Blog

By Bill Lawrence - President of Leader Formation International

There are times when I find myself in Heart Break Corner, the very deepest part of my being.

All leaders must find themselves here because we cannot be ourselves without forming our identities through the struggles and pain that comes through this hurt.

I don’t want to be there, but I cannot avoid or escape it. I am there because that’s where I have experienced the most painful moments in my life: the loss of someone who is more than precious to me. It is the loss of a dad or mom as or a leader who formed me and made me who I am and helped form my identity. In those moments I sense a loss I cannot deny or escape.

I’m sure you have had this same experience. We cannot avoid loss. I did not know about that corner early in my life because I did not have mother or father until I was five years old and I did not know what they mean in life. I was past seventy when I began to explore their value to me. Perhaps you have had a similar experience. If you haven’t, start now and do not be afraid to explore yourself because the Lord will guide you through it. For me that was when I started to understand that I live parts of my life in Heart Break Corner and that this was vital to help me understand myself and those I serve as a leader. Don’t be afraid of Heart Break Corner.

Heart break is never far away, either for us who have lost a most precious loved one or for those who have lived a life of unfairness and injustice. Sin is real and many forms of sin bring pain for every one of us. Unless we face it, we live a make-belief life of denial, a make-belief life that causes us to lead our followers over the cliffs of false success from which there is no recovery.

Heart Break Corner is a special place deep within us where grief goes and settles in and is always present. We know it’s there. We sense it, feel it, we grasp it, and are overwhelmed by it, even when we don’t sense it. It’s just there. Always.

Gradually it becomes still and eventually silent within us, although it takes time to be an innate part of us. It’s there just the same, even when it’s silent, and we sense it, even as we go to sleep at night or when we are stirred by it in our sleep in the middle of the night or just as we are waking up at dawn  or in the super market while we are shopping or when we are driving on the freeway or walking on a dirt road in the country or suddenly while we are watching TV. It just shows up whether we want it to or not. We suddenly find ourselves in Heart Break Corner. Heart break is a core part of us. We have to settle it, though, because we can’t live and work and relate to others and be normal and lead our family unless we can get over grief, so we work our way through it and strive to move forward.

Along our way, though, we have a natural question we ask the Lord. Why? It certainly is my question at times in my life. Why is it that a talented brother or sister is suddenly taken from us? Why are we so short on funds while the evil have so much? Why is there so much wickedness around us? Why is it we see someone who was good and think, “He was so good. Effective, caring, so much a man or woman. So much a shepherd. Engaged in the lives of so many. We don’t get it! Why did he have to go? And so soon.” This is a thought we often have. Rarely do we get a full answer, at least not for a longer time than we want. The amazing reality is that while we struggle, we also bear fruit we would not bear without our struggle. So the Lord uses the painful seasons of our lives to make His differences through us, but we can’t know this at first. We have to trust our Lord through it. That’s what the cross and the grave and the resurrection is all about; that’s what our growth is all about; that’s what it takes to be a leader. That’s what following Jesus is all about.

There is something I want to accomplish to be a Jesus kind of leader. I want to form leaders who pursue Christ’s purpose in the lives I wish to influence because no one could do more. I want them to be men and women of prayer, of the Word, of love, of influence, difference makers in every way, the kind of leader I want to be in the Lord, and the kind of leaders I want to reproduce. No one could do more and no one could ever want to be less. So, this is my passion, my drive, and what I want to say about the leaders I influence through radical and desperate dependence on the Lord.

But we, you and I, will only do this by living regularly in Heart Break Corner as our lives demand and should because that is where we find the Lord Himself grieving us, comforting us, strengthening us, enabling us to be He is leaders, honoring us even as we call on Him.

So we weep as Jesus wept at the loss of human life or the painfulness of earthly reality, yet we also rejoice as Jesus rejoiced, because He saw Lazarus come forth from the dead in the promise of eternal life.  Thus, it is that we weep over the loss of earthly life but we rejoice at the promise of eternal life. For this reason, we rejoice in Heart Break Corner even as we weep, because it not only speaks of earthly death but also of eternal life. And that is what I think of when I remember the promise of Jesus and eternal life. I encourage you to see life in this same way because there will be joy for all who trust in Him when you see Jesus. Then we will all be together in His eternal joy before His throne and on His golden streets. 

by Bill Lawrence, President of  Leader Formation International

Have you ever thought of what it takes to become God’s kind of leader? I mean a truly great leader, a leader with an intense relationship with God, a leader who trusts God when it makes no sense to trust anyone let along God, except that He keeps His word when you can’t see how He’s doing it. Let’s say you become a leader like Abram who became Abraham when trusting God made no sense at all. He’s often like that, you know. He makes no sense. His promise is strange at best. Abraham, who was Abram originally, gave up every position, every achievement, every opportunity, every future, he didn’t even know where he was going, and he didn’t have anything when he got to Canaan in obedience to YAHWEH. Why go from everything to nothing? That’s what it looked like when he when he went from Ur of the Chaldees to Canaan. God promised that He would have a nation, but all he had was a cave where he buried Sarah and himself in their deaths. It was centuries before the nation came into being, and then only after slavery and battles and desert and tribes and utter trust—and long after he died. Only then did YAHWEH keep His word.

