Last Friday my church (Grace Community Chapel) hosted a teleconference called “Lead Like Jesus.”

The conference was great, I created a pdf of my notes.

What was not in the notes was the seminar concluded with everyone getting a shoe shining cloth and cleaning each other’s shoes. I never realized how much pride I had until I realized how uncomfortable this made me. Just think for a moment, and challenge yourself. Think of someone who you serve or should be serving (i.e. your boss, a friend, a person at your church, mainly anyone), and go up to them and just say, “I’d like to clean your shoes” and get down on your knees and do it. Chances are, you won’t do it. Honestly, I wouldn’t have done it at this conference if I wasn’t pressured to do it… but I feel the pressure was necessary because it was the first step in breaking my pride.

The first step in ministry is service. Just think how useful we could be to God if we could just get past ourselves and clean other’s shoes.