BRENTWOOD, TENNESSEE, USA. Several people have attempted to explain the Harlem Shake to me, but I still don’t get it. Probably never will. But from now on, I will pretend like I get it.

Any way, three days ago, I left the Every Nation North America office for a quick lunch. I returned to a strange video production site.

Here’s the proof that Every Nation people work hard while the boss is out, the official Every Nation World Conference Harlem Shake video.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, USA. Too often we get so focused on what we are NOT, that we forget what God says we are.

Consider Old Testament writer, Amos who wrote: “I was neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me from tending the flock and said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’” (Amos 7:14,15)

We know him as the Prophet Amos, but he says he was not a prophet, nor the son of a prophet. Here’s the lesson: Amos did not let what he was NOT stop him from becoming what God called him to be.

He was a shepherd and a fruit-picker. But God wanted him to be a prophet. So he became a prophet. Case closed.

What has God called you to be? Are you letting your past, your parents, or your problems stop you from becoming what God has called you to be? Don’t! Be all you can be.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES. We are glad to be back in our Manila apartment after a week in Taipei for our annual Every Nation Asia Leadership Team (ALT) meeting. This blog was inspired by something Bishop Manny Carlos said about leadership development during the ALT meeting.

Pastors and missionaries are leaders, or at least they are supposed to be. Some are good leaders. Others are not. Some have intentionally upgraded their leadership skills. Others have not.

It is one thing to be an effective minister; it is another thing entirely to be an effective leader.

A person who is an effective pastor or missionary will eventually attract a crowd that will become an organization that will require leadership skills. If we grow in ministry skills, but fail to develop leadership skills, we will create chaos and unwittingly destroy what we build.

Here are three leadership skills that pastors and ministers must develop and constantly upgrade:

1. Organizational leadership. If we are effective ministers, what we lead will grow. And, growing churches and ministries will require organizational leadership skills including management, strategic planning, budgeting, communications, and others. The larger the ministry grows, the more important it is to develop organizational leadership structures and skills.

2. Spiritual leadership. Organization charts, strategic plans, and management principles are important, but inadequate. We must also be spiritual leaders. Prayer, preaching, Bible study, discernment, and deliverance are just a few of the skills necessary to lead healthy growing churches and ministries.

3. Relational leadership. My good friend Joey Bonifacio always says, “discipleship is relationship.” So is leadership. Our influence in the lives of those we hope to lead will be directionally proportional to the depth of our relationship with them.

Are you intentionally and strategically developing leadership skills in all three areas to complement your ministry skills?

(Wrote this in Manila, posting from Tokyo airport on the way to Nashville.)

TAIPEI, TAIWAN. After five days of ministry, today Deborah and I became tourists, and as tourists we were surprised by a profound discipleship lesson from the famous Jade Cabbage. No, the Jade Cabbage is not a character from Kung Fu Panda. It is the most famous piece of carved jade in the history of jade carving.

Here’s how our Jade Cabbage encounter came to be. We were told that if we want to see the architecture of ancient China, then we should visit the Forbidden City in Mainland China. But if we want to see the art and treasures of ancient China, then we should visit the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Since we are in Taipei, we chose the art and treasure tour.

Oddly enough, the National Palace Museum in Taipei is the national museum of the Republic of China (Mainland China). It houses over 650,000 pieces of ancient Chinese art and artifacts covering over 8000 years of Chinese history.

We were surprised and somewhat puzzled to discover that the most revered artifact in the whole museum was the famous Jade Cabbage. A close second is the Jade Pork. The Chinese do love their food.

Compared to all the amazing artifacts, I could not understand the fascination with a piece of jade carved to look like a cabbage. I had to ask. Here’s the story.

The piece of jade chosen by the artist was a second class grade of jade with many visible imperfections. Despite the numerous flaws, the artist saw the potential and started carving what would become a famous and priceless stone vegetable.

I’m still not sure why thousands line up to view the Jade Cabbage, but an important discipleship lesson was reinforced. Even if we are working with people who have visible flaws, discipleship always focuses on the potential, not on the problems. The discipleship process helps carve away the imperfections so the human version of the Jade Cabbage can emerge, for the honor of God.