Leadership in the Pittsburg Steelers

The Pittsburg Steelers football team has a lot of players hurt right now in the 2012 season.  Their star quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, is hurt and out for the season which is detrimental to the team.  They are now on their third string quarterback, Charlie Batch, and although they have been struggling, they pulled through this week and got the win.  This week, the Steelers played their rivals, the Baltimore Ravens.  The game was fairly even throughout and although it did not look like the Steelers were going to win, they pulled through and through team work; they succeeded and won the game.  After losing last week to the Cleveland Browns, most people thought this game would be an upset, however, there was leadership that helped win the game.  Ben encouraged from the sideline along with the other teammates and coaches.  Troy Polamalu has been hurt the whole year, but today he came back into the game and helped his defense get their job done.  Heath Miller and Sanders contributed by catching most of the passes that Batch gave them.  James Harrison dominated on the field and sacked Joe Flacco which helped the Steelers get a little extra confidence in their playing.  They got fired up and Suisham ended up kicking the winning field goal.  All in all, the Steelers may not have played their best game, but Charlie Batch did what he could to become a leader on the field with the help of his teammates.  I am proud to be a Steelers fan.  

Leadership in DC

My leadership class went to Washington DC last week for a leadership conference.  This conference was run by a Christian organization and had many speakers speaking on the subjects of helping with prisoners, homeless people, disabled people, and people thinking about having an abortion.  Throughout the three days, we learned about how these people are affected and how we can help these people and show them the love of God in our everyday lives.  On the first day, the speaker spoke about homeless people and how he actually, voluntarily became homeless for a span of five months in six different cities.  He experienced the lives that homeless people endure for a lot of their lives for only a few months and already was feeling the same feelings they were.  He felt neglected by all people but especially Christians.  They made sure that they did not make eye contact with he and his friend so that they did not feel like they had to talk to them.  He was used to eating a lot but soon got used to not.  He had nothing.  He inspired us along with an organization to go out into DC and find people without any food and to provide a lunch for them.  They gave us two dollars each to go and achieve this goal.  My group of eight went to Chick-fil-a and asked them if they had any left over food to provide for the less fortunate and told all that we were doing that day.  They went into the back and made twenty chicken salad sandwiches free of charge.  Their kind hearts touched so many lives that day just by this simple act.  We took the metro to DC where we began to talk to homeless people and give them some sandwiches.  Interaction meant so much to them as the speaker told us it would.  Our group fed about eight or nine people that day and saw many smiling faces as we did.  We went out and showed God’s love through our actions and providing people with the food that they may have needed to get through that day.  I hope that we gave some of those people hope to keep trying because there is people that care about them, we just need to make more of an effort to show it. 

Prison

For those who are in prison, a lot of times people just assume that they are bad people with bad intentions.  However, we do not know what has gone on in their past to make them the way they are.  Their pasts do not excuse their actions, but they do give reasons why they might act that way.  Elevation church does a ministry in a prison where they are actively involved in the prison and converting those men to Christianity.  I respect that because not only are they acknowledging these men, but they are making Jesus Christ known to them and giving them the opportunity to become children of God.  I would like to become involved in that ministry and try to do what I can to let them know that God will forgive them no matter what their sins are and that they can one day live in heaven with Him.  The kids whose parents are in jail need just as much love and support as the prisoners, if not more.  Maybe my leadership class can get a group together to help out these kids.  Prison is a serious place but we can bring the love of God into the equation and help these people understand that there is another way. 

Homelessness

Homelessness is a big problem in this world today.  There are many people who can not afford to live in home and buy food and clothing that they need to survive.  That results in them walking the streets and begging for food and money.  A lot of kids have been kicked out of their houses, lost their parents, or run away from home.  These kids need more help than almost anyone.  They need the love and support of the people around them because they are not receiving it where they already are.  The streets are not supportive and loving towards any of these homeless people and these people deserve better.  We need to not just be there for them one time; we need to make long term efforts to help these people be rehabilitated in all aspects.  A lot of times people just throw money to homeless people and do not think twice about them but we need to help these people by getting food together and safe warm places for them to sleep.  As Christians, we need to be as loving to them as we are to any other people. 

Disabilities

Disabilities are very frequent in the world today.  When I see people walking around with disabilities, I immediately feel pity towards them.  When we had the school of disabled kids come to our school, I enjoyed getting to play with these kids and understand a little bit of what they go through on a regular basis.  I can love the people who are mentally and physically handicapped.  I can show them that I care for them no matter what is going on in there life.  There are many people who want to help take care of those who are disabled and we need to figure out ways to make that happen.  There are many opportunities that are not known to people.  I can help out with what I do know how to do and figure out ways to make it better for them and know that people do love and care for them.  I can also tell them that God is loving and kind and wants what is best for them.  Disabilities may be shown on the outside but these people have just as big of hearts as we do and are capable of loving others and God.

