Lead Better Everyday

I am passionate about leading better everyday. I am on a constant quest to learn from others on how to lead well. Staying above the everyday tasks, rising above the office politics and ministering to the staff that God has given to me personally to invest in, is a day to day challenge. (Sometimes a second to second challenge) It is critical that I stay focused on what God has called me to do and not take my eyes off of Jesus' example.

God has trusted me with an incredible ministry opportunity that comes with an intense accountability. Ministering to those that minister to our children. I am not in the classrooms with our children, my leaders are. It is my job to lead the leaders.

Today in my quiet time, I pray my God would find me faithful to tend to sheep He has trusted me with; the leaders He has handpicked for me to minster to.



Ezekiel 34
The Lord Will Be Israel's Shepherd
1 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 "Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy and say to them: 'This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to you shepherds of Israel who only take care of yourselves! Should not shepherds take care of the flock? 3 You eat the curds, clothe yourselves with the wool and slaughter the choice animals, but you do not take care of the flock. 4 You have not strengthened the weak or healed the sick or bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strays or searched for the lost. You have ruled them harshly and brutally. 5 So they were scattered because there was no shepherd, and when they were scattered they became food for all the wild animals. 6 My sheep wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. They were scattered over the whole earth, and no one searched or looked for them.

7 "'Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 8 As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, because my flock lacks a shepherd and so has been plundered and has become food for all the wild animals, and because my shepherds did not search for my flock but cared for themselves rather than for my flock, 9 therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord: 10 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against the shepherds and will hold them accountable for my flock. I will remove them from tending the flock so that the shepherds can no longer feed themselves. I will rescue my flock from their mouths, and it will no longer be food for them...'"

The people became as sheep without a shepherd, were given up as a prey to their enemies, and the land was utterly desolated. No rank or office can exempt from the reproofs of God's word, men who neglect their duty and abuse the trust reposed in them.

Father, find me faithful in shepherding the sheep you have placed in my flock, I pray my eyes are on you today and everyday in all that I do, may they say I do unto you. Amen.

Oh The Culture We Create...

I have been in ministry for 22 years. God has blessed me with some of the most amazing pastors to learn from during those years. Each time, when God moved me out from under a Pastor I grew to love, I was emotionally challenged. What I have come to understand is that God taught me through these Pastors specific to my future leadership needs.

When I served at Metro Life Church, I learned the Word of God as a new Christ Follower. I was like a sponge soaking up God's Word. I call these two years, my boot camp years. MLC is where I learned what God's Word was and how to apply it to my life.

Resurrection Life Church was a church where I learned about God's amazing Grace and Love for six incredible years.

Then, having the privilege to serve at New Community Church, where I learned the principles of leadership. Nine plus years steeped in leadership...leadership...leadership...

Lastly, to arrive at Church @ The Springs to implement all that I have learned. Those opportunities of learning and growth have empowered me to lead at a level I could never had led from as a new Christ Follower.

What I have come to realize is, that each time God placed me into a new ministry, I created a culture. I created a culture of what my knowledge was at the time. The culture I created however, would not allow me to implement new strategies or make changes, because I did not work that into my strategy.

Oh the culture we create...I once read, "You have what you lead", I am not sure who said it, but boy, isn't that the truth. So with that in mind, how do you create a culture where you can implement new strategies and growth opportunities? My present Pastor, Ron Sylvia, shares in our membership class that he fought for the word relevant in our vision statement, because he wanted to build change into the DNA of his ministry. We, as a church, would always be changing to meet the church of today. He says, "The Message will not change, however, the method must." That was incredible wisdom. That strategy gave him permission to make changes, try new things, stay relevant to the world today and to grow exponentially.

What is the culture you are creating with your present leadership? What culture would you like to create? Build it into the DNA of your ministry.

Ready...Set...Go Collaborate!

What would your ministry look like if you were to collaborate with your ministry leaders? Some of the best untapped resources lie within your team members. Hand pick a few key leaders and remember, not every idea they come up with will be an earth shaking idea, however; it might be the idea that springboards you into another incredible idea.

We need to create an environment where our leaders feel safe and supported and ready to do the best job possible. How do we create an environment that is conducive to sharing brilliant ideas? I say "Do unto others as you would have done unto you"... Think about how you would like to feel in that environment and create just that.

You know you are in a creative environment when:

*Your ideas are listened to and investigated before being judged. Give your leaders an umbrella of mercy.

*You feel appreciated when you suggest new ideas.

*Your ministry leader spends time with you and explains the reasons & politics behind it.

*You are given the freedom to do your work in your own way with the best tools.

*Experimental methods are encouraged. It is ok to fail forward.

*You feel comfortable talking with anyone in your organization.

*There is someone that will listen to your ideas.

*The generation of good ideas is rewarded, verbally or otherwise.

*You are treated with respect and as someone who can contribute to the organization.

*You are appreciated for what you do.

*You are appreciated for who you are.

