And I Am Going Home Why?

Ok friends and family, it hit the 70 degree mark a few times this week ... and will be in the 60's next. Right now you have a negative 18 windchill factor. Why are you not coming here? My loyalty will last at least another year, but after that there's no guarantee I'll be back home in Indiana ... at least not in December. Good grief ... I'm getting goose bumps just thinking about the ride home tomorroow.

Marketing Exponentially

What happens when you and 268 of your closest friend across the nation have buy-in and promote a conference all at the same time? ... registrations start rising at an exponential rate. I told our board the world has yet to see what kind of affect something like the Cadre has on a conference. We're beginning to see some of it. I still hold to my prediction that NYLC09 will sell out by our second cut-off date on February 20. Jeanne thinks I'm delirious, but you just wait...

Baby Mayo

What fun. Elijah Mayo was born today. Jeanne's first grandkid. He's a cutie. Congrats Josh and Monica!

Random Highs and Lows

Interesting Day ... Random Highs and Lows

1. Saw this video on DC's blog yestday and I'm hooked. I must have watched it a half a dozen times today. If you watch it, make sure you watch the WHOLE thing.

2. Took Brittany out to dinner before Oxygen for her birthday. Good times. I love mentoring moments and coversations with MC students.

3. Jim is back in the hospital after another serious episode. While in the hospital, the nursing staff allowed his blood pressure to rise well above 200 and then he proceeded to have another major seisure. Between Jim and them yanking my dad off all meds and sending him home, I'm losing confidence in our medical professionals ... but what choice do you have?

4. I'm creating the 09 budget for the church and with a two minute calculation think I just saved the church $10,000. Most of my salary comes from Youth Leader's Coach, but a little of it comes from the Tabernacle. I texted Jeanne that the Tab got a good deal when she hired me for YLC. She texted back that it was the "understatment of the universe!!!!" An exaggeration on her part for sure, but felt good nonetheless.

5. I'm a simple learner. Today I was reminded how we have a tendency to circumvent protocol without much consideration for those affected. Then, when you become responsible for those people and areas affected, you get a little more touchy. I was more than a little frustrated today.

6. Today we had our 02 small group night with our students and I had to do #4 on my previous post afterwards ... correct and redirect. We did not come with our "A" game ... or our "B" game for that matter. We "coasted" into Christmas Break tonight after a great weekend ... not good! But, I love, love, love my team so we sat down and had a little pow wow afterwards. I tried to put it in the most positive encouraging way possible, but the room was still verrrrry quiet. I could have waited until after break, but didn't think that would be effective. One of my team members commented privately afterwards that she was grateful. Regardless, it was a tough call. Ugh!

7. The fire alarms just went off ... smoke detected on the first floor. No smoke, so we reset the alarm and called the alarm company. They indicated the fire department had not been dispatched. As I hung up with them, Robert called and said the fire department was at the front door. Go figure.

That's my cue to go home!

Everyone needs...

As I learn to help give oversight to nine people in six different departments/areas, along with a bunch of MC Cadre and Middle School leads, I'm reminded of some things "everyone needs." A few I had already learned, a few are new and few were realized out of my own longings through the years. Here you go...

1. Everyone needs to know they are cherished/valued by you and those around you
2. Everyone needs a champion … someone who will defend them
3. Everyone needs a cheerleader … someone who will shout their praises to others
4. Everyone needs corrected and redirected on occasion, none of us are perfect
5. Everyone needs to know that when they are corrected and redirected, your love for them hasn’t changed
6. Everyone needs to be communicated/met with, even if only a few minutes a week by phone
7. Everyone needs to know they are heard … even if you don’t agree, let them speak
8. Everyone needs you to know what it’s like to live in their shoes … try doing their job, even for a day. I guarantee you will be surprised at what you learn and often times your compassion level will go way up.
9. Everyone needs a random act of kindness
10. Everyone needs to know what they do and who they are matters ... you know it, you see it, you proclaim it.

For the Cause, for the King, for the Kingdom ... I will get these ten down better with each passing day.

70 Degrees

The good news is that it's supposed to hover around 70 degrees all week, the bad news is that I'm sick as a dog (however sick a dog is). I have the MC Cough and we are dropping like flies around here. If I would stop trying to cough up my lung, I think things might get better. In the meantime I'm OD'ing on Mucinex Maximum Strength and Aleve Cold & Sinus. Mucinex has the most discusting tag line, but it got me to buy it ... Mucinex In. Mucus Out. Just thought I'd share that with you and the fact that between the two drugs, I dropped $35. I was telling Nathan how horrible I felt and he said "horrible enough to go to the doctor?" My answer, surprise ... surprise, "no way, not yet."

I never get tired of youth ministry

On Saturday, we did an event blitz. We went and bought Alee, the six year we adopted for Christmas, a skateboard and some other fun presents and took it down to the Atlanta Dream Center. Then my small group of girls, all 17 of them, piled in cars to go to my apartment where I made dinner for them, we watched I'll Be Home For Christmas and Elf, played spoons and made Christmas cookies. Well, we kind of made Christmas cookies, they looked more like cookie blobs. I remember how it used to drive me nuts the way they never used to look like Christmas cookies, but I've chilled out a lot since then :-) We had fun making every funky color of frosting imaginable. It was a cheap night and fun was had by all. I don't think I'll ever get tired of hanging out with kids. I think sometimes we make events too complicated when in reality they are longing for simple traditions.

Crashing Like A Freight Train

I taught at Oxygen last week and was high (spiritually) as a kite afterwards for a couple of hours and then it happened ... 1/2 way between Atlanta and Nashville on my drive back to Indiana ... the adrenaline, or whatever it is, dropped so fast it made my eyes lids feel like they had weights in them. When I began to slap myself to stay awake, after singing at the top of my lungs, after drumming on the steering wheel, I knew it was time to pull into the rest stop to take a snooze.

Tonight, after creating the NYLC 09 Exhibitor packet (among other stuff) for three really, really, really long days and getting 280 ready for mailing, I was higher than a kite. My team celebrated by going to dinner and then, not five minutes after we got back, it happened ... the adrenaline, or whatever it is, dropped so fast I had to lay down. This time I couldn't sleep, but just laid there with the lights out for a 1/2 hour. Then, I celebrated by eating 1/2 a pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. I'm better now and ready for round two ... Cadre Catch Up! However, that whole adrenaline drop is a trip.

Plates Spinning

Between the economic crunch, being at a smaller church (around 800-1,000), need, skill and whatnot, I wear a lot of hats (like nine of them). With many of them, I simply serve as a direct report and have fantastic people to do the detailed work required in the various departments.

Most would say I'm stupid for even trying to juggle all the balls in the air, but (for now) I find it interesting and challenging (and sometimes tiring). It is definitely stretching my ability to both lead and manage. As I processed with Mike on the way home from Indiana and alone with just myself late this evening, here are nine questions I think I am going ot ask myself at the beginning of each day ... and then again at the end of each day in terms of evaluating how I did.

THE BIG NINE
1. What meetings need to take place (and how long do they really need to be)?
2. Who can be entrusted with a hand off (empowered/delegated to/etc.)?
3. What do I need to do so those around me can do what they need to do?
4. What needs inspected/reviewed/reminded about?
5. What deadlines are fast approaching (that are likely to bite me)?
6. Who can I encourage and/or coach a little today?
7. Are there any systems that can be established to make this whole thing run smoother?
8. What must I do that no one else can?
9. Have I ripped off Jesus today?

Honestly, I think nine are too many ... but I will try them out and see what works.