Lasting Impression Teams - We exist to create a welcoming experience thru serving with excellence

Last week, I was in Phoenix for a long weekend of Nascar racing. Thursday night featured the Midget Series. This is grassroots racing; a place for future Nascar drivers to get experience. As I was listening to the driver's being announced, I noticed that several of these up-and-comers were owned and/or sponsored by several major players in Nascar. (Tony Stewart owns a two-car USAC team. )
Ummm, looks alot like a leadership concept I just finished reading about.....
A seasoned Nascar driver taking interest in young drivers. Giving them opportunities to gain experience, to be encouraged and supported, to possibly fail, and to use that failure to improve, knowing that there is always another race. Then the "young" driver moves up to the next level and continues the cycle by sponsoring and encouraging another new driver.
Nancy Beach writes in Unleashing the Power of Rubberbands that " the reason we are leaders is because we had people in our lives take the time to develop us". Humm looks alot like Nascar.....

Posted in: on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 at at 7:39 PM 0 comments  

Session 2 was titled "Navigating Your Leadership World". It covered self awareness, communication and managing power. My notes are all over the place from this session - almost every bit of free space had something written on it.
Self awareness - I need to be clear on who God made me to be; know how I have been gifted and use these gifts wherever I am; embrace my uniqueness; become comfortable with my brokenness; understand who I am and who I am not which will make saying yes to the right things and no to the wrong things easier; carve out my own path.
Communication/Managing Power - Find my "voice" which is my style and it comes from my core beliefs - something Bill Hybel calls "Holy Discontent"; speak up and be heard; give myself permission to make mistakes (tough for a perfectionist) so that I don't hold myself back; know my conflict style (avoid at all costs) * need to work on this*; own and collaborate power to energize teams; my team needs my voice; be prepared, be spiritual but be real; . Nancy O. sums it up from her book this way - " a women leader must develop the muscle of talking back from an inner core of strongly held values and beliefs, and a willingness to face her fears and even harness her anger in order to communicate with clarity, logic and passion."
In this session Nancy O mentioned that we each needed to find a word that would motivate and inspire us, to keep us going when things got tough. Her word was "flourish", she posted this in her office next to the team's mission statement. I am still looking for my word.
Some phrases that I need to incorporate into my life in order to become a better leader - "I am sorry", "I made a mistake", "I dropped the ball", "I need your help", and "I don't know, what do you think".
Things I will be working on - I will fight hard to be the leader God called me to be and remember that the heart of my leadership is God's vision and my gifts are from Him. I will try to better understand my brokenness, and I want to find "my word".

Posted in: on Monday, October 20, 2008 at at 6:41 PM 1 comments  

On Monday, I had the opportunity to attend a conference at Willowcreek Community Church. This conference was "Gifted to Lead" featuring Nancy Beach and Nancy Ortberg. This was an interactive forum for women in leadership. (for us introverts interactive meant I had to talk to other people!) Session One was called "Growing up a Leader". Nancy B talked about her defining moments as a leader and obstacles she has had to overcome.

Some of my take-a-way notes:

* girls are labeled as "bossy" where boys are labeled as "assertive"

* I need to allow room for my gifts to be used

* I need to be better at receiving criticism in order to allow growth

* more than 50% of church attendees are women and we can't afford not to let them use their gifts.

The interactive part of this session I was to journal about and then share 2 of my defining moments and an obstacle I needed to overcome. One defining moment was to come from my childhood, and one from later in life.

My first defining moment was listening to my mom complain that growing up she only had two choices for a career - either become a teacher or a nurse. (she became a nurse) I thought this was odd, I didn't see or understand the reasoning behind why a woman couldn't be anything she wanted to be. I took this moment to decide I wasn't going to let gender decide what I was when I grew up. ( ironically I became a nurse too but I am in management) In my journalling I wondered if the reason my mom was so angry and critical of me was that she saw something in me that she wished she had??

My second defining moment occurred on a Friday evening after service was over. I had been serving as an usher for several months at the Friday Night service. (back when a crowded night had more than 65 attendees!) Rod asked to talk to me for a few minutes. Unfortunately, I can't recall his exact words, but he mentioned that although some churches felt women didn't belong in certain leadership positions, he felt that I had leadership potential, and would I consider leading the ushers. He went onto mention that he asked another to lead who was still thinking about it, and Rod felt that I might be better suited.

I left that night thinking why can't women lead? Women should be able to do anything they were gifted to do. I was also stunned that someone saw leadership qualities in me. I didn't consider myself a leader (although I was bossy as a child). I didn't jump at that opportunity to lead, but eventually I stepped up and have never looked back with regret.

At the end of session one I had the following insight- I need to bring out the leadership gifts of those I lead by finding tools to use during my meetings to learn about the gifts my direct reports have.

Stay tuned for insights from the other sessions!

Posted in: on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 at at 8:05 PM 3 comments  

This weekend I will be traveling to Chicago to attend a conference at Willowcreek. Although I have been to Willow/Chicago before, I have not had the opportunity to enjoy the city. My Google search has given me some info on the city - largest city by population Illinois; its a center of finance, industry and culture. I will have an afternoon to be a tourist and have been asking friends, family and coworkers what they suggest I go see/do.
Most common answers:
1. Retail Therapy on Michigan Ave.
2. Museums
3. Navy Pier
4. Exhibition Park
Suggestions are welcome!

