What is Leadership?
As some of you know, this week I embarked on a 16 week course for Christian women with 16 AMAZING other warriors who want to grow personally, spiritually, and professionally!!
Women who want to pursue Radiant Leadership, to be the very best they can be, and to reflect Jesus, while doing it.
What does it cost to do such a thing?
A LOT!!!
Not so much in what we paid to do the course…
But in facing things we may need to change in our own life….
Holding a mirror up and asking God to show us where WE need to improve, and to prune us, so that we can grow more luscious fruit!!
In getting rid of old, toxic ways of thinking, and replacing them with new, life speaking thoughts and habits.
In revisiting things that may not be pleasant to think about, and reliving old hurts.
About experiences that may have made us believe we weren’t equipped to be leaders.
That if we weren’t from the right area, live a charmed life, have had a certain upbringing or certain credentials, then how could God ever use us to be leaders?
All lies from the pit of hell!!!
I have always felt God has called me as a leader, and I have been in many different areas, but because of negative and abusive experiences, even from people in leadership positions….and yes, including those within the church at the highest positions of leadership, I had pulled away and didn’t want anything to do with those roles in a church setting.
As a very young teen, I was deeply hurt by Christian leaders, who turned on me in ways I did not understand at the time, and I remember crawling In bed with my mom MANY TIMES and just sobbing because I didn’t understand what I had done wrong!
I remember my mom feeling so helpless, but trying to comfort me as much as s
he could, because she couldn’t understand it all, either.
As a mom myself now, I know how much that hurts…when your child is so broken and you don’t know exactly how to help them.
SHE herself was the leader of music in our church and couldn’t understand what was happening.
Later, we found out it wasn’t anything I had done at all, but in fact, things THEY were doing, that they were trying to cover up….
I never wanted to be hurt like that again, and I certainly didn’t want to watch what was going on, or anyone else go through what I did, so I pulled away from the church altogether.
I never stopped believing in God, but certainly saw the hypocrisy within the church and wanted nothing to do with it.
I had seen how religion could be very twisted from a very young age with my father, and then when this happened within the church I had been raised in and always felt loved in, it was a devastating blow.
For years, I stayed away from organized religion.
Once I had kids, I so didn’t want them to miss out on the wonderful experiences I had in Sunday school, church activities, our church youth camp, etc…some of my most precious childhood memories and times with God, so I did start taking them to Sunday school, since the leaders that were there, were no longer the same ones who had been there when I was hurt so badly, and my mom was still there to oversee things.
They also went to the same camp I went to, and made wonderful memories there, as I had when I went.
We eventually found another church and became involved there, and we were happy…
It was a strong church and then Satan began attacking it, as well….or maybe God was revealing it and cleansing it?!?! 
Either way, we had gotten a new pastor, who was great for a while, and then more attacks…strong marriages were falling apart, people in leadership roles were being taken down for various reasons…some totally SHOCKING, agendas were shifting in the wrong direction…
So, again, I pulled away from the church…
I couldn’t understand why there was so much hypocrisy and corruption…
Now, I do understand man’s sinful and lustful nature, combined with Satan’s temptations of “power” make people do terrible things.
I never wanted to be involved in that.
Jesus even spoke against “organized” religion…
He condemned the leaders at the time He walked the earth, and even throughout all of history before and after His time here, shows why….
THAT is NEVER what God intended the church to be!!!
WE, the PEOPLE are the church!!
Not a building, not an organization.
WE are His hands and feet and are meant to radiate Him and His love…
To enter the MISSION FEILD, as Jesus did.
To congregate with those who NEEDED Him…
NOT the ones claiming to have it all together and scoffing at those who don’t…
He wants us in the trenches, showing love and compassion, and helping those around us…
He called the most unlikely candidates to the field and they did INCREDIBLE things!!!
THIS is the kind of leader I want to be!!
I will no longer think I have to be “in a certain club” to be relevant or significant in what I do!
I will never say “I” am the best at….
