Hello to you all!
Where do I begin? I think to say that my life has completely changed its course over this last month would be an understatement. From all the new people, new rhythms, new work environments, and new experiences, life is changing for the better. As some of you may know, I just finished my 4 years of undergrad, so this is my first year in the full-grown adulting phase. CedarCreek has made this transition quite enjoyable.
At our intern class once a week, we have been doing a deep dive on what it means to be a great team player, a great leader, and how to effectively communicate. In my specific role in the finance and business administration offices, my supervisor Bryan Dickman has been doing a great job exposing me to all their operations, providing me the space to ask great questions, the time to occasionally get some hands-on experience, and the intentionality of giving me valuable feedback.
In my personal life, positive change has been sparked by a few things. Firstly, my mentor for the intern program is Rick Watson, and he has helped motivate me and give me valuable advice about life overall and how to establish effective habits in my day. I am now on the journey of establishing a quality morning routine because of Rick's mentorship. Secondly, the interns, along with most of the church staff and some members of the public, recently attended an event at CedarCreek called the Global Leadership Summit. The attached image on this blog shows all of the interns who attended the summit at the Perrysburg campus (apologies to Gabby, who was at the Findlay campus watching the same conference). At the summit, one point from Craig Groeschel's message stood out to me and helped spark life change, similar to Rick. He talked about keystone habits, which are the little things that, when done correctly and consistently, will transform your life and leadership over time, resulting in many other positive things. For me, this change was to consistently make time to read scripture right before bed. This has transformed my ability to be at peace at night and to calm my mind before I sleep.
Our finance department helps to impact the efficiency of operations and management of resources within the church. We may not be the people you see greeting you at the door on the weekends, but we help the church run well, which in turn helps our guests encounter Jesus in a more powerful way, guests like Angela. Angela just got baptized at the West Toledo campus. She is stepping away from the life of chaos and addiction that she has known her whole life. After a teenage pregnancy, abuse from loved ones, substance abuse, and the death of her mother, she finally decided to look for belonging in the right places, starting with her mother's bible. When she surrendered her whole life to Christ, everything changed! With the help of the Lord, the community of fellow believers at CedarCreek, and our Kids/Student Ministries, she is looking to break the cycle of toxic generations in her family and help lead her 4 children to a life lived with the Lord, just as she is living now! Praise God for Angela and people like her!
With your support to CedarCreek, you help make life-change like Angela's possible. Thank you for choosing to be a part of the story that God is writing, and thank you specifically for choosing to be a part of my story. The generosity of the church and the grace of God have fueled revival for generations, and it will not stop now! May the Lord be with you always, and may the Holy Spirit empower you to carry out His will for your life today. Have a great day!