Leadership Tips & Training Every Leader Needs a Spring Break!

As a high school student living on the gulf coast of Texas, I anxiously awaited the week of Spring Break. Spring Break meant spending long carefree days in Galveston at the beach with my friends. We would stuff our beach bags with beach towels, sunglasses, suntan lotion, and other beach paraphernalia as we prepared to take a much needed (or so we thought) break from our daily routines. This was a time to get some rest, have some fun, and just forget about all our cares.

As we are now standing at the threshold of another Spring Break season, I long to spend a week at the beach sinking my feet in the sand and I letting the warm breeze take all my cares away. But wait, that is not reality, or is it? Wouldn’t you like to take a Spring Break from your leadership routine? We all need a time to break away from all the daily activities in order to be refreshed and re-charged. A leader who is tired and drained of enthusiasm will eventually zap their members of their strength, as well. A leader must take time to freshen up mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. Let’s take a look at four beach activities that a leader can do on Spring Break, whether at the beach or at home.

Standing on the sandy shore. One of my favorite beach activities is to walk along the shore and stop a while to allow the waves to come in and break against my legs. This reminds me of one of my very favorite quotes of Gene Warr, a godly businessman, “Keep standing at the shore, the tide will come in.” The daily disciplines of prayer, scripture reading, Bible study, and scripture memory, when practiced over a long period of time, will result in spiritual growth. Consistently making wise food choices, exercising and keeping a Commitment Record will result in improved fitness. The key here is consistency. If you stand at the shore, you will consistently see the waves roll in, hour by hour, and the tide will eventually follow. In turn, when the leader consistently keeps the commitments and diligently leads members to do the same, growth will eventually follow.

Soaking up the sun. When I was young and ignorant to the damaging effects of the sun, I would lay out on my beach towel, skin lathered with baby oil, and dream of wearing white shorts with bronzed legs. It felt so relaxing to lie down and just soak up the warm rays and drift in and out of sleep. To stay refreshed year round, a leader must make time to soak up the Son! If you haven’t been consistent in time alone with God, take time now and begin daily spending time in His presence soaking up His truth. Every week I ask the Lord to give me personal insights to share with my members during our Bible study discussion time. He is always faithful to use the devotional book I am going through at the time, or a Bible verse I am memorizing, to speak to my heart about a subject that perfectly parallels the First Place Bible Study. Soaking up the Son daily, you will not only be able to talk the talk, you will be empowered to walk the walk. You will become an authentic leader who shares out of personal experience. Members can see when a leader has been soaking up Jesus – He just shines through!

Sitting under the umbrella. I love the colorful beach umbrellas and those wonderful adjustable lounge chairs. I don’t think I had much appreciation for them as a teenager, but as an adult they are a necessity! Sitting under the umbrella not only keeps me cool, but my skin is now protected from the damaging ultraviolet rays. It is like an oasis on the hot sandy beach. Also, I am able to read my magazine much better without the glare of the hot sun. Just as the umbrella protects from the heat and glare of the sun, the Lord protects those who choose to take shelter in His presence. Psalm 3:3 proclaims the truth of His protection, “But Thou, O LORD, art a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.” When we choose to submit to the Lord and obey His Word, He becomes the umbrella that protects us from walking outside of His perfect will. It is as simple as, “You will get sun burned if you sit outside the shade of the umbrella, but will not get burned if you sit under the umbrella!” Don’t be a sunburned rebel, but be an example to your members of one who has chosen to live under the Lordship of Christ, sitting under the authority of His truth.

Building sand castles. A leader’s Spring Break at the beach would not be complete without building a sand castle. When I would go to the beach with my brother and sister, we would get busy, our shovels and buckets in hand, creating beautiful castles. We built them far up on the beach, safe from the destructive waves. However, as the day wore on, the waves would slowly creep up the beach and eventually wash over the castles, leaving no evidence of our creative work. Have you built any castles lately? Sand castles represent dreams. Has the Lord placed a dream in your heart? Do you have a plan to live out that dream? Have you lost hope in an unrealized dream? Take heart and this Spring Break rekindle the dream you thought was lost, or ask God to give you a new dream. I have had a dream to write a book about scripture memory for several years now. I had put it in the back of my mind and allowed fear of failure to wash over my dream and it lay dormant for a while. Now, the Lord has used people and circumstances in my life to rekindle the dream once more. This dream has renewed my passion for the Word and placed an urgency within me to complete this dream. Having a dream gives one hope and purpose. A leader with a dream gives that hope to her members. It naturally flows out in her leadership. Get busy building castles this spring break!

This spring, take to the beach, even if only in your mind, consistently standing on the shore, soaking up the Son and resting under His umbrella of truth, all the while seeking to know His dream for your life. Jeremiah 29:11

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.