Leadership Through Abortion

Every person is created in the image of God.  Children are a gift from God.  God has a purpose for each human life.  The Bible condemns those who take human life.  It is not right in any way to kill a baby, especially if both the mother and baby will not be harmed in the pregnancy.  A lot of times the women having these abortions are only thinking about themselves and how they will be affected, but really, they should be thinking about the baby and how it will never even get to take a breath.  There are many alternatives other than abortion that these women need to take into consideration, especially adoption.  There are millions of women who are not physically able to have children and are searching for children to adopt.  These babies being aborted could be placed into nice loving homes instead of not given a chance.  I have not been affected by abortion as of right now, but, I am sure that I will some day encounter a situation that will be hard for those involved afterwards and I must not judge, but to love them through their mistakes.  It is never right to take the life of another human being, but the person taking the life does not always need reminded of that.  A lot of times the mother is all for the abortion when she is thinking about herself, but then when it actually happens, she ponders the life of her almost born baby and starts to feel remorse for her choice.  I need to be able to support her through this because there will be many people looking down on her in this situation. 

Am I living the mission of God?

Is it a decision or not?  That is the question.  Is it a decision to ask Jesus to come into your heart?  Am I living the mission of God?  Jesus said to go and make disciples of all nations.  This is not a request.  It is a command.  As leaders of the Christian faith, we need to be going out to other countries, homes, and surrounding areas and spreading the news about Jesus Christ.  Without people going out and sharing God’s Word, we risk saving peoples’ lives.  We are not only supposed to share the Good News, but also teach it and teach what God has commanded us to do.  We need to not just talk to people and then leave them, but to completely invest ourselves into making them children of God.  Showing God’s love through our own actions can help the cause of showing others how much God loves them.  Sometimes I feel like I invest too much of my life into others and sometimes I feel like it is a waist of my time, but in the end, it will all pay off and knowing that it is for God that I am doing these things, I know that at least someone is appreciating what my actions towards others are.  However, I do not always exceed the amount of helping that I should.  I could always strive to reach out to more people and try to help them in their times of need.  God has granted me with an outgoing personality which will help me when I need to go out to other places and spread the Word of God.  I can show God’s love through my loving actions towards others.  I will be praying for those that I know do not know God or believe in Him and maybe some day He will show me how I can try to help them.  For now, all I can do is show His love and hope that some day it will make a difference. 

Leadership when it comes to opinions

Leadership can be found anywhere and everywhere.  This past Tuesday was the 2012 Presidential election and Barak Obama and Mitt Romney were competing for the role of President of the United States.  Although it was relatively close, Obama won and is once again the President of the United States.  A lot of people were happy with the fact the Obama won and others were very upset.  Many people went to the social media with the facts of why the agreed or disagreed with the election.  Nowadays, people can express anything that they want to on the internet with very little fear or remorse for how it will affect the people reading it.  There were a select few that could keep their opinions to themselves.  As Christians, we need to be able to stand above what the world may be saying whether good or bad.  There is too much going on in this world that can take over our opinions and actions, but as leaders, we must take our Christian roles and leader people in the right direction.  There were some people who looked at the election in a positive way, saying that God is in control of the whole world and not to worry who is leading our country because He will have the ultimate say in what is going to happen to us.  We need to keep that idea in check and remember that God is always in control of everything and that as Christian leaders, we must follow and trust in Him.  

Leadership Through Artwork

My art teacher, Mr. Adams, shows leadership through his art skills.  He is very encouraging while I am unfortunate when it comes to artwork.  His constant help and understanding makes me want to continue to work hard through my challenging artwork.  He has been educated in art skills throughout college and has carried it on into his teaching in high school, middle school, and elementary school.  All of the students respect him because not only does he have art skills, but he also has the relationship skills that help the students to be able to know him and enjoy his company.  We feel like we can trust him and talk to him as if he is one of our friends.  He is an all around leader with a heart for the Lord and a heart for art.  He uses the gifts that God has given him to inspire his students to go to college for art because of his successes.  His skills make me want to work hard and to practice so that I can maybe some day achieve what he has achieved.  I wish I would have taken art all four years of high school now but I am enjoying art this year because of him.  Mr. Adams is an inspirational leader through his art work displayed around the room and inspires his students to achieve the highest goals that they have for themselves.