Your volunteers aren't any different than you. My two favorite chapters in a book called, Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon Mackenzie, is chapter ten: Containers Contain: you are confined... Contained in a box...find the grace to dance without stepping on toes...Don't build invisible walls...and Chapter nineteen:Orville Wright: Orville Wright did not have a pilot's license. I love that! Explore the possibilities! Be willing to let ideas free flow. Don't shut an idea down, just because it doesn't conform to the rules. Push the envelope. Give your leaders permission and an opportunity to be magnificent! Create an outline of what you are hoping to accomplish in your meeting. Prime the pump of ideas by giving your team leaders an agenda ahead of time. Are your ready? On Your Mark..Get Set...Go Collaborate!

Only 70 Hours Left

Only 144.com is selling $1074 worth of Children's Ministry products for only $97. You have only 70 hours left to buy! There are some great resources in this package.

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My Best Friend ($12)
No Other Name ($12)
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Free & Cheap Resources

I found a great website for Children's Ministry leaders, it is called CMBUZZ.com I copied and pasted their post on FREE & Cheap websites. Check them out!

Seeds is an incredible site produced by Church on the Move in Tulsa, Oklahoma. On this site they give you free access to the series they have produced for KOTM – Kids on the Move. These series include Openers, Countdowns, Music, & Teaching. It all FREE (my favorite price!).

Draw You a Picture.com - Low price, cheap logo design for ministries and podcasts. This site is run by James Kennison a Children’s Pastor in St Petersburg, Florida. DrawYouAPicture.com features low-cost artwork and services. James’ goal is to make high quality artwork, illustration and design affordable to those who might otherwise not be able to acquire professional grade work. He produces work for Podcasters, Ministries, Small Businesses and individuals.

Creative Kids Pastor - a website that creates and develops resources tailored for children’s ministries that want to incorporate Creative and Original Elements to teach and inspire young imaginative minds.

Free-Loops.com provides Free Loops and Audio Clip Downloads to the music production community. Our free loops can be used to produce; Hip Hop,RnB,Drum Loops,Bass Loops,Synth Loops,Fruity Loop Sounds,Techno Loops,Rock Loops,Piano Loops,Flash Audio Loops,Video Game Loops,Movie/Soundtrack Loops,Sound Fx,Vocal Loops,Pad Loops,808 Loops,606 Loops,909 Loops,Crunk Loops,Drum Rolls,Break Beat Loops,Acid Loops,Trance Loops,House Loops,Jungle / DnB Loops, Prank Calls,70′s Funk Loops, Live Instruments, Theme Songs, Midi Loops,and more. Think of Free-Loops.com as your online audio toolbox that you can access anywhere anytime.

FREE & CHEAP Part 2:

Muddy River Media – MRM is a great resource and it’s FREE (again, my favorite price!) MRM is a registered, non-profit mission society which exists to consistently provide free, quality media resources for churches using the internet as the primary delivery tool. Muddy River Media creates and offers media such as:

Illustrative Videos
Small Group Videos and leader’s guides
Motion Backgrounds
Life Story Videos
Countdown Timers
Stock Photographs and Illustrations

Animation Factory- Download PowerPoint Templates, Video Backgrounds, and Royalty Free Animated Clipart. If you have a desire to create your own Countdowns, Games, etc. Animation Factory is a great resource.

New Grounds - a website for people who love to make Flash games and movies and those who love them. The focal point of NG is the Flash Portal, where users submit their homemade games and movies so that other users may view and critique them. We also offer resources for artistic collaborations such as an Audio Portal where musicians can submit their music to be used freely in games and movies.

Countdown Creator – lets you make customized video countdowns using your own video, picture, and music files giving you unlimited possibilities.

Audacity® is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds.

You Cannot Go From Kindergarten To College

The Church and Its Leaders: 1 Corinthians 3
1 Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ.2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?

Have you ever had a leader who wanted to go straight from kindergarten to college? Here is how you can identify this type of leader:
1. They wrestle with God as He refines their heart.
2. They despise the process God has them in.
3. They say they feel underutilized.
4. They feel their way is the only way.
5. They struggle against the leadership.
6. They break ranks before they have the opportunity to watch God work in and through His leaders. They miss it! They jump the gun and try to make their way, not waiting on the Lord.

Read Job 28:1-28

Where Wisdom Is Found:
Job 28:1 There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined...28 And he said to the human race,
"The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding."

a. Wisdom is fearing the Lord to the point where you have such an awe of His greatness you don't move unless he says move. b. You wait for Him to reveal His plan, trust in His ways, lean not on your own understanding. Watch His plan unfold before your eyes. Anything else is just plain sin.

Pray for your young leaders. Pray they seek wisdom. Don't give them solid food, if they aren't ready for it. They will choke. It is better for you to lead and to lead well.

As a leader; The right thing to do isn't always the popular thing to do; and the popular thing to do isn't always the right thing to do. Choose wisely.

How Are You Going To Lead?