Posted in: on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 at at 7:08 PM 1 comments  

Posted in: on Saturday, October 4, 2008 at at 2:42 PM 0 comments  

Posted in: on Monday, August 25, 2008 at at 6:21 AM 0 comments  

I have always been jealous of people who have connections - they are friends with someone in the travel industry so they get hotels cheap and great travel offers; or they know someone in the entertainment industry so they get movie premier passes or tickets to shows and concerts.
Yesterday, I realized I was blessed to have connections in the medical field! I have worked for a large health care organization in the San Diego area for the past 10 years. I didn't realize how many "friends" I have until I needed to navigate through the system quicker than normal.
I broke my foot a few months ago and I re aggravated it a few weeks ago at the Summit. I have been limping for about 3 weeks now and I have reached my limit. I needed to have this looked at. I would have waited about 5 weeks to see the foot specialist, but thanks to connections, I only waited a week. I would have waited another 2-3 weeks for the special bone scan I need, but thanks to connects, I have my scan this morning!
It sure pays to make a positive, lasting impression upon the people I encounter every day. I am very grateful for the help they have provided me. I will remember this and "connect" them if they need anything from my area of specialty.

Posted in: on Friday, August 22, 2008 at at 6:53 AM 0 comments  

This is from Rachelle Kimberling, who serves on the Daily Journey Ministry.

Fire Up The Salsa: revised for LIT

In a day, I devoured “Just Courage” by Gary Haugen of IJM and listened to his CD twice; in obedience to a riskier ministry God had fired up my heart almost 2 years ago. Thank you, Laurie for your obedience to SWAT retreats……God shook me there. I didn’t know exactly what, whom, or where this adventure would be…………….so I waited, prayed, researched, sought counsel, and waited. I didn’t want to be impulsive, and jump into something ridiculously risky, unsuccessful, and look like a fool. Yes, pride speaking.

According to Gary Haugen, significance is found in transforming peoples’ lives through love. Amen, he must have been reading my mind. Worship is deed, not merely singing about it. I enjoy using my God given gifts in community and I do my imperfect best in love: creating a decorative haven for meditation retreats, or vocal worship for women’s ministry, facilitating a small group, cooking a hopefully delicious potluck meal. It is all unto the Lord………..but it’s safely dull. God wants to transform me through a steeper climb or by firing up the salsa. I’m a Puerto Rican that prefers medium salsa, thank you very much. I’m petrified of heights (God made me height challenged), but I have no choice except to look up and get involved.

Prayer welcomed,

Rachelle Kimberling

Posted in: on Thursday, August 14, 2008 at at 5:23 PM 0 comments  

I enlisted the help of several LIT leaders who attended the Leadership Summit 2008 to send me their "take aways" - things that moved them and they were willing to share. This is from David Youngblood - Leader of the 10:45 Greeters.

Kingdom Matters Matter Enough To put your ALL IN in.Personal vision for the Kingdom is powerful and essential as a leader. In order to get the most out of what God is doing in us, we need to put everything we have into doing what God is doing. Good works, nice ministries, even socially necessary service is ‘good,’ but they are not always what God wants to see done in the world – right now! “What does the LORD require, but that we seek/do justice, love loving (Mercy), and walk humbly with our God.”Most of the summit called on leaders to take it not to a higher level, but the highest level. For team leadership within/under the larger Kingdom mission, I was most moved to find my pastoral gifts again, specifically in the arena of helping those with whom I serve by encourage them to be creative and contributors to the ministry we are leading.
Team Goal: invest in the lives of our greeters and challenge them to come up with more ways to make the ‘howdy’ welcoming and unique.
Personal Goal: connect with Daily Journey, the Worship Band, or the prayer team to add on what is missing in my heart’s desire to serve – I’ve used the excuse that, ‘while we were greeter leaders, there was no time.’ Now I sense that there will never be enough time to serve where my passion is, I must find the way and pray with the Lord to make it so, not neglecting the gifts or ministries to which I (we) have been called, but giving the very best of what I have.

Posted in: on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at at 10:24 AM 1 comments  

Memories of Willie:

Willie Massie was an angel in more ways than he’d ever claim or probably know. He joined the greeter’s ministry on the very same day in July `07 when three of the four regular greeters went on vacation. Together with John Goldthwaite, he faithfully greeted folks on the Paint Store corner every week that he wasn’t singing in the choir. The deep sense of joy that Willie brought to the greeters and choir was from the new found well of his new relationship in Christ. Despite the grace of his gentle demeanor and great love Willie had for the greeters, choir, and men’s fellowship, Willie’s past was not one of graceful blessing. Meeting Willie’s mom at the LIT Christmas gathering was more than testimony to this grace of his redemption and freedom in the Lord, she could not stop talking about what a change had come about in her son. That his contagious smile & “hello brother/sister” came from a life redeemed from habits and fates worse than many of us will ever know, is one of the deepest graces we will miss when we gather to pray and bless the ministries of Journey Community Church. Thank you Lord Jesus for the time we were given to know you through this saint of yours, our friend and fellow greeter.
Written by Kim and David Youngblood Leaders of the Second Service Greeters

Posted in: on Monday, July 28, 2008 at at 6:43 AM 5 comments  

If I believed in putting bumper stickers on my car, they would probably say things like "I'm not tailgating, I'm drafting" or "I'm not speeding, I'm qualifying". For you non-Nascar types - it means I like to drive 80 in the fast lane.
That was until I spent over $65 filling up my 13 gallon tank
I was going to try an experiment. "Experts" say that driving 55 will net you at least 10 -20 more miles per tank. I started driving in the slow lane-at 60 miles per hr - there was no way I could drop from 80 to 55. My first week, I got an extra 15 miles out of the tank. The next week was closer to 20. Now it's a game to me. How far can I stretch that tank of gas?! I started doing other things - more right hand turns, and no putting the pedal down when the light changes to green. My goal is 350 miles per tank. I'm at 305 with a quarter of a tank to go!
See you in the slow lane and not at the pump!

