December 9, 2025 • 36 mins
We examine the burden and privilege of leadership, why words without action mislead, and how intentional direction shapes the people who follow us. We share hard lessons from ministry, mentorship, and everyday life about clearing the path, carrying the weight, and choosing the narrow way.
Cam Crusher
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Grace and peace.
Grace and peace, everybody, andwelcome to another rendition of
the Moral Compass Chronicles.
I am your boy.
I'm your brother.
Some of you, I'm your bigbrother.
Some of you, I'm your littlebrother.
But I'm Eyon J.
That's E Y-O-N-J-A-Yeverywhere.
Instagram, Twitter, TikTok,YouTube, Eyon Johnson.
(04:17):
And it is a pleasure and aprivilege to be here with you
all yet again.
I really want to dive into thisthing.
I would like to inform you thatthis particular episode, this
particular chronicle, is broughtto you by Camp Crusher.
If you didn't hear the messagebefore, rewind it.
(04:37):
Rewind it.
Listen back to it.
You'll hear me talking moreabout Camp Crusher moving
forward.
I want to jump right into thismessage.
Now, I found myself in a littlebit of a situation, and the
truth is, it may not have been asituation for most people, but
(05:03):
I found it to be a bit of asituation for me.
Why?
Um, somebody might say that Itake certain things a little too
seriously, somebody might saythat, you know, maybe I care a
little bit too much about otherpeople.
(05:23):
Uh, and the list could probablygo on and on.
But I found, and I wrote thisthought down, I found it
unsettling, and I'm not gonnatell you what the situation was,
but I'm gonna talk about thethought that has come to me
(05:46):
based on this situation that hasarisen in my life.
I have come to theunderstanding over my years of
living that it is imperativethat we lead people the right
way, or else we are going tolead them astray.
(06:08):
We've gotta lead people theright way, or else we are going
to lead them astray.
Now, I asked myself thisquestion, and it was for me, but
I want to share it with us allbecause this I I want to s a lot
(06:31):
of us see ourselves as leaders.
Um, and a lot of times we likethe idea of being a leader, but
we don't like to do the workthat leadership requires.
Okay?
Now I asked myself thisquestion, and I asked us all
this question.
(06:51):
Are we really leaders?
And if so, are we good ones?
Are we good leaders?
What type of leadershipcapabilities or qualities do we
possess?
And I just want somebody toknow that if you do possess any
(07:18):
of these qualities, it was Godgiven, whether you believe it or
not.
Now, with these gifts andtalents to lead people and lead
in particular areas, some of usmay be the left arm in the body,
some of us may be the rightear.
I may be the left foot, theleft toe, one of the toes on the
(07:43):
left foot.
Somebody else may be the hair,somebody may be the hands, you,
my brother, you might be theheart pumping the blood to the
rest of the body, somebody elsemight be the lungs.
Where are you?
And now, in that particularcapacity, if you are called to
be leading, and to some degreewe all are, and I'm gonna get
(08:07):
into that in a second, but ifyou're called to be leading, are
you doing what you are supposedto be doing as a leader?
Um, I have found that peoplewill do what they see you do.
Now, myself, I have foundmyself in leadership positions
(08:29):
over the course of my life, andeven currently within my own
youth department, I find myselfbeing the president of my youth
department at my church andordained minister.
I'm in ministry and I've led inother capacities.
(08:50):
I've always been a leader infriend groups that I've been in,
and um I I have seen thatpeople will do what they see you
do.
People will listen to what yousay, and the smart ones will
(09:12):
listen to what you say and watchwhat you do afterward.
And so we've got to be reallycareful a lot of times with what
we're saying.
Are we giving are we giving offthe perception of being a
leader?
Are we are we talking about itmore so than being about it?
(09:38):
Um, that is something that Ihave found.
I got to a point in my lifewhere I'm like, yo, I don't even
want to talk no more.
I don't even want to doanything.
And I remember I actually hadthis podcast episode topic.
I never actually got to it, andit was about uh essentially not
(10:00):
even not talking about what youwant to do before actually
doing it, because people willhold what you say against you.
If you talk about what you wantto do, you could have the best
intentions in the world.
You could have the bestintentions in the world, and you
talk about what you intend todo as a leader in this, all
right?
We're talking about leadership,right?
(10:20):
As a leader, I talk about whatI intend to do, what's on my
heart to do, what I want to do.
And when you if you don't getit done, people will hold it
against you.
People will hold it againstyou, and so that sometimes
leadership, and I'm I'm teachinghere, sometimes leadership is
knowing I can't talk abouteverything.
(10:41):
I can't even talk about I I Ihave I have my my committee that
I work with, and I have somethings planned for uh a few
weeks down the line.
I told them I haven't even, andpeople are asking me about it.
I have plans I haven't evenshared with you yet.
That's one of the reasons why.
People oftentimes, and I alsomostly because I wasn't led to
(11:04):
yet, but people will take whatyou say and use it against you.
Some people yo, some people arediabolical like that too.
And you could have the best ofintentions, fellas.
Let me tell you something,fellas.
Don't talk about what you wantto do for your woman.
Do it.
And I know there's a there's athere's a woman somewhere who
agrees with me.
Women are tired of hearing ustalk.
(11:26):
Women are tired of hearing ustalk, fellas.
So as a man and as a leader,you want to do something for
your lady, your wife, yourgirlfriend, your your family,
your daughters, even yourdaughters.
I have a daughter now.
Don't talk about it.
Just do it, get it done.
Now, if it's something thatyou're gonna be working toward
with your wife, with your girl,whatever the case is, that's
(11:48):
different.
Surprises and stuff, bro.
Don't even talk about it.
Just get it done, my brother.
Because if a lot of times welive in a world where it will be
held against you.
