Universal Family

"Happy mourning" sounds like a paradox. Let's probe: mourning for past, present, future, for self and others, extreme affliction and daily sensitivity and responsiveness to human need.

Jesus is the model for leaders who make provision for their mission to continue after their death.

In response to a prayer request from a Ukrainian friend, I reflect on Jesus' willingness to lay down his life, his command that his followers be willing to do the same--and how we can ascend to that height. I include a couple of personal stories.

After skirmishes with some religious leaders, Jesus pre-empted an attack that was brewing in Capernaum. From the crisis that broke open there come lessons for leaders and team-members today.

John 6 tells the pivotal story of how the skirmishes between Jesus and his enemies became a full-blown crisis.

As the movement that Jesus led became strong, some religious leaders became defensive and hostile. Before their opposition reached the level of a crisis, there were some early skirmishes. Here we look at three of them to observe more of Jesus' qualities as a leader.

Jesus' character was strong, well-balanced, and centered in God. How did this center shape the kind of balance that he developed?

God chose Abraham, called Moses and some of the prophets, and sent Jesus. This suggests that it might be interesting to ask in some human situations how God may already have made--or be making--provision for leadership? In what ways can we see that God does not monopolize power and is not domineering?

In "Loving Jesus More," Phil Ryken tells the story of a little girl who told her minister that she didn't love Jesus. He asked her to repeat as often as possible, "Jesus loves me. Jesus loves me." I invite you to follow the path that she took or to creatively adapt it to your own spiritual path.