The Leader’s Notebook with Dr. Mark Rutland

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook (Ep. 295) from our seven-part series, The Magnificent Seven , and the final message in this series, I turn our attention to Paul the Apostle and the decisive turning points God used to shape the most influential voice of the early church. We begin with his commissioning in Acts 13 and look back to his dramatic conversion, his unmistakable calling, and the c...

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook (Ep. 294) from our seven-part series, The Magnificent Seven , I examine the life, faith, and formation of Simon Peter—introduced in John 1 as a fisherman who meets Jesus and is immediately renamed, redefined, and relentlessly shaped by grace. Peter is bold, impulsive, strong, outspoken, and deeply human: quick to confess Jesus as the Christ, equally quick t...

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook (Ep. 293) from our seven-part series, The Magnificent Seven , I walk through the astonishing life and ministry of John the Baptist. He stands as the last Old Testament prophet and the first man to publicly identify Jesus as Messiah. His voice rises out of four centuries of prophetic silence, set against the political brutality of Rome and the corruption of...

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook (Ep.292) from our seven-part series, The Magnificent Seven , I walk through the life of King David not as a children’s story hero, but as one of the most complex, gifted, and broken leaders Scripture ever presents, drawing from Psalms 22, 23, and 51 to show how a shepherd, poet, warrior, prophet, outlaw, king, and sinner could still be called a man after Go...

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook (Ep. 291) from our seven-part series, The Magnificent Seven , I take you into the long, demanding life of Moses—a man called by God and shaped by struggle. From a baby hidden in the reeds to an old prophet standing before Pharaoh, Moses learned that God forms leaders slowly and uses them despite their fears, failures, and reluctance. We walk through the bur...

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook (Ep. 290) from our seven-part series, The Magnificent Seven , we explore the life and leadership of Joseph—the dreamer whose faith and character carried him through betrayal, slavery, and imprisonment to become the second most powerful man in Egypt. From the prophetic dreams God gave him as a youth to the fulfillment of those dreams decades later, Joseph’s...

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook (Ep. 289), I open our new series, The Magnificent Seven , by turning our attention to Abraham—the first great patriarch and the man through whom God began the redemptive story that shapes all of Scripture. Abraham stands at the headwaters of biblical history, yet he emerges from a pagan culture with no prior record of faith, only a heart somehow attuned to...

In this final episode of the Also Featured In The Cast series, I reflect on those whose names you may not know but whose roles were essential—both in history and in the story of Jesus. From Mary Magdalene and Joseph of Arimathea to the humble parents of Christ, we explore the lives of those who shaped history and faith in quiet yet profound ways. We also examine the deadly combination of political...

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook, I continue my series “Also Featured in the Cast” by looking at the “St. Peter movie”—and the people who surrounded him. From James and John, the fiery “Sons of Thunder,” to John’s quiet faithfulness at the foot of the Cross, to James the brother of Jesus who led the church in Jerusalem, to Paul’s bold confrontation of Peter at Antioch, and even to Judas Is...

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook , I continue our series, Also Featured in the Cast , with a look at the Apostle Paul—not as the star of the story, but through the lives of three people who shaped his journey: Ananias, Barnabas, and Stephen. Each of these men was “also mentioned in the cast,” yet each played an indispensable role in God’s plan. Ananias obeyed a terrifying call to reach out...

In this episode of Also Featured In The Cast , we turn to the New Testament and focus on two remarkable figures who surrounded Mary in the unfolding story of Christ’s birth—Elizabeth and Joseph. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophetically recognized the miracle growing within Mary’s womb. Her faith and affirmation strengthened the young woman chosen to bear the Son of God. And Joseph—oft...

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook , I continue our series Also Featured in the Cast —where we explore the lesser-known people surrounding the great figures of Scripture. Today, we look not at Elijah himself, but at those who stood around him: Ahab, Jezebel, and Elisha. Ahab saw Elijah as a troublemaker—proof that when culture descends into wickedness, righteousness is seen as disruption. Je...

In this episode of Also Featured in the Cast , I turn our attention to the Solomon story—but not to Solomon himself. Instead, we explore the often-overlooked characters who shaped his rise to the throne and the lessons they still teach us today. From the bold prophet Nathan, who spoke both judgment and grace, to the faithful priest Zadok, the scheming Joab, the vain Adonijah, and the complex Baths...

