Like All the Others, But Not.

I just got back from a school leadership retreat that was sponsored by a private education organization in Stamford, CT. After working all day at school, I drove up and worked with my fellow team leaders and administrators until 10pm. We then woke up this morning and worked from 8:30am to 12:30pm. Needless to say, I'm tired, but I feel like we accomplished a ton. Awesome.

Still, I would like to say a word on these sponsored conferences for educators because I find them amusing. Every one of these events inevitably has us checking into a large hotel like a Sheraton or Hilton, and then registering at one of the lobby booths where we pick up our free not-so-manly tote bags (pretty insensitive, if you ask me) that contain the weekend schedule and a stress ball along with a pen and notepad stamped with the hotel logo. They also include many hours of sitting in freezing conference rooms with cream colored walls and no windows, corny banners that scream weird mantras like G2G - Good to Go!, and motivational speakers who passionately remind us that we do what we do because we love "our kids." And of course, we can't forget that every one of these weekends end with some sort of party where drinks and loud music begin to blur lines that separate co-workers from love interests. Awkward.

Well, this trip was no different and had the likings of all of the above except that I ran into 'John', a friend whom I haven't seen in a year. God's been putting him on my heart from time to time and I've been praying for him. I was so excited to have lunch with him today and I prayed on the elevator ride down that God would use me to really minister to him. Turns out, God had plans to minister to me through him. After catching up, I learned that he's being mentored by an amazing christian principal through a program he applied and got accepted to. When I shared with him my hopes and dreams he said a couple of things that got me writing this blog today. He said to me that in his short experience as a school administrator he's learned that it's easier to give and serve when you don't have much than it is when you have much. He also said in response to my frustration of not knowing what God wants me to do next in pursuing the vision God's put in my heart that sometimes we need to let go of whatever it is we are holding onto in order for God to move us forward. What do you need to let go? He asked me.