Hand Me Another Brick #3

Hand Me Another Brick – Timeless Lessons in Leadership (Swindoll)                Session 3 – 2/21/2017

Preparation for a Tough Job – (And How to Handle a Difficult Boss)

Bible Reference: Old Testament Book of Nehemiah

Disclaimer:  I am not a professional… or a biblical scholar/theologian.  We will play it straight defaulting to the basic Bible text.  Leave no man behind…. Respect each other; everyone is at their own place on this journey and in developing the Third F (Faith).

Goal: Understand biblical principles and apply them – using Nehemiah as a case study.

Warm Up:  Introductions; References/Bible Version; Quick Review of Previous Lessons

What stuck with you from the last lesson?

Did anything in your schedule and interactions this past week bring to mind any of the principles or character traits we discussed last week?

Describe a situation in your past employment or project in which you had to handle a difficult or mercurial boss. Recall the emotions, attitudes, words, and even actions that this experience produced in you.  How did you respond?  What was the ultimate result of this experience? 

What words might those under your leadership use to describe your demeanor? Is it possible that anyone has perceived you as a tyrant?

The Thang:

• A Principle from Proverbs – Read Proverbs 21:1

Read the account of earlier letters sent to and from King Artaxerxes in Ezra 4:11-22. Assuming Nehemiah was aware of this correspondence, how do you think he viewed the king’s attitude toward Jerusalem?

• Nehemiah’s Approach – Read Nehemiah 2

In Nehemiah 2:2-4, what is significant about how Nehemiah responded to his fear during his interchange with the king?

What does this reveal about Nehemiah’s view of God? Of prayer?

Employee and Employer – Read Ephesians 6:5-9 and Colossians 3:22-4:1

What are responsibilities of employee and employer?

Employee                                                                        Employer

 

 

 

How did Nehemiah reflect this in his relationship to Artaxerxes?

We know Nehemiah waited about four months from the time he received the news concerning Jerusalem to when he finally discussed the matter with the king. Based on the account thus far, how do you think Nehemiah discerned the proper timing for this crucial conversation? 

Things to Think About:

Four key principles for those who seek to follow God’s will, especially when they serve under difficult bosses:

1. Changing the heart is God’s specialty
2. Prayer and waiting go hand in hand
3. Faith is not a synonym for disorder or a substitute for a well-thought-out plan
4. Opposition often reinforces the will of God rather than hinders it

As you consider any difficult people in leadership over you (boss, teacher, parent, or husband), can uyou identify a particular manipulative technique you use – the silent treatment, flattery, or sarcasm – that you need to replace with prayer? If so, what is it?

Read Matthew 5:43-47 and Luke 6:27-36. What prevents you from turning this person over to the power of /God right now?

Could it be that YOU are the “problem person” for someone else? How would you want that person to communicate this to you?

Of the four principles ABOVE, which best applies to your present situation? What can you do specifically to apply this principle in your words or actions this week?

Wrap Up:

• Name-o-rama
• COT:  Student of Splinter’s wife who recently lost Mother; DigaHole’s back pain/challenges; Cannonball’s back challenges; Hot Pursut’s safe travel with ECU students to weekend ministry retreat
• BOM
• Announcements 

Next Week: Lesson 4, Getting off Dead Center, Nehemiah 2:11-20