Back to school shopping & customer service

I am a new forever fan of The Children's Place. Went back to school shopping. With 4 backpacks, 4 lunch boxes, 4 first day of school outfits, 4 pairs of jeans and two sweatshirts I hefted it all onto the register counter and jokingly asked for a "bulk discount" - they said "yeah - we can give you 15% off." (on top of the sale prices) I couldn't believe it! I was stunned. But that's not all...after leaving the mall we realized they forgot to ring up a pair of jeans. So back at the mall they gave us a 50% off the already 50% discounted price - for a grand total of $7.50!!! Now that's customer service!

Oh - and if you don't know - their backpacks and lunch boxes are the BEST. We've never thrown one out - even after being used for 2 years (and at $16.55 for both - it's a bargain you can't pass up)!



Roller Coaster Ride

These past two years have been... well quite the roller coaster. A year and a half ago, God was completing the final preparations to bring my husband, John to take a huge leap of faith. At the time we were engaged. He lived in North Carolina - I in Nevada. God was preparing him to quit his job as a licensed electrician, sell his house and move across the country, marry me and change careers. Obediently John did just that.

We were married in July. In September we announced the arrival of a baby, expected in April. Two weeks later, we lost the baby. John had a sure thing job. It fell through. He had another sure thing job. It fell through. And another. And it fell through. Our first year of marriage was a roller coaster of monster proportions. Our hopes soared high. And we experienced intense disappointments.

But we have never, ever, for one moment been apart from God's grip. There have been moments - when I have looked around at the storm surrounding us - and have begun to sink. But He has not let me drown. He has not let me become submerged. Every time - He has immediately reached out and grabbed me.

While it has not been easy - it has been a journey that has been necessary. God has taught me to rely on Him in new ways. He has taught me to trust Him. And He has taught me how compassionate, caring and loving He is. He has also knit my husband and I together tighter than we could have ever imaged - because our loving, faithful Father is at the center of our family. So for that I am grateful to have the opportunity to ride this wild ride.

In a funk

Have you ever been in auto-pilot and known it was time to hit the "off switch" but had a hard time finding it? I've had this experience before... and here I am again. It's a surreal sensation. I don't know what has brought it on, or what it will take to shake it. I do know that God is doing something though and it's only a matter of time before I'm recognize what it is that He is up to. And that revelation will be the "off switch" to the auto-pilot.

The Right Task vs. The Right People

This morning, on his blog, Tony Morgan discussed the difference between two types of leaders:

This post stands out out to me because I have had the privilege of learning from and working for both types of leaders. And I have grown from working for both types of leaders.

Working for a “Right Task” leader I grew: · Insecure: I knew if I did not measure up – my job [and therefore my self-image] was at risk · Afraid of Failure · Overwhelmed: The harder I worked, the more capacity I appeared to have – and the more work I was expected to accomplish · Dependent: I stopped thinking for myself. Once while working for a right – task leader, I came back from lunch to be met with a lecture informing me that I had put my paper clips in the wrong spot and that I was not to move them around again b/c if I did, this person would not be able to find them. I was expected to make sure every detail of my work life was a mirror image of this leader. · Boring: I stopped problem solving. I resorted to the method I was allowed to use, and stopped trying to think outside the box. And unfortunately so did everyone else who worked for this leader. This led to poor health, low morale, insecurity and frustration for everyone. · Exhausted: No matter how hard I worked – it simply wasn’t enough.

Working for a “Right People” leader I grew: · In knowledge: I was excited and willing to learn new things · In creativity: I learned to think outside the box, to view “problems” from different angles & enjoyed looking for solutions. · In faith: As I learned new things and tried attacking issues from new angles – I learned to rely on God more, for ideas, creativity and follow-through. · In confidence: I began to see my strengths, my gifts, and my talents at work the way God intended them to be – and was able to grow confident in what He created me to do. · As a team member: I could see my role on the team – that I was valued – that I was a part of the team – but that I was not the entire team by myself. · In satisfaction: I loved my job. That satisfaction by-far outweighed any financial compensation and drove me to work harder and smarter. · Energized: Being valued, and having a chance to use my gifts and talents gave me energy and drive. I was excited to do my work, and to do it well.

I am very privileged to work for nothing but "Right People" leaders now. Whether it's my direct supervisor, or a pastor - my "chain of command" at LifePoint Church is completely comprised of "Right People" leaders who take the time to examine God's gifting in each person - and encourage and love team members as they grow into God's potential for them. And that is just one of the many reasons I absolutely love my job!

Facing The Giant

This spring, my 8 year old son, Jonah (#23) played his first season of tackle football. Never before in my "career" as a mom had I experienced the pride, anxiety, excitement, and trepidation that came with watching him play. See Jonah's a little guy. I mean little. He's about 3 inches shorter than most of his classmates, (don't tell him I told you this) and he's so skinny he could still fit into toddler clothes. But that didn't stop him from being willing to take on the world of tackle football! You can only imagine our surprise at that first practice when we realized that he was not the smallest child on the team. Jesse (#24), was even smaller than Jonah; by at least a good 3 inches.

