Sorry its been a while since I've posted, the new ministry season is upon us and so I am running for Jesus! ;-)
Official Public Announcement: I, Cariann Buxton, have accepted my calling into full-time ministry! God met me at the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit on Friday, making my eyes open and my heart aware of my calling. Overwhelmed by His faithfulness and size, being filled with the desire placed by Him alone, I signed the Blank Contract to serve Him in full-time ministry!
As some of you might have heard or read on Facebook, I got a new/another job!! Jayne Post, my Supervisor at Central Christian Church, messaged her friend Mia Scott, owner of Preferred Events, LLC, passing along my information and asking her if she needed any help with events to contact me. This past Tuesday afternoon Mia sent me a text message informing me that she was currently in the position to hire and would be interviewing the next day if I was interested to meet with her and interview. I jumped on the opportunity, printed my resume and references, cleared my schedule and made the interview happen! The interview went extremely well, she loved that I have an actual degree in Event Management, I come with high recommendation from Jayne Post and have a handful of experience! I was offered the job on the spot!!! Mia is aware that I am guaranteed to be in Las Vegas until November 29th and after that point, if she likes me, if I like the job and if I can make a living off what I am being paid, then there is a good chance I will come back to Las Vegas in January!
If that didnt make my Wednesday amazing, the best part of my whole day was yet to come!!
Later that same night, after our Weekends on Wednesday church service, I was beyond blessed to have had the amazing opportunity to baptize 7 new brothers and sisters in Christ!!!! :-D Praise the Lord!!! I was literally smiling from ear to ear the rest of the night!
In addition to everything, I was also asked last week to help coordinate and assist at the Central Christian Church Block Party on September 10th and 11th, which is basically a end of summer/beginning of the school year carnival! So my toes are getting wet in the area of event planning at this church, prayers are greatly appreciated that my skills and talents will be utilized and recognized by the church and staff!!
I know, that I know, that I KNOW that I am called into full time ministry and at this point I could see this new job opportunity with Preferred Events, LLC as a way that I am able to pay for my ministry education and ministry career. To help illustrate what I mean, Jayne and her husband have a comedy dinner show in downtown Las Vegas on Fremont Street, Jayne use's the resources and money made from working the show to support her ministry career!
My first official day with Preferred Events, LLC is this coming Wednesday August 31st and from there only God knows where it will go, but I am blessed and excited to continue to have the opportunity to watch God move in Grace City!
"The journey between what you once were and who you are now becoming, is where the dance of life really takes place." Barbara DeAngelis
"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." Lao Tzu
"It is good to have an end to journey towards, but it is the journey that matters in the end." Ursula LeGuin
"Some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity." Gilda Radner
This past Thursday and Friday I was extremely blessed to attend the 2011 Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit! If you have not heard of this event before, I suggest you check out this link: http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/
Brief introduction of the Summit from their website:
"Willow Creek Association recognizes that the leadership core of any church includes leaders from the business, education, government and social sectors. The Global Leadership Summit welcomes leaders from all these sectors and fully believes that the maximum influence and impact of the Church is felt when all of its Christ-centered leaders are at the forefront of establishing and growing well led local churches, companies, schools, governments and social enterprises. This is the Church at its best! This is when God's love and care inevitably spills out into our neighborhoods, towns and cities through acts of love, justice, mercy, service and restoration.
Each year, we do our best to provide a world-class leadership training event that challenges, inspires and serves the leadership core of every church"
The event has satellite campus's throughout the WORLD, showing the event through live video feed, the worship and speakers, the whole deal! Needless to say, I would LOVE to plan this event someday!! Until or if ever that day comes I will be grateful for any opportunity to attend! Most often its local church's that host the satellite campus's, I was at Canyon Ridge Church in Las Vegas, a sister church to Central Christian Church. I attended with two FABulous women, Jayne Post (Internship Supervisor) and Linda Miller (Christian Counselor and Pastor), who in addition to the Summit speakers, poured loads of wisdom into me the entire two days! I am blessed!
Ok now to get to the meat! Heads up this is a rather LONG post and at the same times its somewhat brief information from the 13 different speeches, but its the key points that made an impact on me! If you are interested in more information from a specific speech please email me!
What I learned from the 13 Summit speakers:
* Billy Hybels: Founder and Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois
~"When leaders stop learning, they should stop leading."