I'm talking from experience.
I have been there.
I have been there.
I have been there.
(12:09):
So, let me, and I don't want toget too far off topic here.
We're talking about leadership.
We're talking about leadership.
You've got to lead people inthe right way, or else you're
gonna lead them astray.
And every leader, watch this.
Every leader is a directiongiver to some degree.
(12:30):
All right.
If you are, I've I used to saythis years ago.
If you're not leading peopletoward God, if you're not being
intentional about drawing peoplecloser to God, if you are
keeping friends and peoplearound you that don't that don't
draw you nearer to him, theywill be drawing you away from
(12:55):
God.
I probably there's there's noin-between, there's no like, you
know, little bit, little bit ofJesus here, little bit there,
little bit of the world here,little bit of the world there,
you know, half and half, nah.
That's called lukewarm.
(13:15):
And that that's not, I don'twant to go down that path too
much, but that's lukewarm.
As a leader, if you are notleading, intentionally leading
people in the right direction,which is to God, you're leading
them away from God.
If you're somebody who, likemyself, who has you're you know
(13:40):
the Lord as your your your yourpersonal savior, and yet you
have these people in yourcircle, and they may not know
God for themselves, and you'renot drawing them closer to him,
(14:03):
you're not using thatopportunity to say, hey, listen,
yo, do you have you heard thegood news?
Have you heard the good news?
If that's not something you'redoing, like myself, I I put I'm
putting myself out there onFront Street right now.
This is because this is thelife I used to live, right?
I've known Jesus my whole life,grew up in church, knew right
(14:26):
from wrong, knew what was gonnahappen eventually.
I knew I know how all of thisis gonna end, right?
Yet I find myself partyingevery week.
Yet I find myself smoking anddrinking every day with some of
these people.
So mind you, I know I know whatI'm supposed to be doing versus
(14:47):
what I'm not supposed to bedoing.
Yet I'm not walking the rightway.
I found myself astray.
I felt I found myself walkingon that broad road, right?
That that road that the Biblesays leads to destruction.
(15:08):
Not the narrow one, right?
Walking the right way is a verynarrow path.
And I didn't find my, I wasn'ton that path, right?
I found myself on that broadpath.
And now, me who knows who Jesusis, right?
I know right from wrong, I knowwhat I'm supposed to be doing.
I find myself having thatconscience, right, of what I'm
(15:31):
supposed to be doing, the lifeI'm supposed to be living, and
not only am I not living thatlife, but I've got all of these
people who are following me, whoI'm following.
We're all friends, and we'rewe're we're we're living this
life outside of God, outside ofthe safety that He provides,
outside of that promise ofthings to come, exceedingly
(15:54):
abundantly, above all that evenwe could ask or think is to
come.
Right?
Where our minds can't evenperceive the glory that is yet
to be revealed.
We're not on that path.
I and I should know better, butnow I am not leading them to
(16:16):
God.
I'm leading them away from Godbecause I'm not being
intentional.
I found myself not beingintentional about saying, hey,
have you heard the good news?
Do you want to come to churchwith me?
Do you know Jesus?
Does he live in your heart?
Do you what what's your youryou know what's your level of
spirituality, right?
Do you uh what is spiritualityto you?
(16:36):
That's a good question to asksomebody nowadays, because you
got to be careful now.
What what does what does theword spiritual mean to you?
What does it mean to bespiritual?
Are you a spiritual person?
In what ways are you spiritual?
What spirit what's what whatpractices?
I guess what do you practice?
(16:57):
Right?
So we we leadership influenceswhether we mean for it to or
not.
Our influence will our our ourleadership will influence
people, whether we want it to orwe don't want it to.
(17:17):
There's there's no nobody leadsin neutral, right?
You're either in drive oryou're in reverse, especially
young people.
I I find myself saying, like,it's so much that's where my
heart is.
Young men specifically, liketalking to them and working with
(17:38):
them.
Because I mean, we I and I wasonce a young man who needed
that.
You know what I'm saying?
Maybe that's why, because Irelate so well.
And shout out to my young boys,my young bulls, y'all know who
y'all are.
Uh the truth is, some most theydon't even listen to this
podcast, probably.
That's the truth.
Some people who may need it themost, those young men who may
(17:59):
need it the most.
The Moral Compass Chronicles,the idea behind this podcast is
for them, it's tailored towardthem.
But this is not something theywant to hear more most times.
And so, as a leader, it'simportant that we reach them
(18:20):
however we need to.
Especially young people.
Especially young people.
And they're watching what we'redoing more than we think they
are.
I guess maybe I I don't know ifI'm talking like a father.
I feel like one.
They're they're watching whenwe don't think they're watching.
(18:41):
Even so, even when we thinkthey're don't, they're they're
not listening.
Speaker (18:46):
They're listening.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
If we don't show them the path to righteousness, the
world will show the path todestruction.
That's all that's out there.
That's all that's out there.
There's um there's a scripturethat says uh it talks about well
before I even get there, beforeI even get there, we're talking
(19:13):
about leadership and the factthat if you don't lead people
the right way, you're gonna beleading them astray, right?
And I kind of I kind of went ona little tangent there.
It's so funny.
This scripture came to my mind,and then as I began to research
scriptures, this is one of thefirst ones that came up.
(19:34):
James.
James chapter 3.
It says, Be not many masters,my brethren, be not many
masters, masters as in teachers,leadership positions, be not
many masters, knowing that weshall receive the greater
condemnation.
Leaders, I'm talking to you.
Leaders, I'm talking to you.
(19:54):
You who you live your life assomebody who other people look
up to.
You are somebody who you have aspecific arena that you're in
where you're looked at as aleader, and other people,
(20:17):
whether it's one or one hundred,are looking to you, and they're
looking at you, and they followwhat you do or say.
