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Collaboration Killers: Control

 I had the great opportunity to go and preach at a women's activate in Indiana this past month and can I tell you I loved every single second of it.  I love my sisters across the globe who have launched Propel Chapters, and Kristen's women are amazing.  Kristen showed right delegation, and as I watched her team, I saw women who were united in one goal and all moving in what they were good at.  I smile as I am writing this because their church is just amazing and their senior leadership was just as warm and supportive of the team.  As I was driving home, the Lord was really working on me that I struggle with control.  I don't think that I do, but when I told my team, they laughed at me like they already knew I had control issues.  Self-awareness matters but also the willingness to allow God to pull up the weeds of control in our life garden. Control is a symptom of a deeper problem.  "I don't really think I have control issues, if people did what I want them too,

Collaboration Killers: Comparison

       When I was nineteen years old, I tried out for American Idol.  Yes, I went to the Browns Stadium in Cleveland Ohio, stayed the night and the next morning I sang in front of producers of the show.  As the people were picked, they came up the stairs and sang for the whole crowd.  It was an exciting experience as we waited all day to sing in front of producers for 30 seconds and then not be chosen.  I tried out the year Carrie Underwood won, and although I did not make it past the first rounds, honestly I wasn't too upset about it.  I just wanted the experience of trying out for a singing competition.   As I left I saw people crying; they were devastated as all their dreams were crushed.  I heard some of them; they were professional grade vocalists, no doubt.  But it wasn't what the show was looking for, and so they were not chosen.  Not being chosen caused them to cry, to mourn, to have crestfallen looks.  Many people walked in with hope and expectation and walked out wi

Collaboration Killers: Competition

I was the eldest daughter of four kids,  and I was always the first to do something.  It is incredible the thrill of your younger siblings looking up to you; you enjoy taking care of them because they think you're terrific.  When my sister who was younger than me hurt her foot, I took care of her, picked out her clothes, brushed her hair, I then began doing the same for my youngest sister.  Brushing her hair, picking out her clothes, making sure they got their baths.  My mom had a nervous breakdown when I was twelve, so I picked up the role of mothering my sisters and kept it till I was eighteen.     I love my sisters even to this day, but there was a time when my sister shifted from loving me to seeing me as competition.  She would always tell me "My friends like you more."  or, "People think you're better than me."  My sister went from loving me to competing with me.  For me, I saw her as smart, funny, shy, quiet, and plain beautiful, but it hurt me to

Colaboration killers : Comfort

So many of you may or may not know, but I run a nonprofit called On Purpose Consulting Group. Our fantastic team of women has for the past two years,  set up monthly at a local hotel and done a free event to help women internalize a leadership identity. We utilize Propel Women Curriculum, and our heart is to help women living on purpose, for purpose, and with purpose.  I have this vision of seeing a culture of women that know who they are in Christ, are on fire of Jesus, and awake to their purpose.  To do this, it requires more than just me, and I knew that if there was going to be a culture shift than it would require collaboration.   I couldn’t do this alone, and I am so thankful I have amazing people to be a part of On Purpose.  Can I tell you I started with just me sitting on a couch, leading a small group in my local church, to now leading a team of women and growing a nonprofit that began with my passion for helping women find who they are.   One thing I have had to lea

How to Stand Tall and Find who You Are.

 I don't know who I am       I told you my first life crisis of identity was at 28 years an old, standing on a platform singing "I know who I am, I know who I am, I know who I am, I am yours, I am yours."   Well the truth for me during that season was I didn't know who I was anymore and I wasn't sure if I knew who God was.  You see I grew up with a whole lot of damage.  Poverty was a genuine reality for my first eighteen years of my life, abuse was prevalent, and if I am honest, the enemy did an excellent job of hiding my true identity through religious expectation, performance, and perfection.  From the outside, I had it all together standing up on the stage holding a microphone.  My clothes were stylish, my hair and makeup were on point, I had a great husband, beautiful children, and good job. I traded who I was for fitting into a church mold of who I thought I was supposed to be.  Fear, held me back from telling people that I wanted to preach and teach God'

I will not bow down to fear, and I won't teach my children too either.

Today I sat in my car on our way to school and smiled at the two most precious little girls in my life.  "So I heard you girls had a Red Door drill yesterday."  They both looked at me and nodded very serious.  "How do you feel about that,"I asked.   Catie tells me "Mommy it's so we know what to do if something happens."  Kiki says "I get scared at times, mommy."  No mom ever wants to hear that her child is scared, but the reality is this is where we are. I am a post-modern momma, with two little girls, and I have to teach them how to navigate this world, not run from it.  I have seen social media and shook my head at every political 'ideal' on both sides.  I am not an 'ideal' person because, honestly, ideals divide us, they don't create unity, and they don't offer up discussion.  We live in a very broken world, and some people are coming awake to this reality.  I have to teach my children how to be light bearers and

I know who I am.

I will never forget the moment I was on stage, playing piano singing the words 'I know who I am, I know who I am, I know who I am,  I am yours, I am yours and you are mine. "  Even while singing the words I knew by heart, I was having a crisis.  I was singing one thing, but my heart was saying "who am I? and "I don't know who I am anymore." I really didn't know who I was anymore, and that for me was terrifying.   You see as a performer, I adapt to my surroundings.   I am what I need to be in a situation, and my life was standing in a hole that needed to be filled at any given moment.   Many people could never figure me out, because the truth is, I never was consistent in who I was.  I was just what I needed to be in that season, I said the right things, did the right things and performed to the level of expectation that was placed before me.  The issue being, I didn't know who I was, I was lost trying to please people.  As I have told you before I