Thank You For Letting Me Collaborate With You!

A few months ago my Internet mentor, Nancy Beach, posted on her blog about COLLABORATION.  As usual, her blog post was completely inspiring to me, and it was then that I decided to enter this word into my vocabulary for regular use.  I do like to just say the world "Collaboration", but I love what it means even more.  TEAM WORK!  If you know me, then you know that I love to work with a team.  I am often heard calling it "Kingdom Work".  There is no greater creative planning or implementation than when it has been done with a team.  I get juiced from working with others who love to dream out loud and aren't afraid to fail forward.  When you try to do it all by yourself, it just seems hard and I personally think your creativity is limited in some way.  I am best when I am surrounded by a team.  I have always had the problem, or some would call it that,  of just not seeing the lines when it comes to ministry.  When I'm asked to partner with someone in another area, I am so honored.  Not because they need my help, but  because I get the chance to learn something from them while we work.  And you know how I love to LEARN! Kingdom Work is blessed by our Creator.  Let's think about this for just a moment.  In the beginning, God created...  and that includes Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  The team - The Trinity - God 3 in One.  The very first recorded example of Creativity was a team!  Thank you Lord for the example.  In the creative arts field, we just have to surround ourselves with a good team - paid or volunteer.  Without others, the work is hard, the thanks is little, and the job is too big.  The statistics of burnout in this field is huge.  Just ask Nancy Beach.

On this note, I'd just like to give thanks to the people that allow me to COLLABORATE with them.   

First, my husband, Bradley.  We make the greatest team!  I call him my secret weapon.  From our home, to our kids, to ministry for over 13 years together now - he is my greatest teammate and the one who brings out the best in me.  He's never too busy, never too tired, never too afraid to hear my crazy brain.  He's also the first to give me godly wisdom when I need to hear Truth.  I love him more with each passing year!

Second, my BFF, Angie Elkins.  We've been a team for longer than I can believe sometimes.  From Senior class President and VP, to high school musicals and friendship - some of my favorite creative ministry moments have been as a result of her creative brain - a seed that she has planted in my mind and let me run with it, or should I say trusted me with.  Collaboration with her is always fun, easy and I love it!  I look forward to 28 more years of it.  

Third, my ministry mentor, Mark Blair.  He saw something in me that I knew was there but felt would have to wait.  He listened to the Lord's prompting and gave me a chance to soak up his amazing knowledge in all aspects of ministry and the arts.  He gave me direction to find the way, correction when my way was wrong, wisdom when the way seemed blurry and encouragement to keep stretching my wings.  Leaving the nest of his ministry was painful at the time, but God took that leap of faith and blew my mind.  I am grateful for his time, for his partnership and trust to do ministry together for 5 years.  One of my greatest privileges in life.

Fourth, my daddy, Andy Gore.  He taught me the LOVE OF LEARNING.  Literally, he was my first teacher -  Homeschool kindergarten in New Albany, MS.  He was the one who set the bar of expectation high, and then gave us the ladder to reach the bar.  He was my biggest cheerleader back in the day and he still is today.  He knows all of my failures and helped me turn them into some of my greatest successes.  He taught me how to love and be loved.  I will forever be a student because of this great man who showed the way every day and still does.  I will always be a Daddy's girl and proud of it.

Abba Father, thank you for these amazing teammates.  I am a very blessed woman.  Please Lord, give me years of continued creative collaboration with these very important people.  I thank you in advance and give you all the glory.

Failing Forward

Yes, you read that right, not falling forward, but failing forward. Noodle on this, "Failure is not an option. Failure is a requirement." (Bobby Gruenewald, LifeChurch.tv) Sound weird in your brain?

Just tonight I had one of those long conversations with my 10 year old about the 75 she got on her spelling test last week, since she didn't remember to bring her list of words home to study. My point is we have to stay on top of our preparation so that her grades reflect her ability. Trust me, she is super smart...so in this area, failure is not an option. So when bad grades come home, what I want her to learn is that she must fail forward - learn from her mistakes and make a better grade. Great news is, she gets another chance this week. These conversations are never fun, but the desired result will be rewarding in the end.

Now, let's consider this in the context of CREATIVITY. Noodle this one, "When you fail, you get to try again. You get another chance to create. Mental risk takers are more likely to produce creative results by working at the edge of their competence, where the possibility of failure lurks." (David Perkins, Harvard University) This guy is saying that when you are out there, perhaps way out of your comfort zone, you just might find your greatest achievement waiting way out there. Perhaps when you're risking what you know and what you're comfortable with. In essence, there can be mental freedom in failing. It allows you to look and say, "Okay, so we can eliminate these things because they don't work." Imagine that.....

My dad used to do this with me. I would come in and sit on his lap...cry my mascara from one shoulder to the other. He's listen, let me get the tears out, then he'd dry me up and say, "You tried, you failed. NOW, what did you learn? What will you do different next time?" Then, he'd encourage me to not be afraid of getting back at it, take what I learned and go try again!

