David CM Bell Leadership Blog

 Leadership in Crisis           In times of tariffs and market volatility, we naturally worry.  Yet Jesus commands us not to worry (Matthew 6:25).  These are times to depend on God, increase our productivity, store up treasure where it ought to be stored, and grow.           Christ-commissioned leaders seek to advance God’s Kingdom in all spheres of our lives.  And in good times, and bad.  Green market days and red.  So in these troubled waters let’s lead with confidence in Christ.  It’s not too hard to see when a storm is coming, but when you are amid a gale the calm seems far off.  Depend on God.  Pray.  Lead.  Serve others.  And keep checking your priorities.  Are they world-focused or Kingdom-focused?            Jesus says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need...

Prepare to Lead           Our source of commitment is also the source of our courage.  God-driven men look to Jesus Christ in prayer for conviction and guidance.  God is building our character.  It takes time.  Through God's guidance we prepare to lead.  That is, we are granted His perspective as we prepare, assess risk and opportunity, and then embark on His campaign.           America needs courageous leadership.  Nay, our families need bold, risk-taking spiritual leaders.  We need more Calebs and Joshuas.  I saw a post this morning by Elon Musk on the need for school boards in Northern Virginia to stop teaching gender ideologies in elementary school.  It’s amazing who God uses to lead.             Many Gen Xers have been waiting a long time to lead.  Elon, an Xer himself, got the memo early.  I’m thankful for his guts and convictio...

  Leadership Commitment          As business leaders, we need to think about our commitment level.  What are we committed to and why?  I remember in the '90s when stock options were the rage.  Yes, they were a piece of the puzzle, but what initially drove WestJet to success ain't working now is it!  Why would our employees, volunteers, and teammates be committed at all?  What's the magic of drive and determination?  I think the answer lies in the example and authenticity of what drives the leader.  Let's talk about it for a minute.           As dads, husbands, lawyers, engineers, pastors, deacons, construction foremen, nurses, doctors, etc. we can and do get complacent.  Jesus gives us the servant leadership model in the church because that is how He leads.  It’s the way God provides for His people as He builds His Kingdom.           No matter our leader...

  Leadership Choices           Throughout the Bible God uses the word, ‘choose’.  We can, nay, must choose because God gives us volition.  Jesus says, “Choose a good reputation over great riches; being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold” (Proverbs 22:1).  Godly leaders choose wisely.  We plan well, work hard, administer efficiently, foresee danger and opportunity, associate with good people, listen, learn, and take wise precautions.           This may come as a surprise for those of you from Kansas, but there are corrupt people in the church.  Where there are people there is sin.  The Bible tells us that corrupt, evil people choose their thorny and treacherous path.  It is not their lot in life, they choose it.  They choose to reject God.  They choose to lord their power over others and to abuse the authority God grants.  They choose to take rather than give....

  Leadership - Crisis in Confidence           There’s a lot of talk these days of a constitutional crisis.  The US Constitution has stood the test of time; God willing, it will continue to serve the cause of freedom well.  We do, however, have a crisis.  We have a crisis of confidence in the leadership of our nation.  We see grifters using leadership roles in government, for-profits, and non-profits to selfishly enrich themselves off the backs of the US taxpayer.  That is all being exposed.  Thank God.           But how did we get here?  How is it possible in the post-Enron era where we supposedly have financial integrity and transparency?  Apparently, Sarbanes-Oxley can't save us.  Doge is revealing to us that it's a wild west of waste in the nonprofit sector and in government.  How is it possible (Truman would be rolling over in his grave) that the Pentagon can’t pass an ...

