Leaders are not born! Leaders develop through struggles and personal growth. Leaders develop as they come to terms with who they are and who they want to be. Leaders emerge!

The thoughts that follow are written to help "emerging" leaders. We don't mean to imply that we are experts or have life figured out. After all, experts simply know more and more about less and less! These thoughts simply act as snapshots of where we have been at particular moments as career ministers. We are emerging leaders, too!

Many of these words have come from our mentors. Some have come from life experiences. But most have been learned the hard way--through our own failures and from the failures of others. And, these lessons are still being learned. These words have personal meaning to us and have helped us in our leadership development.

We feel very deeply that lessons from church life should actually translate to broader fields, which is the way it should be. Business and industry have discovered that healthy organizations are built on healthy relationships. This is a sound plan for life. While the consistent, considerate approach to human relationships may sound old-fashioned or inefficient, this path does produce quality results. Healthy relationships rarely just happen. They take work and effort, but the journey is worth the investment.

These thoughts and philosophies may seem to contradict each other at times. They may sound backward. Our attempt is not to be overly spiritual or hyperbiblical. In fact, some will be disappointed that this work is not more like a Bible study--we'll let someone else tackle that. We don't intend to preach. We prefer to motivate positive relationships between the reader and co-workers, family members, and others.

Regardless of how many of these thoughts may follow, countless thousands can be added. We've even left some pages blank so you can add some of your own ideas to our collection. Enjoy these words of wisdom. Search for others. Share them. Live with them and by them. You will become more motivated. Your life will change. The choice is yours! Emerge!