"This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that He will drive out the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites." Joshua 3:10

God drives out your enemies. You just have to trust in God and LEAD! God told Joshua to have the priests who were carrying the ark of the Lord to set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream would be cut off and stand up in a heap. Did you catch that? They actually had to set foot into the Jordan before God would show up and stop the river. Wow, incredible...do you trust God enough to take action on your faith? What is your Jordan, what is God asking you to step into? More importantly, do you have enough faith and trust in God to take that step?

I often ask the people I am mentoring, as they are going through challenges "How are you going to lead through this?" Here is what I know, people are watching you...How are you going to lead them? Are you worthy to follow? Are you leading in a way that your faith is revealed? Are you pointing them to Christ as you lead them? Joshua had to tell the priests to trust God and get into the raging water. Joshua had to lead strong.

As a leader, if I stumble, I could potentially cause my followers to stumble. I am not saying I can't have challenges, I am not perfect... however, who I choose to share my challenges with is another story. As a leader, you need people in your life that you can share your heart with that will minister to your heart. They need to be able to hold you accountable in a way that lines up with the word of God. My accountability partner is a woman of God that I can count on to smack me back to reality, pray with and for me. She is also outside of my present church. She is a person, that God has given me from the last church I served at before Church @ The Springs.

God has given me everything I need to lead and to lead strong. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take." (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT)

"The Lord is my light and my salvation - so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?" (Psalm 27:1 NLT)

I Have A Little Braveheart In Me

One of my favorite all time lines from William Wallace in Braveheart, is when he is speaking to Isabella, the princess of Wales, She is complimenting him on his new status of having been given the rank of knighthood. William Wallace replies with, "I have been given nothing. God makes men what they are." There isn't a stronger position a person can take but to know where you have been given your existence.

As I read today in my bible about John the Baptist, John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease." He must become greater, I must become less. This sounds like a recipe for...how to avoid the pitfalls of pride. John's humility is quite remarkable when you consider the human dynamics. Who doesn't want to receive adulation? He has been faithful to do what God put before him, right? Doesn't he deserve to be praise?...rewarded for his faithfulness? Yeah...I said that! Oh my, have we forgotten who gave us our very existence? Yes, we are faithful... and yes, we are obedient to serve out what God has put before us. Let us not forget Who has given us the privilege. Let's look to God for our rewards not man. Stay focused on Christ.

I am personally realigning my life with this scripture: May Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and by His grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

You're A Character

I have heard that statement more than once! The truth is they are right. I am a character. I am a leader. We should be more concerned with who a leader is, than what a leader does. However, what a leader does can be a game changer.

What is the character of the leader? A true leader should be reflective, my character should be holy, I should reflect the character of Christ. I should have a rhythm...a pattern of good habits that cause the people I lead to say, "I want what Emmy has." That joy that can only come from within...from the Holy Spirit that is within me. I want to reflect Christ. I have an incredible privilege to serve our Lord and influence others. It is a humbling privilege that I do not take lightly. It is critical that I, as a leader, hold my thoughts & actions captive. It is critical that I remain humble, as I represent the Bride of Christ. I influence those around me. I don't always have the luxury of being lazy. I must remain diligent in all I do, I must remain constant in Christ.

If I keep my focus on Christ, it keeps my standard high. As I cannot attain perfection, I can however, strive for excellence. As I am a recovering perfectionist, (somedays not so much...recovering that is...) I have to remind myself that I am not going to achieve perfection. I cannot attach those feelings to my personal worth. My worth is far more than what I do...or how I do it...it is who I am in Christ.

If God is for me...then who can be against me.

Viewing Life Through 3E Glasses

When I am chatting with people, I am thinking in 3E. Not in 3D... but in 3E... How can I Encourage, Equip and Empower this person to do what God has available for them.

1. How can I Encourage them to serve in their passion.

2. How can I personally Equip them to be a success by connecting them with others, helping them find their passion, or taking their next step for growth.

3. Lastly, how can I Empower them to play out their new role. God has a part for everyone to play.

Most people need just a little Encouragement. Ask them good questions to help them search their hearts to help them find their passion. For example: Ask them what they wanted to be when they were in the fourth grade? What they do for a living? Or If they could do anything and time or money isn’t a consideration… what would they do? Who do they hang out with? What do they do for fun?

You have to be willing to invest in others. Equipping people is essential to their success. You cannot just dump someone in a place they have never been in before. You have to walk with them. Call them to see how you can help them. Sometimes prayer is all they need. At times, just knowing that you are their safety net, is all they need to take huge leaps forward. You must be willing to do what ever it takes to make them a success.

Empowering people to lead is probably the most incredible feeling. It is not all about you and your leadership. If you have encouraged someone to step out to lead; you have equip them to be a success, now let them go and watch them lead. Yes, they are going to make mistakes, help them by debriefing situations, relaunch them again, walk by their side. Give them the opportunity to “Fit”, “Function” and “Flourish.”

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