Nancy Beach

A NEED FOR RESPONSE

     Yesterday I participated in my first audio webonar for Worship Leader magazine.  I have done some video kinds of training, but this was the first time I had to simply speak into a phone receiver and communicate essentially without seeing any faces.  At the end, I was able to hear some voices and respond to some questions.  I appreciate very much the opportunity to deliver training through Worship Leader.  But as I reflected on the experience, I realized again how different and somewhat challenging it is for me to teach when I'm not in a room, looking into the eyes of people and making connections.

     Many years ago now I went through an elaborate process called "MAP" that helps to define a person's motivated abilities patterns.  I learned a great deal about myself through that experience, including the fact that I am a communicator who needs (maybe even craves) a response.  Now at first I thought that was really bad, like I'm a terrible narcissist just seeking approval.  But the coach who walked me through that tool said that many communicators are wired this way.  We keep going and adjusting as we look into the faces and receive nonverbal cues from others.  If we see someone falling asleep, or scowling, or nodding their head in agreement, this tells us what is working and what isn't.  For this reason, I always prefer to speak in a well-lit room so I can see faces.  And my ultimate preference is a small group of folks around a table, spending half a day or more together, learning from one another and connecting.  

     I guess the revolution of the Internet in terms of my communication will always be a bit of a hurdle for me, even with the option of dialoguing through comments.  Yet in light of this economy and the need for people to engage quickly, at low cost, and at a time of their own preference - I know I must embrace this tool.  I will always prefer what I get to do the next couple of days as I head to Atlanta to serve at the Orange Conference.  Tomorrow I'll spend the entire day with about 30 or 40 women in leadership, facilitating conversation about leading in the church.  Then on Thursday afternoon I will have a chance to speak to the entire conference - sure hope they have some houselights on!  I'm speaking late afternoon, starting around 4:30 pm, so maybe I won't want to see the sleepy eyes.  

     I'm curious how some of you handle communication and dialogue when you can't look into the faces.  How have you adjusted?  Will I ever get over my need to hang out and be together?  

     Finally, I want to put in one more plug for the Arts Conference - I think today is an early bird deadline.  At this event, we get to look into the eyes of people who truly "get us."  Pastors and artists come together to be inspired and equipped, to be reminded that we're not crazy for investing our gifts in the local church.  I hope you are doing everything you possibly can to join us - I want to SEE you here!!!!  And June in Chicago is simply magnificent...

ASTOUNDED BY THE INSPIRATION OF WOMEN LEADERS

     I am back in my hotel room after facilitating a one-day workshop for women in church leadership in the Toronto area.  Over 350 women gathered at the Lakeside Church here to explore together how we can more effectively embrace and unleash our gifts for use in the kingdom.  What a remarkable group of women!  I was lifted by the conversations, the perceptive questions, the spirit of innovation and passion and perseverance.  The very same thing happened on Wednesday when I co-led the same workshop with my good friend Nancy Ortberg in the San Francisco area at Cornerstone Fellowship. Both groups of women leaders gave me such hope for the future of the church. 

     At the end of each workshop, I read (well, actually, I blubber through) a letter I wrote to my two daughters about their gifts and investing them in the local church.  I keep thinking that the more often I read it aloud, the more I'll be able to deliver the letter without tears.  But the truth is that I feel SO DEEPLY about the need for young woman to see that their gifts - especially the gifts of leadership and teaching - are not only welcome in the church, but desperately needed. I am humbled and sober-minded about the privilege of reminding women wherever I can that God did not make a mistake when he created them, that the Holy Spirit distributed the gifts "just as He desired."  It's impossible for me to look into the eyes of any woman and not want to ennoble her.  We must, for the sake of the kingdom, quit apologizing for our gifts and take responsibility to develop them and use them as best we can.

     Tomorrow I fly to New York where I will meet with church artists at a Vineyard Church in Rockville, and then speak at their 4 weekend services.  It's been a week filled with challenges and opportunity.  Right now, I think I'll enjoy my hotel room for a bit and use the comfy bathrobe!

SOLIDARITY WITH THE HUNGRY AND THIRSTY

     Our church launched a 3-week Celebration of Hope campaign yesterday, with a focus this year on serving the under-resourced who are both hungry and thirsty.  The campaign includes several aspects, including l7,000 volunteers packing food bags to go to Zimbabwe through our partner, "Feed My Starving Children."  

