Not just a job....

Hola.

Well somehow it's Friday aleady. Not quite sure how that happens...lol. The picture below is from our staff retreat day. Now if you've read my blog for any amount of time you know that over the last few years there have been wonderful times as well as struggles at my job. Working for a church can, believe it or not, be a strain on my faith at times. However, I must let everyone know that I work at one of the most amazing places ever. Not just because Wednesday for our Staff Retreat day we had a goofy, fun time...but because of the things I was reminded about my job and co-workers that day.

Our day began with a silly photo scavenger hunt. We were broken into groups and given a list of random things that people on our team needed to do around town and then take pictures or video of us doing them as proof. Here's just a few: swing on a swing, sing to a waitress, play leapfrog with a stranger, scream in aisle 4 of a grocery store, do a Chinese fire drill, oh---and as you can see from this picture...stand knee deep in water. We had to race back to church with our proof and yes I must admit that my team won! I think it was a combo of all of us being totally free with approaching strangers...and knowing our way around Waukesha. When we got back to the church we heard a talk from one of our old pastors. He spoke about TTEEAAMM and exactly what is involved in true team work. How to be together, trust, have energy, encourage, attitude, accountability, mission and memory. Then some of us had a crazy game of soccer with this gigantic ball (I can't remember the name of it) and a yummy tailgate lunch. We ended with awards and some words of encouragement from one of our senior pastors.

The TTEEAAMM talk is what got me thinking most about Elmbrook and the amazing thing about working there. I have had run ins with people at work. Church or not---we disagree, have different personalities, different viewpoints on issues and definately different life experiences. BUT there is a unifying factor that comes from staying focused on our mission and common purpose. To bring glory to God. To respect each other for our giftedness and individuality. It's an amazing privilege and an honor to work here.