Convictions vs Reputations

Over the weekend, I had the ability to host a Student Leadership Retreat at my new house. It was an absolutely awesome time having some great students and some great leaders come to talk about leadership.  We spent the weekend talking about a few different leadership principles that came from Andy Stanley. The Next Generation Leader is a book that is full of many different leadership principles that are not hard to understand but sometimes hard to put into practice.

The goal of the weekend was to help our student leaders learn about these few principles and how to put them into practice. Overall it was a great experience not only for our students but for our leaders/teachers as well. It was great to be a apart of some growing and learning leaders that have huge potential of being great leaders for the Kingdom in the future.

We had the privilege of having Greg Lee, Jared Mehrle and Doug Gamble, 3 of the Campus pastors of Suncrest Christian Church come to teach 3 of the 4 sessions over the weekend. All of them were absolutely a blessing to have teach our Student Leaders.

During Greg’s session, he asked a question to our student leaders that I want to ask to all leaders:

Is your conviction more important that your reputation? 

Even though it is a question that was prefaced with our student leaders looking into their lives and wrestling with what it is God has called them to stand up for, I think it is a question that all of us should ask of our leadership.

So……

That leaves room for 2 questions:

1) What are your convictions?

If I start personally, my conviction is to uphold my vows to my wife. To love her, cherish her and honor her. To take care of her, love her and guide her(not because she can’t make decisions). Whether in sickness or in health, I will be there for her until the day I die. I have a conviction to be the best father I can be. To love my kids more than they could ever need, to guide them to a relationship with Jesus Christ. To teach them the principles and life lessons needed to see them off to college.

As a youth worker, my conviction is to teach the Gospel to a generation of students that need Jesus. To lead a ministry that is used by God to change student’s lives. However that may happen, that is my conviction as a youth worker. I could get more specific, but in the grand scheme of things the conviction to change students lives and lead a generation of students to a relationship with Jesus and to live a Christ like life umbrella’s the specifics.

2) What do you want your reputation to be? 

Many of us growing up look to the star sport stars, actresses, actors and anyone else who is famous. We want to grow up to be just like them. To be as famous as them, to be as rich as them. We want a reputation growing up of fame and fortune. Some of us will get there. Most of us wont.

When I think about it, my dream would be to start a revolution of students that love Christ and live that way. To be the greatest youth minister of all time!

But let’s be realistic. That isn’t going to happen.

Amongst my family, I may not be liked all the time, I may not be #1 dad all the time, but my hope is that my reputation as a dad is one of love and protection. As a husband, a reputation that I love my wife more than anything and anyone else.

What are your convictions? 

What do you want your reputation to be? 

What reputation do you have now that you dont want to lose?