     Perhaps the most difficult challenge we gave our people - even greater than volunteering and giving money - is the 5 Day Food and Water Challenge.  For five days, we are choosing to eat very simple meals (such as rice and beans, oatmeal for breakfast), with no snacks, and only drinking tap water.  Last year we did the food part, but this year, with an emphasis on providing clean water to our partner villages, we decided to add the beverage part.

     I decided to begin my own food challenge Saturday, because starting tomorrow I am traveling for a week.  As I suspected, the beverage piece is the hardest part for me - especially missing my Diet Coke!  The daily reminder of how simply most of the world eats, and how they are desperate just for clean water let alone any other beverage, is powerful.  I feel it in my hunger pangs, in my boredom with the same food every meal, in my exhaustion for lack of enough calories and no caffeine!  To engage in this challenge annually is very healthy for our congregation because we identify with the billion people or more on this planet for whom even one healthy meal a day is a luxury.  We learned yesterday that over 25% of a woman's day in many places is devoted simply to the retrieval of water for the family.  How good for us to remember that when we so casually turn on the tap, take a shower, and water our gardens.

     When the food challenge ends, our congregation will indulge once again in our favorite foods, breaking the fast and drinking our coffee, tea, and Gatorade and sodas.  We will strive to remember that the poor never get that reprieve.  Day after day, hour after hour, they live with a hungry stomach and a need for clean water.  I am so grateful to be a part of a church that is raising these issues to the surface and inviting our entire community of faith to embark on a journey together, trying to make a difference in one small part of the world.

O HAPPY DAY!

     Today I celebrate:

• 70 degree weather in Chicago with sun - it finally feels like SPRING 
•  Working at Panera where a lovely employee named "Tomasa" says "Ola" to me every time I see her 
• Looking forward to a "Brown Bag" lunch with other Chicago area arts leaders at Harvest Church in Rolling Meadows   
• An evening planned with my daughters having dinner in Wrigleyville and then seeing the Shakespeare Improv show that is supposed to be amazing

Hope you have a very happy Friday as well...  What do you celebrate today?   

LESSONS FROM SUSAN BOYLE

     By now, most of you have probably seen the You Tube video from Britain's Got Talent featuring a singer named Susan Boyle.  If not, please do check it out.  Before this 47-yr-old woman began to sing, I would guess that most everyone, including me, had no expectations of anything good, let alone anything great.  We judged her by appearance, and assumed she would not have much to offer.  And we were all dead wrong.  The beauty of Susan's voice as she sang I Dreamed a Dream from Les Mis startled us and challenged our daily practice of making quick assumptions.  

     What does this say to me?  I recognize all over again how quick I am to evaluate others based on how they are dressed and how their body looks, and even the expression on their face.  I leave so little room to discover something surprising, to realize that a human being can make a contribution in a way that is not at all consistent with my boxes and labels, that is completely unbelievable and full of wonder.  I need to be far more open and gracious and willing to let go of my narrow expectations.  This holds true when I come across people in my neighborhood, at my church, on my travels.  Jesus told us not to be fooled by the outward appearance.  I personally find that extremely hard to live out.  Susan Boyle, thank you for providing such a vivid picture for me that judging a book by its cover is still not a good idea!

Walls For Easter

      For the past several Easters, our creative team at Willow Creek has sought to find an image that we could leverage to help tell the Easter story and to provide a visual anchor for the entire service. I think this practice dates back to the year we created a Bridge--a prop we used in Bill Hybels' message along with several of the artistic elements, when, at the end of the celebrations, thousands of people walked across that bridge symbolizing their accepting of Jesus as the only way to God.  So this year....the team focused on walls.
     Based on the Scriptures that tell us how Christ broke down the wall that separates us from our Creator, the team spent several weeks and countless volunteer hours constructing 3 small walls and one huge wall that looked like it was begging to be climbed!  In his powerfull Easter message, Bill described how many people these days are facing these walls:

1. Finances - job loss or insecurity, lack of fulfillment in their work, and an overalll anxious spirit about their vocation.
2. Relationships - especially with barriers in our families.
3. Grief or loss - those who have experienced sad medical news or the loss of a loved one.