Posted in: on Friday, July 25, 2008 at at 2:13 PM 1 comments  

Posted in: on Monday, July 21, 2008 at at 12:40 PM 1 comments  

I love to read. One summer (I was probably 14) my mom challenged my bother, sister and I to a reading contest. I loved that summer and I blew the competition away! I devoured about 2 books a week over the 6 weeks or so of vacation. I think my mom was sorry she gave such a challenge having to take me to the library at least once a week.
As I have gotten older, my reading tastes have changed. I used to read things like Judy Bloom, and Nancy Drew books, as well as The Little House on the Prairie series. Moved up to Sidney Sheldon, David Eddings and even Danielle Steele. After I got into management, I primarily read books to further those skills - leadership, teamwork, ect. (some may say BORING) Not so! Since my time is limited, I do enjoy settling in and reading those types of books and learning new tools. However, due to my limited reading time, it takes me what feels like forever to finish a book. I received "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" by Marshall Goldsmith for my birthday. My birthday was in March and I just finished this book last night. Sad, but true.
The entire book is about stopping things you are doing that are hindering you from even greater success. The author included a list of 20 transactional flaws. As I got to about half way in the book I began to put one of the tools suggested into practice. One flaw listed was "not listening". Marshall had some great examples of improving listening skills. Since I feel I am a pretty good listener, I decided to put these suggestions to use at work as practice before I got into my real flaws. (according to the book)
I work in the medical field as many of you know. In this field you need to be able to multi-task. It is very common for us to be looking down at a chart taking notes, while the patient continues to talk. (a good listener faces the person speaking) Fellow coworkers are not bothered by the fact that they are talking to me and I am busy entering labs or such into the computer.
After reading some suggestions from the book, I made a few changes. I face my patient and let them explain their problems or concerns; then I ask them to give me a moment to write a few notes, then I ask a few clarifying questions to make sure I remembered correctly all they had explained. As for my coworkers, I began to stop what I was going, actually put down my pen and face them when they talked to me.
I have no idea if I am making a difference with how the patients perceive me as a good listener or not. What really surprised me was the response from my coworkers. I got comments such as, "are you okay?", "what's wrong?", and my favorite was "why are you looking at me?"
I am not quite sure what to make of that!
As for my real flaws (again according to this book) are 1. Adding too much value, which is the overwhelming desire to add my two cents to every discussion, and 2. Passing judgement, which is the need to rate others and impose my standards on them. How I am going to work on these will be the subject of another post!

Posted in: on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at at 7:49 PM 1 comments  

Yesterday I attended a leadership development session put on by my employer. Sharp holds these sessions 3 times per year for supervisors and above. At every session we have a guest speaker to motivate and/or reinforce one of the principles that Sharp stands for. Charles "Chic" Thompson was the guest speaker.
Chic spoke on innovation - finding ways to creatively turn a negative into a positive, and to tap into our creative side to problem solve. We always receive "homework" after these sessions. We have to complete a project to help "hardwire" the new ideas presented into our day to day work. I should have been taking notes for that, however, I found myself jotting down ideas to apply to LIT and also to the upcoming Leadership Summit.

These were my take aways that got me thinking about Journey:
1. Things to engage the left or creative side of my brain - wear my watch on the other wrist, use my computer mouse with the other hand (I already do this for carpal tunnel reasons), listen to a new radio station, flip through a magazine you would never subscribe to - backwards, and drive to work a completely different way.
2. If you need to write a vision statement - engage the creative side by putting together a collage of pictures from magazines, then write the statement after studying the pictures. Could this help LIT create their statements?
3. If you need to "sell" and idea - always have your "elevator talk" ready. This is essentially a commercial about yourself and your passions - you never know who you may encounter in an elevator! Use the 4 word Hollywood pitch - Minute Clinic's slogan is "Your sick, we're quick". Or if I said what movie do you think of if I said "Flashdance with a guy"? (Dirty Dancing) By just using 4 words you get a point across quickly and efficiently. But to do so takes creativity.
4. Think in opposites - the great reversal. Ask yourself "what would I never do?" then flip that "never" into a really cool idea.

It was this last point that really got me thinking about the Summit and LIT. Chic was talking about things you should start doing and things you should stop doing. His slide was an example of a room with 4 large post-its (one on each wall) you or your team was to brainstorm things to do, things to stop doing, things you would never do, and things you are doing right now. I thought this would be an interesting way to set up our conference rooms for those teams who gather together after the sessions to talk about what they got out of the sessions. It might also be useful in brainstorming new ways to take our teams to a higher level.

