Author: Anissa Minatra

I read several books while on Sabbatical and one that made me hungry for more was titled: The Servant – A Simple Story About The True Essence Of Leadership by James C. Hunter.    The principles of this book are not new and something we have heard several times.  They don’t demand special talents or abilities: they are simply based on strengthening the bonds of respect, responsibility, and caring for other people.  That is something we strive for here at FDLIC.  Great organizations are made up of great leaders,not necessarily in top leadership positions but because the top leader has put other leaders in place to grow and develop other leaders.  A company full of leaders, each taking personal responsibility for the success of the team and their individual influences on the customer and on each other.  Quoting:  “A place where everyone is engaged and fully committed – not 50/50 but 100/100 and yes even 110/110 when it is needed. ”

Another great take away was “not asking who is the leader here or are you a leader” but “are you effective?”  Wow – think about that for a minute “are you effective?”  not only at work but in relationships, our work for God, in everything we pick up and become a part of?  That has been something I have been asking myself in several areas of my life and if the answer is “not really or maybe”, then I need to evaluate what I am doing and why.  I need to believe I have left something better than the way I found it.

Vince Lombardi said ” I don’t necessarily have to like my players and associates, but as the leader, I must love them.  Love is loyalty, love is teamwork, love respects the dignity of the individual.  This is the strength of any organization.”  Well, I do like most people I come in contact with and enjoy the people I am around but understanding the meaning of this was educational.  When Jesus speaks of love in the New Testament, the word agape is used, a love of behavior and choice, not a love of feeling.”  This was just some of the things that really spoke to me. Commanding we love and then “feeling it” hummm… but then understanding that love is not always that simple.    Love and Leadership:   Look at this chart:

Authority and Leadership                                                        AGAPE Love

• Honest, trustworthy                                                     Patience
• Good role model                                                            Kindness
• Caring                                                                              Humility
• Committed                                                                     Respectfulness
• Good listener                                                                 Selflessness
• Held people accountable                                            Forgiveness
• Treated people with respect                                      Honesty
• Gave people encouragement                                     Commitment
• Postiive, enthusiastic attitude
• Appreciated people

if you look up each of the definitions of the AGAPE Love words, they are what is described on the authority and leadership side.  Look up the verse 1 Corinthians 13-4:8.    Made sense and it was straight from the Word.  Lots of takeaways in this book and I recommend its reading.

Workday at Reva’s

Just an update on my service project – This is Reva, she is 80 years old and an amazing lady. My family has adopted her as our “honorary granny” and she is on board with it. We are working around her house and land and when I say “we” I mean she is right there with us. Sometimes we have to run her inside so she will rest – but then she brings out refreshments so resting is not in her DNA. We are continuing to repair her car port and trimming trees around her house, spraying sticker weeds, etc. God knew we were both needing someone one to fill a spot of loneliness and put us together. Very thankful for a Loving God and feeling blessed!

My time on Sabbatical was amazing. While in my last post, I spoke about the first week of my time off and not being able to “disconnect” as quickly as I thought I could, once the second week got started, I was off and running.   My phone died and while my blogging suffered, I didn’t really miss my phone. That is a shock for many of you but for me, it was refreshing. I can function without it – wow! I finally got a new one (back to the IPhone).  So I am catching up my blog from my journal. Lets just say I will not be going back to old habits on my phone, I liked not being attached to it as much!  I was resting and spending some quality time reading both in Gods word, my book (s) and my bible study (without feeling guilty about the time I has set aside for these readings instead of doing something for work or around the house) and my heart and head was buzzing.  I felt like someone had turned up the lights that I did not realize had been dimmed.  It is hard to explain but I became really excited and wanted to share what I was studying and how it was affecting me.  My pastor and I had some really exciting study summaries as a result of a few particular exciting passages over the next several weeks.

