[H]e still speaks, even though he is dead.
—Hebrews 11:4
An elder at a church where I had been invited to speak, shook my hand and said, “Your father had a big influence on me.”
He told me he was only three-years-old when my dad, who was at the time an elder of the church the tot’s family attended, showed genuine interest in him and made him feel special.
My father didn’t live to see what a fine man that little boy became.
Seemingly small things can be powerful and far-reaching: the prayer of a mother for her child; the encouraging word of a friend; the affirmation of a teacher; the attention of a church leader.
It’s a high privilege to be a part of God’s work by encouraging one another and building each other up (1 Thes 5:11).
And it outlives the physical life of the giver.
The main ingredient of strong leadership
is influence, not authority.