Craig Groeschel was quoted in Innovation Magazine as saying, "I tell our staff over and over: Failure is not an option, it is essential. If you're not failing, you've stopped dreaming. And eventually, you'll stop learning and growing." I personally believe that in my field of ministry this is so true. One of the things I see that hold people back, myself included, is the fear of failing. The "What if my idea stinks or doesn't work?" It can be completely paralyzing at times. I have sat in meetings before and actually been afraid of sharing ideas for the fear of being ridiculed that my idea would be a failure. This was something that I realized early on that I had to break free from. My mentor certainly helped. No idea was bad and everyone was heard. Creativity must include an element of failure. Especially in the brainstorming phase. There is no dream that is impossible when you're brainstorming. NO just simply shouldn't be allowed. There is no limit to the budget when we're dreaming. There is nothing to hard to accomplish or to big of a task to tackle. If you bring your limitations - or better said FEARS to the brainstorming table, then you're not really dreaming. As a creative, I feed off of other people's thoughts and ideas. Throw everything out there, like spaghetti against the kitchen wall and see what sticks. Together, we might discover the greatest idea our ministry has ever seen. Keep it in your head and we've been limited and perhaps didn't even know it. The time to take our dreams and make them reality comes when the brainstorming is done. That is an art itself. We'll talk about that one in a later post.

Failing forward. We just can't be afraid to fail in life. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it brings us ridicule from others. But I can think of some great Americans who failed and failed again before they found success. Abe Lincoln for one. This man had hardship stacked against him. He lost jobs, failed in business, lost loved ones, lost congress races, even had a nervous breakdown in 1836 - yea, mental illness. There was a lot of failures there before this man, who many thought was a loser, became our president. And had he not led the way for the Emancipation Proclamation, I'm pretty sure my new President wouldn't be the President right now. History now treats Lincolns failures as inspiration for life. Thanks Abe.

Please hear my heart here...I'm not about being a failure. Absolutely not. I hate to make mistakes PERIOD! But I embrace the freedom that comes with being unafraid to face failures as I seek to help others create ministry. I'm not afraid to fail, as long as I failed forward. I get a new chance to create. Thank you Lord for mercy and grace and new chances.

Things That Make Me Creative

I recently read an article (which I will share with you very soon) about feeding the Creative Mind.  Isn't that a great title?  I personally think that every person is creative, some just know how to tap into it. Some were told early in life that they were not creative.   Some, perhaps, have just not continued to hone their skills and feed the mind in creative ways.  Everyone really has to answer this question for themselves.  But as I have said before, we were created by the Master Creator and in His image - His likeness - therefore, we are creative.  Ok, enough of that.

So, I know that there are certain things that make me feel more creative.  This is a funny list in a way, but over the years, I've realized

that these things work for me.  Maybe some of them will help you tap into your creative brain.   First, WATER.  At our church, we have 2 beautiful fountains on each side of our campus.  One is the fountain that is in the center of the walk way up to the Worship Center.  The other is a gorgeous fountain that flows down from the crosses.  It didn't take me long to figure out that I could walk outside, sit for a while, and come up with a solution to a problem.  The nice thing about Texas is that most of the time it is super nice, so walking outside is so easy, any time of day, and almost anytime of year.

But here is a crazier place where I am EXTREMELY CREATIVE...the shower.  I know, crazy, but this works for me.  There is something about getting in a steaming, hot shower that helps me think up anything.  Those who work closely with me know this, although I don't talk about it much, but most of my greatest ideas since going into full time ministry have come from showers.  One reason is that there are no interruptions there.  When the kids were little, this was the place that I could be alone, so uninterrupted thinking definitely helped.  There was actually a time here in Texas that I kept bathtub crayons in my shower to write down great ideas in case I forgot them before I finished.  I know...sounds silly doesn't it, but it is so true.  If I got on a roll, I just made a list and then when I was done, I would transcribe them in my journal.  This sounds funny, but you should try it if you find yourself day dreaming in the shower.  This was quite a discovery for me.

Here is another form of water, but is a little harder to get to than the previous two - THE BEACH!  I think the beach is void of distractions for me.  Once a year my family makes its pilgrimage to the beach and there I read, I cook, I sleep, I read, I tan, I read, I cook, I read.  It is the simple life and I get to drown myself in SPF 30 and read as many books as I can.  I always get in a good fiction book, usually a medical mystery and then spiritual growth books.  Sometimes I read fast enough that I get another fiction in on the way home.  The sun, the sand, the waves, the family time...it all adds up to great thinking.  This past year I didn't even take a nap out on the beach (yes, I am a terrible sleeper).  I read and then when my mind would get going, I would write in my journal.  I usually come back to work filled to the brim.  I love the beach.  Maybe I could Robert to fund another pilgrimage to the beach all in the name of work and creativity - well, probably NOT!

