Dear Ministry Partner,
Human beings are social by nature and have a fundamental need to interact with fellow humans for our existence and development. Our identity and sense of belonging are heightened when we are connected to kindred friends who understand and accept us for who we are.
In every season of our lives, we need kindred friends with whom we can mutually grow and mature. I have been blessed with kindred friends who have journeyed with me through my years as a leader and growth as a person. Kindred friends tutor my heart to be a better person in the following ways:
These kindred friends are also happy to hold me accountable when needed. I believe the Holy Spirit uses our friends to journey with us and nudge us along in our walk with God.
Friends are God’s gifts to us, just as we are to them. Let us invest in our friendships today and treasure the friends whom God has blessed us with. As we journey with one another, we connect at a deeper level and discover that good friends are life-giving and satisfy our longings as human beings. “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” – Proverbs 27:17, NLT
Do not delude ourselves by thinking we can wait till we have more time to build on our friendships. Kindred friendships take time to nurture and deepen. Do not let excuses – busyness, chemistry, our personalities – hinder us! Take the initiative to invite a friend for coffee or a meal, and let the conversation be about life and musings of the heart.
P/S: This article was written before the sudden passing of my dear friend, Joseph Chean, the former National Director of YWAM Singapore. I am saddened by this loss, yet at the same time I am grateful for the kindred friendship we shared.
Shalom,
Lam Kok Hiang
Leadership Mentor
If you have been blessed by this article, scan PayNow QR code via bank mobile app to give to Cru.
Please include in the description/reference no.: "Your first name<space>surname<space>GF-SA"
E.g. David
Lim GF-SA
Amos Ang | Team Lead, LeaderImpact
LeaderImpact is a global brand whose mission is to help leaders grow professionally, personally, and spiritually. Growing spiritually is not reserved just for the religious. The spiritual dimension refers to our core centre, or the life foundation of our beliefs, motivations, morals, drivers, and values, that direct and move us in our daily lives and decisions, including our mission in life. While our professional life refers to our career, personal life encompasses our relationships.
Spanning more than 150 countries around the world, LeaderImpact reaches leaders from all walks of life and faith backgrounds, to help leaders live an integrated life and make a positive impact wherever they are. We believe that a positive impact starts from within and is expressed through a congruent public and private life.
Many would agree that leaders are lonely. The higher a leader climbs, the lonelier he becomes. With the pressure and expectation to produce, a leader is often left without a safe community to process his journeys.
Here at LeaderImpact we offer a safe platform to discuss, process and grow through book studies such as Great by Choice by Jim Collins, The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni, Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek, and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey.
These LeaderImpact groups create an environment for participants to apply leadership principles in their professional, personal, and spiritual lives. An example is using Jim Collins’ leadership principle in Great by Choice,
"The only true failure lies in not learning from mistakes, or in accepting complacency and the status quo.”
In another instance, we discussed the cultures in our companies, relationships and inner lives, and how we can improve them, using Patrick Lencioni’s leadership principle from his book The Advantage,
"Culture is not the most important thing in an organisation, it's the only thing"
LeaderImpact groups convene for eight weeks through weekly 60-75 minute Zoom sessions, with occasional meal gatherings to foster stronger connections and deeper discussions. We also host forums and invite marketplace leaders to not only explore their successes but also understand how they adapt in the face of setbacks. We aim to uncover the motivations and driving forces that help them stay resilient and maintain their momentum.
Contact leaderimpact@cru.org.sg
or visit cru.sg/leaderimpact for more information
亲爱的事工伙伴，
人类的天性是社会性的，其基本需要是与他人交往，并在其中找到存在感，和得到个人的发展。当与了解和接纳我们的朋友们做真诚的连接时，我们的身份认同感和归属感就会得到提升。
在人生的每个阶段，我们都需要志同道合的朋友，这些朋友和我们一同成长和成熟。我有幸结识了一些志同道合的朋友，在我当领袖的那段时间，他们和我一起走过这段岁月，也见证了我的成长。这些志同道合的朋友通过以下方式帮助我成为更好的人：
这些真挚的朋友也乐于在必要时问责我。我相信圣灵会使用朋友，在我们与神同行的道路上提点我们。
朋友是上帝给我们的礼物，相反亦是如此。今天就让我们投资在真挚的友谊上，珍惜上帝赐予的朋友。当我们和朋友彼此同行时，就会在更深层次上建立联系，并发现好朋友是生命的源泉，能满足我们作为人类的渴望。“铁磨铁，磨得锋利；朋友互相切磋，才智也变得敏锐”（箴言27:17，新译本）。
不要自欺的认为可以等到以后有更多时间时，再去建立友谊。真挚的友谊需要时间来培养和加深关系的。不要让忙碌、没有化学反应、个性等等成为借口而阻碍我们去建立真挚的友谊！现在开始主动邀请朋友喝喝咖啡或吃个饭，让你们谈话重心专注在生命课题，以及心灵的探索吧！
后记：书写本文前后，我的好友 Joseph Chean（新加坡青年使命团的前会长）骤然离世归主。我因他离去悲伤，同时缅怀彼此友谊而感恩。
平安与你同在,
蓝国贤
会务导师
©1972-2024 Cru Singapore. All Rights Reserved.
