Weloveto ear what you hve to say. Somuch we ust had to share some oft BY ANNA MICKENZIE i Want to be a leader? You donrt need a tite to make a difference. ie DEVOTIONS: WEEK OF MAY 17 BY RICKY HALL Youare aleader. Live alife that people to Chris. Driving safety, bullying, and how to takea good picture-just afew things we thought you needed to know. istcrevore CNOA ANOTWSTOEK 2 | MAY zou EC MAGAZINE DEPARTMENTS ER 2 ECMAGAZINE.ORG DEVOTIONS: WEEK OF MAY 8-16 BY MELISSA BRANT God has placed you ina unique postion to influence those around you. Check out these random bits a info esigned to brighten up your month, 26 wre DEVOTIONS: WEEK OF MAY 15-21 8 CHELSEA KINGSTON Everything you do, sy, and believe should point ta christ. ‘little bitof razy—including a funeral home wedding, asecret ingredient for pain, and murder (by butter) 43.2 BY GERI MARPLE Use ec's weekly devotion themes tolead a pible study with these elp- fultips. DEVOTIONS: WEEK OF MAY 22 8 ROSA SPARKS Yourifeisa testimony ofwhatyou believe, whatis isang? BYALICLAXTON Tennessee teen Caroline is ready tofollow God whatever the cost. 57 aninv DEVOTIONS: WEEK OF MAY 29 JUNE 4 By BYRON CHENG ‘A godly leader invests inthe lives of others, 63 neetRenrats yeaa pane, ‘Check out these reviews of recent releaseson DVD. 64 rue parr" ie Honest. A person of 4 ‘rustworthy. Somehow, it takes all of i) integrity mea with integrity does what even when it would be easier to lie. She strives to do what's ight, even when it seems like one else is. When someone 4 has integrity, he or she doesn’t 7) talk just to say something. His her words carry weight. He's Jincere in what he says; she’s & fair and honorable. Morality and virtue aren't foreign concepts to a person who strives to live with integrity. 1¢ Word integrity actually has a variety of meanings. It can refer | te | good character. Sincere. those words to define what orshe says, He's honest, | F te gay To TERY ik Coa IN ES + and living righteously, but italso ‘» putsit You are tobe known asa! a cr iedes ofbeing whole. person of good character, who is "and undivided. A building with" trustworthy, honest, and sincere. structural integrity is sound in its (| But you're also called to have construction. If you write a paper structural integrit erty iets your faith. that has structural integrity, that . Your focus she 't be divided 1 means your arguments © between what you want and what together and everything you've" God wants. Instead, you're to » wnitten in that paper unifies and_j be single-mindedly focused on backs up your main point. B Christ ‘and His purposes, roe "Asa Ehristfellower anda ff and mission. Every pact’ ) leader, you're ale toalifeof | | Esha ety that integrity—in both senses. You s. Everythin, 9 are called to live with integrity. To || and believe should point tio tie ), pursue the things that matter to |) fact that you belong to Christ. = Christ. ‘Tolive righteously. Todo |) Are you living with integrity? B ustice, love kin ss, and walk | If not, it's time to start.TEM rer ieaell- rs eNcrebiel : the Jaw of Moses, which) my vena ele aGecth E had given! The king had granted himeverything he requested because the ‘hand of Yahweh his God’ Rese briemetae vag SPN THE 2004 Fu afean Girs, 4 ALRegina George knew how to make people feel insignificant. She used her Power to rule her “plastic” posse and more or less the entire high school. When new girl Cady Heron (Lindsay # Lohan's character) started a rumor about the math teacher in order j to fit in with the "plastics," school Eo administrators brought al the girls @ together for a mean-girl intervention. As girl after girl expressed how 22E Regina George had personally Gag humiliated her, it became apparent that no one had the guts to stand up to this bully. Maybe you can relate. after all, 3 you're just an ordinary teen, right? ‘What are you supposed to do about a) the guy who's being mistreated at RSE school or the homeless man you see #73) downtown? Leadership can seem Pretty unattainable, {| _The Book of Ezra finds the people of israel returning from Babylonian captivity. The prophet Ezra was just 4} one man, and he must have felt like i there wasn’t much he could do about | the trouble in israel, But Scripture tells us that God's hand was on Ezra, enabling him to do something significant. ‘When circumstances seem ‘overwhelming, how do you respond? Are you tempted to despair? Or do § You remember the hand of God on your life? very Spirit of God living inside of you! (See Acts 5:32 and Ephesians 1:13 if you don't believe me.) Take heart! You are not small, God is at work in your life, leading you. Listen and obey! Ifyou area Christian, you have the | r i i { % To what did Ezra devote himself? value? ‘committed