Hello Friends,

Welcome to Skill Building Thursday. One skill that is easy to neglect this time of year is reflecting. Who has time, right? Between patients that need doctoring, Hebrew that needs translating, brothels that need visiting, lessons that need planning, or emails that need responding to? Not to mention all of the extra holiday activities around the corner.

I get it. Reflection may seem a luxury.

So, this post isn’t about how you need to reflect, it is about reflection I have done about Global Trellis.

Last week I took an online course that radically helped me clarify the purpose of Global Trellis and how to communicate it. Several of you have emailed saying, “I’m not sure what I am supposed to do when I visit the Global Trellis website.”

Fair enough. Here is the thing about starting something new, often you don’t know what it is until it is up and running. That was true when we started Velvet Ashes, and it’s also been true with Global Trellis.

When someone asks, “What is Global Trellis?” I now say:

If Christian cross-cultural workers do not continue to develop, they are likely to burn out or rust out. Global Trellis creates resources you need to flourish on the field. Every cross-cultural worker deserves to have an alive soul and broad skill set that enables you to implement God’s call.

In short, Global Trellis develops cross-cultural workers because you can have an alive soul and expanding skill set. The Call is too important to burn out or rust out. Amen?

I believe that lasting growth comes slowly, with steady input. It is no surprise to anyone who knows me that I am drawn to the written word (hello book list, I love you); but true learning comes from different kinds of exposure.

Thus articles (written), workshops (audio and visual), and challenges (tactile as you DO the challenge).

When Global Trellis started, it was just me, but I knew that with time mine would not be the only voice and slowly a team of specialists is growing, people who will write once a quarter. You have met Tim Austin (Coach), Lauren Wells (TCK), and soon you will meet a Spiritual Director, Financial Guide, and a Grief Expert. The team of specialists will keep growing.

(I just reread the above paragraph and have to laugh. “When Global Trellis started” — um, AMY, do you mean three whole months ago? This is why reflection is good. Without meaning to I can confuse Global Trellis’ level of development with Velvet Ashes’.)

How does Global Trellis work?

I’m realizing that the layout of the website needs a bit of tweaking for clarity. (Remember when we talked about clarity? Well, this is the nature of ministry, isn’t it? We get started and then may need to clarify midstream. Or we’ve been doing something for years and a new person joins, and they need you to explain an aspect of your work.)

So, the next stop on the “Global Trellis Continues to Grow” will be a website layout that helps people know what to do. I can’t mimic the layout in a blog post, but to explain “how it works,” I’m thinking of having three columns to highlight the three aspects. What do you think of these descriptions?

Focused Monthly Workshops: Fresh content the first of every month will equip you in 45 to 60 minute blocks. (Get Access)

Weekly Articles: Manage the tension between “being” and “doing” with Soul Tending Tuesday and Skill Building Thursday. (Subscribe — FYI, if you got this in your inbox, you are subscribed.)

Quarterly Challenges: Fun challenges to help you be the cross-cultural worker you imagined you would be. (Join in—It’s not too late to join in the current challenge before it goes away the end of November.)

I’m amazed how much energy the clarity of what Global Trellis is and does (develop cross-cultural workers) has given me.

(Let’s be honest, also how much work. HA!)

It’s not for nothing that the workshop this month is about priorities and avoiding priority pitfalls. Friend, it is easy to think you are too busy to take a workshop this month. But I’m here to tell you, there is freedom when you invest an hour of your time with a workshop and God. God will use it to pour into you.

He knows your context and the challenges you are facing. Can I tell you how much I started off watching the course thinking I had better things to do? The work never stops, eh? Sometimes, the best way forward in a busy season is to pause for an hour or two with enough input to help you make a few course corrections that add so much life.

God is for you. Global Trellis is for you. I guess the question today is, are you for you? If so, what does that look like this month?