It could be a thousand people,you could be a pastor, you could
be an usher, you could be ayoung brother, you could be an
(20:37):
athlete, you're a leader on yourteam, you could be uh a
supervisor at your job.
I I have found this scripture,it it can relate to all of these
things.
Be not many masters, don't beso quick to want to be a leader,
(21:00):
because you who are called toleadership, you shall receive
the greater condemnation.
Now, biblically, that has a lotmore weight to it than even
like you as a supervisor on yourjob.
As a supervisor on your job,you are tasked with overseeing
(21:22):
other people and theirperformance levels.
You it is literally your job asa supervisor to watch what your
employees are doing and tocorrect them accordingly.
And whatever the job is thatyou're doing, it is contingent
(21:43):
upon the performance.
Whatever the business is,whatever the arena, the entity,
whatever it is, the industry,whatever it may be, it's
contingent upon the performanceof the employees and the
performance and the supervisionof the manager or the
(22:05):
supervisor.
So if you're in a supervisoryrole at your job, it's it's
easier said than done,oftentimes.
And a lot of times when youtalk about the grass looking
greener, it looks better than itactually is sometimes.
Everybody wants to be thesupervisor, and everybody wants
the supervisor pay until it'stime to one take ownership of
(22:29):
the project, until it's time tooversee everybody and everyone
doing their job.
Some people would prefer to bean employee, you know.
Some people prefer to sit on asideline and chill and relax and
not have to worry about anybodyelse doing their job.
(22:52):
All I gotta do is my job.
I come to work, I clock in, Ido my job, and I'm out.
Nah.
Supervisors don't get to dothat.
Leaders, you don't get to dothat.
I told my boy the other day, hehe was telling me how, and and
this is out of context, but broknows the conversation, but I
can share it with you.
He was called to a leadershipposition.
(23:15):
He accepted the leadershipposition, and he told me that
some situations occurred, somesituations uh uh rose up, and he
decided, yo, this is a dub.
I'm done.
I I I'm in this leadershipposition, but I ain't doing this
no more because of this, this,this, and that.
That's it.
(23:35):
And I was like, yo, and wetalked, we talked, but
ultimately I had to tell him,yo, that is unacceptable.
That's unacceptable.
You're called to leadership,and it's not even like you step
down from the position, you'recalled to a job, you do that
job.
You agree, and that's that'sthe moral compass right there.
(24:00):
You've got to have that in youwhere you you you know what
what's right in a particularsituation, what it doesn't
matter what the circumstancesare, I'm not gonna allow these
(24:20):
circumstances to dictate what Ido.
I'm not gonna allow thesecircumstances to stop me from
giving my all.
I had we we we we had this talkback in July.
There's a chronicle here.
If you scroll up and look,there's an episode that is
(24:41):
titled Your Choices OutweighYour Current Circumstances.
Leaders understand this.
Oh, come on, somebody, talkwith me.
Somebody talk to me.
Your choices outweigh yourcurrent circumstances.
So as a leader, I've got tounderstand that even if I'm
(25:04):
placed in a situation, even ifI'm placed in a under under a
specific type of pressure, Idon't like the cards that I have
been dealt as a leader.
It's incumbent upon me to workit out, figure out a way.
I'm a leader, I'm not afollower.
(25:26):
I am not somebody who justshows up and sits down and gets
to chill while the snow is beingshoveled.
Nah, there's there's palletsand pallets of material that
need to go from outside.
(25:48):
They need to get into thewarehouse.
As a leader, I am not gonna sitback and just watch and stand
by and watch the materials getrained on.
Listen, if you want to be, ohLord, help me.
Help me here, Lord.
(26:09):
If you want to be somebody whosits back and watches the
materials get rained on, atleast be honest about it.
At least be honest about it.
Be honest about the fact thatyou do not want to be a leader.
(26:30):
Leadership is not just a role,it's a responsibility.
Let me get back to the notes.
Misleading someone, misleading.
That's where that word comesfrom, leadership.
Misleading, a lot of times wetalk about uh when you mislead
somebody, what's the first thingyou think about?
(26:50):
Lying, right?
You mislead somebody, you thinkabout somebody uh uh not uh
either lying to you or omittingsome truth.
If someone misleads you,typically we think of the fact
that they led you to believesomething other than what
actually was, right?
(27:10):
That's what it is to misleadsomebody.
But it's in the word.
The root of the word mislead islead.
Leadership.
You can mislead if you misleadpeople.
There's more than one way tomislead somebody.
I could lie to you, that couldbe misleading.
But misleading is me being in aleadership position and me not
(27:38):
charting the path clearly foryou.
Me charting the wrong path.
Me, I'm supposed to be leadingthe group, all right?
My SDA folks, pathfinders,right?
There's pathfind oh holy ghost,I thank you.
Oh my god, oh Lord, help me.
Help me here, Lord.
(27:58):
There's pathfinders, those arethe leaders, bro.
If I'm a pathfinder, I'm pavingthe way.
I'm the one out in front.
I'm cutting the bushes down.
I'm clearing a brush.
I'm getting rid of I'm seeingpoison ivy and I'm seeing
(28:21):
dangerous things, branches andand and chopped up wood.
I'm clearing the way if I'm aleader.
I'm making straight the path.
Come on, Pathfinders.
I'm finding the right way.
(28:42):
I'm learning the right way.
And you know what?
Sometimes, as oh, you know,this is not how this was
supposed to go.
If I'm doing all that, I may bethe one getting hurt.
Oh Lord.
I might be the one getting, I'mgonna be the one that gets cut
by that branch, that sharpbranch there.
I'm gonna get cut by it as I'mclearing it.
(29:04):
I'm the one who my skin isgonna rub up against the poison
ivy as I'm clearing the path forthose that are following behind
me.
