Help, n. That which gives assistance; he or that which contributes to advance a purpose.~ Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

Or…

“Help, I need somebody…

Help, not just anybody…

Help, you know I need someone help.”~ The Beatles

Whenever you are in a situation to lead staggering numbers of individuals…

there is one thing that is imperative to success.

That would be the aid…

assistance…

and support…

of other people.

There is simply no way around it.

This is my dear friend…

Kathleen.

Kathleen is the direct “boss” mentor over Son #1…

in the Children’s Ministry department.

She’s helped to staff, plan and execute 753 lots of Summer Spectaculars.

I admire Kathleen immensely for many reasons.

One of the top ones that comes to mind…

is her ability to lead with a tremendous amount of strength…

while practicing a very humble…

virtually “hands off” policy.

In other words…

she surrounds herself with people…

that she thinks are responsible…

capable…

and competent.

She’s always willing to accept input…

is a visionary and willing to try new things…

but then assumes that you’re just going to get down to it…

and get the job done!

This is her daily vantage point during Summer Spectacular…

because in all of that “extra free time”…

she also runs the sound for main stage productions!

She approached me about being “Queen.”

Well, let me rephrase that.

She approached me about being the Shepherd Chair…

and I took the liberty of slightly altering said job title…

to that of  “The Queen.”

I do strive to be accurate in communicating…

even when it hurts.

The job was two-fold.

To oversee the “Shepherd Pool”…

and to specifically feed into the Leads.

They oversee each grade.

I also took on the responsibility…

of writing and executing…

a specific program for “The Juniors.”

Once you have completed the 6th grade…

you may return to Summer Spectacular as a Junior Shepherd.

You work in this capacity…

until you are at least 16…

and then you may be a “Shepherd.”

Which means you can lead a group…

with the aid of a “Junior.”

Make sense?

Excellent.

There are roughly 250 people in the “Shepherd” group…

Junior or otherwise.

So many of you have commented on how incredible this event appears to be.

It is incredible!

And can you believe that honestly…

the pictures simply cannot do it the justice that it deserves?

It becomes its own culture for one week a year.

There are so many facets of responsibility…

that it takes 500 volunteers just to staff every area!

Then you add 1200 kids…

Help me, Rhonda!

One thing that I had noticed in particular…

was that the “Juniors”…

form quite a broad spectrum.

There is Annie Achiever…

who is all things to all people…

first in the parking lot…

totally participating…

next to Ivan I-Really-Don’t-Want-to-be-Here…

highlighted by Denise and Dylan Duress!

Oh.the.joys.

Let me share here that for over 20 years…

Hero Hubby and I have been involved in youth programs…

that combine our core book and worldview…

with structure…

competition…

and fun…

to produce some pretty amazing results.

One of my top objectives and goals…

in implementing this program…

was to close the gap in the above spectrum.

Please notice that I didn’t…

at this particular level of commitment…

decide that “perhaps it would be fun…

to do something to engage the youth volunteers more effectively.”

I drew on the experiences of what I knew to do…

things that were effective in rallying a team spirit and identity…

that produced outstanding commitment.

Here are some things I know beyond the shadow of a doubt…

based on those years of experience.

1.  That youth really, really, really like to be challenged…

and affirmed…

even the ones that don’t necessarily buy in to “the program” 100 percent.

2.  The program and guidelines that are set…

need to be communicated efficiently…

effectively…

need to be consistent…

fair…

and predictable.

In other words…

they need to know that you mean what you say…

and that you will uphold the same standards for everyone.

Beginning with yourself.

Yes, my friends…

in its most basic, organic form…

Leadership Education…

always begins and ends with you…

evaluating you!

With this in mind…

here are some of the things I introduced and implemented.

Participate in each and every day’s theme.

More on this Friday.

Absolutely no cell phones between the hours of 7:45 and noon.

If you do need to make a phone call…

“The Queen” is always willing to hold court to address these matters.

By making this commitment…

you pledge to be young adults.

Teenagers will be sentenced for the week to the dungeon.

The only exception will be to appear for Moat Dredging Duty.

Your call…

should the need arise.

Complete the Memory Verse Card…

say it in its entirety in one sitting for extra points…

engage in the assigned “Daily Activity” for even more points…

wear your team color bracelet.