 John 21 - French Toast           Each of us has a responsibility to respond to God.  We will be remembered - and rewarded - for what we believe and do.  By God’s grace and through Jesus we may directly appeal to the Father.  We can ask for anything (John 15:7 and James 4:3).  We can speak to God, hear from God, and have a genuine relationship with the Almighty.             But when we think of God, speak to God, and act as His ambassadors do we show Jesus the respect and reverence that all of the disciples did in the last two chapters of John and then into the explosive growth of the church recorded in Acts?  Would the Holy Father want His Son’s name associated with us, our families, and our organizations?           Jesus tells Peter to take care of His sheep.  Jesus doesn’t need many words (or any words) to give us directions that will change our lives...

 John 20:30-31 - Humility and Thanks           We read the Bible every day to have a deep relationship with Jesus.  John tells us that the purpose of the Bible is so that we may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and so that by believing in Jesus we will have a godly and productive life now and an eternal life with God through trusting in Jesus (20:30-31).          We are to lead and live with humility and gratefulness.   Yes, the Bible is extremely practical.  But it is more than that.  God’s word is alive.  It penetrates and molds our very thoughts and motives and calls us to follow the example of obedience and reminds us of the consequences of following the example of disobedience (Hebrews 4:11-12).           In this time of Lent I’m astonished at how fast I drift.  Strong one moment and weak the next.  We need constant minding and mending....

 John 20 - Freedom and Responsibility - Leading with Confidence           The crazy thing about Jesus is that He truly loves us.  Risen from the dead He showed Himself to Mary and said, “...go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’” (20:17).  What an incredible blessing for Mary.  What a loving and exciting blessing for His dear friends.  Jesus is like one of those people (not me) who knows how to plan really good gifts.  He enjoys the giving and loves to creatively show His love to us.  "So don't be misled, my dear brothers.  Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.   He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.  He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word.  And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession" (James 1:16-18).      ...

 John 19 - Friends, Family & the Meaning of Life           Just a quick blog this morning as I’ve enjoyed some coffee and am getting ready to go to Church here in Lynchburg, Virginia.  It’s interesting - I know my buddies and family members sometimes read my blog (I’m thankful for your encouragement!).  But I generally don’t know who the 1,500 or so readers per month are worldwide (I just checked the Google status and the top countries over the last week were, US, China, Canada, Germany, Singapore, Russia, Japan, Indonesia, and South Korea).  So whoever you are reading this blog, may God lavishly bless you as we read through Scripture together. I pray that we are all growing in Christ.          I was thinking this morning, and you may rightly say it's an oversimplification, that the  meaning of this life is about accepting or rejecting God.  He either is our Savior, our Lord and our King, or not....

 John 19 - A Man’s Man           Pilate was a man’s man, as far as Roman leaders went.  But he couldn’t hold a candle to the real Man (19:5), the King of Kings.  It’s easy to command others to flog another man with a lead-tipped whip - quite another thing to take such a punishment for the crimes of others.           By worldly standards, Pilate was a success; his mom was proud.  A warrior.  Like a lot of us, a Type A - maybe even an ENTJ.  Authoritative.  Decisive.  Cunning.  Bold.  Ambitious.  He met his mission’s objectives.  The Bible shows us that Pilate was a wicked man.  Arrogant.  Prideful.  Spiritually blind.  Ruthless.  Unjust.  And ultimately he was weak, pathetic, cruel, and foolish.  In the end, Pilate, like us all, will be judged by God.           Everything rises and falls on leade...

 John 18 - Good Counsel           The Bible says, "The godly offer good counsel; they teach right from wrong.  They have made God’s law their own, so they will never slip from his path” (Psalm 37:30).           In the mid to late ‘90s I was practicing securities law in Calgary, Alberta.  I was on for an investment bank in a public offering of securities for a mining issuer.  The lawyer for the mining company was at a boutique securities firm.  The firm, no longer in existence, had a bad reputation.  They were smart lawyers, made a ton of money, but they were also hard partiers and they were horrible to deal with.  You could not trust them.  As I was reading through the draft prospectus on behalf of my I-bank client, my job was to compare it to what the independent engineering report said.  I found that the prospectus had overstated the amount of the gold in the reserves - by a lot....