Jesus called them over and said to them, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles dominate them, and their men of high positions exercise power over them. But it must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many" (Mark 10:42-45, HCSB).Servant leadership can be so easy to talk about and sometimes hard to achieve. This past weekend, it was my honor to serve North Carolina Baptists by leading a breakout at their women's prayer evangelism conference. God was at work all over the place and if I were to write about it all, I would never finish. It was incredible to connect with great men and women who faithfully serve the Lord. I was with Ashley Allen, the new Embrace women's leader who just came from Southwestern Seminary and with some sharp and servant-minded students from Southeastern Seminary. Being able to spend some time with the Rankins and Paula Hemphill from IMB and Alicia Wong from NAMB and to be with Southern's Mary Kassian again...well these were priceless moments. I am grateful for the invitation that came from Chris Schofield and to reconnect with him and others, as well as their wives.
It was when I was leaving that I happened back in the room where lunch had just been served, that I caught a glimpse of what ministry really is all about. There was a quick turn-around for the room because a session was going to be in there. In the middle of all the activity, there was Milton Hollifield, Exec Dir Treas of North Carolina Baptists, vacuuming the room. What a picture for us all. When is the last time you saw an Exec Dir or Pres of anything even attending a women's conference much less just helping behind the scenes and vacuuming? Needless to say, I was impressed. What an example that we should be following as leaders.
A true servant is not one that has to be asked what needs to be done, but one who sees the need and steps in to do it. There were many servants around last week who weren't noticed by me, but know that God always notices. He rewards those who faithfully serve. He rewards leaders who serve. Thanks Milton for the reminder.