My skin, I'm gonna be the onethat gets itchy skin now and
gotta go to the hospital becauseI got touched by the poison
ivy.
But once I clear that path,everyone following behind me is
(29:24):
gonna have a clear shot through.
Come on, somebody, talk to me.
Talk to me.
My brethren, be not manymasters, knowing this, that you
shall receive, that's Jameschapter 3 and verse 1, you shall
receive the greatercondemnation.
Watch this.
Matthew 15 says, if the blindlead the blind, both shall fall
(29:48):
into a ditch.
If the blind lead the blind,both shall fall into a ditch.
So as a leader, I can't bemisleading you if I'm called to
be a leader.
In whatever the capacity.
Let me tell you guys, it'simportant, it's important to be
(30:11):
filled with the Spirit of Godbecause I had a little bit of a
plan.
Even the plan I was unsure of,and I had no clue how this was
gonna go, but I can feel as theLord speaks, I can feel him
directing me in a certain way,which was not the plan.
Come on, Pathfinders.
Where are the Pathfinders?
(30:32):
Where are the Pathfinders outthere?
Where are the Pathfinders?
You are called to find thepath.
And when the path is found, andthe path is clear, now it's
time to walk straight.
It's time to walk straight.
And you've got to lead thepeople down the right way.
(30:56):
And watch this.
Some of us are pathfinders, butwe're young.
And there was a pathfinderbefore us.
And there was a way that wasset out for us to walk.
And there is there areinstructions on what I'm
(31:18):
supposed to be doing.
Come on, somebody.
There is a way that seems rightunto man.
The Bible says, There's a waythat seems right unto you and
me, which is it's but it's notright unto the Lord.
That's the broad path.
(31:39):
There is a narrow path that hasbeen paved already.
There is a narrow path thatJesus cleared by himself.
He walked the path.
Oh my God in heaven.
He walked it, beaten andbloodied, opened wounds on his
(32:03):
body, carrying a cross heavierthan the couch I'm sitting on
right now.
And he went all the way withit.
He cleared the path for us towalk on.
And those of us who are called,oh Lord, I thank you.
(32:25):
We are called, you walk thepath the right way so that
people can follow you.
But if you are setting thewrong example, you will be
(32:45):
destroying others.
And it's not al oh Lord, it'snot always the sin.
Sometimes it's just the weight.
Lay aside the sin and theweight that so easily, so easily
throws us off track.
It's not always the sin.
Sometimes it's just the weight.
(33:06):
I'm sorry, I feel like I'vebeen yelling a little bit at
you.
But we we we we're here now.
We're cooked up.
We in it now.
We in it now.
It took us a little while,right?
It's not always the sin.
Sometimes it's just the wait.
So a lot of times we feel like,eh, as long as long as I'm not
(33:33):
the reason you sinning, I'mgood, right?
No.
That's not leadership.
That's not leadership.
If I know the right thing foryou to be doing, I just I just
sent my boy a voice note.
It was yesterday or thismorning or something.
I'm not, I can't remember.
But I legitimately said, yo, ifI'm gonna go to hell for my
(33:56):
stuff, God forbid, but it'sgonna be for my stuff.
What I'm not gonna do, yo, ohman.
I'm called to leadership, bro.
I'm gonna listen, I'm gonnamake sure y'all know the right
way.
I'm gonna make sure this personknows the way, bro.
Speaker (34:20):
Hmm.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
And and then now, cuz because I as I know the right
way to walk and to go, I'm gonnateach that.
As I am currently now myselftrying to walk.
The path is narrow, guys.
It's very narrow.
The path is very narrow.
And it is my job as a leader toteach the right thing, preach
(34:45):
the right thing if I'm calledto, and to walk that walk as
well.
Walk that walk.
The right path.
Yeah, man.
So I I we we hopefullyhopefully somebody is encouraged
(35:11):
on today.
Hopefully somebody'sencouraged.
I I feel like I feel likethat's where we're that's that's
that's where we need to endhere.
That's where we need to end.
Um leaders, you you have youcarry weight.
(35:32):
You carry weight on yourshoulders.
Again, this this can be appliedto any type of leadership for
real.
Yes, there's biblicalprinciples.
That's what that's what that'swhat I do.
Right?
I try to help the world withthe principles of the church,
right?
Because that's the only thingthat's gonna save this world.
It's the only thing that'sgonna save this world.
(35:53):
The principles of the church.
Because the principles of thechurch, that's the way of God.
That's the only thing that'sgonna save this world.
The people in it, rather.
So, um, leaders, where whereveryou are, whatever capacity you
(36:16):
lead in, understand that youcarry weight.
It's it is a heavy task, it isnot easy, it is not easy.
And if you can't lead the rightway, get out get out the way,
move out the way, and let thepeople follow someone else.
(36:40):
If you can't le as a man, ifyou can't lead your wife, your
woman, your children, yourbrothers, your sisters, the
right way, get the hell out theway, and let somebody else do
it.
Speaker (37:01):
Respectfully.
Get out the way.
I don't know who needs to hearthat.
Get out the way if you can't doit the right way.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
And if you don't get out the way, leaders, James
chapter 3, don't be so quick,don't be so haughty and so
hardy, so willing to be leadingin any type of capacity, because
(37:42):
you shall receive a greatercondemnation if you ain't doing
what you're supposed to bedoing.
That condemnation, the greaterone, see now that's the biblical
one, but I've noticed that inall these areas I talked about,
all these examples I gave,there's condemnation there also.
There are penalties.
Penalties when leaders mislead.
(38:05):
There are consequences.
So this is your reminder.
This is your public serviceannouncement.
This is the Moral CompassChronicles.
I love y'all.
I appreciate you.
Thank you, thank you, thank youfor being with me.
