Better late than never...

Monday night, we had a rockin' Superbowl party. Too bad we didn't get to see the American commercials... that's the best part of the game!

Each Wednesday morning we gather as a team for prayer. But none of this popcorn-prayer business. We all pray simultaneously. We've been doing it this way forever so I don't really think much of it. But one of our interns recently wrote about how these prayer times have affected him. It's incredible to me how much our interns will grow this year -- through planned and unplanned development opportunities.

Each Wed. morning we have corporate prayer with the staff. It is done "African" style. That is all-together as the Spirit leads you. The first week was nerve-wracking as I had very little idea how to do this and I did not want to come off as doing something "wrong". The last two weeks have been much different though. I have truly gotten into the prayer, being honest, truthful and emotional as I almost never am during prayer. God is working richly during these times and I'm so thankful for them.

On Friday we ran a four-hour promo event for Leadership Summit at one of the schools in Qwa Qwa. It was a lot of fun, but tiring. We went right from there to Hope House; by 7:00 that night, I was completely exhausted.

We took the interns to a touristy/artsy town over the weekend. We were gonna go hiking in a national park, but the rain changed our plans. On the drive home, I had the best DJ I've had in a long time. Kelly played lots of fun songs, including "Gaston" from Beauty and the Beast. Everyone was amazed by the fact that I knew all the words!

I've discovered that I really enjoy reading memoirs. I'm about halfway through "Tough Choices" by Carly Fiorina, the first female CEO of a Fortune 20 company. I'm particularly enjoying the book because Carly didn't use a ghostwriter. She wrote it all herself, and she's surprised me with her style. Some nuggets? Sure.

Character was everything, and character was defined as candor, integrity, and authenticity. Candor was about speaking the truth, and about speaking up and speaking out. Integrity was about preserving your principles and acting on them. Authenticity was about knowing what you believed, being who you were, and standing up for both.

Challenge comes from the reality that your best is required and falling short is possible. Learning comes from rising to meet that challenge.

Sometimes it's important to see what's coming down the road. And sometimes it's important just to put one foot in front of the other and not look too far ahead.

About determining a career-path, or discovering your purpose: I had to find something that challenged by mind and captured my heart. ... Be fully engaged in a pursuit worthy of my talent and passion.

A boss's confidence is a powerful motivator. Because they saw potential in me, I began to look for it in myself... Believing in someone else, so they can believe in themselves, is a small but hugely significant act of leadership.