Category: Marriage and Motherhood

What I Learned From NOT Attending the KidMin Conference

Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

Many of my ministry colleagues are returning home today after five days in Chicago for Group’s KidMin 2012 Conference.  I was heartbroken that I had to cancel my registration at the last-minute, as I thoroughly enjoyed attending last year.

As I reflect on the “conference that wasn’t”, my mind was flooded with things that I learned as a result of NOT attending the conference.  Here’s the shortlist:

  1. Pouting and sulking are for toddlers and preschoolers, not a grown woman.
  2. Disappointment is a part of life.  It just is.
  3. Being green with envy is NOT a good look for me.
  4. Limiting my time on social media during the conference was a good thing.  (Refer back to #3.)
  5. Getting a nasty head cold the day before I was scheduled to leave for the conference was no accident.  I spent much of the weekend in bed with a box of Kleenex and hot tea.  God knew that I’d much rather be at home sick than in a beautiful hotel with thousands of KidMin leaders enjoying the conference without me.  And–I can be a wee bit grumpy when I’m sick. 🙂
  6. Interstate love is palpable.  A few of my ministry colleagues actually said that they missed me being there!  That makes a girl feel so special!

The bottom line is that we all have disappointments.  It’s how we deal with them that show what we’re made of.  And I was reminded just how tough I am.  Besides..if God wills, there’s always next year!

120-Day Prayer Challenge

Kathie Phillips

Our church recently launched a 120-day prayer initiative, designed to help us commit to a more focused, fervent prayer life.  While we have launched other initiatives this past year, this is one that has really pulled at my heartstrings.  Allow me to tell you why.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase, “What’s in the well comes up in the bucket.”  As church leaders, we pour our lives into our the busyness of our ministries and the many, many details that come along with the job.  Sometimes, in our efforts to serve the Lord, we can lose sight of our own walk with the Lord.  We can push our own time with the Lord to the side to check our messages, search for that perfect craft, shop for supplies, attend countless meetings, etc.  But that is extremely dangerous.  Over time, without intentional care and nurturing, our spiritual wells end up empty.

Have you ever felt empty while serving?  I sure have.  Thankfully, I am now able to recognize when I need to take steps to get things back on track.  This 120-day prayer couldn’t have come at a better time for me.

Our church provided ideas and resources for this campaign but God gave me a personal assignment.  For the next 120 days, I will pray one word back to God each day.  I will find a scripture that corresponds with that word and pray that back to God, too.  Then I will identify ways that I need to trust God in that area.  I am keeping these notes on index cards secured by a ring binder clip so that it is portable and easily accessible.

Let me share a synopsis of Day 1.  Day 1’s word was “PEACE”.  I meditated on Philippians 4:6-7, NLT:  “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need and thank him for all that he has done.  Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”  I jotted down specific ways that I needed God’s peace in my life.

I am excited about what lies ahead in the next 120 days and how God will transform my life as a result.  I’ll keep you posted!

What about you?  Tell me how you keep your well from drying out!

Rest for the Soul

Kathie Phillips

This week, my family and I are enjoying some time away at one of our favorite places to relax–a cabin in the woods in nearby West Virginia.  Suited perfectly for rest and refreshment, it is a home that has a wall of windows that looks out onto the tall, mature trees.  The house also has a wonderful screened porch to be able to be in nature without being in nature.  Internet and cell reception is spotty, so it’s a great place to disconnect and reconnect with God and loved ones.

In addition to reading, watching movies and playing board games with the family, one of my favorite things to do here is feed the deer.  Once the food goes out, at least eight deer come closer to the property to feed.  It brings to mind Psalm 42:1:

As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God. (NLT)

So often as a leader, I can get bogged down with details of the ministry–scheduling, ordering/purchasing supplies, deadlines, lesson-planning, recruiting, email–and lose focus of the God I serve.  Do I take time each day to acknowledge God before I go about my day?  Do I ask for His will to be done and not my own?  Food for thought as I gear up for the upcoming ministry year.

What about you?  Does your soul long for God?  How does He bring refreshment to your soul?