Shannon's Corner

   SHANNON’S CORNER I am in awe time after time of God’s faithfulness and goodness to me.  I would be lying if I was not a little nervous and anxious about going back to the Dominican Republic not knowing how my former colleagues would receive me.  But God’s hand was in it as I was warmly received and welcomed by everyone, and I did not feel any awkwardness or weirdness with how I left and now coming back in a new role and on a new team.  Being able to travel internationally for the first time in two years was sort of a “homecoming” even though there were a few differences in traveling than before.  Different sounds and smells also felt welcoming. The Safe Place team of Bethann, Jenni and myself ministered to 17 missionary units plus two interns through a day long retreat and the rest of the week doing two-hour sessions with each one individually.  The retreat was a time of connection, collaboration, and celebration as this was...

  SHANNON’S CORNER L ead like love matters! This month I was asked by Here2There Ministries to speak on their network on the topic of ‘ Loving through Member Care ’.  I based the talk on the passage of scripture from Matthew 22:36-40 (see below), which is the biblical foundation that I use for doing member care,  The Great Commandment .  It is a three-part relationship of God, Self, and Others. I find it very interesting that it was the Pharisees who brought this question to Jesus to try and trap him.  Yet, Jesus starts with quoting the command that Moses gave the Israelites to do in Deut. 6:4-7, the main concept being to love God.  I believe if Jesus had stopped there the Pharisees would have been justified in their actions and lifestyle of keeping the laws.  But Jesus didn’t stop there.  He went further and added that we are to love our neighbors as ourselves.  The authentic test of our faith is how we tre...

  SHANNON’S CORNER HAPPY NEW YEAR! I got to bring in 2022 with all my family except for Rachel’s family as they were sick.  The new year is a time of new beginnings and for many goals setting for the new year.  I have set some goals for myself this year but like to think of them as desires more so than goals.   Last year at a women’s conference one of the speakers spoke on goals and desires and the differences between the two.  We can be so focused on reaching our goal that we can tend to knock whoever or whatever down to reach our goal because we want to be in control of reaching it.  Whereas desires are what we would like to have happen, but we have no control over if we reach them or accomplish them.  Another way to look at it is goals are closed fists and desires are open hands. Here are some of my “desires” for the year 2022. Continuing to learn and develop in my professional life with member care and nursing.  D...