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I would not describe myself as a visionary. One of those people able to rally people around a greater purpose or goal.

I am not a very confident leader when I don’t have all my ducks in a row. A clear mental map of what I’m trying to convey, how I’m going to do it and a structured order of events. <– that’s the ISTJ in me.

I do not lead very well having to think on the spot and navigate a flexible, unknown environment.

I get panicky. Anxious. I can sense physiological changes in my body.

So it was much to my surprise when I found myself having to lead a group of leaders today not knowing exactly what I was going to say or really what the take home message was supposed to be.

I was scared I had called this meeting and was going to waste people’s time; ruining any potential momentum.

But God showed up despite my insecurities and weakness and revealed these verses to be true.

1 Corinthians 2:3-4 (NIV)
³ I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. ⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power,

2 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)
…my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

I told people not to waste their lives, but instead, to live them focused on leaving an eternal legacy for Christ.

But I didn’t say any of it. It was a surreal, “holy moment” (for lack of a better description).

God’s Spirit, Christ’s power spoke through me more eloquently, confidently and with more conviction than I could have ever spoken on my own with a month of preparation.

One of those “holy crap, what just happened?” moments.

Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

http://tinysong.com/Ikde (click to listen)

…and soak up these lyrics.

In the midst of madness, chaos and life, sometimes we just need to slow down and sit at the feet of Jesus.

And let him remind us of this…

The More I Seek You (Kari Jobe)

The more I seek you,
the more I find you.
The more I find you,
the more I love you

I wanna sit at your feet,
drink from the cup in your hand.
Lay back against you and breath,
feel your heart beat

This love is so deep,
it's more than I can stand.
I melt in your peace,
it's overwhelming

In my previous post, I talked about maintaining an encouragement folder; a folder storing encouraging notes, emails, etc. reminding you of what you’re doing well and the impact you’re having.

In this post, I want to talk about creating a digital encouragement folder using a service called Evernote. It’s a service the lets you save and access information anywhere you have Internet access (e.g., a computer or smartphone).

Evernote’s tagline is “Remember everything.” Sounds perfect for those of us trying to remember encouraging things. ;)

Here are the features I appreciate about Evernote for maintaining my encouragement folder.

Save Anything Via Email

This is probably the feature I use the most (particularly on my iPhone).

Every Evernote account comes with a private email address you can use to save information to. Anything you can send in an email, you can store in Evernote.

It’s perfect for capturing information while on the go!

For example, let’s say you get an encouraging text, simply take a screenshot of it and send it to your Evernote email address. It’ll magically appear in your account.

Receive an encouraging email? Forward it to your Evernote email!

iPhone Tip: Take a screenshot on your iPhone by pressing the Home and Power buttons at the same time. The screenshot will be saved in your Camera Roll.

Digitize and Save Hand-Written Notes

Sometimes the most meaningful encouragement comes in the form of a hand-written note or letter.

What I love about Evernote is I can take a picture of the note/letter and store it in my Evernote account. The paper will never fade and I won’t ever have to worry about losing the note, spilling coffee on it, etc.

I’ve got a digital copy I can keep forever.

Not only that, but Evernote has an awesome feature that will make any text in the picture searchable.

So as I send notes, screenshots of text messages and other images with text into my encouragement folder, I can go back later and search for specific ones based on keyword.

Here I searched for “thank you” and Evernote brought up this hand-written note. It’s pretty stinkin’ legit. ;)

Options, Options, Options!

With Evernote, there’s no shortage of options/tools for capturing, organizing and viewing your encouragement folder.

There’s a Mac/Windows version, a web clipper for clipping information in your browser and an app for virtually every type of smartphone.

I’ve also only covered a small part of what Evernote is capable of. I strongly recommend you check out their website and blog for more ideas on how to use Evernote.

One Folder to Rule Them All

Evernote is pretty much the bomb diggity. ;) It enhances the usage of an encouragement folder in so many ways.

You can keep track of every piece of digital and physical encouragement using a single tool. And everything is searchable and centrally accessible!

And using the vast number of options/tools provided by Evernote, it’s ridiculously easy to capture encouraging tidbits as soon as they happen. No excuses not to keep your folder up-to-date.

So the next time you need some encouragement, I hope you’ll fire up Evernote and read through some of the things in your  folder.

Where do you keep your encouragement folder now?

Do you use Evernote? What do you use it for?

1 Samuel 30:6 (ESV)
And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

I read a great, practical tip from Ron Edmonson this past week. It reminded me of this verse in 1 Samuel.

In Ron’s post, he suggests keeping an “encouragement folder.” A folder of notes, letters, emails, etc. that:

• …say you’ve done something right.
• …say you know what you are doing.
• …say you made a difference in someone’s life.

Inevitably, we’ll find ourselves feeling much like King David: greatly distressed. For those times, I love the idea of an encouragement folder.

Assuming you have one. If not, better get on that. ;)

It is one tool you can use to encourage/strengthen yourself when you’re feeling down in the dumps.

I would also recommend keeping track of any God-milestones (significant/noteworthy things God’s done in your life).

Then, not only can your encouragement folder be a reminder of how you’ve touched other people’s lives/what you’re doing right, but also be a reminder of all that God’s done in your life.

So, what’s been encouraging you lately? And who can you encourage this week?

We give up things we love for things we love even more.

On first glance, that quote probably rings true for you. Right? You would give up ______ for _______.

It’s an easy trade when you know what you’re trading for. Especially if it’s something you know you “love even more.” What’s not easy is trading something you love now for something unknown later.

Yet that’s the exact position God often places us in.

The dream job you have now. The boyfriend/girlfriend that seems like the perfect match. The thriving ministry you’re currently leading. The comfortable life you’re living.

If God asks, trade it in for the unknown. Sacrifice it.

The hardest part for me is truly believing what’s on the other end will be something I’ll love even more than what I have now.

But the truth is that mindset is selfish.

It puts the focus on what you’re receiving rather than who you’re giving to.

We give up things we love for things we love even more. It’s an honor to sacrifice for Christ and His church.