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Flashback Friday: My Favorite Online Reads (Week of January 12, 2015)

01/16/201501/16/2015 Kathie Phillips

This Week’s Favorite Online Reads

Here’s a sampling of some of the online reads I enjoyed this week:

{MINISTRY/LEADERSHIP}

10 Questions Children’s Ministry Leaders Should Be Asking by Dale Hudson

4 Sources That Will Spur Your Creativity In Children’s Ministry by Courtney Wilson

It All Comes Down to What You Do Daily by John Maxwell

{ORGANIZATION}

12 Time Management Tips Every Children’s Ministry Leaders Needs to Know by Dale Hudson

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I hope you enjoy reading these articles as much as I did.

Did you read something this week that inspired or encouraged you? Share it with me so I might check it out, too!

{Throwback Thursday}: 120-Day Prayer Challenge

01/15/201501/15/2015 Kathie Phillips

Updated 1/15/15: Originally published in August 2012, this post was written during a time when our church was doing a 120-day prayer campaign. While the campaign has passed, committing to making prayer more of a focus is always relevant. Many of my friends have chosen a specific word for the year; why not pray that word back to God daily? Blessings, friends!

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!

Properly Aligned

10/10/201410/10/2014 Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

One particular street in my neighborhood is extremely bumpy because of an abundant amount of potholes. So many potholes in fact that a few years ago, my minivan’s alignment was out of whack. You know – you let go of the steering wheel and the car drifts to the left or the right instead of going straight.

Ministry and life in general can be very bumpy and if those bumps aren’t addressed within a reasonable amount of time, we can be pulled in the wrong direction. So how do we balance/align it all?

First, realize that life will seem out of balance/alignment at times. Please feel free from feeling like you must have the ‘perfect’ life. What is the ‘perfect’ life anyway?

Second, recognize when your life isn’t properly aligned. I recognize this in my own life when

…I am easily irritated.

…I want to isolate myself from others.

…I complain a lot. Too much of this, not enough of this, blah, blah blah.

…there is tension in my home & relationships because of the things listed above.

Third, ask God to help you. James 1:5 (NLT) says, “If you need wisdom – if you want to know what God wants you to do – ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking.” I keep a list of go-to scriptures that help me refocus (I posted a list here).

Fourth, take proactive steps to remedy the situation. Here are some ways that I try to stay properly aligned:

As a wife…I try listening more than talking (after almost 19 years, I’m still working really hard on this one!). I make time for time alone with my husband – we try to have regular date days and at least one weekend away each year. I try to show him that he’s still my favorite guy on the planet – small gifts, a wink or smile from across the room, or watching sporting event with him (without asking too many questions!) God blessed with a wonderful husband and friend & I want him to know it.
As a mom…I try to spend one-on-one time with both of my children regularly and hear what’s happening in their world – I really love that. I give them my undivided attention when they are talking to me – I stop what I’m doing, look at them and listen really well. I make time for fun with them – going to movies, out to eat, playing games, watching a TV show, cooking a meal – I just love being with them. They are very busy these days (my son is a freshman in college and my daughter is a sophomore in high school) but that won’t stop me. I have been blessed with two wonderful children and I am so thankful for them.
As a ministry leader…I thank God for my ministry and for allowing me to be part of His work. My ‘career’ is really my calling, so I go to work (most days) with a smile and good attitude. Why? Because I realize that it’s not all about me. Again, that is freeing. I am blessed to do ministry with other capable leaders who share the ministry load. Together, with God leading us, we serve children, families and volunteers each and every week. Staying properly aligned also requires that I manage my time well, communicate clearly, delegate properly, mentor those under my leadership, spend time with other ministry leaders and take my days off – a properly-aligned leader leads better.
As a woman…I make time for me outside of the areas listed above. Honestly, this is the area that suffers the most when my life isn’t properly aligned, so I have to be the most intentional in this area. Sometimes I don’t spend enough time in God’s Word and prayer. Sometimes, too much time passes before I see treasured friends. Sometimes I don’t sleep well or eat well and sometimes my household responsibilities aren’t accomplished. I don’t do things that fill ME up or bring ME pleasure. What that means is that I have to make a plan and put these things on the calendar and do them regularly instead of thinking about them after the fact. I reach out to friends to have coffee or a meal together to catch up. I say ‘no’ to things to say ‘yes’ to taking care of me. I choose a really pretty nail polish when I get my nails done. I relish times to just do nothing other than catch up on a TV show or read a magazine or pin to Pinterest. I splurge on something new for myself. Kathie is a much better person when Kathie makes Kathie a priority.

Life gets bumpy but that means we have to hold on so that we stay on the right path…gives all new meaning to “Jesus take the wheel”, doesn’t it?!

What about you? How do you stay properly aligned?