Some Great Talks

At the fundraising and ministry partnership training I went to, we heard this 17 min. sermon on our identity as God's beloved children by Henri Nouwen. Then one of my church Small Group members shared it. So I thought I'd post it for y'all!

How often do we forsake our identity as beloved children, because we desperately seek our identity in what people say, what we accomplish, what we accumulate? I struggle through this in fundraising, leading my church Small Group and students in InterVarsity, loving Kyle well, and how sometimes I just want to escape into movies and TV. Can I let God change my mind and heart, to know my identity doesn't come from others' approval or rejection, hard work or laziness, a 100% raised budget or no money, awesome ministry stories or stories of failure? Instead of twisting into sorrow or bitterness, can rejection and failure point me to God's first love?

I recently heard this 20 min. TED talk by Brené Brown connecting vulnerability, shame, and wholeheartedness. Shame, the fear that something's wrong with us and we're not worth loving. We numb vulnerability, because it's a two-edged sword - it can lead to shame when we're rejected, but it can also lead to wholehearted lives, full of courage, compassion, connection, and joy. She gives signs of numbing vulnerability and ideas to embrace vulnerability and live wholeheartedly.

Coming Out of Blog-Hibernation

I certainly haven't been hibernating in the real world, though. Since I last wrote in April, I helped put on our annual fundraising banquet in Houston, led an evangelism training at SFA, and held a farewell dinner for A&M graduating seniors. Then, Kyle and I took a vacation to Disney World! Pictures will be up on Facebook soon! Once I finish sorting through them... Then I traveled to the Austin area for 2 weeks in May to train students in how to lead Small Groups at our end-of-year chapter camp, RecWeek. I'm always blessed but exhausted afterwards; I collapse and just lay around for a few days. After a brief week and a half at home, it was off to Austin for some training on fund raising and partnership development, followed by a trip to Alabama to see Kyle's sister, brother-in-law, and our 2 nieces. And did I mention we started our kitchen remodel while I was at RecWeek? It's been a bit of a blur, and I haven't kept in touch with people like I wanted to. But never fear! I'm back in town for most of the summer, so I should be able to return phone calls and emails, and maybe even initiate some phone calls and emails myself. I can't thank y'all enough for your prayers and encouragement!

Miscellany

This weekend, I trained new staff in fundraising in Houston. It was good to get to know some of our new hires. We tried distance teaching, one group in Dallas and one in Houston, with me and one of my staff partners splitting up teaching. It was tricky to teach a group in my room and one over webcam at the same time. Does anyone have experience with meetings like that? I'd love ideas on how to improve.

We have a fundraising banquet in Houston on April 18. Pray that 170 people come, we raise $60,000 in support, and that it's an encouraging celebration for donors, staff, and everyone there. I love the banquet - it's good to catch up with friends and hearing testimonies motivates me to finish the year strong.

Easter was a delightful celebration! The church service was beautiful, the sermon intrigued me, and I ate a ton afterwards. I did well in the Easter egg hunt my family still has for the "kids" (me, Kyle, my brother, and my 2 cousins). In the past, it's been a scavenger hunt with clues to each egg's hiding place. This year was more traditional, with an egg color for each of us, and a few that were fair game for anyone. Our parents enjoy watching us make fools of ourselves. And we do too!