I also chose two personal assistants from this stellar gene pool…

to “do my bidding.”

Anxious to know how it all turned out?

See you Friday!

We have found it to be especially helpful when committing to large events…

to have a Family Meeting in order to plan neglect.

This does not substitute for the Family Executive Committee (FEC) meeting that is explained in detail in Leadership Education starting on page 62.

We use Family meetings for many things…

not the least of which would include…

planning neglect.

It gives our children and young adults…

the opportunity to give input to the policies that will surround said event…

and to help us plan the most effective forms of neglect…

to sync our schedules…

and to troubleshoot for the “younger people” in our family unit!

Obviously, it is most helpful when you have worked this event before…

and you know what you’re up against!

If you go in blindly…

and even when you don’t…

we always debrief afterwards.

This communicates powerful things to our kids…

a couple of which are as follows…

1. There are times when you make genuine mistakes where commitments are concerned…

and need to adjust accordingly.

2. Making any commitment long term at the expense or risk of sacrificing the family…

isn’t a worthwhile commitment.

Here’s how this particular Family Meeting went:

Hero Hubby: “Okay, can we get everyone’s commitment levels penned in up front…

so that we know what we’re going to need to do?”

Son #1:  Aside from work itself in my department,  I will help with set up week…

and have two major band practices because I’m playing mainstage with Rob Biagi.

After getting dates and times for those…

we move on to Son #2.

What’s your story?

Son #2: “Well, I’m a mainstage character, and have been asked to oversee the Story Village for the 3-5th graders.”

“Obviously, I, too, will help with set up week, and also am responsible to set up and acquire props for my village.”

This involved hours of constructing and painting these with Hero Hubby…

so that they ended up with these nifty javelins…

color coded by grade levels…

as “ambiance” that were really guidelines for “where to sit!”

because there were “small gatherings” such as this…

back to back each and every day!

Son #3?…

“Mainstage character…

set up week…

where he painted 12 hours straight…

more than one day…

but also…

where he could be seen eradicating…

any and all doubt from people’s minds…

as to whether or not he was typecast…

to play this leading role.

Any further questions?!

Note: I live here each.and.every.day.

Someone please send help.

Sons #4 and #5?

“We’re going to help during set up week…

and to attend!

Dad?

“Set up week to include: designing and constructing…

javelins for all grades as Story Village place markers…

all banners for Lead Shepherds to carry for each grade…

designing and building the Dragon’s tale…

which…

when it began to move and smoke billowed from the lair…

was so convincing…

that one of the 5 year olds sitting in front of me…

threw her hands over her eyes and exclaimed…

“Oh no!, He’s scaweee….and he’s going to come out of tha-yer!”

Week of: Shepherding the boys from Father’s Ranch that are wards of the state…

because not too many people can handle them!”

Mom?

“I am the Shepherd Chair…

to include writing and implementing a program for Junior Shepherds…

6th grade through high school…

totaling 115 kids that have signed up.

Overseeing 250 people that have committed to Shepherd…

and pouring in to the 7 Lead Shepherds.

For the week, gentleman…

you may refer to me as…

“The Queen.”

Try to contain your excitement…

I know that I certainly can’t!

Why are you rolling your eyes, boys?

As you can clearly see…

we had a “smidge” of responsibility!

So…

the following conclusions were drawn up front…

Set up runs from roughly 4-11 p.m. each day…

for six days prior to Summer Spectacular.

Dinner is served if you are there.

If you commit…

be responsible enough to eat!

Your presence at set-up…

implies that you will be eating there.

If not…

take a PB and J…

or eat Cheerios upon your arrival home.

The kitchen is closed.

This reminder had to be reinforced on day #2 of set up for #4 and #5…

when they “didn’t like the food that was being served.”

We’re mean like that.

They adjusted beautifully…

and ate on queue.

There will be a standing familial agreement to commit…

to nothing else between the month prior to Summer Spectacular…

and the week that it runs.

No exceptions.

Except that “small” Election Officer…

17 hour voting day gig.

Sorry.

Not really…

I’m “The Queen”…remember?

If anyone’s commitments are suffering from complications…

and yours are completed…

we are here to serve.

