Read Be All You Can Be: A Challenge to Stretch Your God-Given Potential Online
Authors: John Maxwell
Be All You Can Be: A Challenge to Stretch Your God-Given Potential
To the hundreds of men and women who belong to my INJOY Life Club. These people strive to reach their potential for the glory of God. It is my joy to journey with them!
BE ALL YOU CAN BE
Published by David C Cook
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Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.
David C Cook Distribution Canada
55 Woodslee Avenue, Paris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5
David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications
Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England
The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.
All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes, no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form without written permission from the publisher.
All Scripture quotations are taken from the
New American Standard Bible
, © Copyright 1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
LCCN 2007933212
ISBN 978-0-7814-4844-4
eISBN 978-1-4347-6657-1
© 2007 John C. Maxwell
Previously published by Victor Books
®
© 1987, 2002
Cook Communications Ministries, ISBN 1-56476-516-4.
Cover Design: Brand Navigation, LLC—DeAnna Pierce, Bill Chiaravalle
Third Edition 2007
CONTENTS
VICTORIOUS BECAUSE OF A VISION
VICTORIOUS BECAUSE OF A VISION
THE BIGGER THEY ARE, THE HARDER THEY FALL
SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS, BUT SAVE OUR PIGS
YOUR PROBLEM IS NOT YOUR PROBLEM
YOUR DECISION DETERMINES YOUR DESTINY
This book is the product of leadership lessons I gave to the staff at Skyline Wesleyan Church. Each month, these lessons are taped and then sent to the thousands of men and women throughout the world who subscribe to the INJOY Life Club.
My special thanks go to Barbara Babby, who edited this book, and to Barbara Brumagin, who coordinated the project.
A continual thanks goes to my family, Margaret, Elizabeth, and Joel, who are always supportive of my ministry.
If you would like more information about the monthly lessons offered through the INJOY Life Club, or you would like a free catalog of the audio, video, and written materials created by John Maxwell, please write INJOY, 1530 Jamacha Road, Suite D, El Cajon, CA 92109. Or call (800) 333-6506.
On July 4, 1976, while I was leading a service celebrating the nation’s bicentennial, I got a sense that God was calling me to help other Christian leaders to grow and reach their potential for the cause of Christ. At the time, I told no one but my wife, Margaret. Even so, just a couple of months later, pastors and other leaders began to approach me asking if I would teach them about leadership and personal growth.
That was the beginning of a thirty-year career helping others learn leadership. I soon started teaching sessions at conferences and leading seminars. At first I was very excited, because I was expanding my influence. I was reaching more people at events, and the people I was teaching were often leaders positioned to influence others. But I soon made a discovery. We tend to overestimate events and underestimate process. Events are good for making decisions and for picking up a few valuable nuggets. But to really grow, a person needs more. And most of the people I was teaching at conferences wanted more. They wanted ongoing mentoring in leadership.
That’s when I started creating resources for leaders. It was my way to come alongside others—many of whom I would never have the opportunity to meet—and help them on an ongoing basis. It’s something I have been doing ever since. Why would I want to do that? Because the secret to your success can be found in your daily agenda. If you make it your discipline to do a little bit of growing every day, in just a few years you will be amazed by your transformation.
Be All You Can Be
was the first book I wrote to help Christian leaders stretch to their God-given potential. It contains many of the foundational lessons used by me and by many of the thousands of leaders I’ve taught over the years. Like all of my leadership lessons, each is based in the truth of Scripture. And these thirteen lessons include biblical references so that you can do additional reading and reflection to soak in the teaching the lessons the Bible offers on leadership.
I pray that this resource will lift you up, challenge you, and help you to stretch and grow to be all you can be for God.
John C. Maxwell
2007