And um, let's stay locked in.
(38:26):
And um until next time, this isthe Moral Compass Chronicles.
Grace and peace.
Grace and peace, everybody, andwelcome to another rendition of
the Moral Compass Chronicles.
I am your boy.
I'm your brother.
Some of you, I'm your bigbrother.
Some of you, I'm your littlebrother.
But I'm Eyon J.
That's E Y-O-N-J-A-Yeverywhere.
Instagram, Twitter, TikTok,YouTube, Eyon Johnson.
(04:17):
And it is a pleasure and aprivilege to be here with you
all yet again.
I really want to dive into thisthing.
I would like to inform you thatthis particular episode, this
particular chronicle, is broughtto you by Camp Crusher.
If you didn't hear the messagebefore, rewind it.
(04:37):
Rewind it.
Listen back to it.
You'll hear me talking moreabout Camp Crusher moving
forward.
I want to jump right into thismessage.
Now, I found myself in a littlebit of a situation, and the
truth is, it may not have been asituation for most people, but
(05:03):
I found it to be a bit of asituation for me.
Why?
Um, somebody might say that Itake certain things a little too
seriously, somebody might saythat, you know, maybe I care a
little bit too much about otherpeople.
(05:23):
Uh, and the list could probablygo on and on.
But I found, and I wrote thisthought down, I found it
unsettling, and I'm not gonnatell you what the situation was,
but I'm gonna talk about thethought that has come to me
(05:46):
based on this situation that hasarisen in my life.
I have come to theunderstanding over my years of
living that it is imperativethat we lead people the right
way, or else we are going tolead them astray.
(06:08):
We've gotta lead people theright way, or else we are going
to lead them astray.
Now, I asked myself thisquestion, and it was for me, but
I want to share it with us allbecause this I I want to s a lot
(06:31):
of us see ourselves as leaders.
Um, and a lot of times we likethe idea of being a leader, but
we don't like to do the workthat leadership requires.
Okay?
Now I asked myself thisquestion, and I asked us all
this question.
(06:51):
Are we really leaders?
And if so, are we good ones?
Are we good leaders?
What type of leadershipcapabilities or qualities do we
possess?
And I just want somebody toknow that if you do possess any
(07:18):
of these qualities, it was Godgiven, whether you believe it or
not.
Now, with these gifts andtalents to lead people and lead
in particular areas, some of usmay be the left arm in the body,
some of us may be the rightear.
I may be the left foot, theleft toe, one of the toes on the
(07:43):
left foot.
Somebody else may be the hair,somebody may be the hands, you,
my brother, you might be theheart pumping the blood to the
rest of the body, somebody elsemight be the lungs.
Where are you?
And now, in that particularcapacity, if you are called to
be leading, and to some degreewe all are, and I'm gonna get
(08:07):
into that in a second, but ifyou're called to be leading, are
you doing what you are supposedto be doing as a leader?
Um, I have found that peoplewill do what they see you do.
Now, myself, I have foundmyself in leadership positions
(08:29):
over the course of my life, andeven currently within my own
youth department, I find myselfbeing the president of my youth
department at my church andordained minister.
I'm in ministry and I've led inother capacities.
(08:50):
I've always been a leader infriend groups that I've been in,
and um I I have seen thatpeople will do what they see you
do.
People will listen to what yousay, and the smart ones will
(09:12):
listen to what you say and watchwhat you do afterward.
And so we've got to be reallycareful a lot of times with what
we're saying.
Are we giving are we giving offthe perception of being a
leader?
Are we are we talking about itmore so than being about it?
(09:38):
Um, that is something that Ihave found.
I got to a point in my lifewhere I'm like, yo, I don't even
want to talk no more.
I don't even want to doanything.
And I remember I actually hadthis podcast episode topic.
I never actually got to it, andit was about uh essentially not
(10:00):
even not talking about what youwant to do before actually
doing it, because people willhold what you say against you.
If you talk about what you wantto do, you could have the best
intentions in the world.
You could have the bestintentions in the world, and you
talk about what you intend todo as a leader in this, all
right?
We're talking about leadership,right?
(10:20):
As a leader, I talk about whatI intend to do, what's on my
heart to do, what I want to do.
And when you if you don't getit done, people will hold it
against you.
People will hold it againstyou, and so that sometimes
leadership, and I'm I'm teachinghere, sometimes leadership is
knowing I can't talk abouteverything.
(10:41):
I can't even talk about I I Ihave I have my my committee that
I work with, and I have somethings planned for uh a few
weeks down the line.
I told them I haven't even, andpeople are asking me about it.
I have plans I haven't evenshared with you yet.
That's one of the reasons why.
People oftentimes, and I alsomostly because I wasn't led to
(11:04):
yet, but people will take whatyou say and use it against you.
Some people yo, some people arediabolical like that too.
And you could have the best ofintentions, fellas.
Let me tell you something,fellas.
Don't talk about what you wantto do for your woman.
Do it.
And I know there's a there's athere's a woman somewhere who
agrees with me.
Women are tired of hearing ustalk.
(11:26):
Women are tired of hearing ustalk, fellas.
So as a man and as a leader,you want to do something for
your lady, your wife, yourgirlfriend, your your family,
your daughters, even yourdaughters.
I have a daughter now.
Don't talk about it.
Just do it, get it done.
Now, if it's something thatyou're gonna be working toward
with your wife, with your girl,whatever the case is, that's
(11:48):
different.
Surprises and stuff, bro.
Don't even talk about it.
Just get it done, my brother.
Because if a lot of times welive in a world where it will be
held against you.
I'm talking from experience.
I have been there.
I have been there.
I have been there.
(12:09):
So, let me, and I don't want toget too far off topic here.
We're talking about leadership.