Another example he used was of an entrepreneur that started a company called Cereality, "Where it's Saturday morning every day". This is a cereal bar where for about $3.99 you can have any type of cereal you want for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Here is someone thinking out of the (cereal) box, because someone told him it would "never" work. It's now franchising across the country.

My favorite exercise yesterday was when everyone was asked to brainstorm with the people at your table to create a new road-side experience by combining AAA and Nascar. We were told that when you brainstorm do not think about how much it's going to cost to make the idea work - restrictions like that stifle creativity. Ideas that were tossed around were: paint the tow trucks like Nascars; besides repairing the problem you were called for (flat tie) do a few extras just like a pit crew - add gas, clean the windshield; stay in constant communication with the stranded motorist similar to the way the crewchief talks to the driver.

Our all day session ended with something I "never" thought my employer would do - we enjoyed a cocktail reception! It was Sharp's thank you and congratulations for receiving the Baldridge Award.
Basically, being innovative is all about the experience you create.
Yes, besides working on this post, I did start on my "homework" and used some of these ideas to brainstorm ways to improve our patients' experience at the doctor's office.

Posted in: on Thursday, May 22, 2008 at at 7:38 PM 1 comments  

WARNING - This is a rambling post!
I am sure it isn't hard to guess that with my personality type I like things neat, orderly and predictable. I forgot to read the fine print when I joined God's team that life becomes messy, disorganized and very unpredictable. After receiving an email earlier today, announcing a change that I have been well aware of I began to reflect on how much things have changed since I started serving in 1999.
I went from hiding in the back row on Friday night service (this was tough to do when our attendance back then was about 45 people) to helping usher on Friday nights, to leading Friday nights, to leading 8:30 to now leading the Lasting Impression Teams.
Since assuming the roll of LIT coordinator I have dealt with my share of messes, disorganization and unpredictable events. I wouldn't change it for the world! God has taught me some valuable lessons. (flexibility, grace, passion, friendships) I have also learned some lessons from the person who replaced me.
I met Evonn when she joined the ushers after we held a Ministry Fair to recruit new team members. (I've since forgiven her for mistaking the ushers for greeters) I found her to be an amazing woman. She was juggling family, work and ministry; as well as bravely handing her mom's terminal illness. It was no surprise to me when I told the team that I was moving to a new ministry that within a few weeks Evonn mentioned she was interested in assuming my previous leadership roll with the 8:30 team. Since assuming the 8:30 roll, Evonn has taken the ushers to a new level of excellence!
Our bonding time happened over a true Journey meeting place - Starbucks. As I supported her in her new roll, she was a huge support to me in mine. She continues to remind me that life is chaotic and working with volunteers can be challenging at times. She has always there to pray with and for me and offer encouragement and remind me that change happens.
I am sure she will blog about all she has gone through to come her decision. I tried many things to keep Evonn as part of LIT. (my need to keep things orderly and organized) It wasn't until she asked me to advise her as her friend and not her "boss" that I realized I was selfishly trying to hold her back from what she believes God has planned for her. I am in total support of her next move; I will miss serving with her. (she doesn't know it yet, but I have her signed up to usher at Christmas)
Evonn, thank you for showing me changes are good things. Can't wait to see what changes God does next.

Posted in: on Monday, May 19, 2008 at at 7:19 PM 1 comments  

Tonight most of the LIT leadership gathered at my house to honor and celebrate Rod's birthday. Speaking for myself (it is my blog after all) Rod has inspired and encouraged me and guided my leadership development over the years. I am sure everyone in our group would say similar things about how he has touched our lives. It was a pleasure to honor him tonight.
The team pitched in and purchased an autographed mini-helmet of Danica Patrick. I also included "Nascar for Dummies" since Rod had such a wonderful time the other night watching Nascar with friends.
I know Rod was blessed and had a wonderful time because as he left the house loaded up with left-over Pick Up Stix and lemon cake, he reminded me that I am still older than he is!
Happy Birthday Rod!

Posted in: on Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at at 9:32 PM 2 comments  

Some people say when you have a deja vu moment, it means you are traveling the correct path. I have occasionally had a feeling of deja vu, but I really know that I am on the right path when I hear the same "message" from a variety of sources.
This year there have been two very specific times that I have gotten that positive feeling of heading in the right direction. The first occurred during our series on Moses. Ed made several references to the fact that every 40 years was a turning point in Moses' life. During this series, I was reading Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. There were several references in the book to turning points in Moses' life.
Since I had been working through my own issues with this year's birthday (can anyone guess which one this was?) I knew God was using these references to let me know that I should be ready for a shift in my life.
The second reminder came after I finished reading books called Fusion and Chazown. These books got me fired up about putting together a class to teach once or twice a year to all new LIT members what making a lasting impression is all about. I took this as God's way of letting me know what the 40 year shift might be in my life. The reason this would be a HUGE shift in my life is that I am extremely introverted and to stand up in front of people and speak/teach would be a great stretch of my comfort zone.
It's good to know that I am traveling the right path as I continue to processing the info from the books, as well as journaling and putting together a vision/mission/purpose statement of what this class might look like.

