I’ve been doing a lot of listening to podcasts and reading blogs during this crisis. I’ve also been trying to enrich my life with reading books. One of my all-time favorite leadership books (Possible #1) has been Love Works by Joel Manby. I recently read the updated and revised version. Joel has some seriously good things to say. His philosophy of leading by love was easy at one place of business but extremely difficult at another. In an interview on a podcast Joel said a couple of gems:

You always learn more in a failure.

I take that to mean when things are going well and firing on all cylinders, it is easy to get lax. But crisis or failure stops on in his tracks and makes re-evaluation an essential.

He also said:

Sometimes in the very darkest moments, you don’t see a way out.  But you get through it. And then you realize that God was waiting to teach you something.

Been there; done that.

God speaks to us through His Word, but there are also times He uses events to teach us. Remember Elijah? It wasn’t in the whirlwind, or the earthquake, or the fire, but in the whisper that God spoke to him. (See I Kings 19:11-13)

Who knows how God will speak? But I do know we have to slow down enough to hear.

“Father, slow me down to hear Your whisper. Use this crisis to show me Your desire for me.”

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I’m in Ohio for a couple of days visiting Janna and Braden. Please comment and I will approve it in time.