In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook (Ep.292) from our seven-part series, The Magnificent Seven, I walk through the life of King David not as a children’s story hero, but as one of the most complex, gifted, and broken leaders Scripture ever presents, drawing from Psalms 22, 23, and 51 to show how a shepherd, poet, warrior, prophet, outlaw, king, and sinner could still be called a man after God’s own heart. David’s genius was not perfection but pursuit: an uncommon ability to flex with the seasons of life, to rebound from moral collapse and personal tragedy, and to refuse both despair and denial when confronted with his own sin. From prophetic insight that reached the cross of Christ, to public repentance that matched the depth of his failure, David teaches us that leadership is not validated by flawlessness but by repentance, resilience, and an unrelenting chase after the heart of God, even when life is marked by pain, conflict, and unfinished battles.

– Dr. Mark Rutland