Because it doesn’t even come from me…
It comes from Him THROUGH me…
And if we are Biblical leaders, we should ALL be teaching HIS principles…
Just as the disciples did…
HE is the one who deserves the praise!!!
I long and strive to be like Jesus…
He was radical in His time…
He went places that others would not…
He didn’t need or want “fame and fortune” for Himself…
He was a Master Communicator and made massive shifts in peoples lives…
To forever change them…
ETERNALLY!!!
He just wanted to bring others to their fullness in God’s glory…
And teach them to go out and do the same for others…
I want to be that kind of Radiant Leader…
I want to speak life into others, to call things out of them that God has put inside them.
To help them walk BOLDLY AND COURAGEOUSLY into their purpose.
I want to hold a mirror up to your face and show you what I see…
What God sees…
The leader YOU are meant to be!!
And for YOU TO SEE IT, TOO!!!
To help you pick up the mantle you have been throwing down for so long.
To choose to hold it high…and help others to do the same!!
It doesn’t matter that I’m not in the “in crowd”
I don’t WANT to be!!
We are not to conform to the ways of this world.
What matters is that God has had a calling on my life…and yours…before the foundations of the earth were formed and before we were knit in our mother’s womb…for such a time as this!
He has been preparing us for this our whole lives…
And I am ready!!
Are you?!?!
I am ready to dive even deeper throughout this next 16 weeks….
To see what else He wants to bring out in me!!
You may be reading this and know that you were born to lead as well, but haven’t dared…
Maybe you don’t even know exactly where you want to lead, yet…
Sometimes, the hardest step is the first one…
To recognize your calling, and then to take action…
Maybe this course is exactly what you are looking for, or maybe you need guidance sorting things out before taking a course like this…
Both are COMPLETELY FINE!!
I can help you get started with either…
You won’t regret doing it, that’s for sure!!!
You’ll NEVER regret being in obedience to Him…
He will uncover things you never imagined in your wildest dreams!!!
He will reveal things and grow you in so many ways, along the journey.
I want to leave you with this short exercise to help get you started on your way!
LIFE COACHING EXERCISE:
God placed us all on this Earth for a unique purpose. It is up to us to seek Him and figure out what that is and then pursue it within our daily lives.
If you need help finding your purpose, ask yourself the following questions:
What are my gifts?
What brings me joy?
What have my life experiences given me wisdom in?
How can I use these things to help to serve others?
What do I want my life to reflect and why?
How would I like to impact the world?
Who do I look up to as my mentors, and why?
If you don’t have a mentor, yet, that is okay.
Find someone who is successful in what you want to pursue, and find out their story.
Find out how they got where they are now.
Reach out to them.
Ask Questions….you’ll be surprised how many will willingly talk to you and guide you, if you’re truly serious about learning, being coachable, and ready to take action in pursuit of your dream.
Again, if you are not quite sure what exactly your purpose is, or have blocks that are holding you back…no matter the season of life you’re in, I can partner with you to overcome those things personally, professionally, and spiritually, to help get you on track and to create an action plan for the next steps to take, or give you several other options to choose from, at many different levels.
May God Bless You on Your Journey to Your Purpose!!
Lori Jorgensen is an Kingdom Mindset Transformational Coach and Entrepreneur.
She is on a mission to empower women with the Biblical TRUTH and Kingdom principles, laid out for us in the Living Word of God.
To show them who they are in God’s eyes and stop believing the lies the enemy has tried to convince them of, that has held them in bondage for so long….
She gives them tools and strategies to help them heal trauma and implement forgiveness, not only for their past wounds, but for themselves.
In turn, finding their purpose and how to step BOLDLY and COURAGEOUSLY into it, by using their story, and their unique gifts and talents…
To take action!!
It’s time to reclaim the life the enemy has stolen from you!!!
If you are in need of guidance and direction, mentorship, and transformation, you can find more information here.
Visit my blog for more inspirational and informational content.
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