I went to work with three of the ladies from my church who needed different things done and did not have kids living close to help.  All three of these ladies attend my church and all three sit directly behind Eddie and I (you know….”our seats” in “our row” at church).  They give our grand kids mints, gum and “get on to us” if we “get on” to them.  They lost their husbands at different times over the past few years and have formed a bond through these losses).  For two of them, I cleaned out some clothes and items from one where her husband has passed away.  For one, she did not have “the heart or “want to” to get it done yet” and now was the time.  Her children had offered to help after they gone through the items they wanted and take care of the rest of it but Mrs. Burny was not ready to have them gone yet. She told our pastor, now was the time.  I helped her (yes we cried together a few times – you know me) but it was good!  The second lady was more business like (that was new for me) and void of steady emotion but she felt her loss in a very different way.  Her emotion came out all at once then she would tuck it back in and here we would go methodically going through things and allocating their distribution.  When it was over, relief and smiling… and then she made a list of other items we could do later haha.  (and we will)  I relied on a lot of things I learned from Dr. Wolfelt about how people process death differently and sometimes its not an outward “visible” sign of emotion.  With both of the ladies there was an underlying factor that was overtaking them both, with their kids living so far off, it was loneliness.  I hope to help with that!

The third lady I helped and will continue to help, take her shopping for groceries and just be around for her is Reva.  She is so much like my granny was in her independence, sense of humor and spirit.  We bonded almost instantly and decided ours was an encounter that would be turning into a friendship.  We would be there for each other.  Eddie (my husband) is helping me with the task at Reva’s – we are replacing her carport roof.  She thought she would just climb up there with us but we quickly let her know that was not going to happen (at her age of 80)!  She relented and just let us do the climbing. ha.  She uses the tree “pole saw” on small branches and want to be useful.  She said “I’m old but not useless” and “I need to be active”. She is afraid of being idle and losing what abilities she can still do while realizing there are some things she should not do, even if she believes she can for fear of hurting herself.  Eddie and I have decided to “adopt” her!  We let Reva know this and she was so moved we all ended up with happy tears in our eyes!

For all of these task, God spoke to my heart in different ways, with messages relating to my devotionals and feeding my spirit in servitude – my calling.  God is so good and merciful as He administers to our soul, our spirit and gives us a hunger to dive deeper in His work as it is meant for our lives.   I am still serving these ladies and became an “honorary member of our church study group “women at the well” (average age of 70).  I love it and am honored!

I will post again about the remaining time on Sabbatical from my journal about the books I have read and my bible study.  Praying for you all and your Sabbatical.

Anissa

I really thought “I can unplug, not think about work, no problem”…uh..problem. Took me a few days to not wake up and feel a like i was not suppose to be getting ready for work. Getting to work with our teams and the positive, forward motion we have experienced these last few weeks with reorganization and focus of serving our clients and each other is exciting. It made me want to do something with the energy that I had focused on work and continue the feeling of “pouring into people”…serving others. Little did I know my youngest sister needed someone, basically to talk to, sit and crochae a few dozen toboggans and share her fears, listen to her open up her heart to in a way she can’t with anyone else, like a sister. We have a few years between us and while my entire family is close, we haven’t talked like that in years.

I need to connect with her more. That was my first thought when I drove away from her house. Then I started praying for her and the Holy Spirit took it from there  “Who else do I need to connect with more”? The next morning I called my brother and we had dinner that evening. He was quiet at first and then asked me what’s up. I explained I was feeling a need to reconnect and not because of a family medical emergency or some other kind of need. He smiled and then we started sharing…laughing and reminding ourselves how to just be present in the moment. As I drove away smiling, I prayed and again felt the question…”who else do you need to connect with”.

I was staying with my parents during this time and that in itself was a blessing. My dad has had alzheimers for several years with slow progression. Here lately it seems he has struggled more. He faces away in conversations or start talking about some unrelated topic, only to return to the previous conversation later in the day. We walked down in the pasture to look at the new calves and talked about how 6 generations of our family had walked the same pasture and fields. It was a good walk and was over way to soon. Darkness kinda let us know we might need to head back. My visit with mom was good too and much needed. As I left there, I prayed and talked to God the rest of the way home. I again heard the question, “who else do you need go connect with”?

I thought the answer was easy, I thought it was God, so I started praying about that and I what I felt was, while more time with God is always needed, it was me. I need to connect with direction and decide where, and how, to balance where I spend my energy, my time – real quality time. My family has grown up and they are starting families of their own. So where do I plug in now? My granny was called home a few months ago and I decided my service project would be to help some of the older ladies at church who had voiced needs of some task they could no longer do. My preacher is working with me and I am very excited about what is to come starting this weekend. I’ve been reading a book by Max Lucado “Out Live Your Life”. .”..you were made to make a difference…” in at chapter 3 – Let God Unshell You”. Funny how God works in our life to bring us to where He is working in our lives. On a side note I am getting to spend some time with this little guy. Lane Isaiah Jones. Yaya time…priceless

Lane Isaiah Jones