This little guy was tiny. He wore the smallest size football pants possible. His knee pads acted more as shin guards (his thigh pads as knee pads). What's amazing though is that his height difference didn't slow him down. At practice he would be one of the first out on the field ready to roll. Then the first game came along. There's Jesse on the field, excited. Ready to see some action - and onto the field, comes the other team. And there standing just a few yards away from him - ready to demolish him is a kid who must have been nearly 5 feet tall. So now we're talking more than a foot taller than Jesse. This kid is the tallest kid in the division, and here's Jesse facing him head on. From the sidelines, I heard Coach ask him "You ready?" to which Jesse replied "I'm freakin' out in here guys!" and then the whistle blew.

The quarterback snapped the ball - and the game was in play. Jesse played hard. I mean hard. He stood strong against his giant. He didn't let his guard down. And he made history for that team. As the smallest (and one of the most adorable) players in the league - Jesse set the standard for his entire team.

He was afraid - but he didn't back down. His bravery, loyalty and commitment overruled his fear. He faced his opponent with determination to claim the victory. I don't remember the score of that game - but I can tell you - Jesse claimed the victory on that field when he refused to back down.

So what/who is the giant you're facing? How often do you think inside "I'm freakin' out in here guys!" and then what do you do with it? See fear is just an emotion. A feeling. Our feelings are not wrong - but how we act on them - that's what counts! So next time I'm faced with fear, anxiety, uncertainty or any other feeling - I'm going to choose to stand my ground. Stay strong and act with courage. Just like Jesse did. I'm going to claim the victory!

Hello my name is...

I'm sitting at my 9 year old's swim lessons having a great conversation with another mom about the progress her daughter has made in swimming. We're having a great conversation when about halfway through the lesson another mom walks up to the bench this gal and I are sitting on and although she and I are clearly in a personal conversation - and in the middle of my sentence this other woman turns around and sits down in the 6 inch space between this gal and I.

I was shocked. I mean really - she didn't even bother to excuse herself before sitting right in the middle of our conversation? Odd. Rude. Down right intrusive. Now those who know me will attest my greatest strength is my greatest weakness - and my loudest - my big mouth. I sat back a few inches (she was nearly sitting on my hand) - and said "Excuse me" (Trying to not be rude, but still make a point). And without looking at me she says in a sarcastic tone "Thank you!"
This woman shows up every single day - late. She is not at all friendly. But I can deal with that. Here's where I cringe. She shows up wearing her name tag from work. And I don't mean an entry-level position. She's a professional. It is clear that in her line of work people skills matter. And my first thought is "I would never give her my business". All I know about her is that she has a son in swim lessons and that she is far from flexible, friendly or courteous. Now why would I give someone like that my business?

Now before you get all bent out of shape that all I do is complain on this blog... stop for a moment and hear me out. I am not saying I would not give her my business because she had a momentary lapse of judgment. In the week and a half that I have "known" this woman - the only impressions I have had of her are negative. She is representing the company she works for with this name tag - and this is the impression she leaves on people. That can't be good for business.

So as I sat on the bench - no longer in conversation - with another 15 minutes of humid, loud swim time left for my 9 year old - I had to ask myself - what name tag am I wearing? Who do I claim to represent? As a Christian - I represent God. Do my actions always reflect that? I wouldn't say "Always" - but I hope for the most part they do. I hope those who come in contact with me feel loved on, cared for. Lord - teach me to be an image of grace and love to those you bring into my life. Refine me - so that I may be a reflection of you. Lord I want to be - and for others to see less of me and more of you.

Not using snopes.com or google.

Thanks @prodigaljohn for sharing this post on your blog stuffchristianslike.net


Not using snopes.com or google.

Yesterday, in my excitement about a possible cage match between Justin Bieber and Harry Potter, I shared some wildly inaccurate information on Twitter.

Daniel Radcliffe, who plays Harry Potter in the movies, said that he initially thought that Bryan Adams 2.0, Justin Bieber, was a woman. In the bottom of the article I saw he said, “I think she’s kind of amazing, she’s really got a voice. She can really sing.”

I thought that was a funny thing to say about Justin Bieber so I tweeted it. Only that quote wasn’t about Bieber, it was about Lady Gaga. Radcliffe thought Bieber was a girl, but he was actually talking about someone else when he made those other comments. (I would argue that Lady Gaga is a good performer/entertainer, but I don’t think she’s particularly known for the power or awe of her voice.)

It wasn’t a big deal, a few folks on Twitter corrected me, but in doing that stupid tweet I did what lots of Christian often do. I shared something online without checking it on snopes.com or google first...read more