friday reflections

thought i would post a short video on my reflections of the week. enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXhwUTMAq0Y]

please feed my addiction

i've already confessed that i'm unashamedly a read-aholic. i love books and i love to read, and i sometimes feel incomplete when i'm not in the middle of 3 different books. can you relate?

these are the books i'm currently in the middle of:

1. think orange: imagine the impact when church and family collide by reggie joiner. i've heard reggie speak several times so i figured there wouldn't be a ton of new information in this book - but i was wrong. there is so much wisdom and encouragement, i'm trying to read it slowly in order to soak up all of the wisdom.

2. the church of facebook: how the hyperconnected are redefining community by jesse rice. my husband has been teaching a facebook class for parents at our church, so i originally picked up the book for him but now i'm sneaking a read while he's not looking, and john ortberg endorsed the book so of course it's great!

3. the hole in our gospel by richard stearns. i've been reading this book since early summer and i really do enjoy it, but it has not been an easy read for me and i'm fighting my way to finish it. but i like the feeling of accomplishment that comes when a book has been completely read so i'm staying committed.

and these are the books i'm planning to read next:

1. permission to speak freely: essays and art on fear, confession and grace by anne jackson. i loved, loved, loved anne's first book mad church disease and am so excited for this next one!

2. find your strongest life: what the happiest and most successful women do differently by marcus buckingham. i love his previous books and am anxious to order this one!

3. congregation and community by nancy tatom ammerman. i've been thinking a lot lately about how my faith community can serve and love those who live in my neighborhood and this book was recommended as a great resource.

what books are you in the middle of? please help feed my addiction!

make your team work

it's no secret...i'm a big fan of teams! and more specifically i love when a team is working well. united in mission and purpose, committed in respect and love to each other, and using talents to accomplish their specific tasks. oh, nothing makes me happier.

it's like christmas comes early for me when i witness a team working well!

sometimes when i consult with a children's leader, i'll spend time with the leadership team. usually this includes both staff and volunteers, and i'll ask each person to describe his/her specific role on the team. i love when they can answer with confidence and assurance. unfortunately they usually answer by saying, "i'm not sure.. i just do whatever needs to be done."

lovely heart, servant's attitude, but i'm sorry that's the wrong answer.

consider making your team work. as they use their gifts to accomplish specific tasks.

if you are at the beginning of building a leadership team, or in the middle of an already established team but afraid that some of your team members might be unclear about their role, consider assigning very specific roles to your team members. here are just a few ideas:

• operations leader: responsible for ministry logistics such as supplies, facilities and budget


• volunteer developer: leads development of volunteers through recruiting, training, and encouragement


• parent and family champion: suggests ideas and implements connections for families at home


• event coordinator: responsible for special event logistics and promotion


• security champion: continually looks for ways to improve and manage safety details


• website & new media leader: develops innovative ways to integrate the website and social media with volunteerism, families, and kids's programs


• early childhood (infants-age 2) leader: responsible for curriculum & worship experiences


• middle childhood (age 3-age 5) leader: responsible for curriculum and worship experiences


• late childhood (k-grade 5) leader: responsible for curriculum and worship experiences

additional leadership team resources: developing a leadership team: a downloadable tool from david weil and coaches job description from north point church.

baby einstein and trusting your gut

i was shocked yesterday to read the news about the baby einstein videos. supposedly all of the colors, and shapes, and songs aren't as great for our babies as we originally thought!  the wildly popular videos (according to a 2003 study by the ny times, a third of all babies ages 6 months to 2 years had at least one baby einstein video) are simply a "rich and interactive learning experience."

of course, it got even uglier when disney offered this explanation insisting they never claimed the videos were educational. huh? we always knew the videos weren't rocket science for our babies, but it does seem like disney led us to believe that the videos were more than just simple babysitters. the authors of the book nurtureshock said, "over this decade, disney has completely dialed back the claims about baby einstein. it could afford to, because it still benefits from the suggestive power of the brand – from the false claims made long ago."

i don't know why i was so shocked over the news about baby einstein. i've always thought it was a little strange that we plopped our babies in front of the tv for their learning experiences. but i do generally trust disney and i figured they had some insider knowledge about early childhood development.

the news reminds me again that we know our kids best. whether as parents, or children's ministry leaders, or members of our faith community doing our best to encourage faith in the children we see each week - we know them best. we know their lives, and their families, and their contexts, and it's up to us to be constantly judging, and filtering, and creating content and experiences that are just right for them. trust your gut. whether a pre-packaged christian curriculum or videos from disney, believe in yourself today to make the best decisions for the kids you know and love.

a sweeter faith

i enjoy creating fairly eclectic playlists on my iPod. my husband likes to tease me about my special ability to pair songs together that aren't usually paired together.  i know what's he really saying. he's jealous of my creativity.

my october playlist looks a little something like this: sean kingston, shakira, jay-z, cindy cruse ratcliff & israel houghton with lakewood church, michael jackson featuring will.i.am, p!nk, fergie, leona lewis, ne-yo, sara groves, and beyonce.

it's unique, i know. and i love it.

my most favorite song on the mix comes up right in the middle, and i can't help but turn it as loud as i can and sing along. sometimes i even replay it. and raise my hands as i sing.

the song is sweeter by cindy cruse ratcliff & israel houghton with lakewood church. the chorus goes something like this:

everyday with you lord is sweeter than the day before

every morning i will worship, every evening i'll adore

everyday with you lord is sweeter than the day before

today as i was singing along, i was thinking how strange it is that i love this song so much. especially during this time of confusing faith. everyday usually doesn't feel sweeter than the day before. a lot of days it feels hard to see god's goodness around me. and i definitely don't wake up worshiping god for this easy, nice, sweet season that i'm in. my faith doesn't feel sweet right now.

but i love this song, and when i sing it's from my soul because i think that maybe the word sweet has come to mean something different for me. everyday my faith is being made new, and i'm witnessing new dimensions to my faith, and it's not easy, or fun, or usually very nice, but because of the difficulties of this season, i'm connecting with god in substantially new and deep ways.

it's like the word sweeter has come to mean a new, real, truthful, intimate faith with god.

i love what donald miller says in a million miles in a thousand years, "The story made us different characters than we would have been if we had skipped the story and showed up at the ending an easier way."

and for that, i sing from the deepest part of my soul, everyday with you lord is sweeter than the day before.