Lincoln Logs, Play-doh and Finger Paint

Each creative planning meeting I try to start with a question that will stimulate community building and/or creativity. I am sure that resources exist for these types of openers/icebreakers, but that would be way too easy! As always, I must reinvent the wheel and come up with my own.

This week I decided to ask my team "if I were to give you the options of Lincoln Logs, Play-doh and Finger Paints which would you choose and why?" The responses were very interesting and shed a little light on our team dynamics. We had one finger painter, one sculptor and two Lincoln Loggers.

What a cool dynamic to have people who "play" in different ways. This is evident in how we approach service planning and is also helpful in knowing more of how each of us is wired.

So, what do you choose?

BTW, I'm one of the two Lincoln Loggers.... Who would've guessed!

Random Shout-Outs

This morning as I came in to the office I was listening to my new Brenton Brown CD (compliments of EMI - Thank you!) and I found myself really worshipping in my car. I just love that! And I've missed it. And it got me to thinking of some people who God has used to help me start getting back to feeling like myself. And these people should be thanked. Some of them will never read this and never know that God used them, but I'd like to recognize them at least here in the internet universe.

First, Douglas who helped me recognize the fog I was living in and challenged me to find my way out. Randy, Chonda, Jacque, Cheryl, Laura and Frank who all helped me to know that it's not only ok but normal to get in that fog sometimes because as one of them said so well... ministry is emotionally hard. What a huge statement that is. And my current favorite worshippers Brenton Brown, Keith and Krystyn Getty and Matt Maher who so beautifully put to words so many of the things my heart was aching to say.

Oh, and I almost forgot... John Voelz. I know this is what God has called me to... but it feels weird to be one of few gals doing it. Thanks for making me feel welcome in the predominantly guy world of creative arts directors. Look! I figured out how to post pics in blogger!!! :)

Thank you all! And whatever you do, don't you dare ever stop letting God use you. Ministry is emotionally hard but know that there will always be someone who needs your wisdom, encouragement or for you to just put words to their hearts. Thank you!

Physical and Intellectual Gluttony: Lots of Food and Food for Thought

Wow! I'm still digesting and probably will be for more than a month. I am on my way home from re:Create the thinktank/conferene hoted by Chris and Randy Elrod. We learned, ate, learned, ate and learned some more. I am exhausted they way I am Thanksgiving Day after visting with people I love and enjoying rich, yummy foods I don't get to enjoy everyday.

This year challenges came at me from so many different directions. My biggest challenge... Don't waste the emense priveleges I've been given. God has graciously put me in an industry that my heart beats for. He has given me a ministry team that I love. He has put gifted leaders around me to help build the team. And for the past two years it has been such a privelege to rub elbows with the folks at re:Create for the past two years. But it can't be only that. What am I going to do with it? What will I do with the knowledge I've gained? with the relationships I've started? I'm not entirely sure yet... except that I must do something!

As for the weight I've gained? I know what to do about that.... I'll be back after my ride.

Finding Priests

Exodus 28:1-5
1 "Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. 2 Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron, to give him dignity and honor. 3 Tell all the skilled men to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. 4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. 5 Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.

We’re getting ready to focus on our org charts as a part of our infrastructure focus. The concept excites me greatly and then exhausts me.

I can very clearly outline what my teams within Cypress Arts should look like and what roles need to be filled for us to function as a well-oiled machine….HOWEVER… Actually finding the right people to fit into those well defined spots… now that’s a different story!

How wonderful it would be if, like in Exodus 28, God simply told me as He did Moses, who would fill these roles. Maybe He will… I don’t know.

I do believe that He knows who He has created for these roles in this time. I am committing to praying for each of these unfilled roles and for the people He already has set for them.

I take the leadership of teams very seriously and want to be certain to have the right person in that role. But I don’t want to be so cautious that I am paralyzed to make a decision and slow down the growth of the team because of that. But on the other hand, I don’t want to be too quick in my decision and misplace a person. That could cause harm to the person and to the team.

So, I’m committing to praying and listening… Moses waited on the mountain six days before God called out to him.

I Saw the Light!

This year for our Chrismtas program we created a service called "Illuminate". We wanted to clearly proclaim the message that God meets us where we are in our darkness and in our mess and He brings light and Illuminates our lives with hope.

Wow, did I ever get lost in all of the typical detail and chaos of the process! More so than any Christmas before. So much so that for the first four services I could not honestly and objectively decide if the end result of all of our work was a good program or not.

Fortunately, we did five services!

For the fifth service, for the first time I was able to actually observe the service. And, it was good. We did clearly communicate our message. And we did it creatively and with diversity and my team really took their performance (whether behind a tech board or on the platform) to the next level. It was a good feeling to realize all of that.

Other than a good feeling, I walked away with questions. How did I get lost in the process this year? How many more "Christmases" do I have in me? Did I harm any of my personal relationships in the process? How can I do this better? and of course, What will we do next year?!

One question that was quickly asked and more quickly answered was Am I really doing what I'm supposed to be doing? I'm embarrassed to say I ask this way too often.

Fortunately I have known for years that there is only one occupation that makes my heart race and that is using the arts to tell people the story of God's love.

So, I don't know the answers to all of the other questions. But with that one being a foregone conclusion I packed up my laptop and headed back into the office this week. And here I sit figuring out yet another creative way to say the same thing.... God loves us and He made the ultimate sacrifice to make it possible for us to share life and eternity with him.

Building Takes Time

We're building. Nothing huge or fancy, but something I think is amazing! We're building a cottage office for me. In the process, I'm learning lots about building and lots about me. The two most glaring lessons to date.... Building takes time. I'm impatient.

This applies not only to my cottage, but also to my ministry. Someone told me recently that I'm a "big idea" person. They are probably right. I can envision Cypress Arts in a much different place than it is now. I'm excited about the potential that is there. But, I want to see it all realized now.

The reality is, of course, that that won't happen. And it shouldn't. There are too many lessons that I and others would miss along the way. So, I've been starting to pray - to pray that the Lord will help me to stop fidgetting and squirming and being unsatisfied with the right now. And to instead, hold on really tightly to the vision that He's given and know that the day will come when I move my desk in and I'm working in my office, and that the arts are flourishing at Cypress with even more people's lives being changed weekly as a result of it.

Keeping your chin up really does keep your head above water

There are days when, let's face it, cliche's just work. And, to be honest, they are often right on the money. I remember learning to swim. It's a long, stressful and somewhat painful recolection. :) But I remember with unbelievable clarity the coach taking me from the shallow end to the deep end (somewhere along the line even he couldn't touch the bottom which was cause for great concern). I was kicking and paddling with all my might to tread water... which really was more like flailing and struggling... and he kept saying to me keep your chin up. Keep your chin up! And it worked.... if I made the effort to lift my chin, I was able to consistantly keep my head above water.

I'm definately not the world's best swimmer. But I can keep my head above water... in my pool and in life. Right now, with my ministry there are so many ways in which I feel like I'm flailing. Exerting an awful lot of energy to kick and paddle but I still keep going down occassionally. This morning, through my devotion time, God reminded me of my swimming lesson... Keep your chin up! It will keep your head above water. And I even feel encouraged that I might take some strokes today -- make a little progress. If my ministry is a little better tomorrow because of my efforts today then I will sleep well tonight.



....so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Eph. 6:13 b (NIV)