Category: My Life

My New Project!

Kathie Phillips 4 Comments

My new resource book for Children's Ministry leaders, homeschool parents and Christian educators is coming soon!

It’s been a little quiet here on the blog because I’ve been working on a very special project that has required my time and attention.

For a long time, I dreamed that one day, I’d like to write a book.  In my mind, I didn’t see that happening for many, many years down the road…you know – when I had time to write one.  Well, I’m excited to finally share that my dream has become a present reality!

This past October, I was approached by a reputable Christian publisher to write a resource book for Children’s Ministry leaders, homeschool parents and Christian educators.  It was an opportunity of a lifetime that, after prayerful consideration and the full support of my family, I humbly accepted.

As I have written words in this space, I have been amazed time and time again how the words God gives me translates to what is shared and read here.  I have found the same to be true as the book has come together.

The resource book, which will be released in September 2017, will also feature hand-drawn illustrations by my very talented 17-year old daughter.  I am thrilled to be able to share this experience with her!

More specifics, such as my writing process, what I’ve learned, book title and other details, will be shared soon, but I’d covet your prayers as my first of two deadlines is next week – eek!!

Thank you so much for your prayers and support as I embark on this exciting journey!

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish more than we might ask or think.” Ephesians 3:20, NLT

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Are You a Leader Who Keeps Learning?

Kathie Phillips

Leaders keep learning!

When I was a girl, I loved learning and reading.  I loved going to school.  I took pride in my assignments.  As a ministry leader, I still have a passion for learning and taking pride in my work.  While my time for reading is not as much as I’d like (because of family, ministry and life), I love good reading material and sharpening my skills through conferences and connecting with other leaders.  I’d like to think of myself as a leader who keeps learning.  Would you say the same about yourself?

A few weeks ago, I read a quote by John Maxwell that stopped me in my tracks:  “If you continually invest in your leadership development, the inevitable result is growth over time.”

Great leaders not only want to grow; great leaders invest in the growth process.

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This could take many forms but might include:

  • Podcasts
  • Books
  • Conferences/seminars/workshops
  • Blogs/websites
  • Social media groups
  • Classes
  • Mentoring relationships

On the day that read John Maxwell’s above quote, I was having a bit of an anxious moment.  You see, I just started a new yearlong venture and was a little overwhelmed when it started on April 5th.  Ladies and gentlemen:

I’M GOING BACK TO SCHOOL!!

That’s right.  I am enrolled in Kidmin Academy, an intensive twelve-month online program that will award me a diploma in Children’s Ministry upon completion.  I am excited but nervous about what lies ahead.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Kidmin Academy exists to train and equip leaders for life-changing ministry to children and families.

Kidmin Academy uniquely couples theological instruction with practical ministry expertise from a credentialed faculty with a wide-range of backgrounds.  Our curriculum and education philosophy is unique in that it is very practical while academically rigorous.  Kidmin Academy equips pastors, church planters, worldwide missionaries, teachers, and individuals with a life-fulfilling passion for the Gospel and ministry to children and families.

I’ve only been in the academy for just a few weeks but I’ve already learned so much!  But boy – going back to school has been a huge transition for me.  This program is real school, friends.  No fluffy teaching or assignments here!

This is another faith journey for me.  I’m praising God for the opportunity to attend Kidmin Academy free of charge (thanks to the generosity of a very dear friend)!  I’m praising God for the opportunity to learn and improve my craft and use my gained knowledge to better the ministry and team I lead.  I’m trusting God to help me manage my time well to watch the teaching videos, do the required readings and complete my assignments.  I’m trusting that God will enlarge my borders and help me see one of my dreams come true.

Will you pray along with me as I embark on this new journey?  I’d sure appreciate it!

Learn more about Kidmin Academy here.

Keep the conversation going!  Are you a leader who keeps learning?  How do you do that?  Leave a comment below or join the conversation on our Facebook page.

Women of Faith: An Amazing Joyful Journey Movie

Kathie Phillips

As a ministry leader, we spend so much time pouring into the lives of those under our care.  That’s what we do, right? A good shepherd takes care of his or her flock.  Sometimes we can do so much that taking care of ourselves takes a back seat while we tend to the needs of others.

When this is magnified in my own life, I feel a sense of what I refer to as ‘soul malnourishment’.  Maybe you experience the same warning signs of soul malnourishment that I do: fatigue, weariness, irritation, dissatisfaction, feeling overwhelmed.

One of the best ways for me to feed my soul is to position myself in a posture of prayer, praise and worship.  I do this to take the focus off of me and realign myself with Christ. This helps me to get myself back in balance.  Oftentimes I do this on my own but occasionally I do this in a group setting.

One such event that has filled my soul was a Women of Faith weekend event that I attended years ago with the ladies in my family.  It was a great day filled with upbeat praise, reflective worship, heartwarming stories and biblical, relevant teaching for all ages of women of various ethnic backgrounds and denominations.

After 20 years, the event is coming to an end but I was excited to hear about their new movie coming to select theaters in February and March.

