I’m learning that there is a difference between a good team and a great team.
A good team often rests on one or more great players and a lot of okay players.
A great team is great complete, but continues to thrive when any of it’s players are missing.
Abundance is a great team, we are flexible and can mold to fill whatever gap may be created.
And still, every person plays a critical role.
Caela- The Giver
Caela is one of the most generous people I’ve ever met. Her mind works in a constant state of thinking more of others than herself. She is incredibly relational and could strike up a conversation with a brick wall that speaks Spanish. She walks in boldness and kindness, neither taking from the other. She confidently gives of herself, her finances, her time, and her possessions. She anticipates needs before they exist and is eager to meet them, and she is often the first to suggest ways to serve the people around us. Caela is the Giver, and she has this capacity because she overflows with the joy of the Lord and is confident in the ways that He will provide for her if she gives away everything.
Aidyn- The Counselor
Aidyn walks in righteousness. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, Aidyn walks in righteousness. She is slow to speak and quick to listen. She discerns the voice of the Lord so clearly, and understands the gravity or lightness of any situation she steps into. Aidyn has the best sense of humor, her dry sarcasm seems perfectly placed every time it slips out because she is so aware of the atmosphere. She is wise beyond her years and I wonder sometimes if she’s really only 20 years old. She is resilient, gentle, and speaks every word with confidence. Aidyn is the Counselor because she incredibly pairs her unique ability to listen with the fountain of wisdom that she can draw from.
Julia- The Empathizer
Julia is full of conviction. What that means is not that she is wrathful or angry. No, it means that she has eyes to see where the desires of our flesh interrupt the bringing of kingdom. Every time I have a conversation with Julia she meets me where I’m at. She has these crazy eyes that kick in when the vibe of the room is energetic and she gets excited about it. She also has compassion in her eyes, that when she sees someone hurting her desire is to get in the trench with them and let them know how much their feelings are valued. Julia will laugh with you, cry with you, and scream at the same time you do so yours draws less attention. But she rarely stays in emotion, she always uses the conviction that she has to bring encouragement in dark places and bring caution when the actions of our flesh and selfish desires for happiness are overwritten by the term fun. Julia is the Empathizer because she has the capacity to meet people exactly where they are and bring them back to the kingdom.
Jordan- The Analyst
Jordan is unique. I mean you could say that about anyone, but Jordan is the epitome. She loves people through aggressive bear hugs, but is loved by a soft smile from across the room. Jordan often leaves the table covered in BBQ sauce or sriracha, but she is simultaneously the classiest and daintiest Texan I have ever met. Jordan has a lot to say, but Jordan thinks way more than she speaks. She is often quiet in Team Time, but she is never silent. The words that she has to say are incredibly insightful because they are backed by tons of observation and are thoroughly thought out before leaving her mouth. Jordan is the Analyst because she is beautifully unique in the way that she observes the world around her and how she communicates her important perspective.
Alivia- The Hype Man
Alivia has an oasis of joy in her soul. She constantly brings light and life into any room she steps into. She has tons of energy and laughter, and I almost never see her not smiling. She also is really good at bringing that lightness into every conversation. I truly believe that Alivia is the ultimate friend. She can relate to almost anything (because she had the wildest childhood) and when she can’t relate she’s eager to hear your stories. Alivia is quick to bring a shared bad mood to attention and remind us of the attitude of positivity we are capable of. Alivia is the Hype Man because she is gifted in transforming heavy spirits of sadness into the spirits of joy that we were created to have.
Jacee- The Responsible One
Jacee is incredibly aware of most things around her. She is the first to notice missing people or missing laundry money or if we forgot something vital at home. Any time that part of the team is late, Jacee is the one to question them with grace and kindness. She loves people enough to ask for an explanation and seek understanding. She is the best accountability partner, and because of this she has been appointed Story Telling leader. She keeps not only our team but the entire squad accountable to writing blogs weekly. While the majority of the time she is sweet and tame, Jacee occasionally delivers the most savage comments at the perfect times. You can always expect Jacee to encourage you for doing well or roast you when she knows you’ve intentionally avoided responsibilities. Jacee is the Responsible One because she cares for our team as a shepherd would his sheep.
Chooch- The Challenger
Chooch has perspective that no one else has. She sees the shortcomings and fall-throughs with so much clarity and brings them to attention. When something feels off, Chooch is the first to say it and because of this capability, she also gets the credit for the solutions and the resolve that comes after. She has a ton of maternal instincts and isn’t afraid to pick lice out of our heads or kill small bugs that crawl into my bed. In fact, not a lot scares Chooch (throwback to when she got left at the bus station the first month in Ecuador). Chooch is obedient when God asks her to do hard things, and she is never scared of what the hard things may bring. Chooch is the Challenger because our team is often made airtight because any problem or unnoticed tension cannot stand when she is in the room.
