Leadership Through Cheerleading

Leadership through cheerleading is very important as the girls are increasing in their years.  Although they have been on the team throughout most of their high school, they must remain leaders as they grow older and not start to take advantage of their age over the younger girls.  As the seniors are graduating this year, the juniors must step up in order to achieve the maximum potential that the squad has.  As I am helping teach the younger girls the cheers for tryouts this week, I will be encouraging the older girls to be leaders among their peers.  In addition to being leaders amongst their squad, they must continue to be leaders in the school too.  People look at the cheerleaders in two different ways.  One way is that they look at them as the leaders of the high school and look up to them.  The other way that people look at them is that they are annoying.  In order to make it so that people look at them as solid leaders, the cheerleaders must be good godly leaders on and off the field and court this year.  They have to try to leave a positive legacy for the rest of the squads to come.  This is very important because if the cheerleaders are looked at in a negative way, they will only remain in a negative light when cheerleaders are supposed to be the positive leaders in a positive light.  Hopefully the cheerleaders can step up and become good positive leaders and show the love of Christ through their actions. 

Leadership Through My Job

During the summer I plan to get a job so that I can help pay for some things during college and so that I will have some money saved up for after college.  I am going to need some extra money for when I plan to move into somewhere with my future husband.  I am planning on either working as a waitress at a restaurant, working at a kennel, or working as a receptionist at my father’s office.  No matter what I am planning on doing, I am still looking to be nice to everyone I encounter, people and dogs, and I plan to show the love of God through all of my actions.  My plans will also help me to decide what I want to do when I go to college.  Going into college I still do not know what I want to do and going through any of these jobs may in fact help me to decide what would be best for my future.  Since I do not know what I plan to do with my future, experiencing any of these jobs may in fact help me to understand what God has in store for my life.  Although the thought of college scares me a little, it is also very exciting because I am able to start thinking about my future and how I will be providing for myself and my family.  This time in my life is very important and I plan to do my job to the best of my ability and show my leadership skills through my actions. 

Leadership for my Future College

I am planning on attended the University of North Carolina Charlotte in the fall and am looking forward to the new environment.  It will be a big culture change since I have been in a small, private, Christian school for fourteen years.  Going into college I am excited to meet new people, join new clubs, and attend huge sporting events.  At a small private school, these things are fun but they just cannot compare to a college campus.  Although it will be hard to say goodbye to some of my friends, technology makes it easy to keep in touch.  I plan on showing the love of Christ through my actions in college.  A wise person once told me that one of the best ways to witness your faith can be simply by showing your intelligence.  Christians hold the stereotype of not being intelligent human beings and I am afraid that we come across that way simply because we speak out about things that we simply are not very educated in.  Too many times, we try to find an answer for something that we should just say that we don’t know to and be done with the topic.  Instead, we say things that only hurt the Christian reputation.  That being said, if I prove my intelligence and nice demeanor, I do not know of a reason that I should be looked down upon.  As I am looking for a roommate, I am praying that I can find someone who has the same morals as me as well as beliefs.  This will make my experience a lot easier if I can encounter girls with around the same love for Christ as I have.

After a semester at Charlotte, I plan on transferring to Wilmington for the last semester of freshman year.  This may be a hard transfer for me because it will be hard to move away from my family and friends back home.  However, if that is what God has planned for me, I do not see why I should not follow through with it.  I know that God will be watching over me through this transfer and that I will find a way to make it a great experience.  I have a friend who is attending the spring semester at Wilmington just like I am.  This will make it easier for me knowing that I have someone there going through this change at the same time.  Walking into Wilmington half way through the year may be hard to make a difference, but if I go back my sophomore year, I will be able to come in whole heartedly again and hopefully touch a few lives through my leadership role.  Knowing that God is setting up the rest of my life is a great feeling.  I cannot wait to see what is in store for my future after college.