Posted in: on Monday, May 12, 2008 at at 6:58 PM 0 comments  

Last weekend I had the opportunity to be at Journey attending all three services. Some may have considered me "stuck" there as I was overseeing registration for the upcoming Leadership Summit. I found it to be an opportunity to learn people's stories. Ed had mentioned this as a point in that week's message - Lead Where You Are, part 2.
I had the chance to learn stories from David - a fellow leader who recently had a major (and shocking) change in his employment; Angelica - a guest services volunteer who is training for the upcoming Rock 'n Roll marathon; and Gail - a volunteer who keeps our cafe running so smooth, also had a major employment change.
I was also blessed with the opportunity to interact with many guests, answering questions and directing them to where they needed to go.
In the coming weeks, there will be a few more opportunities to be "stuck" at church overseeing registrations - I look forward to learning more stories.

Posted in: on at at 6:49 PM 0 comments  

Posted in: on Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at at 12:50 PM 1 comments  

On Sunday I was reminded that LIT touches lives and how many times we don't realize that we do. I had walked over to the church office to leave something in Brian's office. However, it was locked. A few doors down, a friendly voiced called out asking if I needed help. I walked down to an office that was painted in team colors - I want to say the Bears, but I am not totally sure. I explained that I was trying to leave something for Brian that a family dropped off to help with the Uganda mission trip. This person said he would take it and make sure Brian got it. I was a few feet down the hall when the voice called out again - "You're Alex, right"? I backed up and stuck my head back in and said yes; he went on to say how great he thought LIT was. I agreed that I do work with a wonderful group of people, thanked him and went on my way.
Later, I made a point to ask Rod who it was that I had encountered and to pass along the positive feedback about the team.
Sunday night as I was working on some Summit stuff, I got to thinking about my earlier interaction and how LIT touches lives and we may never know that we did. I like to tell my receptionists where I work that they are "always on stage". Meaning that they are being watched by the patients sitting in our lobby and should always maintain a positive and professional demeanor. That also applies to myself, and how I represent LIT, as well as all of LIT. Whether we are serving or not, we represent the team at all times and should conduct ourselves as such no matter what.
Turns out, I was interacting with Todd Tolson who about 8 years ago oversaw our middle school ministry. He had been working in different states and different churches, but has now moved back to San Diego. His current duties cover college and other pastoral care directly connected to Mike Burns.
Thank you Todd for the positive feedback about the great bunch of people I have the privilege of serving with, but more so - thank you for the reminder that I am always serving an audience - even if it's only an audience of One!

Posted in: on Monday, April 28, 2008 at at 10:42 AM 0 comments  

LIT leaders gave up their Saturday morning yesterday to brainstorm on team purpose, mission and vision statements. We started with breakfast - how else do you think I could get everyone together so early on a Saturday morning?!?



After a better understanding of the differences between a mission, vision and purpose statement, we got to spend some time working through an exercise to come up with a few key phrases that stood out to us.

Each leader was then given the opportunity to share his or her key words and phrases with the team. The team then talked through the phrase seeking the best way to say what the team's vision was. It was amazing to see each team's indivduality shine through while still maintaining a common theme since we are all parts of a larger unit.
Individual Team leaders will now meet with key team members over the next few weeks to do some more brainstorming, working together towards a collaborative end project. The teams intend to use the future purpose, mission and vision statements in brochures as a recruiting tool for future team members.

Posted in: on Sunday, April 27, 2008 at at 7:29 PM 2 comments  

Many years ago, I can recall asking my brother what was so exciting about watching a bunch of cars drive around in a circle for hours. He said he couldn't explain it, you had to experience it in order to understand.
About 2 years ago, my husband and I started watching Nascar on TV. Good friends of ours went to Phoenix twice a year for the races and had been encouraging us to check it out. What can you say about a sport on national TV that prays before each race, and doesn't race on Mother's Day or Easter? There was even a driver involved in Pug Rescue, so he became "my driver".
Last year we started talking about renting a motor home and joining our friends in the April '08 race in Phoenix. I do have to admit that I have never seen a complete race on TV, I watch the beginning, check back about half way and watch the last 20 laps or so. (The hockey fan in me likes to watch the wrecks!) So, an entire weekend of racing was a HUGE step for me. We bought tickets, but missed out on the RV spots. As an alternative we were going to stay with family and drive home from the race each night.
Last week, Ken was able to find an RV spot on eBay. We were in! I was so excited about staying at the event and taking in the whole event without wearing myself out, I started making a list of what I needed to pack on the back of one of the inserts during Ed's message last Friday. (sorry Ed - God was in the details of the camping/Nascar experience!)
The day before we left, Ken called at work with bad news. Remember the pug driver? Well, he lost his ride. I missed the chance to meet him by one race. Now I had just days to find a new favorite driver. Do I choose based on stats? Popularity? No, I have a much more scientific method - my anniversary date is 9/29, so I checked out those 2 drivers, but settled on #99 - Carl Edwards. Whenever he wins a race, he does a back flip off of the car.
Now I need to back up. In January I went to Napa for a girls weekend. One of the wineries that we toured sponsors a car in the Nascar West series (sort of like AAA ball) I asked if I could have my picture next to the car and the tour guide said I could climb in. I dropped my purse and my jacket and gave my girlfriend my glass to hold and I was in!



