Leadership Tips & Training Jubilation Retrieval

Are you a jubilant leader? Jubilation is defined as, "uninhibited rejoicing in the celebration of a victory or success."   It has been hard to be a jubilant leader this past session, as each week the members would gain as many pounds as they lost. I tried challenges, games, care groups, and prizes for those who met the challenges. Each week someone brought in a First Place lunch. We had a personal trainer who led an exercise class before our meeting each week and presented a fitness spotlight at our weekly meeting. I started the session with great excitement and hope. However, my excitement gave way to disappointment and discouragement. What was I doing wrong? I gave my all, but with seemingly little or no progress. My bag of tricks is empty! I would have to say that I am not a jubilant leader at this point.

As I prepared to write my monthly article, I discovered that July's newsletter was to be centered around the concept of jubilation and I was having a hard time being jubilant. The discipline of scripture memory has taught me to keep seeking truth, even through the hard times. So that is what I did- I sought truth. When I focused on the word jubilation, my mind went immediately to Psalm 100. The Psalm begins, "Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing." My eyes kept going back to "serve the Lord with gladness." That was my answer! Leaders are to serve the Lord with gladness. It is all about the attitude of the heart. As I studied Psalm 100, I discovered some practical ways to retrieve my jubilation that had slipped away over the session:

• Come before Him. (v 2) Having a consistent quiet time is essential in harvesting a jubilant attitude. I had gotten into a rut of making my quiet times just a way to check off my Bible study commitment, rather than really coming before a Holy God with reverence and awe. I now set aside my Bible study book and first focus on God, spend time praising Him for who He is and thanking Him for what He has done in my life. 

•  Recognize that God is God and you are not. (v.3) In my plans for the session, I left out a key ingredient:   God!   Wow, I had relied on my bag of tricks to get me through the session, rather than relying on God's creative power and strength. 

• Live as God's people. (v.3) We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. We were discussing sheep in our First Place class this week and my co-leader gave some interesting facts about sheep and their shepherd.   She said that many times there would be several shepherds traveling together with each having their own flock. They would corral them all together and even though they had no visible markings, they were able to separate them again when it was time to move on. She said the sheep knew the voice of their shepherd and would come when their shepherd called them. As God's sheep, we know His voice and as His people, we are able to enter His gates with thanksgiving because of that knowledge. Just knowing God personally should cause us to be jubilant sheep, kicking up our heels as He leads us day by day. 

• Have a thankful attitude. (vs. 4-5)   Even though my class did not lose much weight and they seemed a little lackadaisical, I can still choose to be a jubilant leader. It is a choice. Proverbs 15:15 is one of my all time favorite attitude verses:  "All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast." (NAS)   When I choose to be cheerful, thankful or jubilant, it is amazing what a feast of blessings I discover!   As I went through my class roster, I discovered many answers to prayer, memorized verses, new relationships, healed relationships, new jobs, safe trips, and restored joy. There was truly a reason to be a jubilant leader!

If you find yourself in the same boat I have been in, jump out and swim in the ocean of God's amazing feast of blessings! I pray that you will become the jubilant leader that will lead your precious members to also find the joy that only comes by placing Jesus first in life. 

Lead on!

Nancy Taylor
Leadership Training Director



Nancy Taylor is the First Place Leadership Training Director and joined the First Place staff in 1997. Nancy teaches leadership principles to First Place Leaders throughout the country and at Houston's First Baptist Church where she coordinates all the First Place groups. Nancy also speaks at First Place workshops, rallies, retreats, and conferences, where she delights her audiences with humor and encourages them with boldness. She writes a monthly article, which includes helpful tips for leaders, for the First Place E-newsletter, and was a contributing writer to the Today is the First Day devotional book. Nancy is the resident First Place Bible Concordance because of her love for Scripture memory.