Leadership Through The Unlikely Disciple

In the book The Unlikely Disciple, Kevin Roose goes to Liberty to experience what a Christian college campus is like.  His views are different than theirs and he is forced to live the life of a Christian.  However, he goes in to Liberty University thinking that everyone is a perfect Christian with perfect morals and that is not the case.  Once he starts getting to know people he understands that not everyone is like Jerry Falwell and not everyone agrees with everything that the average “Christian” believes.  This is eye-opening to Kevin because he starts to realize that the “Christian lifestyle” is not everything that the “secular” people think it is.  He starts to live the “Christian life” by reading the Bible, praying, singing in the choir, going to church, and participating in other Christian activities on campus.  He acts like he is just another average Christian going to the college which makes the reader think that a lot of people do that every day.  They talk the talk and walk the walk but is it really genuine or is it all an act to simply fit in.  As Christian leaders, we need to be able to step above the norm and make and extra effort to show the love of Christ and actually genuinely mean it.  We need to help those who are going through life faking it and try to help them out.  Although this is not an easy task, we need to at least do our best.  

Leadership Through Presidency

As the President of the United States, this man is presented with a big responsibility to all the people of his country.  Although they are not perfect, they are to be as responsible as they can possibly be.  No person wants to put their life and future in the hands of someone who is not a good leader.  Over the years of America being one unified country, the presidents have all had different attributes and different beneficial leadership skills.  They must fight for our country’s benefits and freedom.  He must protect our country from other countries that could be possible threats.  His role in the United States is to run our country in a smooth and beneficial way.  Many presidents have achieved this goal, but others have not and this shows by how the country ended up by the end of their term.  This country has changed to “one country under God” and a country that has “in God we trust” on our currency, to removing both of these phrases from their livelihood.  This is not a good thing.  God is the one who, as a country, we should be following.  Our president should have a handle on these terms in order to make the country run smoothly.  Equal rights are a matter but when all different beliefs are closed minded, there may not be as much unity.  As the president, they need to be able to unify our country through some of their choices and not tear it apart. 

Leadership with Intelligence

Intelligence is always important when dealing with leadership.  A leader cannot truly be affective if they do not have at least a little bit of intelligence.  People in the world today would not support someone who did not have a basis for learning.  In leadership class the other day we took the IQ test and I think that that is very important when knowing what to do with the abilities that God has given me.  The IQ test shows what abilities we already have acquired over the years.  This is the basis for what we are supposed to go off of and figure out what to do with our lives.  People with really high IQ’s tend to be a little more awkward in life situations.  People with lower IQ’s may be better at other things such as having people skills or abilities that do not have to do with intelligence 100 percent.  God has given each of us our own gifts and abilities and we need to figure out what to do with all of them.  Although I have an above average IQ, I do not think that I am overly smart or will use only intelligence in my future.  My people skills are way better than my intelligence is and I think that that is what God has planned for me.  Intelligence is very important when it comes to leadership because intelligence is what will help leaders to make good decisions in hard situations.  Although it is not the main priority in leadership, it is definitely a necessity to some extent.   

Leadership in Bullying

Leadership is always important when it comes to bullying.  Bullying affects not only the one being bullied but also the bullier and the people surrounding the situation.  There are many ways that people bully today.  One of the major ways that people are bullied is over the internet.  People think that they can simply hide behind the computer and get away with saying anything, yet it is hurting the people reading the hurtful words.  Another way that people are bullied is by hurtful words.  This happens because usually there is one person in the group that thinks when he/she is around his friends that they can say anything because their friends will back them up.  This is sad that not one of the friends would prevent this bullying from happening.  Too many television shows have shown young kids how to bully and this is only polluting the minds of young teenagers which carries onto their latter years.  Nobody knows how it feels to be bullied until they are being bullied themselves.  As a leader, someone needs to stand up the bullies and tell them that it is not okay to treat someone the way that they are.  Although this will not be stopped overnight, one bully at a time must be stopped.  Disney Channel should also stop presenting the bully into the picture of their show.  Bullying can lead to being arrested which is not what a lot of people know.  However, pictures can be accessed by the police and reported, so people should be careful what they are putting on their phones.  Hopefully as a nation, we can stop bullying worldwide and show people that it is better to just be nice to each other.  It is also easier to just be nice to each other.  The Bible teaches to treat others as you yourself would want to be treated.  Therefore, this is how we should act toward each other. 