Erin- The Leader, aka The Harmonizer
Erin is our Team Leader, but she was a leader long before she received the title. Erin could also be known as the Harmonizer because she fights for unity while also valuing our diversity. She is kind and gentle, but she also has opinions that she is unafraid to make heard. Her kindness and gentleness open doors that were once shut, and make a space for people to also share what they are thinking. She listens intently and brings resolution to each issue that could arise among our team. She is quick to ask the Lord and seek wise counsel, and paired with that she is incredibly obedient to what God is asking of her. She knows the voice of the Lord and doesn’t dwell in hesitation but boldly responds to what she has been asked to do. Erin is the Leader because she brings harmony to our extremely diverse team of nine and because she leads with a gentle boldness guided by the Lord.
Aly- The Mom
Aly is phenomenal. I have the most respect and admiration for Aly, mostly because she has so adequately stepped into the role of mom while we are on the Race (she wrote a blog about it you should CHECK IT OUT!). Aly loves us just as the Father does, just as a parent would. In the joy and the sadness, in the struggle and the victory, Aly is eager to be with us in it. Aly doesn’t expect anything of us, she knows that the Lord only desires to be with us, so she reflects that. The only thing that she asks of us is to listen to God and do what he says, as it’s her number one life rule. She walks in authority, not only because of her title of Squad Leader but also because the way she lives her life earns the respect of everyone she meets. She meets the highest highs and the lowest lows without worry but with confidence in who the Lord created us to be. Her trust in the sovereignty of the King brings peace and hope to the whole squad. She abides with the Father better than anyone I know, and in turn she is more capable to be the hands and feet than anyone I know. Aly is the Mom because she loves us enough to take on our frustration with the truth that she gives, and sit with us long enough to let it sink in. Aly is the Mom because she loves unconditionally.
Me- The Communicator
And me, I’m the communicator. I fight for authenticity and truth. One of my deepest desires is to be understood, and so in turn I fight to make sure that everyone is understood. I think that everyone has a voice and that differing communication styles shouldn’t silence the voices that each person has. I think all of us have a capacity to communicate clearly if only we have the ears to hear. God has also given me the spiritual gifting of speaking truth, he has called me a Woman of Truth and a Vessel of Peace. While sometimes my communication style can be blunt and needs work, it is all in an effort to bring the truth that God has given me into each situation. Whether truth is hard to hear or easy, I desire to make it known. I am the Communicator because I bring confusion to the light and replace darkness with understanding.
Abundance is abundant because we each bring gifts to the table.
I’m picturing a huge feast.
If we all brought mashed potatoes that would suck. But we don’t all bring mashed potatoes, we bring vastly different dishes that the Lord so beautifully made into a cohesive meal. At a feast you don’t simply look at the food, in awe or distraction that there are so many options. No, you scoop a little of everything onto your own plate and you chow down.
Abundance is the same. It would suck if we all brought the same gifts and backgrounds and perspectives to the team. Biblically, we are all different parts of the body! We can’t all be a hand! Also, we don’t just sit there in awe of how different we are. While some times more than others it is clear that we are all VERY different, for the most part we simply enjoy the fact the we are different. We share in our shortcomings and fill in with our varying areas of expertise. We learn from each other’s differences and we begin to shape our minds to look more like Christ’s because our sinful nature becomes much more noticeable when conflict arises.
At the feast, if I walk in, share my mashed potatoes with all and then have to exit the party for some reason, half-full crock pot in hand, the feast does not suffer. Everyone now has enough potatoes collectively to survive without the source.
Abundance is similar. Except that we all have the Holy Spirit. So when Caela has a stomach bug, Julia gets the flu, or I get an ear infection we are not lacking in the joy and the encouragement and the communication that each one brings. No, collectively (plus the Spirit) we continue to have an abundance of all. This is something that I’ve been made incredibly aware of as I have been sick with about four different infections for the past week. My team does not struggle to communicate because I, the Communicator, am not there. No, they are a great team because they THRIVE both complete and temporarily incomplete.
We are a great team. Abundance is the biggest team and has a lot of diversity which seems daunting at times. But what I’m learning is that our team is the best that it can be because we press into being the biggest team and we press into our diversity and seek the Father in every step. The frustration of differing opinions seems minuscule in comparison to the abundance of strengths that we bring.
Abundance is full of powerhouses, each woman a powerful daughter of the King. We carry the Spirit and so we carry incredible amounts of influence and authority to our squad and everyone we come in contact with.
We carry
WISDOM
TRUTH
JOY
GENEROSITY
KINDNESS
PATIENCE
and
AUTHENTICITY
wherever we go.
Thanks God for Abundance, and thanks that your plan was perfect in placing us on this team. Thanks for the hardship and conflict, because it makes us more dependent on you and press into relationship with each other.
