USDA Farm Service Agency in the state of Georgia. He shares how Georgia is leading the way in agricultural imports and exports, how he followed God’s calling into the political arena, why he chooses unity over division in a divided world, what helping farmers thrive in Georgia looks like, and how he is helping develop the next generation of farmers.

Breakdown

(0:00) Introduction

(1:17) Personal background and work history

(10:20) Leading the USDA Farm Service Agency in Georgia

(13:56) Georgia leading the way in agricultural imports and exports

(17:09) Following God’s calling into the political arena

(23:35) Trusting God in living in a season of “yes”

(28:25) Choosing unity over division in a divided world

(33:25) Helping farmers thrive in the state of Georgia

(39:25) Developing the next generation of farmers

(44:45) Leadership lessons through life