Consider a few of the men who became God’s greatest leaders and look at the struggles the Lord took each of them through. Men like Moses and Samuel and David and Jeremiah and Peter and Paul. And women too. Ruth or Deborah or Mary or Elizabeth or Lydia. Then consider the questions that will help you understand how you can go through the same struggle that a man like Joseph went through to learn how to become a great leader. My hope is that you can form growing leaders to become the kind of men and women who become more effective for Jesus.

To become one of God’s greatest leaders Abraham had to turn from any opportunity to have a great position in Ur and Babylon and emigrate to a little-known territory known as Canaan where he settled in a place near Bethel. He owned no land of his own until Sarah, his wife died, and he finally obtained a cave, where he buried her and where he also was buried. Hardly a great achievement, and that was all obedience to God brought him. There was only loss for him—no profit. If you were looking at Abram’s Wall Street chart, his profit line was red, yet God sees him as one of the greatest profits He ever had. It appears that it was costly to become God’s kind of leader. After all, following YAHWEH moved him from having everything to having nothing. Maybe God doesn’t know now to make great deals. Or maybe what we think of as a great deal isn’t as great to Him as it is to us. And what looks like a loss to us is actually a profit for YAHWEH.

It cost Abram what position and power he might have had or hoped to gain in his home country. It meant that he lost what his heritage promised him from his family and possible influence offered to him and his wife.  He lost all possessions, all recognition, everything that was theirs. They had nothing but the word that a strange God they chose to trust promised to give them. Their trust was radical and total, and they acted on it and followed His direction no matter what they faced.

Consider this question. How do you respond as you decide to be His kind of leader? How much could you raise and consider? Think of this and then think about what you face as you form others to become the leaders God is calling you to influence.

While the text doesn’t tell us what Abram felt when God directed him to leave a place of prosperity and move to an unknown territory. Abram had no knowledge of where he was going, yet he obeyed God anyway. Perhaps he had already lost everything in Ur. How would you feel in such a situation? Would you do what he did? Why? Could you obey the way Abram did?

Are you facing such a situation now?

If you are, what does this mean for your family and your followers? How do you plan to answer the questions you know they must have had? What questions have you answered for yourself?  What biblical passages have helped you at this time?

Notice that his name was Abram, not Abraham. What does that tell you about him? Consider yourself at this time in your life. Have you made the same progress as Abram? What steps must you take to be an Abraham rather than an Abram?

Consider your family. Would they go with you if God called on you to make the same kind of decisions Abram made? What would your wife say to you if you told her God had directed you to do what Abram did? And how would your children make that kind of decision? How must you change to become that kind of man? Do you want to be that kind of man? What if you don’t want to be that kind of man but God does?

These are primarily the implications for your family. What about the implications for your followers and those you influence as you seek them to grow as leaders? What steps must you take for them to become the kind of leaders God wants them to be? How much of a price are you willing to pay to form them into the kind of leaders the Lord wants them to be? What about the people around you? How many of them are willing to become the kind of followers and leaders it demands for there to be God’s kind of movement through all of you? What steps must you take? What kind of prayer do you need? How much sacrifice must you make? How much influence have you earned to make the difference God wants to accomplish through you?

In the past 4,000 years, Abraham has been God’s everything through his nothing. All he ever had from the hand of God was a small cave, a grave for him and Sarah, yet he has influenced millions of people for thousands of years. A leader.

God’s leader—His everything through your nothing!

by Bill Lawrence - President of Leader Formation International

O, LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is your name in all the earth
Psalm 8:1
  

There is much that we know about God—all the Old Testament writers, the Gospels, the epistles, the Revelation of Jesus—tell us about God, yet there is so much that we do not know in our relationship with the LORD God because many of us don’t know Him personally in the same way David did. Many of us do not know YAHWEH intimately as David knew Him as a shepherd when he walked through the meadows and along the streams and in the canyons and over the hills near Bethlehem, or as he lay on the plains during the dark nights and through the brilliant dawns or in the beautiful sunsets. In those moments he heard the howling of the wolves, the roaring of the lions and the growling of the bears. Still, consider what it is like when we sense His presence with us as He reaches out to us and wants us to know Him in the deepest way possible. Oh, how great that is!