In this episode of Also Featured in the Cast, we turn our attention to the “supporting roles” in King David’s story—his brothers, his wife Michal, his son Absalom, and his loyal friend Jonathan. These often-overlooked characters reveal powerful truths about envy, bitterness, rebellion, and friendship. David’s brothers struggled with jealousy toward the anointing on his life. Michal allowed bittern...

In this episode of Also Featured in the Cast , I turn our attention to Hannah, the mother of Samuel. In the “movie” of 1 Samuel, Samuel is clearly the star, but Hannah—often overlooked—shapes the story in ways that change history. We’ll explore her passionate prayer, her faithfulness to keep her covenant with God, and her role in raising and dedicating Samuel for the Lord’s service. Along the way,...

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook , I continue my series Also Featured in the Cast by turning to the life of Moses. Moses is the central figure of Exodus—the lawgiver, the deliverer, the star of the story. Yet surrounding him are others whose faith, courage, and even failures shaped his journey: parents who hid him, a sister who watched over him, Pharaoh’s daughter who rescued him, Jethro w...

In this series of The Leader’s Notebook , I begin a journey I’m calling Also Featured in the Cast . When we read the stories of great Bible heroes like Abraham, we often focus only on the star of the story. Yet around Abraham are others—Terah, Nahor, Haran, Lot, and Sarai—figures who also shape the journey. Some hinder, some fall away, some compromise, and some stand faithfully beside him. Through...

In this final message of my Real Life in the Holy Spirit series on The Leader’s Notebook, I explore what a Spirit-filled church truly looks like. Acts 13 shows us Antioch—a powerhouse team of leaders God assembled, then promptly “broke up” for His purposes. Through stories from my own ministry—whether in remote African villages or unexpected encounters at home—I share how God reserves the right to...

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook , I share one of the most pivotal moments of my life—a story of how the Holy Spirit broke through years of resistance, depression, and theological misunderstanding to transform my ministry, my marriage, and my heart. I take you back to December 1975, when I reluctantly attended a Methodist pastors’ conference that I was certain would be a waste of time. Ins...

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook , I explore what it means to have not just a single Pentecost, but “Pentecosts after Pentecost.” Many Christians live as though the outpouring in Acts 2 was a one-time event for the church, but the book of Acts—and my own experience—tell a different story. From Jerusalem to Samaria to Ephesus, believers who were already saved and baptized still needed the e...

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook , I explore how the Holy Spirit transforms our relationships—marriage, family, work—through one powerful principle: mutual submission. Too often, Ephesians 5:22 gets pulled out like a rulebook verse, stripped of its context. But Paul’s real key is found just before it—“Submit to one another in the fear of God.” I share some humorous and real-life stories (i...

In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook , I share one of my favorite stories from the book of Acts—a challenge to every believer to “get off the porch” and follow the Holy Spirit into unexpected places. From Philip’s revival in Samaria to his lonely walk down a desert road, we see how God sometimes moves us from moments of great success into situations that make no sense at the time—because the m...

When the Holy Spirit fills your life, fear has to go. In Acts 4, Peter and John didn’t shrink back—they stood before the Sanhedrin with courage, prayed for even greater boldness, and lived with open-handed generosity. That’s the life I believe God is calling us to live. In this episode of The Leader’s Notebook , I share how bold faith changes the atmosphere—whether it’s a college student witnessin...

Dr. Mark Rutland shares how to move beyond theoretical Christianity into Spirit-filled living. Drawing from Ephesians 4, he shows how bitterness and gossip grieve the Holy Spirit—and how real faith is lived out through grace, forgiveness, and healing. Chapters (00:00:03) - The Leaders Notebook (00:00:25) - Spirit Filled Christianity (00:02:33) - "Grieve Not the Holy Spirit" (00:04:00) - Evil Speak...

In this powerful nine-part series on The Leader’s Notebook with Dr. Mark Rutland, we explore real life in the Holy Spirit —not as a theological concept but as a practical way of living. Dr. Rutland dives into what it means to be Spirit-filled in everyday life: in how we think, speak, relate, and lead. Spirit-filled Christianity is not reserved for a platform or a moment—it’s the transforming power...