By Dr. Brian Simmons | “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.” Psalm 37:23 As Christian leaders we do our best to spend time in prayer and the Word of God so that we can walk by faith. As human beings, we can be disappointed when things don’t seem to go our way. From the perspective of time my testimony is that God’s ways are always best! “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way that thou shalt go. I will guide thee with mine eye.” Psalm 32:8. As my son, Jared, and I work with our founding elementary principal Bonnie Allen, our launch team and our board of directors to found Lakeside Christian Academy some days feel like three steps forward! Others feel like one step forward and three steps back! Three steps back looks like closed doors… stop signs!

By Dr. Brian Simmons | As faithful steward leaders we need to strike a balance between caring for the weeds of the organizations we lead and living in the weeds. Recently, I attended a baseball game for one of my grandchildren. By the backstop was a big weed. We have watched this weed grow over the last few weeks. Why would the person responsible for mowing the grass inside the baseball field let this weed grow?  His job is to beautify and maintain the field. Big weeds are not beautiful!

By Dr. Brian Simmons | As faithful steward leaders we need to strike a balance between caring for the weeds of the organizations we lead and living in the weeds. Recently, I attended a baseball game for one of my grandchildren. By the backstop was a big weed. We have watched this weed grow over the last few weeks. Why would the person responsible for mowing the grass inside the baseball field let this weed grow?  His job is to beautify and maintain the field. Big weeds are not beautiful!

By Dr. Scott Rodin | Consider with me for a moment this one assertion: the major issues we face today as a world, a nation, and a church – from divineness to hatred to anger to fear to despair and more – all stem from one cataclysmic point of contact: the collision of pride and grace. From Genesis 3 through the judgment scenes in Revelation, this collision is at the center of the story of Israel, the teachings of Jesus, and the birth of the church. It is also at the core of our steward theology. In this theology we see how we fight the battle with our old sinful nature that begs us to play the owner, to grasp at control, to claim our own rights and privileges, in short,  to be the Lord of our life.

By Dr. Brian Simmons | What is the purpose of a backstop?  A backstop's primary purpose is to stop projectiles or objects from going beyond a designated area, ensuring safety and control. It acts as a barrier to prevent unintended damage or injury by containing projectiles like bullets, balls, or other items. In various contexts, backstops serve as a safety measure, a reinforcement, or a support mechanism. What happens when a back stop loses its “stop” function?

By Dr. Brian Simmons | What happens when an organization sets aside innovation and reverts back to old ways of doing things? 1. Customers go elsewhere for products and services • Innovation drives competitive advantage. Without it, competitors who continue to innovate surpass other organizations in product quality, service delivery, and effectiveness. 2. Stagnation follows, and decline destroys the bottom line. If there is no margin there is no mission • Processes, products, and services become outdated. • This is especially apparent as talent leaves for more forward-thinking companies and opportunities. Look around. If the best people leading the most important growth areas of the organization are leaving, the organization is in trouble!

By Dr. Brian Simmons | What happens when an organization sets aside innovation and reverts back to old ways of doing things? 1. Customers go elsewhere for products and services • Innovation drives competitive advantage. Without it, competitors who continue to innovate surpass other organizations in product quality, service delivery, and effectiveness. 2. Stagnation follows, and decline destroys the bottom line. If there is no margin there is no mission • Processes, products, and services become outdated. • This is especially apparent as talent leaves for more forward-thinking companies and opportunities. Look around. If the best people leading the most important growth areas of the organization are leaving, the organization is in trouble!

By Dr. Brian Simmons | What happens when an organization sets aside innovation and reverts back to old ways of doing things? 1. Customers go elsewhere for products and services • Innovation drives competitive advantage. Without it, competitors who continue to innovate surpass other organizations in product quality, service delivery, and effectiveness. 2. Stagnation follows, and decline destroys the bottom line. If there is no margin there is no mission • Processes, products, and services become outdated. • This is especially apparent as talent leaves for more forward-thinking companies and opportunities. Look around. If the best people leading the most important growth areas of the organization are leaving, the organization is in trouble!

By Dr. Brian Simmons | The connection between ineffective leaders and the departure of close team members is strong and well-documented. I spoke recently with a departing VP of an organization who said, “It’s time!!” Here's how ineffective leadership can directly lead to team attrition...

By Dr. Brian Simmons | Status Quo has implications both from a personal and an organizational context. Status quo refers to the way things currently are and implies contentment and a corresponding resistance to changes of any kind. On personal level, I’ve been thinking about this quote from the speaker at the Christian Leadership Alliance CEO breakfast… “To seek the rule of God in our lives is THE key principle in the Bible guiding faithful steward leaders! Apart from the Lord interrupting our lives, we will maintain the status quo.” -Dr Abe Jaquez. What is wrong with the status quo? A rut is a grave with the ends knocked out! There is no personal growth there! Living things grow, and growing things reproduce!