Planning Retreat 2010

Today is our first day back to work after two days away at our Planning Retreat. I'm sure I am not alone in my feeling a tad bit overwhelmed. We came up with some great stuff the last couple of days...but now we need to find the time to actually implement these things!

The retreat consists of the entire NCC staff driving up to Baltimore and spending two days dreaming and planning for the next year. Each person's time is split between personal planning time and group planning time.

When I first heard about this...I had no idea what in the world I would be able to contribute. I tend to be more creative when I am provided with some sort-of framework, so at first this entire idea was incredibly intimidating. It turned out to be wonderful however, and my department mentors were able to provide me with just enough framework to really help me envision some pretty cool things for the future. It turned out to be a great couple of days.

I am thankful to be a part of a church that is willing to be such an emphasis on planning. And not only planning...be reevaluating. Each department looked at what they were currently doing and evaluated what was working and if it wasn't...they were willing to eliminate it. That principle is such a part of the NCC core and is something that drew me to them. The idea that just because it has become tradition or we are comfortable with it, does not mean that we need to continue it, or that it is the best way to do things. I think that takes incredible bravery to nix something that may just not be as good as it could be. I love that.

I heard about some really amazing projects and ideas this weekend. I am so excited to see these things come to fruition. It's inspiring to watch the process of God breathing new, beautiful ideas into us and helping us to move forward with those promises. I am blessed to have a job that I honestly cannot wait to get started on my new projects and watch as others begin theirs as well.

Leadership

As proteges, we have been reading Next Generation Leader by Andy Stanley. The entire book is filled with some really great insights and practical applications. Today we discussed the book as a group and it was really insightful.

I found that my biggest obstacle when reading the book was identifying with label of "leader." It honestly does not make much sense that I have as much trouble with that title as I do. I am consistently put into leadership roles and I really want to be a person of influence. I think my biggest problem is knowing how uncertain I am all the time. How things scare me and I feel so lost and helpless so much of the time. Or how I may have made a good decision here or there, but for every good decision were just as many bad decisions or a very real chance of me choosing incorrectly. One thing Andy mentioned in the book was that he is never more than 80% certain of things. I found that refreshing. Maybe I'm not the only one that doesn't have it all figured out? And maybe that's ok?

Earlier today in our staff meeting, a member of our staff lead us in a devotional. He asked us what the major theme our "story" would be. He said that throughout the Bible, God's theme is that of humility. Logically if we are to be reflecting God, then our stories should also be stories of humility. For me, this really tied into everything we have been reading about being a leader.

I want desperately to be a leader of humility but I fear that more often I am a leader of insecurity. By that I mean this...I am perfectly fine being behind the scenes and not the face in front of the crowd. This may appear as humility to some but really it is often my insecurity. I am fine receiving praise but I am often not fine with receiving criticism. If I can stay in the background, my mistakes are not as noticeable. This is not easy for me to admit and in some ways I really do enjoy doing the behind the scenes stuff. But we also have been examining our motives, and if I perfectly honest, my motives are not always pure.

One of the goals I have set for this next year is that I will step out and try more new things. I will say yes, even when I am afraid. I will most likely not get it right every time and I may even fall back into old habits but I am praying that God will help to give me strength to have truly humble motives. I have a feeling I have found a few people that might help to keep me accountable to this as well.

NCC Day number 3!

Well today was my third day as part of the National Community Church Protege Program. Honestly, these last few days have been a whirl wind and I cannot believe that I have only been here since Wednesday. It feels like much longer than that...but in a good way. I cannot believe that this simple girl from Western New York gets to be a part of something so amazing. These last couple of days I have met a-mazing people and am really excited to see what's in store for all of us this next year.

I moved on Wednesday and started at 9am on Thursday. We got to spend some time getting to know the other five people in the program. We got to share our crazy stories of how God had brought each one of us to this place. It was interesting because we all have such different backgrounds and passions but we all seem to share common threads in our stories and there is an ease to our conversations. I'm looking forward to learning from each of them.

The NCC staff...well I actually am having trouble articulating how fantastic everyone has been. Their energy is off the charts and they really couldn't be more welcoming. I was asked at dinner tonight what my favorite part has been so far. I immediately thought of some of the crazy things I've seen and participated in these last couple of days. There has been cheering, high fives, the "slow clap" that evolves into enormous roars, karaoke and even some dancing. These are things that most of you will know, I usually do not enjoy. And if I ever do enjoy them, it is after I have known the other participants for a lengthy period of time, not after mere hours of meeting. But truly...I have loved every minute, even as I awkwardly sang my part of the duet to Jesus Freak, I loved it. This is because I do not feel that I am surrounded by strangers but by lifelong friends. Friends that share my vision and passion for God. I mean really...what more could you ask for?

As for DC itself...I've fallen completely in love with the city. I know there is crime and traffic and sirens and yelling, and I love every bit of it. The history and the culture and the richness of tradition is just beautiful.

There just is no other place like this, and I intend to soak of every experience I can while I am here. So far I have had something scheduled almost every minute but today I did get to experience something new....I road the bus for the first time, and then road it alone for the first time. I felt like a such a big girl! Haha! Anyway...I know that there will be some trying times this year and it won't all be as wonderful as these first few days but I know that God is doing something amazing and for some reason I get to be a part of it. For that I am so thankful and SO excited for this next year.