This would be prophetic…

when Dad had to start the tail over from scratch…

three days before the event!

Questions?

Thank you for your cooperation and participation!

Wait until you see the bottom line results!

“…It is important each six months to look inside and compare your real values with how you are spending your time.” ~ Oliver and Rachel DeMille, Leadership Education, Ingredient #7, The Six Month “No”

It has occurred to me that perhaps…

on a slight possibility…

someone could…

be thinking that we jump on the band wagon…

of whatever opportunities strike our fancy.

And that there isn’t a fairly large…

calculated…

amount of planning that goes into our commitments.

Sometimes…

that is true.

Most of the time…

it is not!

I talked on Wednesday about determining…

examining…

and aligning…

your personal God-given gifts…

and talents…

as well as personal life experience…

goals…

and objectives…

with the commitments to service that you make.

For one…

it virtually eliminates burnout…

that is inevitable with overcommitment.

We all know and can articulate…

that this is a “biggy”…

for “people-pleasers”…

or those who are possibly in need of affirmation…

because they fail to see the significance in the day to day “grind”…

and don’t have individuals under their mentorship…

that are old enough to have produced qualities and attributes…

that validate Leadership Education methodologies.

Believe me…

I get it.

In the early years…

regardless of a child’s age…

implementing Leadership Education principles…

can be likened to…

attempting Acapulco Cliff Diving…

in your own back yard…

with a $9.99 plastic…

preformed…

swimming pool!

You simply aren’t confident enough…

to really leap…

and the Phases and Keys…

aren’t yet firmly entrenched in your mind…

to the point where you have absolute laser focus…

which can produce many a situation…

where the tools and methodologies…

that you engage…

simply aren’t adequate or effective.

It’s part of the reason we gather here on TommyMom…

and other places.

And why I keep playing this same one stringed banjo…

4 Phases…7 Keys!

We want bells..

whistles…

a hearty handshake…

and congratulatory smile…

that we were, indeed brilliant…

to choose this Leadership path!

Sound wonderful?….

Then get to work.

The more you familiarize yourself…

with the principles and processes…

the more confident you’ll be…

the more people will be affirming…

the more you and your children will grow!

Over a year ago now…

the Children’s Ministry department…

at our church…

sought out Son #1…

and asked him to apply for a job.

Simply put…

they liked what they saw.

This is a win/win where Summer Spectacular is concerned…

because it is his department that creates…

and executes…

this event!

With a proven track record of 15 plus years.

And an objective to affirm kids…

and their faith or lack thereof…

by choosing to go all out…

with incredible excellence…

to give them a week of fun…

purpose…

and passion…

that they will talk…

and reminisce about…

for years to come.

BINGO.

Do you see how this nearly effortlessly aligns with many of our objectives?

You just need to be willing to research…

and watch for…

the endless and abundant opportunities…

to practice organic TJEd!

It was an even bigger score…

because Son #1 was already…

committed to “commit!”

Another one of our objectives…

is to find opportunities…

in which our entire family can serve…

together.

Alongside one another…

building family identity…

and accomplishment.

Summer Spectacular also meets…

a plethora of other TJEd objectives.

It encourages kids…

through healthy competition…

of boys vs. girls…

to bring quarters…

for a clearly defined area of need…

either locally or internationally.

Every year the goal is to raise $10,000.

They’ve never fallen short.

This would be undoubtedly…

due to the fact…

that this man…

is qualified to lead.

Along with the many others that he…

and his department…

recruit to key positions.

And the hundreds of volunteers…

that willingly submit and serve…

under those individuals.

And lead they do!

With integrity…

with strength…

with faithfulness…

with creativity and fun.

So much so…

that there are kids that cry at the end of the week…

“because we’re done”…

or they’ve finished the 5th grade and can only return as helpers.

It’s amazing.

This year’s focus?

To help build a home for Haitian children…

that were immediately orphaned…

due to the earthquake.

No doubt about it…

we were “in.”

My parents…

who are both in their 70′s…

also committed!

Nine of us…

moving in the same direction…

each with different roles…

responsibilities…

goals…

united under one vision.

Now…

to develop and implement a plan…

to guarantee success…

and the absence of familial implosion!