~He talked about dealing with difficult employees at work. He provided 5 Critical Questions:
1. What is there current challenge level at work?
2. What is your plan for dealing with challenging people in your organization?
3. Are you naming, faming, resolving the problems in your organization? (Acts 2-4)
4. When is the last time you re-examined the core of what your org. is about?
5. Have you had your leadership bell rung recently? where is the BOLDness?
~ Book: "MOVE: What 1,000 Churches REVEAL About Spiritual Growth"
*Len Schlesinger: President of Babson College; Harvard Professor; Former Vice Chair of Limited Brands. From Boston, Mass.
~"Believe in a future by creating it first."
~"We are ALL entrepreneurs but only a few actually are utilizing the skill."
~"Treating an uncertain world as if it were predictable only gets you into trouble."
~ "Take small steps with what you've got at hand and then build off what you find from the small steps."
~3 Steps in the Right Direction:
-"Start with the things you care about; what is it you would like to do? What will get you what you want and what step do you need to take to get there?"
- "Act with affordable loss"
-"Bring people and resources along"
~"Failure means to try again with experience; You have just learned something that no one else knows!"
1. Know what you want
2. Stop obsessing
3. Be alert about the reality
4. Take steps with affordable loss (little bets, baby steps, small wins)
5. Bring people along
~Book: "Action Trumps Everything"
*Honorable Cory A. Booker: Mayor of Newark, New Jersey; Urban Reformer. From Newark, New Jersey
~"Stand Up for Something!"
~"I an a P.O., I'm too poor for the other two letters!"
~ "Injustice anywhere, is injustice everywhere."
~ "Good speakers barrow, great speakers steal."
~ "You can always go higher! Go to the roof!"
~ "Your attitude about the world speaks nothing about the world but about your character. The world you see outside of you reflects your insides. Do you see darkness or light with love and hope?"
~"If it is to be, its up to me! Chang begins from the changing of one."
~"Live and give before you preach and teach."
* Re. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil: Speaker; Thought Leader; Founder and President of Salter McNeil & Associates. From Chicago, Illinois.
~ Acts 1:8
~Catalytic events
~"Are you ready to break through your sound barrier?"
~She discussed three locations you can find yourself in life:
-Jerusalem: this is your home turf; where you feel most comfortable; you have family, friends and your local church.
- Judea: this is close to home but still not home; there are denominational divides, young and old; everyone is speaking a different language; here ministry is not simple.
-Samaria: this is places you go and you are NOT comfortable; you must lock your door. Examples: prisons, places of high sex trafficking, child soldiers, facing corporate greed, and environmental injustice.
~How to break through:
1. Pray for a Divine Mandate. Pray: "What things have my name on it?" & "God break our hearts for what breaks yours!"
2. Name your catalytic event. How is the Holy Spirit moving? Bring people together.
3. Mobilize people to go! Move from Jerusalem to Judea to try and understand other people! Dont stop in Judea, go to Samaria! Go and learn!!!
~Book: "The Heart of Racial Justice"
*Seth Godin: Bestselling Author; Squidoo Founder; Renowned Marking Blogger. From New York, New York.
~"The Industrial Age is dead! The new edge is the tribes/groups of people sharing in commonality."
~"Art will surpass the job- doing something for the first time; risky business."
~" Mass production has created a culture of interchangeable people."
~"Post industrial age- what are you going to do differently? Do something worth talking about!"
~"The world is turned upside down, what are you going to do that is important enough to be worth talking about?
~ Book: "Poke the Box"
*Steven Furtick: Lead Pastor of Elevation Church. From Charlotte, North Carolina
~ Joshua 10:12-13 (NIV)
~ "Protocol with God is not saying please and thank you but sayings thanks and then please."
~"Only God can make it rain!"
~"We have insecurities because we are comparing our behind the scenes to others highlight reels."
~ 2 Kings 3:9-20
~"Inspiration to implementation"
~"Difference between visionary and a day dreamer is audacity."
~"If the vision you have is not intimidating to you, its insulting to the Lord!"
~"If you want to see the land filled with water, dig some ditches! Faith believes before it sees!"
