WHAT HAPPENS AT HOME
Howard Hendricks used to say to us men in seminary preparing to lead churches, "If your Christianity isn't working at home, don't export it." It was his way of saying, "If you can't make your faith work in your own family, then please don't try to make it work in the family of God."
The test of a true leader is what happens in the privacy of his own home, not the kind of show he is able to perform in public. In other words, if you want to find a good leader, look at a man's sons more than you do his skills.
Paul Hampton had a hectic day of running errands with his wife and son. It was stressful for him, and his 4-year-old son, Christopher, didn't help. He insisted on asking questions about everything, told his dad how to drive better, and sang every song he knew.
Finally, fed up with the incessant chatter, Paul made him an offer: "Christopher, if you'll be quiet for just a few minutes, I'll give you a quarter." It worked.
But when they stopped for lunch, Paul unknowingly began to harp on his boy. "Christopher, sit up straight... Don't spill your drink... Don't talk with your mouth full."
Finally Christopher said seriously, "Dad, if you'll be quiet for just a few minutes, I'll give you a quarter."
(Paul M. Hampton, Cold Spring, Kentucky, "Kids of the Kingdom," Christian Reader. From a sermon by C. Philip Green, Unqualified Leader, 8/27/2011)