Leadership in Practice: Facing Payroll with Empty Pockets It was the mid-1980s, and our nonprofit was in trouble.Payroll was due in just a few days, and the math was simple: we didn’t have enough. For a young leader, it felt like a nightmare scenario. Staff were looking to me for answers. I was looking at the books and seeing red. And the enemy was whispering, “This is the end. You’re not cut out for this.” But here’s what we did: 1. We gathered the team for prayer.Not a panicked scramble. Not a strategy session with flip charts. Just honest, humble prayer. We named the need, reminded ourselves of God’s promises, and asked Him to make a way. 2. I picked up the phone and called three donors personally. No mass mailings. No polished campaign. Just a leader, voice-to-voice, sharing the urgency and the vision. I told them plainly: “We have payroll coming, and we need help.” 3. We trusted Philippians 4:19 over panic. “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” That wasn’t a platitude. In that moment, it was oxygen. By Friday, something remarkable happened. Not only was payroll covered, but one of those donors stepped up as a monthly supporter. What felt like a cliff turned into a foundation. Looking back, here’s what that moment taught me about leading through financial crises: ✅ Pray first, act second. Strategy without surrender is just noise. ✅ Personal beats impersonal. People respond to relationship, not to form letters. ✅ Faith steadies leadership. Panic spreads, but faith calms and carries. That week shaped how I’ve faced every financial shortfall since.The pressure may look different today — bigger budgets, bigger staff — but the principles remain the same. Reflection for You:When you’ve faced a financial shortfall in your work, what carried you through — panic, or prayer? Drop your experience below. Someone else in this community may need your story today.

I had barely unpacked. Just moved my young family across the country, fresh into my first role as a pastor. Boxes still sealed, books not even on shelves yet. That’s when a stranger walked up and told me:“You’re doing my wedding.” I blinked. “Excuse me?” He didn’t mean it as a request. He was insistent. And the wedding? It wasn’t at a church. It was at a bar. Here’s what I quickly learned: - He was 44. - She was 24. - And yes, she had once been his high school student. Not exactly the picture-perfect start for a young pastor hoping for a tidy ministry. But what could I do? I said yes. That day taught me two things right away: 1. You don’t get to choose where God asks you to serve. 2. Faithfulness starts before you feel ready. The wedding itself was … unconventional, to put it mildly. I felt in over my head, wondering what I had gotten myself into. But it planted a seed. Over time, I built a relationship with that man. We talked - We debated - We prayed. Slowly, he found his way back to church. Years later, he wasn’t just attending — he became a lay leader. When I look back, I see it clearly:That wedding in a bar was the doorway. The start of a long journey that ended in real transformation. Leaders, here’s the takeaway: 📌 You don’t always choose your assignments — sometimes they choose you. 📌 The most unorthodox doors can lead to the deepest fruit. 📌 Your “first” step of obedience often sets the tone for years of ministry ahead. Reflection for You:What was your first unexpected assignment? The one that didn’t fit the mold but ended up shaping your calling? Drop it in the comments — I’d love to hear your story.