~Book: "Sun Stand Still"
WCA Global Leadership Summit DAY 2
"Tough Callings"
*Wes Stafford from Compassion International
~ He gave a compelling speech on Rev. Stephen Sundar, Founder of Tribal Revival Movement in North India. Similar to the great Apostle Paul, he has been tortured within inches of his life, thrown in jail and attempted to be killed via the electric chair for his constant preaching! God saved him from death by electric chair in the same way he saved Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace in Daniel chapter 3. Rev. Sundar was unscathed after two attempts to murder him as an example to the other Christians. After the 2nd try, the government was so afraid they begged him to leave! This is a COURAGEOUS man! Wes shared a story of when he met Rev. Sundar, this was RIGHT after the Rev. was released from the electrical chair for the second time, the Reverend shared with Wes his prayers for America. He prays against the huge lack of dependence and true NEED for constant communication with God through both prayer and reading His word. Even though Rev. Sundar risks his life every day to share the gospel, he is praying hard for the West where there is too much comfort and instant access that leads to dead faith!
*Mama Maggie Gobran: Founder and CEO of Stephen's Children Ministry; Nobel Peace Prize Nominee. From Cairo, Egypt.
~"To be elegant is on the inside, to love, give until it hurts and forgive.
~"The moment you die to your self interests, thats the moment you find your call."
~"When one has nothing, God becomes their everything."
*Bill Hybels
~He spoke about Jeremiah (chapter 20), the powerful story of a man trying to follow his tough calling from God.
~ Read Lamentations, this is an account of him lamenting about his tough calling.
~"According to human scorecards, Jeremiah's ministry never went well during his entire lifetime. But he stayed faithful to his calling... He never lost his confidence in the faithfulness of God, "For [your] compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness (Lamentations 3)"- Bill Hybels
* Michelle Rhee: Founder and CEO of Studentsfirst.org; Former Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools in Washington D.C.
~ Utilized Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
~ "You can't lead if change is not happening"
~ "Experience God" workbook
~Book: "The Bee Eater: Michelle Rhee Takes on the Nation's Worst School District"
*Dr. Henry Cloud: Clinical Psychologist; Best-Selling Author; Leadership Consultant. From Las Angeles, California
~ "God has called you to be a steward over a vision, don't let anyone stop you!"
~" You cannot lead or deal with everyone the same."
~ There are 3 Categories of people : WISE, FOOLS, EVIL. (Biblical Terminology)
~"Fools don't change unless they can feel the pain of not changing, there is hope for a fool!"
~Book: "Necessary Endings"
* John Dickson: Director of Centre for Public Christianity; Senior Minister at St. Andrews Anglican Church. From Sydney, Australia
~"Humility makes the great greater."
~"Humility is the reflection of the deep structure of reality."
~"Expertise in one area, counts for very little in another."
~"The humble life is in touch with reality."
~"Humility is the ability to hold one's power for the good of others, not personal gain."
~"Humility is common sense."
~"Humility is beautiful"
~"Humility is generative"
~"Humility is persuasive"
~"Humility is inspiring"
~"You don't need the key's to the Kingdom to make an impact in the Kingdom; You don't need the majority or authority to make a difference."
~"Real persuasion is invisible in its artistry; it just moves people... Humility in the leader exerts a powerful, if intangible, influence over those you lead."
~Book: "Humilitas"
*Patrick Lencioni: Successful Business Consultant
~"Vulnerability creates trusts that's rare."
~"Vulnerability is capable of being physically or emotionally wounded; attacked or damaged; liable to damage and great reward."
~"People need to be reminded more than they need to be instructed."
~3 Fears that prevent vulnerability:
1. Fear of losing the business or being rejected
2. Fear of being embarrassed
3. Fear of feeling inferior
~"We are called to be vulnerable!"
*Erwin McManus: Activist; Filmmaker; Innovator and Cultural Architect of Mosaic. From Los Angeles California.
~"We need a mind shift, reformation of your relationship with the future."
~Ecclesiastics chapter 1 "There is nothing new under the sun."
~Isaiah chapter 43 "I am doing a new thing."
~"When you are living on the inside of the presence of the Creator of the Universe, everything is new. Outside of His presence, there is nothing new."
~"Let's create the future."
~"When connected to God we become an instrument to create because we have been created in the image and likeness of the Creator."
~"The future is whatever we choose."
~Acts chapter 7
~"Spiritual leadership is about setting the human spirit free."
