God knows everything now in the past and in the future. The highest level of Narcism is saying no to the gift of His son. I am not in need of any Savior, I am Me. I am so great just ask me. Psalm 147:5 “Great is our Lord and abundant in strength and understanding.” Psalm 139: 4 “For there’s not a word on my tongue , But behold, O Lord, You know it all together.” Narcissism is best understood as a tendency of overstating one's sense of worth. This is accomplished by showboating, name dropping and self aggrandizement. Leadership highlighted by this character flaw are often short lived. Followers follow for period of time and then mutiny begin to show up in the core of leadership either by others who are even more narcissistic. Or by defection of those tired of the bombastic leadership style. The other side of the coin is leadership govern by strength and humility. Creative thinking is a strength of humility. Creativity use to be thought of in the arts, such as writing painting and acting . But now more than ever creativity has taken front stage in business and ministry. With this transition into the business and ministry world we see the use of imagination and original ideas becoming so much more important. Never before has innovative thought been as important as it is today. The need to teach leaders to work on their business or ministry instead of in it is a revolutionary thought to many. In the book E-myth by The author points out the futility of only working in your business ( or ministry) only. Working but playing to your strengths is a better prescription for success. I have witnessed in ministry today a desire to micromanage everything. Many in leadership think they can get things done better than anyone else. The result is nothing gets delegated and everything bogs down. Simple details that an employee or other volunteers could work on putting a muzzle on the the innovation and creativity of the leader. As a leader never forget you are in charge of the big picture, learn to delegate. Find those golden nuggets within your organization and outside your organization that will bring a fresh and exciting dimension to your organization. I can’t tell you how many great people have failed to grow to the levels of ongoing sustainable growth because they bogged down because of all the minutia /details associated with their business or ministry. Think and act differently. Creative leaders are more passionate in their leadership style. They are more adept at expressing the vision the team. Why? they are creating and growing and experiencing “ the heartbeat” of the organization. A creative leader is able to inspire others in the most effective way ... painting the pictures and writing the stories As creative leaders; Draw on the right people and right minds to assist us to achieve more. Often in volunteer organizations, there is so much hidden talent and imaginative skill just waiting to be mined. So much potential is never tapped because it is not recognized. What a shame! So little of what is around us is even known. We must as leaders embrace failure as a possibility .. but it is just a part of the learning curve and will lead to doing better next time. If we don’t embrace the possibility of failure, you will find few even trying. This is a very important point in the road to success. If I ever write a book I think the title would have to be “Succeeding at Failing”; watch for it soon! Change is everywhere. If leaders are to thrive today, we must look around and see where change is happening and embrace it where it effectively can move the organization forward, or run from it to protect the organization from harm. Both will take creativity and imaginative steps to accomplish. Please note: I am not suggesting in ministry we change the message to make it more “acceptable”. Never! God’s Word is the Truth period. It is the foundation for all truth. The Bible is clear. When Jesus said, "I am the way the truth and the life, no man comes to the Father but by me." Prayer and open awareness is the key to beginning creativity and imaginative thought. Reinvent ourselves and our organization for long term sustainable growth and effectiveness. What is your focus? What are your beliefs? What have you tried new today to build on your business or on your ministry? What books are you reading? Remember, there are no new ideas for God; He already has them all and what is amazing is He gives them to us. We must start asking God for the plans and answers to today’s challenges and realize He has the ultimate imagination and the most creative skills of all. He plants ideas and thoughts in our minds and gives us freedom of choice to act upon them. What an amazing thought!