What was it like for shepherds as they listened to the baas of sheep and the cries of the just-born lambs and the calls of the ewes as they gave birth to their barely alive little ones? How wonderful it must have been at the marvel of Yahweh, the eternal YAHWEH, who gave new life to all who responded to Him. And to know that He is my shepherd, that He cares for me with all my flaws and all my needs and all my struggles and all my lacks. Still He cares for me. I matter to Him. Despite the useless stress, the arrogant pride, and the waste of self-promotion, Jesus is committed to me and has redeemed me and will deliver me from my emptiness to His eternal purpose for His glory. What could be more amazing? 

It is no wonder that David wrote his awesome words so long ago that are still great beyond our imagination.
 

O, LORD, our Lord,
How majestic is your name in all the earth,

Stop this very moment, no matter what you face, no matter what you fear or hope or celebrate, whether you have joy or struggle or sadness or shame or rejection, no matter what it is, stop and think of the fact that YAHWEH, the One who formed you and made you who you are and designed you to be His leader has a plan and a purpose for you. And it is not small or unimportant or unessential. Not at all. It is in fact eternal. The tasks He has assigned for you will bear eternal fruit in His time. It may be a decision by your board or a discussion by those who disagree with you or a debate by some who want to advance you. These are very critical considerations, but Yahweh is involved, and His name is at stake and you are involved.

Yet there is more at stake, more reason to focus on Him and His greatness, more than your fears or your success, is essential to Him. There is integrity, truth, holiness, the salvation of men and women, for the well-being of children, this and more is always at stake for Him. Nothing of your success matters as much to Him as who He is and what He is working to accomplish as Lord. First He is YAHWEH, the great I AM. But He is also Adonai, the Lord, the creator of all that is in Genesis 1, the All-Powerful One who will demonstrate that through you. Isn’t that amazing?! That the All-Powerful One will demonstrate His power through your weakness. How can this be? Yet He does, even as He did through David, the boy becoming a lad, a harper becoming a warrior, the warrior becoming His ruler the King.
 
Bow down before Him. Honor Him. Exalt Him. Humble yourself before Him. Lift Him up. Praise Him. Worship Him. He can reveal His greatness through you if you will worship and trust Him. 

Stop thinking about the issues you face. Stop thinking about those who are against you. Those who oppose you and resist you. Those who work to replace you or have plans to limit you or hinder you. Didn’t Jesus realize that you must take up the cross? Don’t you know that everyone who wants to be a Jesus kind of leader must take up the cross daily, must enter the grave daily, must rise from the grave daily? We never escape from the reality that the resurrection is not a one-time event in our lives but a daily struggle. Sin has a very deep root in our hearts, a daily depth of understanding and awareness that we must face to be God’s kind of leaders. We do lead to accomplish amazing achievements for the LORD who is Lord, that is, He is YAHWEH who is Adonai. To be aware of this, live out this awareness, demonstrate this struggle, strive to be desperately dependent on Him, express His power through your weakness and accomplish His purpose daily for His glory.

YAHWEH is Adonai
I AM is our Lord!
 
What could we greater?
 
Worship Him daily, Trust Him daily, Depend on Him daily
 
He will reveal Himself daily

A Spiritual Leader Among Spiritual Leaders in Europe

Bill Lawrence
President
Leader Formation International

It is yet another time to pray for a key leader in Europe, a spiritual leader in Romania who reaches out to a significant part of the continent in our Leader Formation International ministry.
 
His name is Daniel Fodorean, a Romanian who lived under the Communists through his childhood and teenage years under the Communists, and those of you who pray with us recognize him as a vital part in all we do ministering to this part of the world. I was first introduced to him when he was working on his PhD at the University of Bucharest while serving as a pastor in Constanta, Romania. As I got to know him we served together to pastors all over his country and then developed a curriculum we used for several years not only in Romania but also in Ukraine, Moldova, England, then in Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, and France. He has also influenced Norway, Sweden, and even Russia for the Gospel. He moved from Constanta to Bucharest and continued to serve throughout much of Europe. He has published a curriculum, multiple articles, and courses and also led seminars and conferences. In view of this commitment, he needs much encouragement and prayer, and it is for this reason that I send you these requests today. Please pray for Daniel. 



Genesis 3 is repeated in every generation and the battle is with the evil one who strives to replace the true Lord of All. So, we must fight this battle with the greatest weapon there is: prayer.
 
Spiritually
 
That he will influence other leaders to be desperately dependent on the Lord
That he will constantly be in God’s word and influence other leaders to know the word
That he will consistently call those he confluences to walk with the Lord.