We're talking about leadership.
You've got to lead people inthe right way, or else you're
gonna lead them astray.
And every leader, watch this.
Every leader is a directiongiver to some degree.
(12:30):
All right.
If you are, I've I used to saythis years ago.
If you're not leading peopletoward God, if you're not being
intentional about drawing peoplecloser to God, if you are
keeping friends and peoplearound you that don't that don't
draw you nearer to him, theywill be drawing you away from
(12:55):
God.
I probably there's there's noin-between, there's no like, you
know, little bit, little bit ofJesus here, little bit there,
little bit of the world here,little bit of the world there,
you know, half and half, nah.
That's called lukewarm.
(13:15):
And that that's not, I don'twant to go down that path too
much, but that's lukewarm.
As a leader, if you are notleading, intentionally leading
people in the right direction,which is to God, you're leading
them away from God.
If you're somebody who, likemyself, who has you're you know
(13:40):
the Lord as your your your yourpersonal savior, and yet you
have these people in yourcircle, and they may not know
God for themselves, and you'renot drawing them closer to him,
(14:03):
you're not using thatopportunity to say, hey, listen,
yo, do you have you heard thegood news?
Have you heard the good news?
If that's not something you'redoing, like myself, I I put I'm
putting myself out there onFront Street right now.
This is because this is thelife I used to live, right?
I've known Jesus my whole life,grew up in church, knew right
(14:26):
from wrong, knew what was gonnahappen eventually.
I knew I know how all of thisis gonna end, right?
Yet I find myself partyingevery week.
Yet I find myself smoking anddrinking every day with some of
these people.
So mind you, I know I know whatI'm supposed to be doing versus
(14:47):
what I'm not supposed to bedoing.
Yet I'm not walking the rightway.
I found myself astray.
I felt I found myself walkingon that broad road, right?
That that road that the Biblesays leads to destruction.
(15:08):
Not the narrow one, right?
Walking the right way is a verynarrow path.
And I didn't find my, I wasn'ton that path, right?
I found myself on that broadpath.
And now, me who knows who Jesusis, right?
I know right from wrong, I knowwhat I'm supposed to be doing.
I find myself having thatconscience, right, of what I'm
(15:31):
supposed to be doing, the lifeI'm supposed to be living, and
not only am I not living thatlife, but I've got all of these
people who are following me, whoI'm following.
We're all friends, and we'rewe're we're we're living this
life outside of God, outside ofthe safety that He provides,
outside of that promise ofthings to come, exceedingly
(15:54):
abundantly, above all that evenwe could ask or think is to
come.
Right?
Where our minds can't evenperceive the glory that is yet
to be revealed.
We're not on that path.
I and I should know better, butnow I am not leading them to
(16:16):
God.
I'm leading them away from Godbecause I'm not being
intentional.
I found myself not beingintentional about saying, hey,
have you heard the good news?
Do you want to come to churchwith me?
Do you know Jesus?
Does he live in your heart?
Do you what what's your youryou know what's your level of
spirituality, right?
Do you uh what is spiritualityto you?
(16:36):
That's a good question to asksomebody nowadays, because you
got to be careful now.
What what does what does theword spiritual mean to you?
What does it mean to bespiritual?
Are you a spiritual person?
In what ways are you spiritual?
What spirit what's what whatpractices?
I guess what do you practice?
(16:57):
Right?
So we we leadership influenceswhether we mean for it to or
not.
Our influence will our our ourleadership will influence
people, whether we want it to orwe don't want it to.
(17:17):
There's there's no nobody leadsin neutral, right?
You're either in drive oryou're in reverse, especially
young people.
I I find myself saying, like,it's so much that's where my
heart is.
Young men specifically, liketalking to them and working with
(17:38):
them.
Because I mean, we I and I wasonce a young man who needed
that.
You know what I'm saying?
Maybe that's why, because Irelate so well.
And shout out to my young boys,my young bulls, y'all know who
y'all are.
Uh the truth is, some most theydon't even listen to this
podcast, probably.
That's the truth.
Some people who may need it themost, those young men who may
(17:59):
need it the most.
The Moral Compass Chronicles,the idea behind this podcast is
for them, it's tailored towardthem.
But this is not something theywant to hear more most times.
And so, as a leader, it'simportant that we reach them
(18:20):
however we need to.
Especially young people.
Especially young people.
And they're watching what we'redoing more than we think they
are.
I guess maybe I I don't know ifI'm talking like a father.
I feel like one.
They're they're watching whenwe don't think they're watching.
(18:41):
Even so, even when we thinkthey're don't, they're they're
not listening.
Speaker (18:46):
They're listening.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
If we don't show them the path to righteousness, the
world will show the path todestruction.
That's all that's out there.
That's all that's out there.
There's um there's a scripturethat says uh it talks about well
before I even get there, beforeI even get there, we're talking
(19:13):
about leadership and the factthat if you don't lead people
the right way, you're gonna beleading them astray, right?
And I kind of I kind of went ona little tangent there.
It's so funny.
This scripture came to my mind,and then as I began to research
scriptures, this is one of thefirst ones that came up.
(19:34):
James.
James chapter 3.
It says, Be not many masters,my brethren, be not many
masters, masters as in teachers,leadership positions, be not
many masters, knowing that weshall receive the greater
condemnation.
Leaders, I'm talking to you.
Leaders, I'm talking to you.
(19:54):
You who you live your life assomebody who other people look
up to.
You are somebody who you have aspecific arena that you're in
where you're looked at as aleader, and other people,
(20:17):
whether it's one or one hundred,are looking to you, and they're
looking at you, and they followwhat you do or say.
It could be a thousand people,you could be a pastor, you could
be an usher, you could be ayoung brother, you could be an
(20:37):
athlete, you're a leader on yourteam, you could be uh a
supervisor at your job.
