At The End of the Semester - We Have Lessons to Learn ❤️

My team! Thank you for your support ❤️

I have been listening to an audiobook called, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High by Joseph Grenny (2021). This book has been encouraging me to see the necessity and opportunity embedded within challenging conversations. 

Any position of leadership requires a level of competency in dealing with others. God has been revealing to me that leadership is not merely dealing with others but leading others toward God's path for them. This 'leading' typically happens within the context of 1-on-1 conversations, although leadership does take on many forms. 

Ministry on a community college is fast-paced and much can change week to week. There are planned conversations that you may have had space and time to think & reflect on. There are also many unplanned conversations that happen in the moment and are of the utmost importance. 

In the book, Grenny discusses that any conversation where 1) opinions vary, 2) the stakes are high and 3) emotions are strong bear the mark of a "crucial conversation". The effectiveness of what makes a crucial conversation successful is ensuring that 1) the amount of time between the problem emerging and the conversation happening is kept to a minimum and 2) connection is maintained between two parties within the conversation. 

In the end, Grenny argues, we have only 3 options when engaging with a challenging conversation: 

1) avoid it

2) talk about it and handle it poorly

3) talk about it and handle it well

Our community college pastors are making sense of what ministry looks like in the coming years. We have many students who are 1) not interested in discipleship, 2) not ready for discipleship 3) do not identify as Christ-followers and 4) consistently attend our ministry ❤️. These are students where in which crucial conversations are necessary and important. 

Please pray for us as we discern the content to be discussed and pray also for us to have courage to have these conversations quick and remain connected to those we have our conversations with. 

Moses (right) is a student that I have been getting to know this semester. We meet up weekly to read God's word and connect with one another. We are both Ethiopian and enjoy sharing stories about our families, church experience, and relationships with God. Grateful for this student! 

Marty & Janet (also known as Poppi & Genna - to Anaya) came in town to spend some time with Anaya and us. We love them - they are amazing grandparents! 

Our weekly Wednesday Lunch-Bunch has been a great time! Every Wednesday at 12pm we gather, eat snacks, and go over a different man or woman from the Old Testament who awakened to God's love! This has been such an amazing time for us to reflect on how God may be inviting us to awaken to His love. 

Anaya's hair is getting long! We love her so much. Anaya loves singing "Build My Life" before she goes to bed because...well...why not? 

I'm grateful for all of our students! 

d

Dr. Rikk Watts came in town for our Pizza Theology event. He led us brilliantly through the book of John and many of our students left with deep questions and a desire to move closer to the Lord! We are grateful for Dr. Watts! 

Please continue to pray for our ministry - specifically our Wednesday night gatherings. We have been trying something new this year: sitting in a circle when we meet and focusing in on building our life on the love of God. God has brought us such a consistent and encouraging group of students - please pray for them as we go into Christmas break and, ultimately, Winter Retreat! 

Thank you for believing in our mission to love college students. I am looking forward to our upcoming break! Please do not hesitate to reach out to me if you'd like prayer for anything in your life! 

Sirak