Personally 

That he will continue to grow in his walk with the Lord in these demanding times in Europe
That he will have discipline at this time of uncertainty as he calls on many to speak for the Lord
That he will have peace and confidence when all he has planned is radically challenged
That he will move forward with certainty as he faces demands from other leaders
That those he influences will find the truth of God’s word to be the hope they need
That those he leads will have the assurance of God’s faithfulness on a consistent basis
That he will have the strength he needs to lead others forward for the Lord
That he will have the ability to guide key leaders with the certainty of God’s truth
That he will move forward with the assurance that the Lord is with him when he feels alone
 
Physically
 
That he will have the health he must have to be a key husband, father, and leader in these days
That any physical needs he faces will be resolved with assurance
That he will have the strength he must have to be the man his leaders desperately need
That he will have the discipline he must have to be the leader everyone wants
 
Family
 
That his wife will find strength and stability to stand with him as she serves the Lord with him
That he will continue to be desperately dependent on the Lord (John 15:5) in this time
That he and his wife can serve together in courage and confidence to honor the Lord
That his wife can be a source of stability to stand with him in all overwhelming moments
That his son will finish college and move into a challenging ministry of communication
That all of them together can be one with the Lord at all times
That they can be one no matter what they experience before the sovereign Lord
 
Ministry
 
That he can support those who serve over much of Europe in Matthew 28 ways
That he can train those who are in seminary to learn to serve the Lord today and in the future
That he can equip those who are creating curriculums in creative ways
That those who are primary leaders can guide their followers in vital ways

 

As always there is much more I could say, but this is adequate for our purpose at this time. The demands are overwhelming, and I simply want to encourage all I know that there are many who are with you and want to support you in these creative days. Please stand with me as I stand with you and want to support you in your leadership. You are a leader of leaders in many countries and are making the Gospel present in major cities throughout what was once a Christian continent. I pray that the Lord will use you to make a radical difference, not only in Europe but also in every other continent on earth.

By Bill Lawrence, President of Leader Formation International

Today I am asking you to pray for a special leader among leaders in Ukraine.
 
I have served with this leader, a pastor of pastors, a trainer of both current and future Ukrainian pastors throughout and now in non-Russian Ukraine. I am choosing not to identify him for fear that the Russians may seek him out at some point in time, which is their pattern, and that would be harmful for him. However, he is a leader among leaders, a shepherd under the Shepherd, and I want you around the world to remember him in prayer and hold him up before the Lord. I have worked with him in Ukraine in the past, have known him as a strong leader, and want him to continue to make a difference for the Lord according to His will. For this reason, I ask you to pray for Him.
 
Spiritually
 
That he will be desperately dependent on the Lord (John 15:5)
That he will influence other leaders to be desperately dependent on the Lord.
That he will constantly be in God’s word and influence other leaders to know the word
That he will consistently call those he influences to walk with the Lord
 
Personally
 
That he will grow in his walk with the Lord in these painful times of Russian intrusion
That he will have discipline in these seasons of uncertainty
That he will have peace and confidence when all he has planned is radically threatened
That those he influences will find the truth of God’s word to be the hope they need
That he will have the strength he needs to lead others forward for the Lord
That he will have the ability he seeks to guide with the certainty of God’s truth
 
Physically
 
That he will have the health he must have to be the husband, father, and leader in these days
That he will have the strength he must have to be the man his people desperately need
That he will have the discipline he must have to be the leader everyone wants
 
Family
 
That his wife will find strength and stability to stand in this uncertain time
That he and his wife can serve together in courage and confidence to honor the Lord
That his wife can be a source of stability to stand with him in these overwhelming moments
That his growing children can speak with him matter what they must bear
That all of them together can be one with the Lord at this time
That they can be one no matter what they must experience before the sovereign Lord
 
Ministry
 
That he can support those who must pay the Russian price, especially in eastern Ukraine
That he can train those who are in seminary to learn to serve the Lord today and in the future
That he an equip those who are writing material so they can stand for the Lord
That those who are primary leaders can guide those they lead in vital ways
 
There is much more I could say, but this is adequate for our purpose at this time. The demands are overwhelming, and I simply want to encourage all I know that there are many who are with you and want to support you in these overwhelming days. Please stand with me as we stand with you and want to support you in your struggles. You are paying prices we can never begin to understand, and we join with you in facing the burdens you must bear. This is the cross Jesus carried up Calvary’s hill. We pay this price with you and want you to know that you are not alone in carrying His cross. Remember, the only way up is down, but the glory of the resurrection only comes this way if we follow the Lord together His way and find His glory through Calvary.