This morning my excitement grew as I read Equipping Female Leaders by Jo Saxton on the Catalyst blog. Jo does a great job of explaining her experience in a mixed gender Leadership Huddle led by Mike Breen.

Ironically, when I began praying about my upcoming huddle, I initially thought it would be comprised of women only. God had other plans. So next week, I’ll begin facilitating my first Huddle with three men, and two-four women (two confirmed so far, awaiting final confirmation on remaining two).

I’m looking forward to all that God has in store in my life and in the lives of outstanding leaders from Lynchburg to Indiana to Texas – and as far away as Hungary!

What about you?
Has God ever changed your plans from what you thought to what He thought?
How has God brought folks together in your life via social media?
What are you doing to grow in your journey as a Christ follower?
And how is God using you to lead others?

(Creative Commons photo on Flickr by Arne Hendriks.)

For the last six weeks, I’ve been one of six participants in a Leadership Huddle led by John Chandler of the The Spence Network. We’ve been processing life through the lens of “life shapes,” and based on the life of Jesus. The whole idea comes from the guys at 3D Ministries, out of Pawley’s Island, SC. (Watch the video at the 3D Ministries link above to learn more about the movement of God in the UK and beyond.)

Today in our conversation, John talked about being aware of the people that God brings into our midst and he said something that struck me,

“It’s like developing eye muscles.”

Too often, we see only what we’re looking for (like the basketball pass video), rather than seeing all that is happening in our very midst. Which, of course, has me thinking.

Am I aware of all that even part of what God is doing around me? And if not, what can I do to develop my spiritual eye muscles, so that I’m ready to respond when He presents me with opportunities?

Today, I’m praying that God will open our eyes to the things He has in store. Kind of reminds me of the verse,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind can conceive what God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

What are you doing to develop your eye muscles? Spiritual or literal?

The first, and easy answer is because for the last year plus, I’ve been working with WMUV and the Spence Network to put together a leadership group for women in ministry, and this is one of the events the Uptick group is attending. Actually, both the men’s and women’s Uptick groups will be together for this event, which is expected to draw hundreds of people (800 or so is the number that sticks out in my mind, but I have no idea if that is based in reality or just some random number pulled from the recesses of my brain) from throughout the United States and beyond.

Here are at least four other reasons I’m attending the Ecclesia 2010 National Gathering:

1. Nurture existing relationships. Over the last year, I’ve had the privilege to work with and meet some incredibly sharp people in Virginia Baptist life. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with those folks.

2. Learn something useful. My church is in a time of transition. Being with the best and brightest minds in missional churches today will surely give me at least one or two ideas that I can take home to share with my own church leadership. I’m sure they’ll be some business and social media implications as well.

3. Make great connections. I love meeting new people and seeing how I can connect those people with others who can help accomplish their goals. If you’re attending Ecclesia, be sure to look me up and say hi. (That reminds me. I must pack business more business cards.)

4. Do a little scouting. As I mentioned, our church is in a time of transition. I’ll be on the lookout for the names of potential ministers whose names I can pass along to our Pastor Search Committee.

Are you attending the Ecclesia 2010 National Gathering?
If so, tell me what you’re hoping to get out of the gathering. What focused sessions are on your radar screen?

Creative Commons photo by 917press on Flickr.

Yesterday I said yes.

Next month I’ll lead a seminar about using social media for the Christian Camp and Conference Center Association (CCA) Carolinas/Virginia Sectional Meeting. That’s a lot of words to say I’ll be helping people who are intentional about kingdom impact and who have the opportunity to invest in hundreds/thousands of lives over the course of time.

THAT excites me.

• I can’t pour into the lives of thousands of youth seeking a deeper faith (or a new faith) each summer. My time is too finite.
• I can’t provide lodging for hundreds of women’s retreats, offering fellowship and hope each spring and fall. My house is too small.
• I can’t connect groups seeking space to reflect and grow, with conference centers who are designed with that purpose in mind. My contacts aren’t that specific.
• I can’t equip ministers in five states to carry out their calling. My knowledge isn’t that broad.
• I can’t inspire lay people throughout the Virginias/Carolinas to live out their faith in ways that reach the world. My experiences are too limited.

But by focusing on what I can do – teach others how to use social media – I can make bigger footprints.

My own life has been shaped dramatically by my experiences at Christians camps and conference centers. These are people who make it happen, day in, day out. I’m looking forward to sharing how they can use social media to broaden their impact.

And in so doing, I’ll be broadening my own.

How might you need to shift your focus from can’t, to can? How do you align your actions with your goals and core values? How can you make the biggest impact with your finite resources?

As a side note, my ability to speak at this conference is actually a shared ministry. I’m thankful for Peter’s encouragement to follow my calling and his willingness to hold down the fort while I’m away.

Creative Commons photo Footprint in the Sand on Flickr.