Why I Was Dragged, Kicking and Screaming, into Writing a Blog Ron Gladden | Directional Leader
A variety of people from far and wide (including, it seems, aliens from outer space) have urged me to write a blog. I have been reluctant. Blogging, I had decided, is for muckety-mucks who have a gazillion followers or for wanna-be leaders who wish that someone would please read their (generally boring) stuff. How seriously should I take the advice of people who may have merely overdosed on pizza or 芙蓉蛋 (egg foo young)? What could I offer that isn’t already out there?
I have succumbed. I am now a blogger. And I am actually excited about what I think I bring to the table. Let me explain.
MY NICHE
This blog addresses the topics of leadership, church planting, and personal growth. On occasion, I will also write about stuff that doesn’t fit neatly into one of these categories. (So far, that’s not very special; others do that pretty well.) But my hottest passion is to help leaders (a) identify the sweet spot where God’s calling overlaps their giftedness, and then (b) find the courage to move there. It’s about living the “Well done, good and faithful servant” life. (Honestly, not very many bloggers urge, prod, and inspire people to walk the walk.)
In the Bible story, two men were respectively given five talents and two talents. They invested. They took some risk. Their master congratulated and promoted them. Another guy was given one talent, but he decided to play it safe. He was run out of town. Jesus even called him wicked and lazy. (See Matthew 25:14-30.) Way too many leaders today are terrified of risk. They wish that they had the guts to try something crazy, but they are addicted to security and predictability, maybe even to the applause of people who themselves are risk averse. They drift through life intending to act boldly, but they end up acquiescing to their fears and playing it safe.
Look at it this way: Almost every Christian believes the Bible stories, tells the Bible stories, admires the people who star in the Bible stories, but few actually live that way. My calling and passion is to help leaders live like the people in the Bible whom they admire so much.
MY GOAL
In summary, my goal with this blog is to create insightful, relevant content that you can put to work in your personal and professional life while inspiring you to dream bigger, reach higher, and act more audaciously. If you are in a position of leadership (or aspire to be), if you sense a calling to start something or to change something or to make a life-altering difference in the world, this blog is for you. I inhale a lot of books, articles, blog posts, and webinars, so I often discover some mind-bending concept or practice that I am itching to pass along to help others become better leaders. In the area of church planting, my “specialty” is equipping teams of leaders to start prevailing churches, as opposed to sending one hair-on-fire leader out to tackle the task by himself.
I hope that you will join me on the journey. If you opt to receive my blog post by email, you’ll receive the first post this month. I invite you to take a moment to read it, share it, and then leave a comment. You will help me, and I hope that I can help you. Now, please take a look at some mildly important logistic stuff in the next column and be sure to get a free copy of my new e-book — Inside My Library: 99 Books that Will Make Your Life and Leadership Better.
Your coworker in Christ,
Ron
MILDLY IMPORTANT LOGISTIC STUFF
Since I am just starting this blog, I will post every other week and plan to increase the frequency as it makes sense to do so.
You can view the blog and sign up for email notifications at rongladden.com; the subscription box is in the sidebar. Subscribers receive a free copy of my new e-book.
If you’re already on the MC email list, you’re also on the email subscription list for this new site and you won’t be able to subscribe again. So if you’re already a subscriber and would like to receive the e-book, contact us, and we will send you a link to download the e-book.
If you would like to unsubscribe from the blog list, you may do so when you receive the first email. If you know anyone else who has an interest in leadership, church planting, or personal growth, please invite them to check out the site.