Through the Lens of Love

Joy Strube, Community Engagement Coordinator

Dear Friends,
In my recent Internet wandering, I stumbled across an "Engaged Feedback Checklist" by Brené Brown. The checklist has some pretty challenging (but important) guidelines to help users know when they are fully ready to give constructive feedback to another person.
Some of the checklist items are:

• "I'm ready to sit next to you rather than across from you."
• "I recognize your strengths and how you can use them to address your challenges."
• "I want to acknowledge what you do well instead of picking apart your mistakes."
• "I'm ready to listen, ask questions, and accept that I may not fully understand the issue."

I was humbled as I reflected back on ways I gave feedback definitely not practicing these principles.

I also found it a great paradigm for engaging our neighbors. Whether we are settling an argument or serving, it is easy to unconsciously create a category of “other.” Whether it be “that person who is wrong,” or “that person who is poor and broken.”

What would it look like to begin using this checklist for every conversation, encounter or every argument, even? What if we started seeing ALL of those around us through the lens of their strengths and gifts, rather than their weaknesses and deficits.

Let’s be a church family that is known for seeing, living and leading through the lens of love.

We have a few opportunities this summer to live this out:
Alpha – Weekly in the Fall - People from all backgrounds are invited to this safe and judgement-free space to connect with people, ask questions, express doubt and explore faith. Each week includes dinner, a talk via video and a discussion. This is a great place to invite our neighbors! We are also looking for team members to help greet guests, serve meals, and guide discussions.

Carus Serve Day – Sat. July 20th \\ 9am-3pm - We are so excited to partner with Carus for our third Summer Serve Day. All ages, skill sets and physical conditions welcomed and valued! To sign up visit canbyfoursquare.com/carus-serve-day.
Carus Lunch Buddies – Make an impact by investing in the life of a student once a week during lunch times! To learn more, attend a no-obligation info meeting in the Conference Room on Sunday, August 18th at 10:30 or 12:30.

Want more info about any of these opportunities? Email me at jstrube@canbyfoursquare.com or check out Canbyfoursquare.com/serve-our-community.

Through the Lens of Love,

Joy Strube