We arrived Thursday afternoon after an uneventful ride from San Diego and a slightly less than pleasant rental experience from the RV place. (They need some work on their customer service) After settling into our spot and meeting our neighbors we went to walk around. Walking around the merchandise trailers, I have never seen so many tattoo covered, beer drinking, chain smoking group of people - who were the nicest, friendliest group I have ever been around at a sporting event!
That night, I find out that instead of the trucks racing, the Nascar West series would be. I was so excited and surprised - I actually "knew" one of the drivers - after all I got to sit in his car.
Ken has been like a kid in a candy store all weekend - collecting autographs and free give-a-ways.
I have no idea what any of this blog has to do with leadership, but I had such a wonderful time, I wanted to share it. The noise and the adrenaline is indescribable. We are making plans to return again - maybe for November, but definitely April '09.
PS - I still haven't been able to sit through the entire race - even live.
PSS - Check out my Flickr account in the next few days. I'll have downloaded all the photos from the weekend.

Posted in: on Sunday, April 13, 2008 at at 7:23 PM  

This weekend Ed talked about how God prune's our lives to encourage/increase growth and to eliminate the not so good stuff in our lives. I don't know about you, but when I am being pruned I never see it until I am thru that season in my life. Only then, can I look back and see what God was doing. I find it much easier to recognize it in other peoples lives than in my own.
I have a new coworker who is in something like a pruning season. In the 4 weeks she's been here, she's been involved in a car accident, been late to work 3 times and gotten 2 parking tickets. She believes this isn't the place for her because she has had such a string of bad luck. I have been trying to tell her that when stuff like this happens, it's a lesson not a punishment. After hearing Ed's message, I can better explain this season in her life. I hope she decides to stick it out, because I know she can make such a positive difference here.

Posted in: on Monday, April 7, 2008 at at 12:39 PM 1 comments  

Posted in: on Friday, April 4, 2008 at at 12:57 PM 1 comments  

As everyone is aware of, I'm sure, that Rod is no techno-phobe. At one point in time, I believe he possessed 3 cell phones, a PDA and a laptop. He has been after me, as well as others at Journey, to join a variety of organizational networks such as Twitter, Facebook, Skype and Flickr. I am no techno-guru, so these all sounded like a foreign language to me. I wondered, with email, why did I need all this other stuff?
I was excited to see a watered down definition of these networks in a recent article in Fortune magazine (the March 31st issue) The article is called Web 2.0 Gets Over Its Goofing-Off Phase, by David Kirkpatrick. It talked about companies that offer services that create a constant stream of inter linked data. This data can be about your organization, business contacts, or about yourself. The article mentions a bit about Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter and Dopplr. David Kirkpatrick has a column for additional info on Web 2.0 tips.
I am still not as tech-savvy as others around me, but I have joined Facebook (I have one friend - Rod - so far) and I joined Flickr to share my photos with my family. I will have to wait and see about Twitter - I just can't image my friends and family need to know that I washed dishes 6 hours ago, or just finished a book 1 hour ago.

Posted in: on Monday, March 31, 2008 at at 6:14 PM 2 comments  

On Saturday I was gossipping with one of my dear friends, who was confessing (among other things) that she fed her children chocolate chip cookies for breakfast. Somewhere in our conversation, she mentioned that I haven't posted to the LIT blog in sometime. I told her I was working on one about a book that I just finished, but I was still trying to put my thoughts in order. I was accused of being to analytical - so in honor of my dearest friend- here is a post that rambles!
Yesterday was Easter. This year, in planning for this large event, I took a step back and allowed the leaders of each individual team to plan their coverage. I purposely didn't volunteer to greet or serve as an usher. I wanted to just attend a holiday service for a change. In the past, it was not unusual for me to serve at every service we held during a holiday weekend. I made sure all the team leaders had the necessary info and passed along those who were interested in being a "First Serve". These amazing leaders ran with it! Each team recruited from among their regular team members, and promptly contacted First Serves. Every service - including a 5:30 Good Friday service had plenty of help. Team members stepped up and filled in when a leader had a daycare challenge. Sunday greeters volunteered to "lead" at Good Friday where we can sometimes be "greeter challenged". It was humbling and moving to see everyone work together to serve our Lord.
I was able to attend the second service with my in-laws. (yeah I got them to come back - they were last here for Christmas - baby steps!) Although it was really nice to sit and enjoy the worship and the message - I felt totally disconnected and out of sorts! I realized, although I have some leadership gifting, I am really wired to serve! I felt left out and really missed that "serving high" I get after helping with big events, such as Christmas, Easter and the Summit.
I have exactly 135 days until I get my Summit service high and 276 until Christmas. I hope my leaders don't mind that I am going to stick my nose back in and serve right along side of them!

Posted in: on Monday, March 24, 2008 at at 12:29 PM 1 comments  

Dan Sanders is the CEO of the award winning service oriented United Supermarkets. His book Built to Serve
talks about how to put people first and how by doing that it increases the bottom line. Some insights I gained -

• There is something special about being called to serve
• Team members remember leaders who make the time to take the time
• The vision is everything!
• Above all Have Fun

LIT is preparing to gather to create purpose statements. I found this book very insightful. It mentioned that an effective vision statement has less to do with success and more to do with significance. It compared organizations to a team, and a team has fans and players. Players represent a team every day. Regardless of whether they are playing or not, they are still part of the team; players rely on one another. Fans on the other hand are fickle (fair weather) If a team recruits "warm bodies" rather than hiring for the vision, fans tend to infiltrate the team. The larger the team, the more difficult to spot the impostor(s). Team players are the first to spot the impostor, and the leader(s) tends to be the last. Fans don't contribute much to the team. In fact they may cause more damage than if the team had played a man down for a while until the right person could be found to fill the vacancy. Once a fan has infiltrated the team, it can be painful to remove them from the organization. Scouting for "players" is time well spent. It's important to remain faithful to the values and make decisions based on your beliefs and/or principles not on what is popular. Time should be taken to fully explain what our team(s) represents and make sure the commitment/vision is understood and embraced whole heartedly before a long term contract is entered into. I am going to keep these lessons in mind as I work on team descriptions for our church website. I now see the importance of recruiting with the team vision foremost in my mind, not just to bring people on-board because we are short handed somewhere.