Until Monday…

“The only way to help a young person become an adult is to give him responsibility–real responsibility.  The difference between childhood and adulthood is in emotional maturity, trustworthiness and responsibility. Those in between must either be caught in the past or moving to the future.  A young person with real responsibilities who fulfills them is a Young Adult. Anyone else is a teenager.”  ~ Oliver and Rachel DeMille, Leadership Education

As I shared with you at the beginning of the week, we have been deep in the throes of Summer Spectacular! Friday is our last day together.

Here are this week’s numbers:
5 yr olds               100
Kinder                   169
1st grade               189
2nd grade              164
3rd grade              167
4th grade              184
5th grade              153

Total                      1,126

Preschoolers      76

Volunteers         502

Total people on our campus for Summer Spectacular   1,704

Wow!

In the position that I chose to commit to this year…

I also ran a program for the Junior Shepherds.

To refresh your memory…

Shepherds move with kids from rotation to rotation…

in order to build relationships…

facilitate activities…

teach moral and spiritual lessons.

Juniors are those individuals, having just completed the sixth grade..

extending up through high school years.

They are assigned based on age, experience, maturity and ability.

And not necessarily in that order!

The results of running a Leadership Education model for these youth…

has been most humbling.

While I am definitely feeling my age physically…

and I am exhausted mentally, and spiritually…

there is a huge part of me emotionally that is sad to see it end.

I can confidently say that The Seven Keys…

and the 4 Phases…

work.

They are alive and well!

We spend so much time concentrating on the benefits for the students…

that we often fail to see the gifts Leadership Education gives to us, the mentor.

And to recognize that we, too, are always learning…

always benefiting…

always growing…

in each and every situation that we mentor and lead.

I am in love with 105 Junior high and High school age kids!

They have amazed me…

humbled me…

challenged me until I thought I was going to break…

made me laugh hysterically…

and cry unexpectedly.

They have changed me.

I am definitely the better for serving them this week.

It is my hope that you will tune in next week…

where I will share with you many of the experiences we shared together…

some of the lessons learned…

and celebrate potential that was reached.

It promises to be exciting…

rewarding…

enlightening.

Just like my week!

In the meantime…

keep looking for the best in people.

It’s there.

Step out of your comfort zone and try something new.

Whether it be seemingly inconsequential…

small, and virtually unnoticed…

or large…

daunting…

and somewhat intimidating.

Someone…

somewhere…

is waiting to be challenged…

to be stretched…

to realize a new dimension of their God-given potential.

And you may very well be…

the individual…

that is the messenger…

providing opportunities…

for these things to happen!

Prepare…

pray…

seek after knowledge and wisdom…

and go for it!

Guaranteed…

the world will be a better place because of it!

I’ve been sharing with you about the process of working for the county as an Election Officer.

It is an amazing experience.

There are things about the experience that will differ from state to state.

So many times, parents become majorly stressed out as their children become older.

A lot of times, they think that they can’t give them enriching experiences…

if they are opting for high school through means that are other than conventional.

One of the tenets of Leadership Education…

is to create such a love of learning within the individual…

that they view all of life as an opportunity to continue to self-educate.

In other words…

there is no graduation.

One of the most effective ways to communicate tenets…

is to model them yourself.

The learning curve that I experienced personally last Tuesday…

was intense.

For instance…

did you know that nine different ballots can actually exist?

Can you explain the difference between non-partisan…

and American Independent?

Do you know what non-partisan status at the polls affords you?

If there is electioneering outside of a polling place…

how far away from the door must those individuals be?

How do they project election percentages with any measure of accuracy…

before the polls close?

And on and on the questions go!

Believe it or not…

Son #2, my mother, and I…

are now capable of answering these questions!

If you have a scholar age youth…

or one that is fast approaching this particular developmental stage…

I would strongly suggest taking advantage of our elections…

to teach certain aspects of government in a practical hands on way!

For instance…

you could read…

Democracy in America by Tocqueville…

The Roots of American Order by Kirk…

to get an idea of how democracy functions…

and founding principles of this great nation.

There are all kinds of resources and lists of classics from which to choose.

TJEd for Teens has great suggestions!

