A City on a Hill

As the founder of Beacon Executive Leadership Institute, I've served in Learning and Development for nearly 30 years. My area of expertise is Leadership and Executive Development. I earned a Doctorate in Adult Education with a specialization in Adult, Community, and Higher Education Administration. As an Ordained Itinerant Elder in a Methodist denomination with global presence, I've served in full-time ministry on staff at a local assembly and am affirmed as a Five-fold Ministry Gift in the Body of Christ. Teaching is one of my primary spiritual gifts along with prophecy and administration (governance, not helps).

One of the things I've observed over the past three decades is private and public sector organizations are intentional about Leadership and Executive Development. This is rarely the case in faith-based organizations or the Church. 

Over the years, many of the leaders I've encountered with the greatest skills gaps in leadership competencies were Spirit-filled, anointed, could quote the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, operated in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and had the heart of the Father towards the people they served. They had good intentions but had not been trained and equipped to lead!  They operated in the power and authority of Christ, had the character and nature of Christ, but lacked the wisdom  of Christ in certain instances especially as it relates to leading and developing others. They simply didn't have the leadership competencies to lead well!  

Sometimes we think character, gifts, graces and anointing are enough  to effectively serve as five-fold ministry gifts or faith-based marketplace leaders. Or we think theological education in Seminary or Bible School training along with character, gifts, graces and anointing are sufficient. But neither is true. Leaders need character, gifts, graces, anointing AND leadership competencies to lead well. The competencies can be caught and taught. 

In the Body of Christ we need to be more intentional about training and equipping leaders to lead! The Holy Spirit guides us in Truth. There are principles which are found in Scriptures.  Spiritual sons and daughters glean from their fathers, mothers, and mentors. And we must systematically TEACH leadership competencies in five realms:

1. Lead From Within. This is self-governance in partnership with Holy Spirit and the grace of God. It includes skills such as resilience, interpersonal skills, self-awareness, and problem solving. 

2. Lead Projects. Includes skills such as project management,  goal setting, accountability,  and decision-making. 

3. Lead Teams. Includes skills such as influencing, managing conflict, emotional intelligence, and developing others. 

4. Lead Programs. Includes skills such as financial management, innovation, and partnership. 

5. Lead Organizations. Includes skills such as vision, strategic planning, and systems thinking. 

I'm the Founder and Chief Learning Officer of  Beacon Executive Leadership Institute. The mission of Beacon is to train and equip leaders- particularly five-fold ministry gifts and faith-based  marketplace  leaders to lead well!

Beacon engages tools such as leadership development workshops, executive coaching, transformational speaking, organizational consulting, and validated, research-based assessments (e.g. 360, DISC, Emotional Intelligence, CliftonStrenths, etc.) to train and equip leaders- particularly five-fold ministry gifts and faith-based marketplace leaders to lead with purpose, proficiency, and passion!- Dr. Lyn C. Inah 

Where is the Love?

What's on my mind?- Relationships between men and women.  Not just romantically. But in business, ministry and in the community- particularly among Believers.

Women, I know "all [your] life you've had to fight [sexism, misogyny,  discrimination, abuse etc]" but every man is not a chauvinistic hater. You don't have to be so rude and defensive to everyone with a penis. You don't have to compete with him. You don't have to  prove yourself to anyone except the Lord. The word says study  to show yourself approved unto GOD! (2 Timothy 2:15)

Please keep in mind, you don't have to defer to every man just because he's a man. The ONLY man who automatically gets your deference is YOUR husband. You don't have to shrink back into false humility and false meekness to cater to inflated egos.  Blessed are the peace MAKERS- not status quo keepers. 

Sometimes you have to disturb the status quo so that things come into alignment with godly standards. But be careful. Don't react defensively  as a trauma response to abuse. Go with God, in the character and nature of God with the wisdom of God as you speak the truth in love.

Men, God blessed humanity- male and female to be fruitful, multiply, and have dominion in the earth.  (Gen 1:27-28) You're not the head of every woman. Just your wife. (Ephesians  5:22) Unless there's  some other established line of authority, you and everyone else- including women, owe each other the same level of honor and respect- honor all humanity, love sisters and brothers in Christ,  respect leadership offices [without regard to the  gender of the person who occupies the office].(1 Peter 2:17)

I sometimes sit back and discern  the hearts of men toward women and watch the actions of women toward men, and I'm troubled- deeply!😪 Where is the love? 🙏🏾  That's what's on my mind right now- love and mutual respect and admiration among men and women of God.

Look to God and Live!

Some of you have gone through a season of trials and tribulations that has literally caused you to curse God and die!  And the worst part is you don't even know it.  How? You may ask. 

One aspect of cursing someone is to say that a person is without significance. Some of us have made our issues larger than the God we claim to trust, obey and serve.  By focusing on the challenges rather than focusing on God some have begun to doubt, waiver, and lose your zeal for the things of God.  Your worship life, prayer life, word life are all declining. 

You are literally DYING spiritually! God is not at the center of your thoughts, emotions and devotion.  You've made God insignificant in the matter.   I have been there. In fact, if I am really honest with myself I am in  a place of asking God for God's grace to recenter and refocus my attention on Him rather than what has been going on around me for the past four or five years. Its been  challenging to say the least. But God! God us faithful. 

When challenges arise, one of best things we can do as one man of God advised me is to "Move forward with God!"   Remember, God is sovereign.  Whatever you're going through God allowed it.  If you die and you're in Jesus, you will go home to be with the Lord.  That's a win!  If you live through it, God is with you in the fire.  God causes all things to work together for your good.  That's a win! James said we should consider it pure JOY when we go through trials and tribulations!  

Look for the God factor even in the midst of the trial.  You, your trials, and tribulations are present in the fire.  Look for the fourth One in the fire! When trouble comes, don't do as Job's wife advised him to do by cursing God and dying.  Do as a wise woman of God- The Rev. Dr. Marguerite Dorothy Doctor, told me when we suffered the loss of our son in 2020- "Look to God and live!"  I didn't FULLY understand what she was TRULY saying in that moment.  But her words had spirt and life in them and I was encouraged.  Those words stirred something within me. 

When trouble comes- Look to GOD and LIVE!!