About the film: 

Over the last nearly 20 years, Women of Faith – http://www.womenoffaith.com/ – grew to become the largest non-denominational Christian women’s conference, touching over five million lives with personal stories full of laughter and tears.  Stage events have included such inspirational and spiritual luminaries such as Campus Crusade for Christ’s Mary Graham, author & reality TV star Corie Robertson, author & popular speaker Luci Swindoll, author Sheila Walsh, and others.
The cinema event will take viewers on a journey of Women of Faith through the years, on stage and off, on their travels with World Vision, their impact on audiences, in short the way they’ve changed the world.  Partly historical, and frequently hysterical, this unique cinematic experience will be packed with some of the most popular pieces from the beloved speaking team to include Anna Trent, Thelma Wells, Mary Graham, Luci Swindoll, Sheila Walsh, Jen Hatmaker, Sandi Patty, Patsy Clairmont, Nicole Johnson, and Marilyn Meberg as well as music and performances from Christian contemporary artists that appeared on the tour.  Featuring never-before-seen interviews, outtakes, and behind the scenes footage, this event presentation will bring back memories for all those who have attended a Women of Faith weekend as well as create new memories for those experiencing it for the first time.
Limited engagement in select cinemas February 18th & 20th, and March 3rd & 5th

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SOCIAL • CORNER (Find out more by clicking a link below):
 
Official website: http://www.wofincinemas.com
Instagram: @WomenofFaith
I CANNOT wait to see this movie next week!
Have you attended a Women of Faith event?  Will you see the movie?

Breast Cancer Awareness – My Story

Kathie Phillips

Keep calm get a mammogram

When I turned 40 a year and a half ago, my mom said, “Don’t forget to schedule your mammogram.  You’re 40 now.  You need to have one.”

What?  What was I hearing?  A mammogram?  Wasn’t that something that old(er) women had done?  Surely, as a 40 year-old woman, I was definitely too young to need one of those, right?  Nope.  (Why did I ever doubt my mom?)

I waited and waited.  You know…I was busy.  I’ll get around to it, I told myself.

As my 41st birthday neared, my mom urged me – again – to go and get a mammogram.  Reluctantly I made an appointment to have it while I was still 40.  Otherwise, as she pointed out, I would be two mammograms behind when I turned 41.

The procedure itself was relatively painless and was over in no time.  During the procedure, the technician informed me that because I had no baseline for comparison, I shouldn’t be surprised if I get a callback for a second test.  Ok, I thought.

A week later, I received a letter in the mail that mentioned something suspicious was detected and that I needed to return for further testing.  This news wasn’t really what I had expected when I was told not to be surprised if I needed to return for further testing.  I imagined going back because they couldn’t see something clearly, not because something looked suspicious.  The next step was an ultrasound.

Fast forward a few weeks…

The ultrasound confirmed that there was indeed a clearly defined mass (it looked like a chewed piece of bubble gum to me) and that a biopsy was the next step to determine if it was cancerous.  Biopsy??  This was getting more serious.  I left my appointment, went to my car, called my husband at work and as soon as I heard his voice, I burst into tears.  (No one ever said my timing or delivery was always perfect.)  He was able to understand my words through muffled tears and his words soothed me enough to pull myself together.  Then I began texting and emailing my family and friends to go to God on my behalf and pray for a benign tumor.

Fast forward a few weeks…

After the biopsy, four days passed before I received a phone call with the results.  A phone call that could’ve changed my life forever.  I’m a pretty optimistic person but honestly, God heard from me a lot that week!  And boy – my poor husband.  He is normally very even-keeled but he, too, was also pretty concerned.  He tried to be strong for both of us.  I love him so much.  (The funny thing is that before he left for work on the morning I received the phone call, he prayed a prayer over me like he’s never done before.  It left me speechless!  God used him to calm my nerves that morning.)

I was relieved when the call came in and I found out the test came back negative.  I was cancer-free!  Praise God!  My mom, who was in the car with me when I got the call, started screaming and praising God right then and there!  (I’ll never forget that moment EVER!)  I didn’t hear much after, “Kathie, I have good news for you”, but I was so relieved that God had answered my prayers.

Because of the size and location of the tumor, my doctor recommended that I have the tumor removed, but the ultimate decision was mine to make.  After doing some research, I decided to have the tumor removed after our church’s VBS wrapped up.

The morning of my surgery, I felt good and confident, ready to put this ordeal behind me.  With my husband and children by my side, we arrived at the hospital, checked in and waited…waiting is so hard, isn’t it?

Have you ever been in a place of anticipation and waiting?

My surgery went well, with no complications, although no one told me about the horrible nausea that followed.  The day after surgery was also tougher than I expected.  I was in an incredible amount of pain, had a sore throat (I was intubated prior to surgery), nausea and sleepiness.  Thankfully, I was able to take a week to just recover – it took 7 full days for me to begin to feel like myself again.

Why did I share my story?

I share my story because God answered my prayers!  I am so thankful for insurance, supportive family and friends and knowledgeable doctors and medical personnel.

I share this story because God often uses unexpected situations to draw us – and those around us – closer to him.  I had so many people praying for me, texting me encouraging words and sharing their stories of going through a similar experience.  We grew closer to God and each other through that scary time.

I share my story because two friends who had put off their own mammograms went to have theirs done.  If my story could help one person, yay!

I share my story because rest did my body a lot of good.  I was really a non-functioning member of society for the days following my surgery.  All I could do was take pain meds and sleep.  And that was alright with me.

I share my story because oftentimes, we don’t listen as intently about issues that haven’t affected us or someone we care about.  I have learned so much through this process and want to help others learn, too.

Needless to say, this year I’m paying more attention to stories about breast cancer awareness.  Last week on the Today Show, I saw a segment that the American Cancer Society is now recommending mammograms start for women at age 45, not age 40.  (I have no family history of breast cancer, but had I waited, my story could’ve ended very differently.)

I encourage you to take care of yourself, go get a mammogram and/or encourage someone you love to get theirs.  You have too much to live for to skip it!