Keys to developing confidence include…

doing it for a long time so that you are familiar with the process…

surrounding yourself with others that are also executing Leadership Education principles…

realizing that God gave you…

your kids…

for this time, in this place…

so that is pretty much the deciding vote…

that you are qualified and the expert on your family!

There is no hard and fast rule that states that you can’t learn right along with them!

If you contact your county registrar of voters…

more than likely…

they offer opportunities for high school aged youth…

to be trained as an Election Officer.

I know one thing for certain…

any election that I don’t actually work myself…

will be filled with thanks for the people that do!

The other eye-opening factor…

was the dedication and work…

that go into the voting experience!

You have to set up…

and take down…

all of these!

All of the signage has to be placed as well as removed.

Every ballot has to be accounted for…

counted…

reconciled against the voter’s registration and check in book…

spoiled ballots…

ballots of deceased recorded…

electronic options reconciled…

you get the idea.

The great thing?

You can do it!

All you need is a 2 1/2 hour training…

a desire to learn…

and you’re good to go!

You are paid a small stipend…

and get a really neat pin to boot!

It’s amazing to see the years of accumulated pins…

that are worn with pride…

by many that work alongside you…

that have done it for years!

This is organic TJEd in action!

Reading classics…

being mentored…

practical application…

in a strong community environment!

It isn’t easy..

but it sure is simple!

And, in this case…

the reward?

A better  understanding of what it takes to maintain freedom…

how to preserve it…

what needs to be done to “fix the process”…

and how to make a difference at the grass roots level…

so that someday…

if you’re so called…

you can make a global one!

Consistency…

Persistance…

Faithfulness in what is seemingly “a little”…

because “much” may very well be around the corner!

We have a winner!!! Congratulations to Joelle Mancuso! Joelle has won the beautiful “Country First” necklace.  Mads Haahr over at Random.org  and the calculator he invented have chosen #6 this time around in our giveaways!

People have asked if you may only win once here on TommyMom. Absolutely not!

Keep those entries in the form of comments coming, folks!

“Should things go wrong at any time, the people will set them to rights by the peaceable exercise of their elective rights. “

Thomas Jefferson, The Jeffersonian Cyclopedia, John P. Foley, ed. (New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1900), p. 842.

Tuesday of this week was a very exciting day!..

and also an extremely long one.

Seventeen hours to be exact.

And that was just the time at the polls!

We arrived at 6:15 a.m.

We left the ballot drop off station at 11:10 p.m!

All in all…

it was an amazing opportunity and experience!

I was going to talk about a scholar project…

but this was so rich…

we’ll do that on Monday, okay?

I would encourage each of you to make this experience a goal.

There is so much that goes in to educating yourself to do this job!

And the actual process of doing it…

brings about even greater opportunities to learn.

I think that one of the most poignant pieces for me…

was seeing Americans exercise this right and privilege all day long…

while genuinely enjoying the process of doing it!

Somehow…

in ways that I can’t articulate…

the actual opportunity…

and the privilege of being a part of it…

transcends those heated discussions that inevitably make their way…

into nearly every social function we attend these days.

It’s looking into the face of someone that disagrees with you politically…

but is united with you in process…

and hearing them sincerely say…

“Thank you for donating your time to us today…

so that we could exercise our voting privilege.”

It’s the haunting recollection of a gentleman that is terminally ill…

asking you if you would mind getting him a chair…

and stating to you in a quiet but firm resolve…

that it meant everything to him to make the effort to vote…

because this would undoubtedly be the last time he would do so.

The hours are long…

the process of “finishing up” somewhat grueling…

but then…

so was the forging of a nation.

The drawing up of a Constitution…

the vision and fight that would ultimately…

produce equal opportunities…

for those that choose to pursue them.

The Democratic process is an amazing thing!

When you experience it in a “hands on” format…

it is that much more impressive…

and guaranteed…

gives way to greater introspection.

On Monday…

we’ll look at some of the privileges and responsibilities…

that go with the commitment of being an election officer…

and how to use those readily available opportunities…

to create a scholar project.

For yourself, first…

and then for age appropriate youth.

Until then…

I am so grateful that God chose to bless America!…

May He continue to do so.