prayer for today

it's been a busy week. busier than normal. i'm not sure how it happened. but it definitely happened. and with a vengeance. this week has been stuffed full of meetings, phone calls, writing, editing and strategizing. many times during this week - i wasn't sure exactly how everything was going to work out. it seemed liked every time i crossed something off my to-do list, 10 more urgent action items suddenly appeared. can you relate?

and today will be no different. i jam packed this day with more work than it was meant to hold.

but i'm finding peace in the bigger story - the one that reminds me that i believe in my work, and that i'm working hard so that children's faith will be formed and inspired for a lifetime, and that even in the busyness, god is shaping, forming and completing me in his image.

my prayer today from marianne williamson's illuminated prayers:

dear god,

as i wake up this morning,

may your spirit come upon me.

may my mind receive your emanations,

and my soul receive your blessing,

and my heart receive your love.

may all those i meet or even think of on this day feel better for it.

may i contribute peace.

may i serve your purposes with all i say and do, today and always.

please show me how.

amen

and poof! a great meeting appears

originally uploaded to flickr by amanky

it's not a secret that i love to think/talk/blog/tweet about how to lead successful meetings.

i may actually be a tad-bit obsessed with the whole subject, and i promise to get help from my therapist as soon as i'm done writing this post on how to lead successful meetings in 3 easy steps!

step 1: identify

when you are leading a meeting, work hard to identify these key things prior to the meeting:

identify the goal of the meeting

identify the participants of the meeting (and why they are invited - what do you hope each person will contribute?)

identify the length of the meeting

identify the type of meeting [this is a helpful chart for identifying the type of meeting]

identify (and prepare) the agenda [this is my favorite agenda template for tactical meetings]

by identifying these things prior to the meeting and then communicating them to your participants - you establish clear expectations. when clear and common expectations are established, you set the stage for each person to contribute his/her best.

step 2: honor

when you are leading the meeting, work hard to honor the identified goals, agenda, length and roles of each participant. this is where i most often witness meetings gone wrong. do not let the meeting stray; off topic, off agenda, side conversations, and meetings that run over time are dishonoring to the group.  honor the agenda, honor the participants, honor the length of the meeting, and you will witness a successful meeting.

step 3: participate

encourage all team members to be fully present in the meeting, and on a side note: if computers are present - they should be used for purposes that will directly affect the meeting. i've been to plenty of meetings where participants were allowed (and by allowed i mean it was never addressed by the leader) to tune out, be distracted, or not fully contribute to the conversation during the actual meeting. as the leader, you've invited each participant for a specific reason - so do everything you can to lead so that everyone can give their very best.

3 steps: identify, honor and participate, and just like that -  poof! a great meeting appears!

bonus feature friday!

today: 2 friday videos! 2010 is off to a great start!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD68BAvUThQ]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJw_njstsNg]

listen to phil's 2005 promiseland conference message: dream

shaped by story

by now you probably know how strongly i believe that we must begin exploring new ways of teaching the bible to the children in our churches.

and that i love the new methods michael novelli is trying with students and adults - most of which he describes in his book shaped by the story.

well then, you can guess how excited i was when children's ministry magazine asked me to write an article for the jan/feb issued based on michael's book and true stories of implementation from rolling hills community church's children's pastor gary strudler (who i first met way back in the promiseland days).

here's an excerpt from the article describing my own experience with storying:

several years ago as a children’s director, i helped lead a summer experience that michael novelli created for high school students. for one week, i led several youth groups as they spent each day listening to a biblical event, discussing the event in their groups, and then participating in various stations that helped them express how god had spoken to them during the story. as i led those students, i was amazed to see 15-, 16-, and 17-year-olds experience and react to an event from the bible in ways similar to how i’d seen my preschoolers react. their eyes were wide, as if they’d never heard the stories before. they smiled as they discovered themselves or someone like them in the bible stories. and they grew more fascinated with the mysteries of god and his people with each narrative. it was a spiritual experience for me as i too encountered the stories from the students’ perspective. that week changed my mind about the way we approach the bible with the children in our church. it clarified my vision for how our preschool and elementary kids could experience stories. i went back to my church and began rethinking how we were having kids experience the bible. after watching how the storying method transformed older kids, i could only imagine how much we could impact the kids in our children’s ministry—simply by adjusting how we relayed the events of the bible to them.

the end result? i got to see our children come alive in new ways as their questions, observations, and thoughts were equally valued. i got to see our small group leaders encourage children to share with their friends how god was leading them. i got to see kids completely absorbed by bible stories they'd sat through before with disinterest and glazed eyes. i even got to see a new level of engagement from our adult leaders. i remember one first-grade boys’ leader telling me that he’d learned new things and thought in new ways about the bible as he listened to the children in his group. it was absolutely wonderful to watch god’s great story take center stage in kids’ lives.

may you be inspired to uncover the stories of the bible for children in fresh ways this year!

read the entire article here, and be sure to check out children's ministry magazine - a fantastic resource for every children's leader!

a new year & new hopes

it's a new year - and yet words from the christmas story are still on my mind:

"and blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the lord." luke 1:45

i have a fresh list of hopes and dreams for the new year and today, i'm believing that god will continue to complete his work in me, creating me just as he had originally imagined.

my list of hopes this year was different than lists in the past - for several reasons: 2009 was a tough year that grew my faith in ways i never could have imagined and as a result of those difficult experiences, i became a new (and hopefully better) version of myself. as i wrote my hopes for this year, i found that they were simply further developments of who i have started to become this year.

mainly, i want to become more me.

and most days, that is clear - i want to be a good friend: one who listens, encourages, tells the truth, doesn't judge, and inspires my friends to be more themselves.

and i want to be a pursuer of things that are good for me: like cooking, and writing, and being creative with my fashion, decorating my home, entertaining, hunting for bargains, and spending time with my husband.

and this year, i especially want to be a great leader: one who thinks, and solves problems, and equips, and helps to change things for children in the church. and i'm believing that god will fulfill all of these things.

and i'm hoping the same for you - that this year you will become more of yourself.

what are your hopes for this new year?