Merry Christmas from Healthy Leaders!
Plus: Top posts from the year, and a free e-book offer!
Dear friends,
Merry Christmas from all of us at Healthy Leaders!
We are so thankful that you have chosen to walk with us this year at Healthy Leaders.
As 2025 comes to a close, we are reflecting on the goodness of God and the ways He has been faithfully at work, both in our own lives and in the lives of leaders around the world whom we have the privilege to serve. Time and again, we have witnessed God forming leaders who are rooted more deeply in Christ and equipped to build others.
As we close this year, more than any plan or program, what stands out most clearly is the faithfulness of God Himself.
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20–21)
We serve a God whose power is not limited by our resources, strength or understanding. He is always at work, building His Church and advancing His purposes in ways that bring Him glory.
Those ways are often at play in the smallest corners of the world, in the unseen works of character, service and pursuit of God. He is working in leaders like you and I, as we fix our eyes on Him, the Founder and Perfector of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).
A Few Year-End Gifts
Below you’ll find a few of our favorite Healthy Leaders posts from this year, along with a few favorites from Malcolm Webber (who you should definitely subscribe to if you haven’t yet!)
And as a holiday gift, right now at our website, if you sign-up for email updates, you can get a free e-book of your choice! Just find the book you want, scroll down to enter your information, and we’ll send it your way.
The Best of Healthy Leaders: 2025
It’s natural for leaders to fall prey to laziness, discouragement, or exhaustion — especially when we are trying to push people forward out of pride, fear, duty, or just our own strength mixed with any shreds of passion we can muster up.
But we do not live natural lives in Christ. In Him, we have new life! And our new life in Him means we pursue His highest purposes for us and those we lead. In Him, we can act!
Effective managers are cheerleaders, facilitators, coaches and nurturers. They build through people. Strong people skills enable managers to unleash others’ energy and potential, and help them grow as future managers and leaders.
To some in the leadership space, managers are just obstacles to overcome on the way to realizing the leader’s potential. They get in the way of progress with their insistence on organization and details.
But nothing could be further from the truth! A good manager can provide steady support and essential critique in the journey toward a leader’s vision, as well as essential insight into how to achieve it.
As a leader you must ask yourself: Am I actively seeking Jesus? Am I spending deep time in His presence, looking at Him? Am I relying on Him for all things, and surrendering all things to Him?
This is not a one-and-done exercise, but a whole-life posture. There is no health or wholeness outside of Christ, and if we pursue leadership or building leaders outside of dependence on Him we will crash and burn.
As you are reflecting on your place in this — whether manager or leader — take a moment to remember the source of all of this: your relationship with Jesus. He will never leave you nor forsake you in the task before you. Your dependency on Him is directly related to your capacity to fulfill the task He’s given you in your organization or church. God is calling you into deep dependency on Him. His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.
The Best of Malcolm’s Musings: 2025
Do Christians Have Two Natures?
Paul gives us a path of victory! We do not have to walk in the old lifestyle, dominated by sin, unable to overcome the flesh, but, in Christ we are now able to walk in newness of life. We are able to live “according to the Spirit.” We are free from sin and death. We are alive to God and empowered to actually walk in righteousness.
“The Letter Kills, But the Spirit Gives Life”
This axiom is particularly popular in Pentecostal and Charismatic circles. Any time someone wants to declare that the ministry of the Holy Spirit is preferable to the ministry of the Word of God, he proclaims, “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” Of course, this becomes a convenient way to avoid the discipline and hard work of diligently studying the Bible. Moreover, this axiom is particularly useful when someone quotes a Scripture that we do not like. We simply declare that we have chosen the higher and “living” road of being “led by the Spirit” rather than being slaves merely to the written “dead” Word!
God Is All-Knowing
Another way that God is infinite is in His knowledge. He is “omniscient,” or all-knowing. Over and over in Scripture we read of the infinity of God’s knowledge. It is “perfect,” and “beyond measure!”
The Influence of Greek Culture on Theological Education Today
This is knowledge for its own sake — whether or not it is of any practical significance. This explains why Western societies are content to spend billions of dollars in scientific research on outer space, when multitudes of people still live in poverty on our own planet. This is why some Christian theologians spend their lives studying nuances of obscure doctrines when hundreds of entire people groups still do not have a single church.
The Heart of Servant and Abusive Leadership
A leader who tells the people, “Your role is to help me achieve my vision!” is, by definition, an abusive leader. The true servant leader equips the people to function properly and fulfill their purpose in God (Ephesians 4:11-13)!
In contrast, the true servant may, at times, be tough toward the people he leads. Many times, Jesus rebuked His disciples. He was not always “nice” to them. However, it was always in their best interests!
We are thankful for your friendship in the Gospel, and your support of LeaderSource work in the nations. We hope that our writings here have been encouraging, convicting and equipping in your leadership and life with God.
May God bless you and your loved ones richly in the new year!
Until next time (in 2026), we’re with you.
— Chris (for all of us at LeaderSource)