you & me in 2010

originally uploaded to flickr bentheillustrator

growing up, i never would have guessed that i would chose a career as a consultant. i always wanted to be a teacher, and a hair stylist, and a red carpet fashion designer. but all of those dreams changed in college - specifically the hair stylist dream when i realized one night while doing my own hair how tired my arms were and the thought occurred to me - how could i possibly hold my arms in the air doing other people's hair all day long?

i always like to say that i sort of stumbled into the consultant career. i was happily working as achildren's ministry director and a couple of children's directors i knew started asking my advice, and actually implementing the advice i gave, and then paid me for it. it was amazing! and fun, and thrilling, and completely satisfying. i realized after those first few experiences that even more than leading something, i love to encourage, train, inspire and challenge those who are leading!

for the last couple of years i've been consulting and coaching children's ministry leaders all over the country, and this year - several from canada, and i love when we work together for a specific length of time to strategically solve issues in the ministry, or improve the leader's leadership skills, or develop new volunteer recruiting methods.

as i was working on my 2010 calendar earlier this week, i realized that i have 3 spots open in the new year for children's ministry directors looking to improve their leadership skills or develop new volunteer strategies - and i would love to offer a spot to you.

and since it's the christmas season, and i love a good bargain - i'm offering this special:

as soon as all 3 spots are filled, the 4th person to contact me - gets their spot completely free!

if you are interested in learning more - contact me for an initial conversation:

amy@lemonlimekids.com | tweet me @adolan | or leave a comment on this blog

looking forward to getting to know you in the new year!

in search of heartbreak this advent

advent is the season of anticipation, waiting expectantly for the baby christ in celebration that he will reconcile all of creation.

today as i reflect on the thanksgiving weekend and look forward to the christmas season, i'm feeling a deep longing in my soul to be meaningful - to add meaning to the broken parts of this world. i'm beginning to notice that the most spiritual experiences for me are when i'm participating in situations that break my heart:

children hurting in abusive homes

homeless men and women walking around my neighborhood

parents struggling to make ends meet for their children

men and women experiencing isolation and loneliness

all of these experiences break my heart, and create a deep longing inside my soul for things to be made right immediately. today i'm realizing that it's been far too long since i've intentionally placed myself in any of these situations. but now i find my heart genuinely longing to be broken in anticipation and participation of god's holy work.

this advent, i'm believing that the baby christ has come to reconcile and make all things new and beautiful - and i'm in search of heartbreaking opportunities in which i can participate with the divine in making all things right.

"it is christmas every time you let god love others through you...yes, it is christmas every time you smile at your brother and offer him your hand."
--mother teresa

new books for 2010

i'm especially excited about 2 children's ministry & leadership books scheduled for release in 2010!

1. formational children's ministry: shaping children using story, ritual and relationship

by ivy beckwith

i've been excited about my friend ivy beckwith's new book basically since she wrote her first book "postmodern children's ministry." ivy's first book put language to thoughts i had had for awhile but was not able to fully verbalize. i suppose that's what a great author does, right?

i couldn't be more excited about ivy's new book set to be released january, 2010. i believe her book will challenge us and will inspire us to re-imagine our current models for children's ministry.

a short description about the book:

much ministry to children looks more like mere entertainment than authentic spiritual formation. but what if children's ministries were rooted in a mind set whereby we taught children, with our words and actions, how the story of God, the story of church history, the story of the local community, and the story of the child intersect and speak to one another?

2. lead vertically: inspire people to volunteer and build great teams that last

by craig johnson

another book i can not contain my excitement for!  i've witnessed craig leading and building teams, and in my opinion - he is the best!  i have been so impressed with craig's level of humility, wisdom, and creativity in leading teams. i can't wait to read this book and learn how to really inspire people to volunteer for the long term.

a short description of the book:

great leaders build up, not down. when leaders, whether in the church or in the marketplace, inspire their teams with a vision of what is possible, passion meets production and truly great things start to happen. as senior director of family ministries at lakewood church in houston, the largest and fastest-growing church in america, craig johnson oversees thousands of staff members, lay leaders and volunteers. From his unique vantage-point comes lead vertically, a fresh look at the importance of building teams when the goal is not only success, but fulfillment.

these are the books i'm excited about for the new year! and while you are shopping for everyone on your christmas list - order these books as a special treat for yourself.

or pick them up as a special gift for me! hint, hint.

happy thanksgiving!

creative idea for that ole' ministry brochure

last week i received a brochure in the mail fromerikson institute that sparked an idea for me. i am always impressed by erikson's creative design - and actually the design inspiration for the conspire 2009 conference came from a brochure i had received earlier from the school.

the brochure i received last week was a simple 4-panel horizontal design that follows a typical day in the life of a longtime professor. on the front cover the words simply read, "what is a typical day in the life of aisha ray?" you see a picture outside of her office and the time 8:15 am - followed by what she does when she gets into the office.

the rest of the brochure follows her through her day:

9:46 am: write post-it notes for admin responsibilities

11:32 am: mentor students

2:17 pm: participate in a program with the city college

the brochure and timeline are simple, the design is engaging, and all of the wording highlights the values of the school and how professor aisha ray works hard to accomplish those values.

what if we created a brochure similar to this in which we highlighted a typical sunday for a volunteer? we could give the brochure to parents and potential volunteers in order to highlight the values of the ministry and how simple, fun, and meaningful a volunteers' service can be.

has anyone tried something similar? if you have, leave a comment and share your creative idea!

happy friday!

hope your week was great - and i hope you are blessed, encouraged, and have strength enough to not accept leadership substitutions. enjoy the weekend!

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