Who Needs Fire?

Today was the last day of the Global Leadership Summit. The speakers that presented today were absolutely incredible. They shared so much practical information about how to be a leader within organizations, and they also challenged me in a way that will continue to motivate me for a long time. First, this conference has reaffirmed for me that I want to get back into school and complete my master’s degree. I will be searching out a school to find out where, how, and when, etc. Second, it motivated me to increase my emphasis on service when I teach. The brothers and sisters in my congregation need to understand how important service is for our world and for them. Next, we all have a part to play in this Grand Tapestry that God has created, and we all need to be faithful in doing so. God prepared good works for us, and if we don’t complete those tasks, what will the Tapestry look like? What would be missing from the world if we don’t do what we are called to do? I feel compel

Katie and I have also been thinking a lot about leadership over the past several months. Over the last year, we have felt called to be leaders in certain places. It has also led us to focus on further cultivating our leadership abilities. Leadership is something that I have always viewed with a great deal of fear and humility. Many people in the world like to think they are leaders, but they have no idea what it means. Today, Katie and I were able to attend the Global Leadership Summit held by Willowcreek Community Church.  We heard a lot of different speakers today – pastors, CEO’s of fortune 50 companies, business consultants, etc. At first, I was a little irritated at how they seem to integrate church and business. I was hoping that the focus would be on church leadership. Most of it was, but there were also speakers who focused on business leadership. I listened and did my best to learn all that I could from each speaker. By the end of the day, an interesting

It has been such an amazing summer so far. This past May, I made the difficult decision to leave the study abroad program where I was teaching. This of course, meant that Katie and I would have a longer time in the USA. Every summer for the past five years, I’ve had only 4-5 weeks each summer. This year, we had ten weeks. To say that it has been great is an understatement. We have been able to spend some great time with the family and recharge our batteries before we go back. We have had a blast talking to friends. One thing that really replenishes my soul is being able to spend time in nature. We were able to spend quite a bit of time in parks and forest preserves. We were able to see some amazing creatures. We did some hiking, and saw some beautiful plants. We also spent time sitting near the water taking in the grandeur of what many people so often take for granted. Living in a large urban area, we really appreciate the pleasure of natural environments. It’s been