Why I Enjoy Leading Conference Sessions

Tomorrow I head out of town for a couple days to participate in the Lutheran Schools Association fall conference out in New York. I have made it a point to say "yes" to requests to facilitate conference sessions despite the fact that it is a challenge to properly prepare to help others given my other responsibilities. I try to say "yes" as possible for the following reasons:

• I truly believe that God has opened these doors for service and I want to honor Him by sharing with others.
• I enjoy meeting and working with educators from all over. This adds to the sense of community we have in Lutheran education.
• I always learn at least one new thing at every conference or school visit, and I often learn much more than that, and I make it a point share these ideas at my own school.
• While I don't necessarily enjoy the process of travel, I do enjoy seeing new places.

Perhaps the biggest challenge in leading sessions at conferences like this is the often unknown nature of the audience. Who will be there? What backgrounds are present? What are their greatest needs? We are taught to know our students in the classroom and really seek ways to serve and lead them. Without knowing much about conference participants, I tend to agonize over the best approaches to help them.

My goal over the next couple days is to serve God through serving others. I have to repeatedly remind myself that my role is to be faithful and God is the one in the growth business.

If you would like to follow the various conference sessions, go to Twitter and follow hashtag #lsany .