I I have found this scripture,it it can relate to all of these
things.
Be not many masters, don't beso quick to want to be a leader,
(21:00):
because you who are called toleadership, you shall receive
the greater condemnation.
Now, biblically, that has a lotmore weight to it than even
like you as a supervisor on yourjob.
As a supervisor on your job,you are tasked with overseeing
(21:22):
other people and theirperformance levels.
You it is literally your job asa supervisor to watch what your
employees are doing and tocorrect them accordingly.
And whatever the job is thatyou're doing, it is contingent
(21:43):
upon the performance.
Whatever the business is,whatever the arena, the entity,
whatever it is, the industry,whatever it may be, it's
contingent upon the performanceof the employees and the
performance and the supervisionof the manager or the
(22:05):
supervisor.
So if you're in a supervisoryrole at your job, it's it's
easier said than done,oftentimes.
And a lot of times when youtalk about the grass looking
greener, it looks better than itactually is sometimes.
Everybody wants to be thesupervisor, and everybody wants
the supervisor pay until it'stime to one take ownership of
(22:29):
the project, until it's time tooversee everybody and everyone
doing their job.
Some people would prefer to bean employee, you know.
Some people prefer to sit on asideline and chill and relax and
not have to worry about anybodyelse doing their job.
(22:52):
All I gotta do is my job.
I come to work, I clock in, Ido my job, and I'm out.
Nah.
Supervisors don't get to dothat.
Leaders, you don't get to dothat.
I told my boy the other day, hehe was telling me how, and and
this is out of context, but broknows the conversation, but I
can share it with you.
He was called to a leadershipposition.
(23:15):
He accepted the leadershipposition, and he told me that
some situations occurred, somesituations uh uh rose up, and he
decided, yo, this is a dub.
I'm done.
I I I'm in this leadershipposition, but I ain't doing this
no more because of this, this,this, and that.
That's it.
(23:35):
And I was like, yo, and wetalked, we talked, but
ultimately I had to tell him,yo, that is unacceptable.
That's unacceptable.
You're called to leadership,and it's not even like you step
down from the position, you'recalled to a job, you do that
job.
You agree, and that's that'sthe moral compass right there.
(24:00):
You've got to have that in youwhere you you you know what
what's right in a particularsituation, what it doesn't
matter what the circumstancesare, I'm not gonna allow these
(24:20):
circumstances to dictate what Ido.
I'm not gonna allow thesecircumstances to stop me from
giving my all.
I had we we we we had this talkback in July.
There's a chronicle here.
If you scroll up and look,there's an episode that is
(24:41):
titled Your Choices OutweighYour Current Circumstances.
Leaders understand this.
Oh, come on, somebody, talkwith me.
Somebody talk to me.
Your choices outweigh yourcurrent circumstances.
So as a leader, I've got tounderstand that even if I'm
(25:04):
placed in a situation, even ifI'm placed in a under under a
specific type of pressure, Idon't like the cards that I have
been dealt as a leader.
It's incumbent upon me to workit out, figure out a way.
I'm a leader, I'm not afollower.
(25:26):
I am not somebody who justshows up and sits down and gets
to chill while the snow is beingshoveled.
Nah, there's there's palletsand pallets of material that
need to go from outside.
(25:48):
They need to get into thewarehouse.
As a leader, I am not gonna sitback and just watch and stand
by and watch the materials getrained on.
Listen, if you want to be, ohLord, help me.
Help me here, Lord.
(26:09):
If you want to be somebody whosits back and watches the
materials get rained on, atleast be honest about it.
At least be honest about it.
Be honest about the fact thatyou do not want to be a leader.
(26:30):
Leadership is not just a role,it's a responsibility.
Let me get back to the notes.
Misleading someone, misleading.
That's where that word comesfrom, leadership.
Misleading, a lot of times wetalk about uh when you mislead
somebody, what's the first thingyou think about?
(26:50):
Lying, right?
You mislead somebody, you thinkabout somebody uh uh not uh
either lying to you or omittingsome truth.
If someone misleads you,typically we think of the fact
that they led you to believesomething other than what
actually was, right?
(27:10):
That's what it is to misleadsomebody.
But it's in the word.
The root of the word mislead islead.
Leadership.
You can mislead if you misleadpeople.
There's more than one way tomislead somebody.
I could lie to you, that couldbe misleading.
But misleading is me being in aleadership position and me not
(27:38):
charting the path clearly foryou.
Me charting the wrong path.
Me, I'm supposed to be leadingthe group, all right?
My SDA folks, pathfinders,right?
There's pathfind oh holy ghost,I thank you.
Oh my god, oh Lord, help me.
Help me here, Lord.
(27:58):
There's pathfinders, those arethe leaders, bro.
If I'm a pathfinder, I'm pavingthe way.
I'm the one out in front.
I'm cutting the bushes down.
I'm clearing a brush.
I'm getting rid of I'm seeingpoison ivy and I'm seeing
(28:21):
dangerous things, branches andand and chopped up wood.
I'm clearing the way if I'm aleader.
I'm making straight the path.
Come on, Pathfinders.
I'm finding the right way.
(28:42):
I'm learning the right way.
And you know what?
Sometimes, as oh, you know,this is not how this was
supposed to go.
If I'm doing all that, I may bethe one getting hurt.
Oh Lord.
I might be the one getting, I'mgonna be the one that gets cut
by that branch, that sharpbranch there.
I'm gonna get cut by it as I'mclearing it.
(29:04):
I'm the one who my skin isgonna rub up against the poison
ivy as I'm clearing the path forthose that are following behind
me.
My skin, I'm gonna be the onethat gets itchy skin now and
gotta go to the hospital becauseI got touched by the poison
ivy.