I can't finish this blog without talking about what a visual learner I am.  So, put anything that the eyes can see in this category - 

movies, billboards, commercials, magazines, conferences, videos, art....I could go on and on.  I can get great inspiration from anything that my eye can see.  So, I do practice that old saying, "Be careful little eye what you see..."  Not only am a totally visual learner, but I have a photographic memory that never ends.  A wrong image stays and stays with me.  Thank goodness for being raised by great parents and having great friends - and let's not forgot that our Lord can make all things new.  This brings me back to the picture at the very top of this blog - the mind.  Notice the cross in the middle of the mind.  This is how I stay at the peak of my creativity - by feeding the mind with the things of Christ.  Daily reading God's Word, hearing my Pastor preach scripture word for word, reading books that allow me to grow spiritually - I could go on and on.  I'm never as creative as when I am in tune with my Lord - the Master Creator.  What's on your list?  Maybe I can discover something new that helps me be creative....

Proven Peter & An Old Sturdy Tree

I told you my pastor is teaching through the book of James.  I love this book.  When I was a Junior in high school, my youth pastor/Bible teacher, Larry Ray, spent an entire semester teaching and leading us through the book of James.  It was so awesome to learn at that young age all the wisdom that James had to offer.  Ever since then, it has been my favorite book of the Bible.  I think of it as my Christian mirror.  I found myself feeling led by the Spirit to do my own study of James just last year.  I was in it so long.  There were verses that the Lord just wouldn't let me get past until I picked up that spiritual mirror and did not turn away until I had come to grips or should I say surrender of what needed to be fixed in my life.  So, now, my Pastor is walking us verse by verse through this wonderfully challenging book. All in the name of STORMS!  Yes, I did say challenging, didn't I.

So yesterday we had a great sermon about facing the storm of finances.  Awesome sermon.  But the Holy Spirit had my mind rolling on a particular example that Bro. John used in his sermon.  He was talking from James 1:12, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him."    Great passage.  The example was the disciples.  After a long day of feeding the hungry crowd by a huge miracle, Jesus was tired and he put the disciples in a boat and told them to head across the Sea of Galilee and he'd meet them over there.  I'm sure they were thinking, he's be rowing across like there were, but we know better.  But, let's not jump ahead, shall we.  We might miss something good.  So, here the disciples are, rowing, rowing, rowing their boat, gently across the sea, when low and behold a huge storm blows up.  This time, they do not have their teacher with them.  And, of course, they choose chaos and panic, instead of calm and peace (see Saturday's blog post).  What do they do?  They are surely going to die.  And this was Jesus's idea!  He sent them over.  He told them to get in this boat!  WHY?  To test their faith.  Now, this is a great story.  They are all panicked and what do they see out ahead in this tumultuous sea?  A white figure heading their way.  Peter, he is the first to realize.  It is Jesus.  He asks, can I come to you Lord?  And since this is a faith testing exercise, Jesus says yes.  Oh, I do love Peter!  He just steps out, heading toward the one who is standing out there just looking at them.  But then the waves, which didn't fall in calm peacefulness like the last time they were in a storm with Jesus, they are hitting up against his thighs.  He realizes his garment is soaked.  He starts to look around and sees that this isn't normal and takes his eyes off the Lord.  And immediately, he sinks.  Can you imagine this with me?  How fast do you think Peter's mind was racing?  A mile a minute?  Yes, and do you think that he actually gulped up some Galilee in his lungs before Jesus reached and snatched him up? Then the Lord reminds Peter that he must act in faith.  His question, "Why did you doubt, Peter?"

Let me sum this up for you.  I was learning 2 lessons while my mind was noodling over another storm for the disciples - another testing of their faith.  Why?  Why this exercise?  And they had an advantage over us.  They could see, feel, hear Jesus.  They lived in the moment with this God-man.  James says "when he has stood the test".  Jesus put his 12 in the boat and then sent them a test.  But he didn't leave them in it alone.  He came walking out on that water to them.  He even let Peter leave the boat.  And even when Peter chose doubt over faith, thanks to his chaotic surroundings, Jesus didn't leave him.  He reached out, saved him and then reminded him of the lesson before him. TESTS OF FAITH.  That is why the storms are allowed or even sent our way.  To test us.  To prove us.  This is where I began to think about the tree.

Do you know how a tree becomes an old and sturdy tree...it survives storms and bad weather. Every time a tree is tested against the wind or a storm, it must reach its roots deeper into the earth to hold on through the test.  A dead tree, one not connected to its water source (ohhh, that would preach) will be uprooted in a storm every time.  But a strong, healthy tree, one with great, deep roots, will stand against the storm.  It will provide shelter for the birds of the air.  It will provide shade for little children playing in the yard.  Over time and tests, it becomes proven.  And then comes that promise in James 1:12, "the crown of life."  I know that is our ultimate goal.  When we stand, persevere against these storms - practicing, proving our faith - we find the promise of the God who loves us - the crown of life.  Worth it?  Absolutely!  And you know, Peter might have sunk in the sea, but he was the only one willing to step out of that boat. That lesson of doubt verses faith was personal for him.  He wasn't an onlooker, it was him who was holding Jesus's hand out on that wave-tossed sea.  And I bet that gulp of Galilee was there as a reminder for a while.  Personal Proving!  Jesus built His church upon that Rock named Peter.  What is Jesus trying to prove in your personal storm?  Keep your eyes fixed on the One who brought this storm your way, and who is standing right in the middle of the Galilee with you.  Look through the waves and the water.  He is there.  He's always there.