Dr. Tommy Kiedis, President of Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School, has a passion for leadership. In his recently published book, “Forging Your Leadership Heart,” Kiedis challenges and equips leaders to grow in their leadership skills while looking to the greatest leader: Jesus Christ.
A desire to view all of life through the lens of Scripture drives Kiedis to process leadership through writing and reading. He writes regularly on his devotional site, Don’t Ask the Fish, and on his leadership site, Leader’s Life & Work, as well as for the central location of his podcast, On My Walk. In total, he estimates to have recorded more than 220 podcasts and written over 1,150 blog posts—totaling upwards of 1 million words—over the past several years.
“I love to share my writing with others to help them maximize and multiply their lives for God’s glory,” he said.
The LBC | Capital President added that he intentionally titled his newest book to remind readers that becoming a leader is a journey. “I have used the word ‘forging’ in the title because forging is an active process, a very intentional process,” Kiedis explained. As an automobile enthusiast, he is familiar with the process of forming metal into a desired shape. It’s a process of transforming metal that takes cutting, heating and bending.
“Metal is an amazing material,” he said, “but it does not take shape by itself. Neither does the human heart. God saves. He begins the work in us. He will carry it out to the end. Still, we are responsible to forge our leadership heart.”
Kiedis pointed out that, throughout the Bible, God called believers to take part in forging their hearts. “We see this pattern of divine sovereignty and human responsibility throughout Scripture,” he added. “In Philippians 1:6 and 2:2, Paul addresses both divine sovereignty and human responsibility. In other words, Christian leaders continue to forge the heart that God has transformed and made pliable by Christ.”
To President Kiedis, leadership is stewardship, and one of the greatest acts of stewardship is equipping others for that role.
“I pray that the Lord uses ‘Forging Your Leadership Heart’ to encourage and strengthen leaders in every position and at every level to nurture the ‘heart of integrity’ God commends, or as the subtitle of the book notes: ‘Thirty-One Days to Great Wisdom, Influence, and Resilient Joy.”
Released on Dec. 4, 2023, by Second Fiddle Publishing, the publishing arm of Leader’s Life & Work, “Forging Your Leadership Heart: Thirty-One Days to Greater Wisdom, Influence, and Resilient Joy” is a transformative devotional challenge designed to help readers grow the heart of a leader. The hands-on, interactive journey empowers users daily through Scripture, a thought-provoking message, an action assignment and a prayer written by 31 different individuals—Dr. Kiedis’ colleagues, friends and partners in the faith—in response to that day’s devotional.
Kiedis writes in the introduction:
“We all know leaders keep their eyes and their teams focused on their mission. But leadership is also a journey of the heart. If the leader’s heart grows cold, the mission becomes just a task and people simply a tool! None of us want that! That’s why this 31-day reflective journey helps leaders tend to their heart as they tend to their mission. My desire is to help all of us who lead to do so with greater wisdom, influence, and resilient joy.”
He adds that his prayer is that readers of “Forging Your Leadership Heart” will:
- Deepen their understanding of the leader’s heart through the lens of Scripture.
- Develop greater emotional wisdom and influence with those around them.
- Discover joy that is both resilient and inexhaustible.
- Develop the ability to capture the imagination and inspire those they lead.
For the book, Kiedis worked with Thom Scott, professor in LBC | Capital’s Communication & Media Arts Department, as well as several student and staff editors.
Learn more or purchase online at tommykiedis.com.