What is it about great leaders that seems to attract people to them like metal is attracted to a powerful magnet? When we think of great leaders of the past like Moses, Jesus Christ, the Apostles of Christ, Mohandas Gandhi, Dr Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandela, to name a few, what set them apart from the masses? How did they get so many people to follow them willingly and without any monetary rewards?

Moses leadership lasted 40 years. How was he able to keep all of those people together, in a desert, for such a long time? Can you imagine the task of watching over a million people, in addition to their animals, in the middle of a desert? How was he supposed to supply food and water for such a great number of humans and animals in the middle of a desert?

If you read Moses history you will see that he cared deeply for his people. He gave up a life of luxury as an Egyptian Prince to be with his people. Moses was a man of great faith, humility and patience. He was the kind of person that God could use to lead the people of Israel.

No one wants to follow an egotistical self serving and undisciplined person. There are 7 keys to becoming a great leader..

1. You must let go of your ego. Great leaders are not looking for personal gains. They possess a true servant attitude and demonstrate it in everything they do.

2. They must be good followers. No one can become a good leader until he or she learns how to be a good follower.

3. Great leaders know how to build strong and positive relationships. Getting along with others is far more important to great leaders than their titles. They have learned that people want to follow someone they like.

4. Great leaders set and maintain high standards for themselves and the ones around them. They thrive for excellence in everything they do. No one respects a mediocre leader and definitely will not follow one.

5. Great leaders rely on discipline and not their emotions. True leaders shine through when everything seems to be against them and they are tested to the core; yet they find the strength to carry on and keep their follows encouraged.

6. The great leaders add value to the lives of those they lead. Adding value to the lives of others is the highest calling of leadership. Those who fulfill this mission will be revered long after they are gone.

7. Great leaders are willing to share their power with others. They know that by using their power to empower others they are able to serve thousands more people than they could by keeping their power to themselves.

There is one constant among all great leaders of the past. They all had great faith in God. The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were men of great courage and faith. That is why each one of them were willing to give their lives for what they believed in. I wonder how they would feel if they could come back and see what is happening to their great country.

What kind of leaders are we preparing to take our place? It is past time for Americans to awake out of their sleep and stop the non- sense that is going on in Washington. Our elected official are more interested in getting re-elected than looking after the well being of this great country. What has happened to the meaning of words like honesty and integrity? What kind of world are we leaving to our children and grand children? We have destroyed our natural resources and abandoned our moral values.

We allowed school prayer to be replaced with drugs, guns, rape and school shootings. Have we forgotten what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah because when they abandoned God from their lives? You might say that you do not believe the bible. That is your choice. Nevertheless, that does not stop the bible from being the truth. History is full of people who tried to discredit God. I never thought I would live to see the day that same sex marriages would be sanctioned by our elected officials. What happened to the sanctity of marriage? Never mind the bible. Same sex marriages violate the very laws of nature itself. Even animals know better than that. What else can we expect when abandon God from our lives.

It is not political correct to even mention the words God, Jesus or Lord; even though this country was built upon the principle of strong faith in God. That is why in "God we trust" was put on all of our currency. How can we expect the world to respect us as a nation when we have fallen so far from our own standards? We have an obligation to take back our country.

God bless you,

Bill W. Jones Sr.