But once I clear that path,everyone following behind me is
(29:24):
gonna have a clear shot through.
Come on, somebody, talk to me.
Talk to me.
My brethren, be not manymasters, knowing this, that you
shall receive, that's Jameschapter 3 and verse 1, you shall
receive the greatercondemnation.
Watch this.
Matthew 15 says, if the blindlead the blind, both shall fall
(29:48):
into a ditch.
If the blind lead the blind,both shall fall into a ditch.
So as a leader, I can't bemisleading you if I'm called to
be a leader.
In whatever the capacity.
Let me tell you guys, it'simportant, it's important to be
(30:11):
filled with the Spirit of Godbecause I had a little bit of a
plan.
Even the plan I was unsure of,and I had no clue how this was
gonna go, but I can feel as theLord speaks, I can feel him
directing me in a certain way,which was not the plan.
Come on, Pathfinders.
Where are the Pathfinders?
(30:32):
Where are the Pathfinders outthere?
Where are the Pathfinders?
You are called to find thepath.
And when the path is found, andthe path is clear, now it's
time to walk straight.
It's time to walk straight.
And you've got to lead thepeople down the right way.
(30:56):
And watch this.
Some of us are pathfinders, butwe're young.
And there was a pathfinderbefore us.
And there was a way that wasset out for us to walk.
And there is there areinstructions on what I'm
(31:18):
supposed to be doing.
Come on, somebody.
There is a way that seems rightunto man.
The Bible says, There's a waythat seems right unto you and
me, which is it's but it's notright unto the Lord.
That's the broad path.
(31:39):
There is a narrow path that hasbeen paved already.
There is a narrow path thatJesus cleared by himself.
He walked the path.
Oh my God in heaven.
He walked it, beaten andbloodied, opened wounds on his
(32:03):
body, carrying a cross heavierthan the couch I'm sitting on
right now.
And he went all the way withit.
He cleared the path for us towalk on.
And those of us who are called,oh Lord, I thank you.
(32:25):
We are called, you walk thepath the right way so that
people can follow you.
But if you are setting thewrong example, you will be
(32:45):
destroying others.
And it's not al oh Lord, it'snot always the sin.
Sometimes it's just the weight.
Lay aside the sin and theweight that so easily, so easily
throws us off track.
It's not always the sin.
Sometimes it's just the weight.
(33:06):
I'm sorry, I feel like I'vebeen yelling a little bit at
you.
But we we we we're here now.
We're cooked up.
We in it now.
We in it now.
It took us a little while,right?
It's not always the sin.
Sometimes it's just the wait.
So a lot of times we feel like,eh, as long as long as I'm not
(33:33):
the reason you sinning, I'mgood, right?
No.
That's not leadership.
That's not leadership.
If I know the right thing foryou to be doing, I just I just
sent my boy a voice note.
It was yesterday or thismorning or something.
I'm not, I can't remember.
But I legitimately said, yo, ifI'm gonna go to hell for my
(33:56):
stuff, God forbid, but it'sgonna be for my stuff.
What I'm not gonna do, yo, ohman.
I'm called to leadership, bro.
I'm gonna listen, I'm gonnamake sure y'all know the right
way.
I'm gonna make sure this personknows the way, bro.
Speaker (34:20):
Hmm.
Speaker 1 (34:21):
And and then now, cuz because I as I know the right
way to walk and to go, I'm gonnateach that.
As I am currently now myselftrying to walk.
The path is narrow, guys.
It's very narrow.
The path is very narrow.
And it is my job as a leader toteach the right thing, preach
(34:45):
the right thing if I'm calledto, and to walk that walk as
well.
Walk that walk.
The right path.
Yeah, man.
So I I we we hopefullyhopefully somebody is encouraged
(35:11):
on today.
Hopefully somebody'sencouraged.
I I feel like I feel likethat's where we're that's that's
that's where we need to endhere.
That's where we need to end.
Um leaders, you you have youcarry weight.
(35:32):
You carry weight on yourshoulders.
Again, this this can be appliedto any type of leadership for
real.
Yes, there's biblicalprinciples.
That's what that's what that'swhat I do.
Right?
I try to help the world withthe principles of the church,
right?
Because that's the only thingthat's gonna save this world.
It's the only thing that'sgonna save this world.
(35:53):
The principles of the church.
Because the principles of thechurch, that's the way of God.
That's the only thing that'sgonna save this world.
The people in it, rather.
So, um, leaders, where whereveryou are, whatever capacity you
(36:16):
lead in, understand that youcarry weight.
It's it is a heavy task, it isnot easy, it is not easy.
And if you can't lead the rightway, get out get out the way,
move out the way, and let thepeople follow someone else.
(36:40):
If you can't le as a man, ifyou can't lead your wife, your
woman, your children, yourbrothers, your sisters, the
right way, get the hell out theway, and let somebody else do
it.
Speaker (37:01):
Respectfully.
Get out the way.
I don't know who needs to hearthat.
Get out the way if you can't doit the right way.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
And if you don't get out the way, leaders, James
chapter 3, don't be so quick,don't be so haughty and so
hardy, so willing to be leadingin any type of capacity, because
(37:42):
you shall receive a greatercondemnation if you ain't doing
what you're supposed to bedoing.
That condemnation, the greaterone, see now that's the biblical
one, but I've noticed that inall these areas I talked about,
all these examples I gave,there's condemnation there also.
There are penalties.
Penalties when leaders mislead.
(38:05):
There are consequences.
So this is your reminder.
This is your public serviceannouncement.
This is the Moral CompassChronicles.
I love y'all.
I appreciate you.
Thank you, thank you, thank youfor being with me.
And um, let's stay locked in.
(38:26):
And um until next time, this isthe Moral Compass Chronicles.
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