     The monster wall represented the hugest issue we have to settle in life--the wall that separates us from God unless we ask Christ to pay, in Bill's words, our "moral mortagage."  Towards the end of Bill's message, the music and dance team highlighted how Christ has torn apart that wall and at the peak goosebump moment, the massive wall separated and a strong light shone as dancers ran through the crack.  What a stunning picture they painted!
     The time and energy invested by Matt Lundgren and an enormous team of artists to create this Easter experience more than paid off after each service when people were invited to come up on stage and place a prayer request in one of the baskets connected to each wall.  There was a perforated piece of their program that they could tear off, write down their first name, and a simple prayer request.  We have over 500 Willow volunteers who have agreed to pray by name for these requests for the next 30 days.  Bill stood by the huge wall, willing to dialogue with anyone who was still uncertain about their eternity.  He had countless conversations with seekers.  Meanwhile, Darren Whitehead and I took turns at the smaller walls, greeting people as they waited to drop in their prayer requests.  The largest stream of people seemed to head toward that middle wall focusing on fmaily and broken relationship.  It was a profound privilege to look into the eyes of our community and share moments of Easter hope.
     What a glorious day Easter is....on this, the morning after, I am deeply grateful to God for the empty tomb and for the opportunity to herald hope to those who so desperately need it.  May you enjoy this Easter Monday, reflecting back on what God did in your community as you celebrated together.  I'd love to hear some stories about how God worked in your church....

He Could Have Called It All Off

On this Good Friday, as I read through the Scripture account of that dark day long ago, I am struck by the words of Jesus to his disciples who wanted to get a little reckless with their swords, fighting off the arrest.  Jesus said, “Do you not think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?  But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”  Our Savior could have played his card of authority at any moment, stopped all the madness and halted all the pain and humiliation.  He could have beckoned an angel army when he sweat drops of blood in the Garden.  But he did not.  He could have cried uncle when he was spit on, and when that crown of thorns was smashed on his head.  But he did not.  And most certainly, at the moment of greatest physical agony, when nails were driven through his hands and feet and when his flesh screamed in anguish on that cross, he could have so easily wiped every one out and displayed his Mighty Power.  But he did not.  Hallelujah, What a Savior!!!

In the church where I grew up, our music director often sang a song during Holy Week that has stuck with me decades later.  The lyrics simply state, “He could have called ten thousand angels…but He died alone for you and me.”  I am in awe today of the human part of Jesus who endured such suffering all the way to the end, mostly in silence, persevering until he could say those three words that sealed my salvation:  “It is finished.”  Jesus was a finisher.  He had every reason to take one of the many outs available to him all during that Friday long ago.  And because he outrageously loves you and me, He never wavered and He finished the job.  Thank you, oh my Savior.  This day is only “Good” because of what you accomplished on that cross.  I am a deeply grateful daughter today of the Most High God…completely saved by grace.

Transitions

Yesterday, I took my good friend and administrative assistant, Ann Keefer, to lunch.  It was a good-bye of sorts, because Ann is leaving our staff after a decade of faithful service.  I can’t imagine my life without her.  She is the one who posts these blogs!  She has served alongside me and other leaders in ministry, backing up our visionary ideas and plans with the myriad of details necessary to actually get things done.  Ann’s computer is filled with mysterious lists and connections I’m trying to transfer to my own – this is very scary.  Ann is the voice that so many hear when calling me, and she answers every call with grace and skill, acting as though she has all the time in the world to respond to whatever the question or concern.

Ann’s departure was not her choice – her position is one that the WCA can no longer fund as we re-invent and adjust to the realities of today’s economy.  Yesterday she and I talked about transitions, about the new era she is entering, about the mixture of anticipation and sadness she feels as she explores whatever God might lead her to next.  Blessed with the gift of time to figure that out, Ann displays a childlike trust and spirit of hope as she packs up her boxes.  I truly am excited for her, while I mourn the necessary loss.