to obeying and teaching it? F YOU HAVE A BANK ACCOUNT, your monthly statements tell something, @aabout what you value. Think about it-where does most of your money go? Clothes? Gas to get around? Music? Going out to eat? Hanging out with friends? How you spend your money says a lot about what means the most to you, Read Ezra 7:7-10 and pay careful attention to verse 10. >* From which walks of life did the israelites who returned to Jerusalem come? % How many months did it take Ezra to travel fram Babylon to Jerusalem? % To whom did Ezra credit his safe arrival in Jerusalem? > Asa Jewish man living in Babyion, what might Ezra have been tempted to %* Why is it important that Ezra didn’t just study God’s Word, but was also A leader should have his or her priorities in check. Ezra did, As the Israelites returned from exile to their land, which had come under Persian rule, Ezra was known as aman devoted to the things of the Lord. Even ina foreign land, he had the right priorities. Even in a place that wasn't familiar, he was devoted to ‘studying God's Word, obeying it, and teaching it to others. What about you? Spend some time today thinking about what you value. Are you more ‘concerned with your own preferences than with the needs of others? Do you lay video games all day, only to run out of time to read your Bible? Do you Spend your money only toward your own gain, or do you use part of it to bless ‘others? Ask God to show you anything in your life that’s out of balance, Ask Him, to help you have right priorities that bring honor and glory Him.Victory 1 | Youre net atone. God, i with you, | }\ | |dance. aM 1 aance. 6), 7 a ae a ; | |) eg | } "JPN MARCH 2006, the NFL banned BLexcessive end zone celebrations, N i Self-promoting players who signed a 7 1 ]} toothallforafan,celebratedinne =§ WON ATE Never alone. | ‘end zone, and pretended to propose toa cheerleader were distracting "F_EADERSHIP CAN BE LONELY. Amy Carmichael, a missionary in india | from the game, the NFL said. Lzwhose life's work was to rescue children from temple prostitution, must. 1! | i have known this well. At the beginning of her ministry, Amy felt so alone that she even questioned how she could remain in india. But when she was tempted to despair, Amy would take all the etters that arrived from home, go into her room, and read them aloud to the Lord: Read Ezra 9:1-6, and consider verse 5. -& What complaint did the leaders of 1H) ead Ezra 7:25-28. Don't miss verse Israel make to Ezra? 2. > Why was this news so upsetting > From where did Ezra's wisdom toczra? come? 2% How did Ezra respond to what he + What clues does the passage give heard? || usthat artaxerxes valued Ezra’s > How would you have responded to such news? wisdom and faith? % Inyour own words, what did Ezra say to God on behalf of the people? >& What did Artaxerxes (the king and _& When have you felt alone in doing what was right? What did God teach you? writer of the letter tll Ezra to do? % What was Ezra's reaction tothe _In today's passage, Ezra learned that many of hfs fellow Israelites had king's letter? (See verse 27.) disobeyed God by marrying foreign wives while exiled in Babylon, something + How does Ezra explain Artaxerxes’ God had expressly told them not to do. What’s worse, the leaders and the favor? Why is that important? officials were the first to participate in this immorality. It wasn't good news. || * Sovousive od the gory for your Ezra must have felt so alone! | successes? Why or why not? Like Amy Carmichael, Ezra knew where to go with his loneliness. Verse 5 says that he fell on his knees and prayed. It's true that leadership is often lonely. But ‘These verses are a flashback of sorts there is one Person who will never leave you. You can always go to the Lord. to the letter that King Artaxerxes Memorize Psalm 62:8 today and recall it the next time you're feeling alone. You sent to Ezra releasing him toreturnto _will face troubles and setbacks in leadership. Don't fear! God is with you! Jerusalem to worship. The letter was ‘ause to celebrate! Ezra had received ‘the favor of the ‘of Persia, resulting in Artaxerxes’ faith in the | God of Israel. ‘| Unlike the end zone celebrations of [| some NFL players, Ezras celebration turned all the attention back to God. | He didn’t point out what he had done || or tout his own accomplishments. }) Instead, Ezra acknowledged the Lord’s hand in his circumstances rather than boasting about himself. Jesus Himself is our example in } honoring His Father above all else. you want to bea leader, ask God to give you a humble spirit like Ezra’s. Seek to give God all the glory when, things go well for you. Attribute your successes to God! aa life, read Army Carmichael Let the Little