Leadership is a juggling act. Leaders have many balls in the air: emails, phone calls, meetings, events to lead and attend, strategic initiatives and projects to move forward, reports to write, presentations to prepare and deliver, conferences to attend, personnel reviews and other HR issues to address, policy review and development, board development and relationships to manage, financial decisions to make, parent and student issues to address and much more. Then, there are responsibilities to our family, church, and civic organizations, personal finances to manage, home and vehicle maintenance, household chores, vacations to plan, and so on.

It is easy to be overwhelmed juggling so many responsibilities. We are always in danger of dropping one or more balls, which only adds to stress in our lives.

The good news is that there are simple ways to keep the balls in the air without being constantly stressed.

Asking for money can be awkward, uncomfortable, difficult, and frustrating. When it comes to raising money, I find that most leaders have two things in common.

I’ve made a practice of selecting a biblical theme for each school year. The theme is a biblical truth, principle, or value accompanied by corresponding Bible verses. For example, over the last several years, I have selected the following themes and Bible verses.

• The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22)

• Unity (1 Peter 3:8-9; 1 Cor. 13:4ff; Psalm 133; Philippians 2:3-8)

• Reaching Higher (Matthew 5:14–16; Colossians 1:9–12)

  This became what I call a "Meta-Theme”, that is, every theme begins with “Reaching Higher” followed by the specific theme for that year.

• Reaching Higher: Love your Neighbor (Matthew 22:36–40; Matthew 7:12)

• Reaching Higher: Gratitude (Isaiah 6:3; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:1-10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 3 John 1:11)

• Reaching Higher: Holiness (Isaiah 6:3; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 5:1-10; 1 Peter 1:14-16; 3 John 1:11)

Practical Ways to Use a Biblical Theme …

You have to reinvent yourself every year.

Yes, EVERY YEAR.

Unless your organizational goal is never to grow, never change, never improve, never increase giving – annual reinvention is a must.

Why? …

Too much to do, too little time. Sound familiar?

For most leaders, end of year can be a stressful time. With mere days left in the giving year and calendars filling up with holiday celebrations and obligations, November and December can be tricky months to navigate.

It doesn’t have to be.

At all times, but especially during times of increased stress or anxiety, I try to operate with the mantra choices lead, feelings follow.

Have you ever felt overwhelmed with the pressure rising? Have you ever felt like you were so busy, but couldn’t get it all done? Oftentimes, this is a false emotion.

Here are some simple questions to ask yourself during seasons of heightened stress and overwhelm.

Do I have “undone” stress?

We are actually deceiving ourselves; pressure and anxiety is actually coming from the fact that deep down we know that we need to…

We have all been there. We receive a nasty email or read something with which we vehemently disagree. We are unfairly attacked and accused. Our dignity and character are assaulted. Our deeply held values and beliefs are ridiculed and attacked. Hot anger and indignation arise from within. We hastily compose a verbal assault to defend our honor and character or our values and beliefs. We launch our digital arrows. We experience catharsis—for a little while.

Don’t do it.

There is no delete button on the Internet. You can’t put the toothpaste back into the tube.

There is a better way.

You show up for work and don’t have your usual “zing.”

Your sleeping habits are noticeably different. Whether resting or awake, you feel drained.

You snap at others, whether it’s justified or not.

You’re cynical and critical.

After dragging yourself to work, you can’t manage to get started.

The unexplainable headache is back, and the lower back pain is starting to get to you.

What gives?

You’re burnt out.

It seems fitting this week to be talking about snowflakes, doesn’t it? It is cold and snowy in many parts of the country where it shouldn’t be, which is why this concept came to my mind. If you don’t know me well, I am a scientist by training, and I love knowing the way the world works. To some, the detail I want to know is excessive, I suppose. But for me, snowflakes are one of these remarkably interesting things that when we come to understand them in detail, awe for the Creator follows.

Snowflakes are made of single or combined ice crystals that fall from clouds filled with water vapor. Water vapor sticks to very cold, microscopic particles of dirt, ash, or salt in a cloud. These particles attract more vapor and form droplets. The droplets freeze into ice crystals with six sides due to – get this – the uniquely strong INTERMOLECULAR FORCES… that is the way that water molecules interact with other water molecules. In God’s perfect design, water is a unicorn among other molecules, one that literally makes life possible. I could teach an entire course on the beauty of water. Actually, I did once… and maybe I will again.

I digress back to the science. More crystals form on the outside of the center ice crystal as water vapor collects and freezes. These crystals grow faster on the corners of the hexagon-shaped center crystal causing six dendrites to form on the snowflakes. The six main dendrites continue to grow smaller dendrites as water vapor collects and freezes on the crystals. As the crystal gets bigger and heavier, it falls from the cloud, continuing to form as it falls to the ground. This process causes every snowflake to be unique and each snowflake is remarkably beautiful.

When I think about snowflakes, I think about the variety we can see in them. I also think and am amazed at the wonder of God’s creation. I also think about some parallels I see between snowflakes and God’s people. Here are a few for you to consider:

There’s a trend in many of the questions I’m asked by leaders I admire most. Most of these questions all have to do with leading the most difficult person in your life: YOU!

One leader in particular whom I admire serves at the national level for Joni and Friends. His questions inspired me to write out some thoughts that I’d like to share with you.

Growing a culture of generous giving is no easy task, and growing your ability to lead yourself well is a key factor in taking things to the next level.

When I think of leading myself well, there are a couple of things to which I’ve devoted careful time and attention because these don’t come naturally to me: successful systems and habits …