I know so many people going through transitions right now – many from career changes, others from the empty nest or a geographic move, or the loss of good health.  Many times I have recommended two primary authors – William Bridges (his two best books are Transitions and The Way of Transitions) and Sue Monk Kidd, writer of When the Heart Waits.  When something major shifts in our lives, we experience emotions that are actually quite common and somewhat predictable.  It helps immensely to read about the normalcy of these emotions. We are not as unique or weird as we think we are!

If you have to say good-bye to someone, for any reason these days, be sure to mark the moment.  Celebrate and honor the individual as best you can.  Look that person in the eye and express your gratitude.  Bless that person.  I am deeply grateful for Ann.  She will be missed…And I believe her best days are ahead of her.

Entering Holy Week

Yesterday we began the most significant week of the year for followers of Jesus – what we call Holy Week.   From the many “Hosannas” sung in churches for Palm Sunday to the joyful songs celebrating the empty grave next weekend, those who claim the name of Christ will experience the entire gamut of emotions – if we choose to fully engage.  I have always treasured the contrast of the Good Friday experience to the bookends of Palm Sunday and Easter.  Right in the middle of raucous joy stands the darkest of days, when the sun disappeared at 3:00 in the afternoon and the curtain of the temple was dramatically torn in two.

Pastors and arts leaders hold the profound privilege of creating opportunities for our congregations to immerse themselves in the story of redemption.  We usher in the contrasts of light and dark, despair and hope, death and LIFE.  This year at our church we will gather to reflect on Good Friday and participate in the sacrament of communion in two identical services that evening.  I will be leading the communion portion.  My good friend Greg Ferguson crafted a beautiful telling of the story, focused on the events of the Last Supper, the Garden, the arrest and the crucifixion of Jesus.  Greg skillfully wove poetic words, evocative music, and images to reveal in a fresh and, I believe, very moving way the price Christ paid for our sins and why.  People will sense how audacious God’s grace and love are for them as an individual when they reflect on these key lines penned by Greg:

One thing you must remember

When my blood spills

When my body’s cracked in two

It’s for you…

It’s for you…

I have some personal habits on Holy Week that help me to physically feel the wonder of the contrasts.  Leading up to Easter, I try to make room for quiet, to limit my intake of food, and to avoid a sense of celebration. When Easter morning dawns, I feel the excitement of the women who rejoiced at the empty tomb, and the urge to party with my church and family is tremendous (plus I get to eat a lot again!).  I also track the events of the week in my personal Scripture reading.  These are simply practices that have worked for me to get my soul in a good place to fully experience the wonder of Holy Week.  I’m curious to know what you have found to be helpful as you walk through these days each year. And I send out a special blessing and honor to all of you who give so much of your time, creativity, and heart so that others will know the wonder of this story and receive it in a new way.

Morning After Thoughts About ER

Along with millions of Americans, I watched the final hours of ER last night, a show I never missed years ago and only returned to this season knowing it would soon be lights out for this drama.  For those of us who live in Chicago, the show held an extra attraction, exposing the underbelly of our city along with some beautiful lakeside views.  I loved the way the final shot pulled back, revealing the back alley where ambulances gather, framed by the “L” tracks, a gritty and realistic view of a city hospital in the middle of the night.

A reviewer in the Chicago paper this morning wrote that ER “became a hit because, to its great credit, it didn’t underestimate its audience’s intelligence.”  I could not agree more.  While at the start, most critics and network honchos doubted the viewers could track the numerous characters and story lines, the fast pace and quick doctor/nurse medical dialogue, and the realistic camera shots that have been much copied ever since – the audience proved them all wrong.  We were mesmerized by the complexity of so much to follow and the messy lives of the characters that so resembles the reality of most of our everyday experience.  I loved how most episodes brought me both moments of laughter and times when my eyes filled with tears.  It happened again last night as the birth of twins was celebrated and then later, the mom died from childbirth complications.  The writers of ER focused on our most basic human relationships – parents and children, husbands and wives, close friends.  Oh how we embrace powerful stories!

I admire the artistry, vision, and tenacity of the creators of this show week after week for 15 years.  Actors came and went, but the overall purpose and perspective of the program did not waver.  As an artist and teacher in the local church, that inspires me.  I will miss ER on Thursday nights, but there’s still my favorite program, Friday Night Lights, which has just been renewed for two more years – WOO HOO!!!