41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
from the inside out, March 27, 2002
This review is from: The Maxwell Leadership Bible Developing Leaders From The Word Of God (Leather Bound)
Maxwell's stated purpose for a leadership Bible is that everyone is a leader, and that effective leaders must first be able to lead themselves.
The first interesting note on the book is his choice of the New King James Version, rather than the more common New International Version, but the translation flows quite nicely, so it does not present a problem.
In the book, Maxwell takes insights from the 21 Irrefutable Laws and the 21 Indispensable Qualities to highlight the Biblical passages. For example, he takes Biblical figures and discusses how they embodied a particular law or quality, sometimes more than one. Also worthy of note is that he uses both positive and negative examples of leadership: in Matthew chapter 2, he uses Herod to illustrate the "indispensable quality" of security, and the "irrefutable law" of empowerment. Maxwell asserts that Herod was not secure in his leadership, because he viewed Jesus as a threat, and tried to have him killed. In terms of empowerment, Maxwell offers Herod's abuse of power, as opposed to attempting to share it. A nice feature of this is that Maxwell provides chapter and verse references for each of his insights, and the profiles and notes are placed logically with the accounts to which they correlate. In short, the book amounts to a study Bible on leadership.
Some other features of note:
-A two page spread at the end of the Gospels explaining how Jesus embodied each of the 21 irrefutable laws
-Half page "profiles in leadership" on everyone from the seventy elders in Numbers to well known names like Abraham, Peter, and John
-Full and two-page elaborations on a particular law of leadership or a particular quality as embodied by a Biblical leader
-Summaries at the beginning of each book which not only give the plot line of the account in the book, but also speak to the leadership components therein by listing leaders in the book, other people of influence, lessons in leadership, and leadership highlights with chapter, verse, and page references
-Other insights such as "women who made a difference" in which he lists 25+ women who exhibited difference-making leadership, referenced by book, chapter, and verse, or "Zechariah learns motivation comes before mobilization"
-An index of each leadership law, followed by several examples and where to find them in the Bible (main example of each in boldface type)
-An index of each leadership quality, followed by several examples and where to find them in the Bible (positive and negative examples labeled and in boldface type)
-An index of leadership issues, including calling, adaptability, delegation, etc.
-An index of profiles in leadership
Overall, this is a well-indexed and thorough study Bible on the topic of leadership, and I recommend it highly to anyone who is interested in the integration of faith and leadership, or wants to learn more about the origins of leadership.
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A must for Christian Leaders, April 12, 2002
Maxwell does a very good job bringing out the leadership lessons from the Bible. The Bible is full of leadership notes on almost every page. Maxwell's 21 laws and qualities are listed in the back in a concordance type format. I like the color scheme inside also. The layout makes reading easy. This is the Bible I use daily. However, I also offer a few notes of caution.
This is not a "Study Bible". If you are looking for a Bible with commentary notes then this one is NOT for you. It is designed for leaders. If you are not a leader personality then you will probably not like this work.
There is no concordance and cross references are limited to the Old Testament quotes in the New Testament. However, it does contain alternate readings and notes from differing Greek texts. (Syriac, and Vulgate too)
The verse numberings are hard to find in the text and probably should have been bolded for clarity. (The poetic passages are the exception here)
Overall, I really like this Bible. Then again, I am a military and Christian leader so it is geared for me.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Inspiring & Instructive Bible!, November 18, 2005
Dr. John Maxwell's "Leadership Bible" represents an inspiring and instructive Bible/Guide to be used to train and inculcate pastors, elders, and laypersons in the art of biblical leadership, just as the title suggests.
Using parallels as illustration between historic biblical and contemporary events, Dr. Maxwell shows in lucid detail how the maxims and laws of human nature subject to proper leadership are necessary to the will of G_d and are actually endorsed by Him.
For example, "Lessons in Leadership (from the Book of Luke)":
1. Healthy leaders have nothing to prove, nothing to lose, and nothing to hide.
2. Wise leaders speak the truth, whatever the cost.
3. Effective leaders provide incentives to their followers.
4. Successful leaders discern, then develop, then delegate.
5. Great leaders feel secure enought to express emotions and be vulnerable.
6. The best leaders love the world, serve the many, but train the few.
7. Good leaders practice repetition until others embrace the vision.
8. The most powerful force in a leader's life is love for people.
A gem. Well done! Five stars.
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