One Tree Hill Leadership

On the show One Tree Hill, leadership is evident through Nathan, Lucas, and Skills as they are coaching the Tree Hill Ravens’ basketball team.  They themselves have been in the same position as these boys, five years earlier, and therefore can relate to them.  They have felt the same feelings and experienced the ups and downs just as these boys are.  Being older and more mature, the coaches are able to distinguish which boys will need the most work.  Quinton, the star of the team, is exactly how Nathan was as a teenager.  They are both full of themselves and expect to be praised for their achievements.  However, since Nathan has matured and changed for the better, he now can move on to helping Quinton with his issues.  Quinton believes that he can talk back to the coaches and put down his teammates since he is the best.  Nathan takes the role of his mentor and helps him understand that without the rest of the team, he is nothing.  He teaches him about being a leader and how to help out not only himself, but also his fellow Ravens.  Quinton respects Nathan since they are one in the same.  With Quinton’s head in check, the Ravens may have a chance of winning some games.  The leadership role is necessary to lead the team for the coaches and for Quinton.  Together, they can make the season as successful as can be. 

My Testimony

Ever since I can remember I have been in church.  I have grown up in a Christian home surrounded by godly people.  I was attending Hickory Grove Christian School at the age of six and in first grade.  One day I was at home with my mom and my brother Ryan bonding while my older brother Josh and dad were at the Panthers game.  Ryan said to my mom, “Mommy, I want to ask Jesus into my heart.”  My mom smiled and asked me, “Rachel, do you want to also?” I replied, “No, not today.”  My mom asked me why I did not want to and I did not really have a reason.  However, my mom did not force me to.  I went into the kitchen to get Ryan and I some glasses of water and I felt convicted by the Holy Spirit that it was the time to accept Christ.  I went back and told my mom and she helped me ask Jesus into my heart.  I later got baptized at Hickory Grove Baptist Church where I attended church for about thirteen years.  For the past year and a half, I have attended Elevation Church and partake in community service there to help the needy community around Charlotte.  I have also attended Hickory Grove Christian School sense pre-school.  I strive to do my best at everything I do and to show God through my actions. 

leadership in William Wilberforce

William Wilberforce is a great example of an all around leader.  He was confident when talking to crowds, he was intelligent in the facts of which he strived to get across, and he did not back down from a fight.  Although he was not the strongest person in the courtroom, he was able to sway a few people at a time in order to gain followers in what he believed in.  He was not always successful right away either.  However, he stuck to what he believed in and used outlandish situations to gather people’s attention.  Every time he was in front of a crowd, the intelligent and humble men were always drawn to him because of his own intelligence and humble attitude.  His compassion for others and love for people helped him to gain the respect he needed to get the jobs done that he needed to.  His confidence even when the odds were not in his favor remained strong and ended up pulling through in the end.  His perseverence and faithfulness helped William Wilberforce to achieve abolishment of slavery completely within a few years.  Dedication was the key to Wilberforce’s success and a lot of people can learn a lot from him. 

William Wilberforce

During leadership development class, we watched the movie called Amazing Grace.  It was an inspirational movie about abolishing slavery and not giving up at the task at hand.  William Wilberforce, an abolitionist, although not completely healthy, never gave up in the efforts of helping the slaves being shipped from across the sea.  He saw first hand where they were being held and thought that there should be something done about it.  They were being taken from their homes and shipped off to a new land with no people with no say in the matter.  I respect the man for not giving up.  He would stand in the middle of a court room debating it with hundreds of other men who disagreed with him.  It took a lot of courage and strength to stand up and earn the respect of all these men.  With the help of a few other men and in the span of just a couple years, William  was able to fulfill his task and pass an act to help the slaves not be able to be shipped and traded in the British slave trades.  Although he wanted to abolish slavery right then, it took more time to completely abolish it and therefore, he took the little steps to set up for the abolishment.  William Wilberforce is the perfect example of a leader because he was not afraid to stand up to people, even his friends, in order to help the general welfare of the people.  If more people were as ambitious as Wilberforce was, this world would get a lot more done.  

