January 2012

Allow Yourself to Dream

the leader

Have you ever been asked to make something out of nothing? Not only is it a challenge but it's an opportunity to let your mind wander down paths you rarely go. The further you wander and let go of everything familiar and safe, the more you open yourself up to endless possibilities, potential, and new ways of thinking and doing things.

dream To dream is to let go of all limits. And, in those dreams, you get a glimpse of God and find that it’s okay to allow yourself to dream. Dreams can be an extension of God especially when He is already working behind-the-scenes to make those dreams become a reality!

That is what happened when my Association WMU^® Director approached me about leading a WMU group for young women. It took days to let go of the preconceived notions I had of WMU and the traditions, meeting formats, and mindsets that have been passed down through the years.

As I began to dream, I envisioned a community of young women coming together in vulnerability, acceptance, and love to do life together. I saw young women growing in faith where their excitement for God and His transforming love prompted them to step out of their comfort zones to build intentional relationships within our community making a kingdom impact.

I saw young women who honored the legacy of those who have gone before us by continuing to support and promote missions not only through prayer and creative giving, but through missional living and hands-on opportunities tailored to fit our busy and transitional lives. And, I saw a group of young women seeking to learn about all facets of life and embracing opportunities to learn, share, and grow with women across all the generations. I also saw a place of our own where we could make WMU uniquely ours, a chance to impact the future of WMU and to put a fresh spin on an organization that has been around for 100+ years.

Discovering the myMISSION “group” guide at mymissionfulled.com via a google search was one way God fulfilled my dreams. myMISSION is individual, flexible, and doable. It’s about bringing young women together in your neighborhood, work, college, church, or community to engage in missional living. As I share myMISSION PIEDMONT with you over the next couple weeks, let go and allow yourself to dream…what would your myMISSION group look like?

Amy
facebook.com/myMISSIONpiedmont

leader's blog

Who Are You Learning From?

the leader

Leadership is as much about learning as it is leading. Proverbs 18:15 says, “Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights” (The Message).

When God calls you to a leadership position, big or small, He strategically places people and resources around you that help you fulfill your leadership role.

Think about those surrounding you right now. Who do you look to as a leader and what makes them great in your eyes? Do you ever wonder how they got there and how they learned about leadership? We don’t have to be stuck wondering the answers to these questions.

I’ve been learning that in order to grow as a leader, I must learn from those I look to as leaders. My favorite way to learn from great leaders is to simply ask them about leadership.

This is my mentor, Shirley. She has mentored be for the past 10 years and is a wonderful leader in our community.

It is intimidating at first, but as you talk with them, you’ll discover that they enjoy sharing their experience and knowledge with you. They were once in our shoes trying to figure the whole leadership thing out and they even have leaders they learned from, too. They also have insights to leadership that we can’t find online or in the latest leadership books.

God displayed great detail as He placed strong leaders in my life to learn from when we started our myMISSION chapter. These leaders gave valuable time to answer questions and share with me. They were real about the lessons they learned and guided me through their words of wisdom. Today, I know which leader to call when I need advice about challenging situations and personalities; who to email when I need wisdom on balancing family and ministry; who to turn to for vision and creativity; who to contact about resources and training; and, I even have other leaders I turn to for prayer and spiritual encouragement because they understand the unique challenges and opportunities that come with leadership.

We need to surround ourselves with leaders like these to help us learn and grow in our positions. Proverbs mentions that fact several times (Proverbs 9:9, 11:14, 12:26).

This week, seek out a leader you admire and have a candid conversation with them. Afterward, stop by here and leave a comment sharing what you learned from that leader.

Amy

leader's blog