Posted in: on Monday, March 10, 2008 at at 7:52 PM 1 comments  

I work for a large heath care organization. I can come in contact with around 100 patients per week. If you have ever seen The Doctor with William Hurt , you can understand that I try to treat each patient as an individual and connect in some way. On Thursday a coworker came into my office and said she had a patient asking for me. This gentleman had not been in to see us in over a year. At our last encounter we talked about his music, collage football and about how ill his wife was. He specifically asked for me to let me know that his wife had passed away. He said he wanted me to know because I had taken such an interest in them the last time he was in the office. It made me realize you never know how you are going to impact people, and how precious each encounter is. I have a daily opportunity to leave a lasting impression (positive or negative) with each and every interaction I have with people.

Posted in: on Sunday, March 2, 2008 at at 6:37 AM 2 comments  

I was recently in Orlando for the NSE - this is a training session for the upcoming Leadership Summit.
I traveled with four other team leaders and had a wonderful time getting to know them better. We spent time brainstorming, training and just unwinding. It was quite an adventure but that's another post!
The training was great. I was in a group with other OEM's (on-site event managers) who are in their 1st or 2nd year in this role. I made a few connections with other managers that I am looking forward to keeping in touch with up until and even after the event.
We were privileged to see brief promos of all the guest speakers. There is going to be an awesome line-up this year. (to see a complete list click here) I am most looking forward to Ephrem Smith. He was so full of energy and excitement. He is really going to engage the audience. He uses stories and humor to help make his points and relate to people.
One of the ideas that we brainstormed, was how to increase the attendance from Journey-ites. One thought was to engage the various ministries in a contest to see who could sign up the most people. No rules were discussed, so I am starting my campaign right now! I challenge all members (not just the team leaders) that are part of the LIT - Daily Journey, Decorators, Friday Nights, Greeters, Guest Services and Ushers to make plans and sign up for the 2008 Leadership Summit hosted at Journey. The investment is well with it. You'll be rewarded with all kinds of tools, insight and connections with other attendees that you just can't put a price on! I expect to see all of you there August 7th and 8th!

Posted in: on Monday, February 25, 2008 at at 8:40 PM 0 comments  

I collect pig figurines. I have no idea why or how I got started. I do have 3 pugs, maybe someone thought I said pigs??? Any way, I received a new addition to the collection last week. This one is a flying pig! It's actually a really cute bird feeder! I received it as a "thank you" for covering the ushers at church the week before. A few minutes after the gift giver left my house, the phone rang. It was the gift giver calling to say I had better not write a thank you note for the thank you present! (my grandmother taught me to write thank you notes for gifts received) So I ask you - when is it proper to stop thanking someone for thanking you?? Emily Post where are you when I need you???? (I wrote the gift giver a thank you note any way!)

Posted in: on at at 8:33 PM 1 comments  

Today was very challenging. This is my third Tuesday in a row to pray and fast. During the past two weeks, at lunch I would take a walk. Getting out of the office decreased my desire to eat lunch, plus I got to enjoy the sunshine. The first week that I fasted, I walked around the neighborhood that I work in. It's halfway between Downtown and Hillcrest. I was thinking about how I could best put my dollar to use. Rod had given some great ideas....candy bars, extra tip money, kids tossing coins in the fountain.... Guess what lines the streets around the area that I work in?? Parking meters!!!! I knew what I wanted to do - before the next Tuesday, I got dimes and nickles and was prepared to feed parking meters as I walked.
Week two was fun. Although I didn't get caught, I understand the parking enforcement people really give you a hard time for feeding other people's meters.
Now, today was a different. Today was the day the office chose to do a potluck to celebrate all the February birthdays in our office. My contribution was a chocolate cake that I baked last night. All morning long, I kept thinking of ways to leave the office without insulting the birthday people. As lunchtime approached, I knew there would be no leaving - especially since my doctor was one of the birthdays. I was okay until the pizza and fried chicken got delivered.
I had to retreat to my office to escape all those wonderful smells. I grabbed my bible because there was a scripture reference that had come to mind that morning that I wanted to research. You will never believe what I found as I turned towards 2 Corinthians - one of Ed's message notes on Moses! (I have been working thru something and am getting many Moses references.) Ed's message notes dealt with Moses increasing intimacy with God. Exodus 33:13 says "teach me your ways". My study bible then referenced Exodus 34:6-7 "and He passed in front of Moses, proclaiming "the Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished...."
Gaining deeper intimacy with God seems to be at least part of what God has been trying to get me to work on. These past few weeks I have been relying on God more and more and he keeps meeting me right where and when I need him most. The passage about compassion, faithfulness, forgiveness and justice also speak to a situation that God saw me thru with an amazing outcome.
While I was reading and re-reading these few passages, as well as Ed's notes an entire half an hour went by! I'd like to say I was strong and the next 30 minutes went by uneventfully, but I can't - I caved when I heard someone made homemade mac n cheese.
I treasure the 30 minutes I spent reading and journaling, and I am really glad God forgives us when we slip up! Since I didn't make it outside to feed the meters, I'll be fasting again on Thursday and walking around the neighborhood armed with nickles.

