One of the things I've learned over the years is that sometimes the very thing that frustrates you about another person is something God has actually gifted them to do. You just don't understand it yet. 😂 For years, I'd come to Sonia with an idea I was excited about, and she'd immediately start asking questions, identifying potential problems, and talking about how we could improve it. And I'd be thinking, “Why can't you just be excited about what I'm trying to do?!” Meanwhile, she was wondering why I seemed so quick to move forward without considering every detail or how the decision might affect the people involved. I thought she was criticizing my ideas, and she thought I wasn't listening to her perspective. And here's what we've learned: Sometimes what you interpret as opposition is actually someone seeing something you don't. That doesn't mean every disagreement is a spiritual gifting issue, and it certainly doesn't mean we don't have areas where we need to grow. But understanding how God has wired each of us has helped us stop taking some of those differences so personally. So, here's my question for EVERYONE in the community: Have you ever discovered that something you found frustrating about another person was actually a strength you needed in your life? It could be your spouse, a friend, a coworker, or someone you serve with in ministry. We'd love to hear about it below! 👇🏾 And Premium Family, we'll see you tonight at 7 PM Central! ❤️

Don't call me a good leader until you see what happens after I leave the room. I mean that. Because any leader worth their salt can make things look good as long as they've got their hands on everything. But the real measure of leadership isn't simply what you can accomplish while you're present. It's what you've prepared other people to accomplish when you're no longer there. Does the organization continue to flourish, or does everything begin falling apart because the person who built it never prepared anybody else to carry it? Here's what I need you to understand: Every single one of us has an expiration date on our current leadership assignment. Jesus' ministry started at the age of 30 and he had 3 years to get it done in such a way that it would continue long after He was gone. And I don't care how gifted you are, how anointed you are, how long you've been doing it or how convinced you are that nobody else could possibly do what you do. Eventually, your time in that position is going to come to an end. So, if we genuinely love the people we've been entrusted to lead, we ought to be thinking about what happens to them when that day comes LONG before it actually arrives. Because real love doesn't only care about the present we're a part of. Real love also prepares people for the future that will exist when we're no longer there. This is one of the things I absolutely love about Jesus. He didn't spend three years gathering people around Himself simply so they could watch Him be amazing. He intentionally developed people who would continue the mission after His physical departure. He invested in them relationally, modeled the life He expected them to live, gave them opportunities to lead, released authority to them and prepared them for what was coming. Jesus didn't wait until He was leaving to start developing the people who would carry the mission after He left. Their development was happening the entire time He was with them! And more than 2,000 years later, we're still participating in the mission He entrusted to them to continue moving forward.

Sonia and I have been talking about some of the conversations and classes we want to bring into Plain English Academy over the next few months, but before we decide everything for you...we figured it might be a good idea to actually ask you. 😂 So here's the question: What are you dealing with right now that you'd love for us to have a real conversation about? It can be something related to: - Marriage & Family - Leadership - Ministry & Church - The Bible - Purpose & Calling - Or just LIFE. 😂 And don't feel like you have to make the question sound deep or spiritual. We really want Plain English Academy to become a place where we can talk about the things people are actually trying to figure out, not just the things Sonia and I feel like teaching. So help us out! If you could sit down with Sonia and me for an hour and ask us ONE question, what would you ask? Drop it below. 👇🏾 You might just see your question become one of our next conversations or classes.