Taking the lid off...

The other day a group of guys I know were sitting around some tables discussing limitations.  It might be thought that there’s little point in discussing that because everyone has experience with them - after all, none of us are superman.  Yet when you think of your own PERSONAL limitations you may be sore tempted to think only of financial, or perhaps some physical limitations like height, athletic ability or the like. 

It is rare that we consider what our limitations are as a personality. We all know that the mental trumps the physical, and if we have enough fortitude and perseverance we can usually overcome physical limitations.  On this fact every motivational speaker makes their living. 

It is rarer that we consider what our limitations in leadership (influence, if you prefer) really mean for us and those around us.  On this point most – no, scratch that – ALMOST EVERYONE will stumble.  The few that wrestle with grasping the limitations of ourselves (as a total person) will, the vast majority of the time, settle for a measure of acceptance at some point.  After all, what can you do about the fact that you were created with a certain mental/emotional mix that seems to put a fixed limit on your personality? You are, after all, what you are. 

What few of us know, but don’t usually apply when it comes to leadership limitations, is that the spiritual trumps the mental.  So the verse (so often quoted it’s a cliché), “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” becomes nothing more than a cliché.  Even though we say we believe it, we fail to apply it.  Applying spiritual truth to our lives takes more than mental and physical energy, it takes faith.  And who has enough faith to actually believe that they can LIFT the lid of their leadership* by exercising faith?

Truly, to that person is born the next great movement of God in our generation.  Do you understand that?  Do you believe it?  What are you waiting for?

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*See John Maxwell’s 21 laws of leadership and review the first law, “the Law of the Lid”.  Basically, the idea is that your leadership ability determines your level of effectiveness (as an influencer of others).  You can never rise above the level of your leadership.  

Is Obama a prophet?

In John 11:51 we read that Caiaphas, as leader of the Jewish nation, prophesied that Jesus would die for His people. (As an act of full disclosure, let me inform you that I recently preached on the subject of prophesy, so that whole idea is still very much in my mind.) Of course, we also have the Biblical understanding that God appoints our leaders, so we know for certain that it is always useful to listen closely to what they say and do, even if we disagree with it.

On May 26th of 2010, Obama visited a solar manufacturing plant in Fremont California. In his subsequent press release, he said,

"The true engine of economic growth will always be companies like Solyndra...
Less than a year ago, we were standing on what was an empty lot.  But through the Recovery Act, this company received a loan to expand its operations.  This new factory is the result of those loans. 

Since the project broke ground last fall, more than 3,000 construction workers have been employed building this plant.  Across the country, workers -- (applause) -- across the country, workers in 22 states are manufacturing the supplies for this project.  Workers in a dozen states are building the advanced manufacturing equipment that will power this new facility.  When it’s completed in a few months, Solyndra expects to hire a thousand workers to manufacture solar panels and sell them across America and around the world.  (Applause.) 

Here at this site, Solyndra expects to make enough solar panels each year to generate 500 megawatts of electricity.  And over the lifetime of this expanded facility, that could be like replacing as many as eight coal-fired power plants. 

That’s not all.  You’re also proving something more.  Every day that you build this expanded facility, as you fill orders for solar panels to ship around the world, you’re demonstrating that the promise of clean energy isn’t just an article of faith -- not anymore.  It’s not some abstract possibility for science fiction movies or a distant future -- 10 years down the road or 20 years down the road.  It’s happening right now.  The future is here...."

So, effectively Obama saw the future, and he determined it was at least in part this factory. So the Federal government gave the company 530 Million dollars to rush this plant into production, and in May last year Obama was able to say that in just a few months the American future would be pretty much started. So, it's a number of months later and how's that future coming along?

On Aug 31st this year Solyndra filed for bankruptcy. Every cent of that 530 Million will be lost. Now either Obama wasn't speaking prophetically when he claimed "the future is here"' or he knew the ironic truth already. After all, the warning signs that Solyndra was actually close to bankruptcy were already there, and the economics of building a plant to produce 3$/watt panels in a world full of 1$/watt panels isn't rocket science. But if you admit that you and I can know these things by reading the news, you have to make a choice - either "they" (government) are a while lot smarter than anybody and everybody around "them" and "we" are all in the dark, or "they" are really just a bunch of "us" who are ignoring the obvious.

Either way you take it, I think sometimes even modern day leaders speak prophetically. And that we should listen to!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-economy-0

http://www.uncoverage.net/2011/01/time-to-investigate-obamas-solyndra-solar-green-fraud-in-california/

http://www.investingdaily.com/id/18981/obama-and-solar-energy-solyndra-bankruptcy-is-a-527-million-loss.html