Posted in: on Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at at 7:15 PM 1 comments  

Posted in: on Monday, February 11, 2008 at at 2:43 PM 0 comments  

Praise God! I was informed by HR today that they are completely dropping their investigation. Nothing is being written in my employee file and I don't have to remove anything from my office. I got to voice my opinion that I thought this was nothing more than a vindictive witch hunt. I left the office feeling a tremendous peace about the situation. I want to thank everyone for their prayers and support during this very stressful time for me.

Posted in: on Monday, February 4, 2008 at at 6:36 PM 3 comments  

Have you ever had the feeling that something was going on behind your back? I've had that feeling at work for the past 3-4 weeks. I thought it had something to do with one of my staff considering transferring to another location. That was just a very small piece of the puzzle.
While I was on vacation last week, there were at least 2 managers in my department asking questions about me. This was confirmed, separately, by two sources. (neither of which was interviewed) I made an appointment with HR to ask what was going on - this was my life and my career someone was messing with!
Turns out, someone in my department, filed a complaint with HR that my "religious behavior" was offensive and they felt threatened by it/me. I am not a "bible thumper" by any means. I have been at this same office for 9 years. During that time, I have invited coworkers to our Christmas Tea, as well as our Family Fall Festival or other special occasions. I do not post anything in the common areas of our facility; I keep all of my "religious material" in my private office.
Since HR can not break the confidence of who filed the complaint, I can only speculate what is going on. As I mentioned before, I have been in this office for 9 years. I am no different in the way I act today, then I was when I was hired. Because of that, I still feel it stems from the employee transferring. The doctor that she supports is very "high maintenance" and is quite upset that she is loosing her nurse. The doctor first tried to get 3-4 other doctors together to file a complaint that I treat employees poorly and force them to transfer. In my nine years, I have had 2 employees transfer to other locations (both were in corrective action due to poor job performance) When the other doctors wanted nothing to do with this scheme I believe she (the doctor) either filed the complaint herself, or coached another nurse to do so.
I have been seeking the wise council of several friends, and am still seeking how God wants to me proceed in this matter. I am not sure there can be a pleasant ending no matter what I decide to do. I could be forced to remove all "religious material" from my office and still keep my job - an option I am not happy with; and because this complaint will always be in my file, if I ever try to proceed with corrective action on any future staff member, they could bring this issue up. I could quit, but then I wouldn't feel vindicated, especially since I feel this stems from a personal vendetta.

Posted in: on Sunday, January 27, 2008 at at 10:35 AM 1 comments  

Posted in: on Thursday, January 24, 2008 at at 3:03 PM 1 comments  

I am really enjoying my daily devotional - "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers. I've actually only missed the weekends. "Lazy Mode" kicks in - since I am not obligated to get up (like I do on a work day) at 5:30AM - I sleep thru my morning quiet time!
I bought a DVD - Yoga for Beginners - well, what can I say? I can't even be classified as a beginner! I couldn't complete the first pose - sitting cross-legged on the floor! I am facing the sad, sad reality that I am really out of shape. I am now hunting for a DVD to help me stretch and increase my flexibility.
Unfortunately, the walking hasn't started at all. I have nothing but lame excuses. Since the walking hasn't started, neither has the weight loss. I am considering a little extra help in this area - can anyone say pre-packaged diet food????
So far, the cruise is still on - although my deposit got re-directed to an unexpected repair bill on my rental unit in TN. I'm not sure how long I will be able to keep it a secret though. One of the port stops in Alaska had a note that vaccines are required. I am familiar with vaccines for port stops in foreign countries, so I found this a bit surprising. Something for Nancy Drew to investigate.

Posted in: on at at 2:55 PM 2 comments  

Daily Journey Ministry was started over 10 years ago. It was Butch and Ann Whitely's vision to equip the church members with the resources and tools needed to have meaningful communication with God daily.
Butch, Ann and their team have spend hundreds of hours together and in prayer to shape this ministry. Through this time, the team has put together several workshops and classes.
One of their workshops - Quiet Time - will be held on January 26th with a follow up session on February 3rd. This is a great class for not only new Christians to establish a quiet time, but for "older" Christians to be exposed to additional tools to improve and refresh their quiet time.
Our Senior Pastor - Mike Burns - has told the DJM team that "Every single decision, every important major decision I have ever made, I have made in my quiet time when I have been alone with God."
Recently, Ann shared with me the DJM brochure that she has been working on for some time. I can tell how much thought and prayer went into this project. The brochure highlights the DJM purpose, vision and mission statements. Also listed are the teams' core values. It is easy to see that the team takes these core values to heart. They are dedicated to what God is doing at Journey, within their team and within themselves.
I am especially encouraged by the value of "Ministry Support". It states "We commit our time, energy and resources to enhance the service opportunities God has given us at Journey, including providing classes, materials and working at the DJM counter. Butch, Ann and team - you exemplify this core value! I am privileged to serve along side of you!

Posted in: on Monday, January 7, 2008 at at 8:34 AM 0 comments