children Come by Lois Hoadley |!) Moody Publishers, 964)RISTIAN LEADER NaS NOUS BUT Wea e SOME COERCION BUT REAS' Trace sULN ze aL SAFE ONLY IN THE E THEMSELVES 10 SERVE.” ONED PERSUASION. HANDS OF THOSE JOHN STOTT peaBRAHAM LINCOLN has been if immortalized as one of our iQ, natlon’s heroes—but he wasn't 2) always such a popular guy! Just f alittle more than a month after j_ Lincoln was inaugurated, he asked state governors in the North to provide 75,000 troops to oppose the Confederate forces that had assembled in the South. It was an ‘unpopular decision, but it was one that shaped the nation’s history, nevertheless. ae i Tie Therefore, makea le you pied emcevtiane your pathy? z a i J OTS COV Enna ae Re oe eS ECL SOS CU So anid do His will. Separate | THURSDAY? 5/19 pane eo oe a ; ‘surrounding peoples ant ®, You do need help. Dae It G .0 YOU KNOW someone who is always negative? No matter what eas i Z EP happens, such people are never satisfied. They can find the negative in any situation. and being around these pessimistic people isjust downright} Read Ezra 10:5-11, and pay attention discouraging-not to mention exhausting! 4 tothe command in verse 11. : ; % Whom did Ezra ask to take an Caammoanicnntcss Read Ezra 10:1-4, stopping to think ‘oath? Staonal atl about verse 4. | -& What was he asking them to Wneeagien estates * Who came to console Ezra and | ‘swear to do? (Hint: think back to PRGUEIcetaitsaerey lO] weep with him over the Israelites’ yesterday's verses.) : sin? > How did Ezra and the leaders Who spoke to Ezra on behalf of the group? get the exiles to assemble in one > Whiat sin did the spokesman acknowledge? place? + What encouragement did the spokesman offer for Israel? > In what areas of your life do you % What action did the spokesman propose? need to stand for what's right? + How do you imagine Ezra felt, knowing he had the support of the people? What steps will you take to do so + How have others encouraged you to do what's right even when it's difficult? today? + Who will you encourage to do what's right in God's eyes today? Being leader means you have to be willing to make the tough calls. Ezra was no different. As a prophet in srael, he had to tell the people to repent from thelr sin and to separate from their foreign wives, After fasting and praying, he called the people together and spoke the word of the Lord to them, it wasn't easy. Are you bold enough to tell people what they ‘may not want to hear? Ask God for courage to make hard decisions. Ezra had been devastated by the news that the Israelites had willfully broken God's command and married foreign wives. He responded with much prayer, confession, and weeping before God. And it would have been easy to stay there, = paralyzed by the heaviness of the peoples’ sin. But Ezra was blessed to have encouraging people around him. Even when things looked pretty bleak, Ezra’s advisers and friends chose to hope in the Lord. They challenged Ezra to do the same. If you're a leader, you need friends and advisors around you like the ones Ezra had. You need people to support, encourage, and push you in the right direction, if you need it. Ask God to bring encouraging people into your life and give them permission to say tough things to you so that the right ‘accomplished. Then choose to listen to them=not to the downers! 30 | MAY 2011 EC MAGAZINE [iG 70 Soe oS TNSGOING DEEPER Tolearn more abo integrity reags "with MARK 14:32-42 ACTS 27:27-44 TIMOTHY 436-16 PRAYERS, THOUGHTS, | & QUESTIONS: a Smee > fe KNOWN 5/21 $ ae | LEADERS: BORN OR MADE? That's the question that always pops up ets || When it comes to leadership. But he reality we find in Scriptures that TEA. those of us who love Jesus are all called to lead. That doesn't mean we'll all become powerhouse politicians or foreign missionaries. But Jesus told Us that we are the light of the world and the salt of the earth: In other words, we're called to shake things up a litte! We're calledtobelike Him. | % _Fromthe Book of Ezra, we learned that godly leaders establish right priorities, walk in humility, and surround themselves with encouraging people, They face loneliness with courage and are willing to make the tough calls. + So how are you doing? ts there anything keeping you from being the kind of leader God has called you to be? + Write it here: ¥ HES 4 Si q 3 READ THROUGH ‘& Now take some time to confess that to God. Ask Him to release you THE BIBLE from any sin or temptation that’s keeping you from leading like Jesus. # Learn more about a leadership by spending time i 4.5 in God's Word. Follow our hi = plan to read the entire Bible & Pe your words be the genuine picture 'norevear. of ur n_| + 1Kings 5-19 your heart.” —John Wesley Luke 18-21:28,