~"If we do something beautiful, the world will ask us for the hope we have."
~"Whoever tells the best story, shapes the culture. Star Wars and Avatar are currently more exciting that the story of Christ."
~" We need a Story Revolution!"
~"Its not hard to bring people to Christ if you tell them a story where they find themselves connecting to God."
~"Become the cultivators, stewards, nurturers and developers of talent and treasures."
~Book: "Chasing Daylight"
I hope you enjoyed my review of the Willow Creek 2011 Global Leadership Summit! I pray that you were able to glean and extrapolate some great nuggets of wisdom from what I was blessed with over the two days!! Again feel free to email or contact me if you are interested in diving deeper together on a speech or two!
Thank you again my dear friends and family members for taking the time to read my post!
Each Thursday my department, the Reach Ministries, has a staff meeting. At these meetings we often receive a "Word of the Week" by drawing out of a bag filled with many words (definitions included)! This past Thursday's staff meeting, my word was Persistence: never-ceasing; relentless. I was encouraged and also challenged by the word to remain persistent in every aspect of my life. Awesome, right?! The strip of paper was, as does everyone in the office, taped to my computer monitor for further reflection... However, its easy to "know" the tiny piece of paper is right above my nose and yet continually skim over it countless times a day, ignoring any opportunity for true reflection.
That same night I went home and caught the tail end of a Panda Express Chinese dinner with my host family. I came at Fortune Cookie time! My fortune was: "Patience will benefit you." Seriously, that's it? What kind of fortune is that?! Not the typical, "In 3 days you will receive great happiness.", ya know the usual cheap fortune cookie fortunes! Needless to say, the strip of fortune paper received the same demise as most, the trash can! Regardless, of where that little strip of fortune cookie paper went, the words had left a lasting imprint in my mind.
Understanding just how involved God is in my life, I felt that these two words were more than a coincidence and deserving of to use to look at my life and the mediation of my heart with...
It did not take long before God showed me that in the area of my prayers I need more persistence. That even though I pray daily, my determination to seek the outcomes of my prayers has been well, rather pathetic! I am reminded of "The Parable of the Persistent Widow" in Luke 18:1-8, she sought out the judge over and over until he granted her request, until he was so bothered by her that he answered her plea. Christ tells this parable to narrate how we need to pray, with great fervor and dedication in prayer to God. Through that heartfelt expression of relentlessly pursuing Him, we will then see answered prayers and His will fulfilled in our lives. Prayer is our one one one communication with God, the creator of the Heavens and Earth, the King of kings! We, pathetic and sinful humans, are able to pray through the Holy Spirit and approach, come to, lean on, be near to, request of our Almighty God with thanksgiving, bringing any issue, problem, concern and or plea we have or will ever have to Him. But why does it often seem hard, time consuming or even just easy to forget to communicate with God? This weekend a friend posted this on Facebook: "Satan doesn't care if you go to church, he doesn't get worked up if you attend weekly Bible studies, Satan could care less if you go to a worship service and sing. But what does scare Satan is when you get down on your knees and pray in Jesus' mighty Name" ... The Power of persistent Prayer!
As many of you know, after this internship in Las Vegas is complete I will finally graduate on December 10th!!! Hurray!!! That date is about 4 solid months away, closer than it has ever been but yet still far away... However, my mind has, more than ever, been considering my "next steps" and evaluating many possible career choices. I promise I have never, ever, ever wanted more than right now to be thinking and dwelling on the present and my current situation, rather than pondering the future! The past few weeks I have been blessed to have received great counsel from many wise and insightful individuals, through which the option of ministry as a full time career has officially made its way on to the table for discussion. Here is where patience enters the scene! I have prayed, I have researched, I have talked with friends and family members, I have ran through the ministry opportunities over and over in my head... "A bit anxious you ask? Well yes!" Patience is a virtue that I am attempting to harness in this situation!
In addition, the two words coexist very well! Am I persistent in being patient? Or patient with the outcome of my persistence? Think hard about those for a while!
At the end of the day, I know that God is BIG, God is here, God is moving and I pray (persistently with great patience) that my future may be according His will and not mine!
Thanks for being on this journey with me. I pray that the words and thoughts I share may be encouraging and challenging to you on your walk, as they have been to me! As a friend or family member I pray this fellowship helps to draw us all closer to Christ!
