…In this posture before the Lord, I have been able to deepen my listening. Not just ordinary listening, but listening for what is good and holy, what is broken, what is my contribution, and what is impacting others. This has resulted in a change in how I approach relationships….
Read More“The non-profit that I run feels strongly called towards collaborations across organizations. We lean into this with our eyes wide open, as we know through experience that with any partnership, there will be natural tensions, obstacles and challenges. Over the past year, we have been exploring a new partnership that seems to be blossoming in some particularly significant ways for both of the organizations involved. Because of this significance, we decided to spend some time together to intentionally seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance for our collaboration.
Each of our organizations brought three executives and board members together for a discernment session with Attune. Coming into the session, each person had prepared themselves to really seek God with an open heart and mind. Together, we named the strengths and possibilities that attracted us to this collaboration, and also named the potential areas of brokenness and risk that could get in the way of our joint work. Though many of us were meeting each other for the first time, it was amazing to hear the transparency, vulnerability and alignment that surfaced as we listened for God’s voice together. By the end of the session, there was a unanimous sense of what the Holy Spirit was showing us. We walked away with three guiding pillars, which have become not only the sub-themes for the initial project that we’re working on, but also for our partnership more broadly.
It’s now been several weeks since that session, and as we’ve gotten into the nuts and bolts of this joint project, several challenges have already presented themselves. While it’s no surprise that we’ve run into challenges, it has been surprising to see how – at least so far - we’ve been able to navigate through each tension point with relative ease. Some of this is because we have these core pillars to return to. There hasn’t been a meeting where we haven’t pulled out some element of these guideposts to shed light on the issues at hand.
Probably the bigger factor, however, is the deep sense of unity and calling to this collaboration that both of our organizations now hold. It just feels like a true partnership – in a way that I don’t know I’ve ever experienced before. It almost doesn’t feel like we’re working for two different organizations.
It feels like one family. It feels like the Body of Christ.”
We see these ventures as the work of stewardship, formation and discipleship. As a former banker and serial entrepreneur, I felt both excited - and overwhelmed– as the church looked to me to take the reins on this new business.
Read MoreHeading into the end of the year, we were running at a pretty fast pace. To help us stay on the tracks, we set aside some much needed time to pause, reorient and fix everything that was not working. There was so much to do - so much to figure out. It was time to reset and rebuild.
We brought in The Call to Work to facilitate some times of reflection and discernment to help us with this. These sessions helped us tease out so many different ideas around the various aspects of the business and the ways we work. A lot of what surfaced related to “getting off the roller coaster,” with a central theme taking shape from our time together:
"Let it be easy, let it be fuzzy."
As a team, we’ve agreed to lean into this beautiful invitation from God. But truth be told, we’re actually more comfortable and familiar with the roller coaster – where we attempt to take the reins in every aspect of our work, striving towards a greater sense of clarity and control. Getting off this roller coaster is a real struggle that is hitting a nerve within each of us – permeating throughout all of our lives.
For me, it’s a constant push and pull. In all the various moments which confront me with something I don’t know how to do, it typically first feels like panic and a sense of “I have to figure this out. I have to create a grand masterplan so I know what I’m doing.” But then I take a moment, and there’s this gentle reorientation. It’s a call to trust more in what God has for me versus my own ability to figure this out.
"Ok, hang on – let it be easy - maybe it’s ok not to know.”
The panic subsides. What takes its place is not quite full relief, but it is peace of mind. I take on a new perspective that says “This doesn’t make a ton of sense to me, but I know that doing less and trusting more is the right way forward.” I don’t gain clarity, per se, but I do gain a sense of internal alignment. The other way can feel fragmented. This way brings wholeness. It feels healthier – like a breath of fresh air.
It feels like freedom. It feels like shalom."
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