Leadership Among Juniors

As the seniors of Hickory Grove Christian School graduate this year, they need to pass down their leadership roles to the juniors of this year.  As the juniors step up the be the new seniors of their school, they will be placed in a high place to all of the little kids as well as the students only a year or two younger.  This is a big responsibility and the juniors need to make sure that they are ready to take on this new role.  As leaders of the school, they need to make sure that they are leading by example to the younger students.  They need to show how to respect their teachers and make the right choices so that the children younger than them can embody those same qualities.  Although this task may be hard at times due to tardies, senioritis, and laziness, these juniors need to be aware of what is to come and be able to avoid these negative aspects as much as possible.  After all, after graduation, our lives are to begin.  We may not realize that until it is too late, but our lives away from our parents is about to begin and these juniors need to start preparing for their futures.  If the juniors take on their leadership roles maybe Hickory Grove can stand out among the other schools as a leadership school with high expectations for their students in that aspect.  It all begins with the seniors of the school.  Hopefully it will all pay off.

Leadership Through Jesus Christ

Christian leadership is important in all aspects of life. God has created us for this earth for the purpose of serving Him and worshiping Him.  As Christian’s, we are to show the love of Christ to others through our actions and through our words.  Although it is not always easy to achieve this goal, as His followers, we must do our best to do so.  He has done so much for us by coming down and dying on the cross to save us from our sinful nature.  He has written a book through actual men with guidelines on how we should be living our lives.  Jesus Christ is the best leader that ever lived on this earth.  He not only led while He was on earth though.  He also leads as He is in heaven every single day.  Jesus lived a perfect life on earth even though He was surrounded by ungodly men.  He continued to be obedient to God and live the life that He would hope that any of us would strive to live as well.  There is no other man that has lived on this earth that has lived a perfect life of leadership and love for people and for the heavenly Father.  Jesus Christ is the perfect image of how a leader should act.  His leadership role was shown through all that He did and accomplished but He was humble about everything that He did.  He led the twelve disciples during His time on earth and when He died, He gave them instructions on how to continue the job.  Jesus Christ has shown us how to lead, now it is our job to continue His work just as the disciples did, as leaders and as Christians. 

Leadership in Soccer

Leadership qualities are important when it comes to soccer.  As a senior this year, I was named captain and will have to help the coach along with another captain chosen for the day lead the team to as many victories as possible.  Although we may not be successful every game, we can trust in God and trust in each other and do the best that we possibly can so that we can achieve a victory.  In order to win we must all be committed to coming to practice when our coach plans to have it and work as hard as we can at it.  As the captain, I am going to have to work as hard as I can and set an example of what the coach wants in a player.  I have to work hard and never give up on the ball.  Since I play defense, I am in the back of all of the players and am defending our goal.  Being in the back makes it easier for me to see the field and what is going on.  Since I have a pretty good idea of what is going on, I can guide and direct my teammates in order to help them score and help us win.  Not only will I try to lead by example, but I will also try to set a godly example to my fellow teammates and help them with their spiritual relationships as well.  These are my goals for the upcoming soccer year. 

Leadership in the Life God Has Blessed Us With

Leadership is important in every aspect of life.  Without a leader leading a group, the group might not get anywhere or get anything accomplished.  Although some people are not made to be leaders, others are.  God created us all different and we need to use the gifts that He gave us and use them to the best of our abilities.  At church today, Pastor Steven Furtick said that God has given each of us our own gifts.  Every time he is preaching, his mother is preaching too because she rocked him, and told him about Jesus, and took him to church so that he was able to further understand God and the Bible.  She helped him get to where he is today.  This fact is so inspirational because although his mom is not getting up on the stage every Sunday, she still did her part in raising a respectable, anointed, and very godly man the way that God would have wanted her to.  We each have our part in the world and as long as we all do what God has intended us to do, we can each help to reach the goals God has placed in our lives.  I know that I am personally going to listen closer to what God has set for me to do because of this sermon.  God uses each and every one of us in miraculous ways and we need to be able to respond in the best ways possible. 

