Brain on a Chain - Four Thoughts for Leaders

There are four thoughts I have concerning leaders and we all are leading someone. Leaders need to make sure they have their brain on a chain in all four areas.

1. Activity/Intimacy - it is important that we all realize that Christian activity does not equal intimacy with Christ. Jesus said that there are people who are doing many spiritual activities that He does not even know (Matt 7:21-23). If He don't know them, He is not intimate with them. As Henry Blackaby say in Experiencing God, "God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal".
2. Crowds/Obscurity - Leaders like crowds. If you are a called leader and you have accepted your calling, you want to get the message out to as many as possible. Crowds make that happen. However, if your relationship with God is not developed when and where no one is looking, then it is all a farce in the crowd. The hypocrites were bad to pray in the open square so that others would see them and Jesus told them to get in their closet (Matt 6:5-6). It is also interesting that the more intimate we are in a relationship the more time we spend alone behind closed doors. I am most intimate with my wife and we go where no one else is even allowed. We should have that kind of relationship with Christ. How are you handling your obscurity?
3. Emotions/Truth - This is a point that I feel is so relevant for today. We are tempted to run from one emotional experience to the next chasing God. So, our journey is from one worship experience, to a worship conference, to playing loud music in our car. We have projected images, light shows, and other tools that heighten our emotions. These are not bad things, but could you worship if you did not have those things. Can you worship when you are presented with the Truth of God. Jesus identified Himself as THE TRUTH (John 14:6) not a truth. Make sure you worship THE TRUTH and not an emotional experience about THE TRUTH. 
4. Feed/Eat - It is easy for Christian leaders to always be feeding. They preach, teach, write, blog, etc about God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, Church, Christian Life, etc in an effort to feed others. The effective Christian leader must make sure that he/she is eating the Word more than feeding the Word. Eugene Peterson has a great book entitled Eat This Book that I highly recommend you read. The danger some Christian leaders fall into is that they start to feed vomit - that is regurgitated food. They take something someone else has eaten/studied and present it a fresh. I say get in the Word of God before you seek to present the Message of God. Eat well before you seek to feed. 

In conclusion, I did not intend for this to be so long. You are a leader. Make sure you have an intimate relationship with Christ, spend time with Him in obscurity, worship based on truth, and eat the Word.