George Washington as leader

The purpose of this speech is to show George Washington’s success by his unwillingness to continue his presidency for fear of becoming a dictator or a king.  Although he was very popular and love by his peers, he did not like the direction that his position was going in.  He did not want to become a king.  He did not want America to become a monarchy.  He hoped it would continue the direction it was going at that time and would not change.  He stepped down even though the people begged him to remain in office.  His precedent was set and the presidents after him followed in his footsteps until Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  It is now a law that a president may not be in office for more than two terms, or for a total of eight years.  I respect Washington’s approach to the matter because he could have stayed in power, but he loved his nation and countrymen too much to remain in office.  George Washington shows tremendous amounts of leadership through this action.  It takes a true leader to know and realize when his time is up and when he needs to step down in order to help his country stay intact.  His actions helped save the country from foreign ways such as becoming a monarchy and we have George Washington to thank for that. 

Leadership in sports

Leadership is an important attribute to have in the sports world today.  Like in football, quarterbacks tend to assume the role of a leader when it comes to calling plays, building up the team, and getting the guys to give it their all.  When people think about certain teams, usually the quarterback is the first name they think of and then they move on to the other star players.  The quarterback position is a very highly pressured position to play and it takes a strong leader to take on that role and then be successful.  Quarterbacks such as Payton Manning and Tom Brady are very successful leaders because people respect them for their skills and success.  They know how to lead their teams to victories.  However, just because someone is a quarterback does not automatically make them a good leader.  Jake Delhomme may be a quarterback; however, he is a poor leader and is not very successful in his games.  Although he may have a relative amount of talent, he does not work very well as a leader.   Tim Tebow may not be the most talented quarterback in the NFL right now, but he is still young and working hard.  He is the kind of leader that leads by example.  Although he leads through his role as a quarterback, he also leads through his Christian example.  He is a believer and a follower of God even when he is continuously getting ragged on for it.  He never hesitates to continue what he does and simply leads through the thick and the thin.  Leaders can be very evident when it comes to sports because they are usually the stand out players, but we have to distinguish who is the right kind of leader through their actions as well as their skills. 

be a leader no matter the situation

Being a leader is not just something that you need to do when in sports, debates, big groups, or even with your siblings.  Being a leader is a consistent thing.  There is never a time that it is okay to slack when you are held at a leadership role.  Most people only try to lead when they have people watching them but they do not realize that people are always watching them.  There will always be younger people that look up to those that are older and relatively wiser than they are.  In order for those children to grow to be well mannered and well behaved kids, those that are held up as leaders must be making the right choices consistently and setting a good example for the others.  For example, at pep rallies, the little kindergarteners and first graders go into the gym or onto the field thinking oh my goodness, this is they best day of our lives.  We get to see the highschoolers and middleschoolers!  However, the highschoolers and middleschoolers go into the pep ralley with bad attitudes and trying to act cool when they are really setting a bad example for the children.  Not all of them act inappropriately, but the ones that do can be setting a bad example for the kids that will be growing up to be them one day.  Once again, you never know who is watching and it is always important to work hard to be the best you can be not only to benefit yourself but also to benefit others. 

Hand shakes

            In order to look professional in front of bosses, colleagues, and peers, a key brownie point to success in other people’s eyes is a solid hand shake.  Going to an interview for a new job, a lot of people concentrate on what to say and do but really what they should solely concentrate on is their hand shake because the hand shake is the first impression to their possible new boss.  When someone gives a hand shake they must look directly into the person’s eyes, have a firm grip, and not have sweaty hands.  I took a survey to see what kind of hand shakes I would receive from my peers.  Nine out of the ten people that I shook hands with gave a firm hand shake and made eye contact with me.  The other person was limp but did make eye contact.  I shook four guys’ hands and six girls’ hands and all were successful except for one girl.  My respect for those with good hand shakes went up due to their control of their demeanor and interactions with me.  The way that people are perceived are not always by looks but also by interactions such as hand shakes.         

Leadership in TV

            In the show Bachelor Pad, there were twenty six people involved to compete for friendship, love, and $250,000.  In this game came honesty, trials, fights, and scheming.  In order to go far in the competition, the contestants had to work together and some of them even had to step up and be leaders.  They had to collaborate on who they were going to vote off, in the competitions they were competing in, and in relationships.  There were clear leaders who told the others simply what they wanted to hear, and also who knew what the game was like and what was to be expected not only by the people, but also by the game itself.  Whatever they had to do to win, they did it.  There were alliances involved that had evident leaders that made the game sway in different ways.  Voting people off was very strategic and the leaders were the ones who really had to step up and decide what to do about it.  Although money got in the way of friendships, the leaders ended up staying the longest of all of the people simply because they were very good at scheming and successful with people.  It took nice, confident, and mature people to be leaders in this competition even if it was all an act.  Sometimes as a leader, stepping up and acting like a leader even when it feels out place, is exactly what one must do.