This one was a true eye opener for me as it hit home in so many areas that I could be effective and in so many areas that I was completely ineffective.  The Inner Core.  Most of us have one of these, in fact we probably have more than one and for different parts or aspects of our lives.  You may see them as something else but when I make the connection you'll probably say, "oooohhhh yeah...really, yeah, I guess".  Let me show you: your family, those few co-workers that you tell/vent your work stuff to, the neighbors or couples that you have over for whatever occassion; you get the idea, its those people who you have decided to share more of your life with than everybody else.  We put these groups together because we inherantly feel the need to have to share our pains, struggles, experiences and the rest of our lives with.  Oddly enough, Jesus had the same principal and in fact modeled how effective that small group can be.  Do you really think that Jesus was able to keep the church going by speaking to crowds and healing masses to prove himself to us?  Absolutely not, Jesus was able to get the church to become the largest organization world wide because he taught just a few.  He even had an inner circle inside his inner circle, inside the twelve he had Peter, James and John whom he past some of the most important instructions/lessons on to.  Now when I step back and try to relate to this and figure out where I fit in this, I can see a few places that I have this opportunity but didn't understand how I fit into it or what my role was.  

First, for my family, here is a huge failing of mine.  I never, up until recently, understood my role as husband, father and head of household.  I just coasted thru so much of these first years and blew so many opportunities to be the leader I was supposed to be.  Let me explain, see, I am the head of my household.  Now, by virtue of that position, it comes with some pretty hefty responsibilities; 1. I am, first but a leader among equals - I DO NOT STAND ABOVE MY WIFE BUT BESIDE HER, when we were married the Lord recognized us as ONE, not one before the other.  2. Because I am the man and woman came from man, I am responsible for her.  Every decision that is made out of my house (whether I've personally made it or not) is my responsibility - I am the one held accountable for all of them (in other words, I provide all the top cover), this IS the way it is.  If you have issues with that, you need to take it up with the Lord and have a serious heart to heart if you feel your not up to the challenge.  

Secondly, to my Soldiers, the Army has done a good job of not giving you more than one can handle.  It's weird, I guess I never looked at it this way, but even at the highest levels, those who are in charge, really don't have many people they directly manage or lead on a one-to-one level.  The Army doesn't give you 10,000 Soldiers to manage but what they do give you is 10-20 Soldiers you can affect and pass along your guidance and your mentorship.  Now, I will say that the Army does a good job at teaching me how to be a leader but the linkage on the importance is sometimes fuzzy - and if it's fuzzy even with the amount of material the Army puts together to teach you, its no wonder I've had a hard time trying to figure out this whole husband/father thing.

So, where does that leave me, what can I take away from this to help be a better leader in my house, in my community and for my Soldiers?  Well first, if I aspire to be a better leader, I must assess my strengths and weaknesses and have a plan to improve them.  For my family that means I need to start being that one who teaches them what I've been taught as they are the ones who my legacy will be lived out thru.  This needs to be my inner-inner core, these are the ones who can truly represent me long after I am gone (no, I'm not being prideful in saying that I want to be remembered, but its what about me that I want carried out like my devotion to the Lord and to my family).  I have to find a way to do this, when I get home, maybe I can use a method I read in a book once and use meal times as a way to gather and teach...I wonder where I could have picked that up from.  Next, if I'm not a leader in one of the circles I travel, then who have I sought out as my leader to learn from or am I apart of someone's inner circle to be taught; or am I just a part of the crowd being spoken to.  If that is the case, then I need to be asking myself, "why", "what's holding me back from being part of the inner circle or a leader in that circle", and "who do I need to look to as an example to follow if I want to be either a leader or a better leader?

Another book that I picked up that can help you understand this whole inner-core thing better is called "The Master Plan of Evangelism".  It was a deeper dive into truly understanding the inner-core and why it's so vitally important.

That's all I got for you tonight, keep writing this stuff down, you'll eventually get to apply this to your Soldiers and when you get home - just don't forget the lessons learned with it.