Ep 059: The Curious Christian with Special Guest Barnabas Piper

Welcome to Episode 59 of the Joshua Gagnon Leadership Podcast!If you enjoy listening to this podcast and it has helped you and your team in any way, please leave us a review on iTunes or Stitcher or take the time to share it on social media.Do you have a question for Pastor Josh about leadership, ministry, or any other topic we’ve covered on the podcast so far? Submit your questions to info@joshuagagnon.com or @joshgagnon on Twitter and Pastor Josh might answer it on a future episode!On this episode we are hearing from author and pastor Barnabas Piper as our special guest. Initially known for being John Piper’s son, Barabas has now written three books, “The Pastor’s Kid”, “Help My Unbelief” and “The Curious Christian”; and he is also featured in two podcasts, “The 5 Leadership Questions” and “The Happy Rant”. Here are some of the main ideas from this episode.“The Curious Christian”As leaders we need to stay curious. Curiosity is the pursuit of truth in all things; truth is the reality as God intends it to be. Once you become curious, you see how life can be deeper than it appears. Pursuit of truth in relationships, work, ministry, and in our own spiritual lives start to peel away by the layers. God is infinite, and we have been created as image bearers. How can we, as finite people, reflect an infinite God? We as leaders should be constantly curious, constantly searching and digging deeper for a better understanding of God’s character and promises. Spiritual DisciplineSpiritual discipline should not be seen as a boring list of tasks that you need to do daily. They are an exploration of an infinite God; a doorway into infinite goodness. When we pray it gives us the ability to speak from our hearts and to hear from God.We should not be worrying about the tasks, but we should be focusing on the why behind it. “So what?”Starting with “why”. What does this say about God? How is this going to help people?Is it profitable?Is it the right timing? The “so what” should be the purpose behind our work as a leader. “How to stay curious.”We as leaders need to continue to learn, find wonder and excitement in our everyday lives. If a pastor does not stay curious they will become disconnected. If you want to be the best leader you need to be curious about non-leadership things. You need to be developing people as opposed to developing ideas. The more you are invested in people the better leader you will become. Be a sponge and always stay be humble to new knowledge. Learn more about Barnabas:http://www.barnabaspiper.com "The Pastor’s Kid" : http://a.co/3hq57NE"Help My Unbelief" : http://a.co/fi0bdXx''The Curious Christian" : http://a.co/dpuyig7Barnabas Piper’s Instagram: @bpiper31 Barnabas Piper’s Twitter: @BarnabasPiper Quotes from this episode:“The starting with “why” it is both the unpacking of particular projects but also the purpose behind our work.” - Barnabas Piper“The thing that keeps us vibrant and fresh as leaders is curiosity.” - Barnabas Piper“How do individual people need to be led?” - Barnabas Piper “If you want to be the best leader you need to be curious about non-leadership stuff.” - Barnabas Piper“ Building a relationship, being curious about them as people, creates a better, more efficient working environment.” - Barnabas Piper“If your teaching is not developing people, as opposed to developing ideas, it’s probably misdirected.” - Barnabas Piper“I can lead people better when I know their life.”- Barnabas Piper “The moment you’re an expert, you're obsolete.” - Barnabas Piper“You are a student of culture.” - Barnabas Piper“God created a beautiful world and He created us to create.” - Barnabas Piper