Leadership in the Dominican Republic

Leadership in the Dominican Republic was essential in order to do God’s will.  As we were going there as a class trip and also a missions trip, we all had to come out of our comfort zones in order to talk to and get to know the people down there.  Although we have all taken a Spanish class at some point, there was always a language barrier that seemed to separate us Americans from the Dominicans.  However, God helped us by letting us recall certain words or find others to help us speak.  We got the opportunity to pray for the people and give them products that they might need in their daily lives.  They were so grateful for us being there for company and for what we were able to give them.  They got excited even over the smallest little toy. Although it was hot outside, we were running around the fields and playing games with the children.  This bond made it easier for us to go deeper with them and to tell them that Jesus loves them and was looking after them.  In the church, a few of us had to stand up and share our testimonies.  They were translated to the people in Spanish.  It took serious guts for these people to get up and share.  It was so cool to see how God was working through us and in us.  Although we had a fun time together as a class, I think that we all had just as much, if not more, fun with the little Dominican children.  The leadership role was very important in order to participate in the activities and get to know and help other people.  We all became leaders there if we were not already.

Mission Statement

One of my strengths as a person is my outgoing personality.  I can usually get to know people easily due to this.  I love making people feel comfortable in situations and I absolutely hate awkward silences and can usually find a way to end one.  I also am a kind loving person who strives to be nice to everyone.  I think that this helps me to be the kind of person that God wants me to be.  Although I am nowhere near perfect, I try my best to know what is right and to do what is right.  Knowing how others usually react to certain situations is another skill of mine.  I can usually determine what to say in a certain situation so that the other person will feel comfortable. 

One of my passions is child slavery.  I have just been aware of this for a short time and I know that I myself cannot change the fact that it happens completely, but if everyone does something, we can all start to make a difference in the world.  At Passion 2013 this year, I heard a lot of heartbreaking news about child slavery which makes me want to help out.  I think that getting people to be aware of this problem can help start to put an end to this.  As a leadership class we can start to make more people aware of this issue, even in our own city of Charlotte NC, which is one of the top cities for human trafficking in the nation.  This news devastates me but as one of my passions, I will do what I can to make people aware of this issue and save one life at a time. 

Since I have gifts with interacting with people, I can use these gifts to talk to people about the issues at hand.  Knowing that people like the A21 campaign are making a difference gives me hope to be able to make a difference myself.  The power of prayer and communication will help me achieve the goals that I am setting for myself for my future and for the future of child slavery.  Everyone cannot do everything, but everyone can do something which can join together to make a difference and that is where I plan to start my mission. 

Leadership in the movie: Its A Wonderful Life

In the movie It’s A Wonderful Life, George Bailey shows his leadership roles all throughout his life as he works to help everyone but himself.  When only a little kid, George Bailey helped his boss, as his boss was mourning the death of his son and was about to poison one of his clients.  He also stood up for his father as the mean Mr. Potter was belittling him after his death.  George was supposed to go off to college but since his father passed away, he took over his business so that his brother could go off to college and then return to the job George was temporarily holding for him.  Even when his brother came home to George with a new job and no intentions of taking his father’s job, George still did what he thought was right even if it was not his first choice for himself and remained in his father’s former position.  When George and Mary got married, on their way to their honeymoon, George stopped and ended up giving all of their honeymoon money to people who were raiding the bank so that Mr. Potter would not take over their bank.  He always thought of others before himself.  However, even though he was a leader to everyone around him, he did not always see himself that way and the impact he had on everyone’s life around him.  It was not until the angel came to him and showed him his life without him that he saw all that he did for everyone around him and how different it would have been without him in their lives.  George Bailey was a leader, but not an overbearing leader.  He was the perfect kind o f leader that thought about others first, and himself second. 

Leadership in Dog Training

My family just got a new puppy after losing our dog not even a year ago.  Although it has been had saying goodbye to our dog Samson, Troy has been a good asset to the Cheuvront family.  However, we have to start from scratch and train him in all different ways.  In order to train a puppy, leadership roles are necessary.  We have to remain firm and in charge as we are telling him not to bite.  We also have to enforce rules such as not using the bathroom in the house.  If we do not remain in a leadership role, the puppy will ignore us and never fully be the trained dog we want him to become someday.  As a group, my family is coming together to form a group of leaders as we train our puppy.  Leadership does not always include only one person.  Sometimes, leadership involves a group of people all working to one set goal, which is to train our puppy.  It might not always be easy, but training our puppy is a lot of time and work and together, as leaders, we can help Troy become the well-trained dog we know he can be. 

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.