"See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?" — Isaiah 43:19

I grew up in a world where the rules weren’t written down, but everybody knew them.
Stay in your place.
Don’t rock the boat.
Follow the playbook.
Keep your head down and maybe, maybe, you’ll make it.

And if you wanted to lead, especially in communities that have been economically battered or historically overlooked, the message was clear: stay in line. Stay quiet. Don’t question the system that gave you a seat at the table.

But what if the table itself is broken?

What if the very structure that keeps us “in good standing” is also the one keeping our communities stuck?

The Sacred Disruption

Disruption. It’s a loaded word, isn’t it?

It brings to mind protests, tension, conflict. And sure, disruption can be messy. It can unsettle people. It can offend. But I’ve learned something: more people are hurt when there isn’t disruption. When nothing changes. When old hierarchies keep handing out the same tired outcomes.

Did you catch that? Disruption isn’t the enemy. Stagnation is.

Jesus disrupted. He turned over tables. He healed on the Sabbath. He called out systems that crushed people under the weight of tradition. Not to disrespect the past, but to redeem the future.

And we’re called to do the same.

The Questions That Shaped Me

I didn’t grow up with wealth. I didn’t grow up with access.
I grew up with questions.

Why do some rise while others stay stuck?

Why do the systems that are supposed to help us… only help us survive, but never thrive?

Those questions shaped how I see the world. They still do. And they’ve shown me a hard truth:

We’ve built more nonprofits.
 We’ve built more businesses.
 We’ve poured billions into charity.

And yet? Poverty hasn’t moved. Not in any meaningful way.

From 2000 to 2023, the poverty rate dropped by just 0.2%.
 All that activity.
 All that energy.
 All that effort.

But still, the bottom remains the bottom.

Let that sink in.

We are building organizations, but we’re not always building outcomes.
 We are expanding systems, but the people at the bottom, the ones who need transformation the most—are still waiting for change.

And if that doesn’t move us? We’re not paying attention.

A New Kind of Leadership

This moment is calling for a different kind of leader.

Not the kind who protects their turf.
 Not the kind who clings to titles.
 Not the kind who measures success by programs launched or panels joined.

But the kind who asks:
 Who is rising because I lead?
 What am I preserving that actually needs to be challenged?
 What systems am I quietly protecting that were never meant to last?

We don’t need more leaders guarding gates.
We need leaders flinging doors wide open.

Let’s Make It Plain

If you’re wrestling with where to begin, start here:

Redefine Success
 Shift from status-based leadership to outcome-based impact.
 What you build matters, but what you change matters more.

Restructure Power
 Power isn’t something you hoard. It’s something you hand over.
 Give others a shot. Let new voices in.
 Let fresh ideas breathe.

Reimagine Growth
 It’s not about building more things.
 It’s about building more lives.
 Lives that are healed. Whole. Hopeful.

And yes, this kind of leadership costs you something.
It costs comfort. It costs control.
But it buys freedom for others. It buys possibility.
And that’s a trade worth making.

The Race We’re In

So here’s the truth:
The race we’re running? It’s not to the bottom.
It’s not to protect the middle.
It’s not even about maintaining where we are.

It’s to the top. Together.

Because when more people rise, we all rise.
That’s not wishful thinking, that’s the blueprint of the Kingdom.
God’s economy is not built on scarcity. It’s built on multiplication.
We just have to trust Him enough to loosen our grip.

Final Reflection

If you're a leader, and we’re all leaders in some capacity, ask yourself:

What am I preserving that needs to be challenged?

What power am I protecting that no longer serves the people?

Who am I overlooking that most needs to rise?

Let God do a new thing through you. Not just for the sake of change, but for the sake of transformation.

Let’s not just lead.
Let’s liberate.
Let’s not just build.
Let’s break through.
Let’s not just grow.
Let’s rise and bring others with us.

Prayer:
 God, give us the courage to challenge what needs to be challenged, to protect the people—not the power—and to never stop believing in the possibility of resurrection, even in broken systems. Use us to make space. Use us to lift others. Let our leadership reflect Your heart. Amen.