I am quite sure that many articles and books will be written about Dr. Bill Bright and by those far more qualified than I, so I will not even attempt to sound like an expert on his life or try to create a façade that we were pals, I was merely fortunate enough to have spent one short afternoon with him and his wife Vonette. During this three and a half hour visit, I learned a lifetime's worth. That afternoon it was as if Jesus opened the floodgates of heaven full-blast and rained down wisdom and truth through this great man and said "catch as much of this stuff as you can, you are sure going to need it!"

I have learned something about greatness in the kingdom - there are those who are godly and then there are those whose lives can be described in no other way than this - they walked with the creator of the universe.  At any other time in my life I would have told you that God does not have favorites, but if you would have asked me that day, I would have pointed to the sick, elderly man and proclaimed: "That has to be a favorite of God's!" 

The reason I share my meeting with Dr. Bright with you is that in light of the world in which we live, it seems as if many who claim the name of Christ wish simply to survive this awful mess. Let it be said here and now, a leader's goal is never to bypass his culture in an attempt to come out unscathed or untainted. If our goal simply be to get by until we walk through those pearly gates then the question must be asked of us, "Do we understand the ministry and mission of Jesus and what it means to be Christ like?" Dr. Bright did. In the midst of a world cluttered with tragedy and hopelessness he saw opportunity to dream big dreams. Dr. Bill Bright was the founder and former president of Campus Crusade for Christ. This ministry is on countless campuses in 191 countries. He has written innumerable books but is known mostly for his project The Jesus Film , which has been viewed by 5.1 billion people in 234 countries in 786 languages. Also, he is the creator of the Four Spiritual Laws tract that is used so widely today. It has been distributed to 2.5 billion people and is available in 200 languages.

The following statements are some of the truths and principles I learned that afternoon:
A leader's view of God determines everything about him
Leaders do not allow circumstances or crises determine their attitudes or outlooks. There is an unwavering and almost obsessive desire to filter everything through one's view of God.  When leaders have a proper view of God, there are no limitations upon what they believe God can do through them.

Obedience to God is liberating with Christ's love
Before the afternoon concluded with Dr. Bright, someone asked how we could pray for him. He smiled and simply said, "Just pray that I will love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my strength and with all my mind."

The older a leader grows the greater learner he becomes
At first glance may seem like a somewhat dull principle but when I met Dr. Bright he was in the process of reading four books and writing two. Throughout the conversation he often discussed a book he had recently read or something he had recently learned. I was astonished at the desire to continually gain knowledge and study after accomplishing so much for the Kingdom.

The more of a leader one becomes the more focused one becomes
Paul once wrote to the church at Corinth saying, "I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." The word simplicity here can also be translated single-heart focus .  Paul would not have had to worry about Dr. Bright. It was obvious that as he approached the final days of his life he would finish the race with a passionate single-hearted focus for the gospel of Christ. As leaders who welcome change, let us never forget that the only thing that can change our culture and world is the Gospel.