Jennifer Kay Smith
in love with creativity & its sourceSaturday brain spillage
Two of our very dear friends from California, Justin & Lauren, visited last week and we had a blast. Played frisbee golf, tons of games, laser tag, went shopping, out to eat, watched movies and visited family for new years. Thanks for coming guys! We’re planning an August vacation out their way next.
Things I’m thinking about:
- How important it is to be intentional about everything in the church. Do things just get thrown together without a clear purpose? I’m all about moving quickly when someone’s been convicted and inspired. But how much damage do we cause in the long run because their isn’t a sense of intentionality behind it?
- Still thinking about how important it is to be 100% in the moment. Such a gift to people.
- Why I believe church marketing is important but is often the substitute/excuse for building real relationships and inviting someone because something indescribable is happening.
Things I’m excited about:
- Going to Jacksonville for the Living the United Methodist Way Quadrennial Training event later this month. Will get to hang out with lots of great leaders, see my dad (!!), and enjoy Florida weather.
- Co-leading a Digital Media workshop with my husband. Our segment will be on the Expecations of 20 Somethings regarding digital media in worship. If you’re on Facebook, answer some research questions for us here.
- VERY excited the 13 people signed up to journey with me the next 12 weeks through Living Simply. CANNOT WAIT to see how God works in us as a group!!
- Really excited to take Sue Nilson Kibbey’s Leadership for Ministry class starting in February.
- Some great things stirring in the Young Clergy department. Lots of people getting excited about a national young clergy gathering of some kind. We’re focused on what kind of measureable outcome there would be. We don’t want to waste money and time just to gather and say we did it. How will it actually make a difference?
- Wedding planning with my sister - well she’s doing most of the planning but I get lots of consulting phone calls.
- My husband turning 27 this month!!
the F word
Seth Godin from Tribes:
I’ve encountered thousands (it might be tens of thousands) of people walking around with great ideas. Some of the ideas really are great; some are merely pretty good. There doesn’t seem to be a shortage of ideas. Ordinary folks can dream up remarkable stuff fairly easily.
What’s missing is the will to make the ideas happen.
The difference are people who actively talk themselves out of the fear. The fear is still there, but it’s drowned out by a different story. It’s the story of success, of drive, of doing something that matters.
Are you hiding from the fear of leading?
Ideas the spread, win. Boring ideas don’t spread.
Actually…
What people are afraid of isn’t failure. It’s blame. Criticism.
We choose not to be remarkable because we’re worried about criticism. Watch a few people get criticized for being innovative, and it’s pretty easy to convince yourself that the very same thing will happen to you if you’re not careful.
But if you get criticized, it means you did something worth remarking on.
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I’m fascinated when some ideas thrive and others crash and burn. I often analyze them to figure out the factor that made the difference. I agree with Seth’s observations about our fear of criticism. How many of us have ideas that would create significant positive change? Something that excites us beyond belief?
Why aren’t we working on them?
We’re afraid. Terrified. Mortified that we’ll fail.
At some point, something clicks inside our soul that won’t allow the excuses anymore. I love that moment.
