A woman facing an unintended pregnancy searches Google for help.  Your ad catches her eye with its headline that speaks with compassion and understanding, so she clicks through to your website.  As she navigates a few pages, she feels a connection to the photos you have intentionally selected on various pages, and the meticulously written content prompts her to make an appointment with your center.

The waiting room of your center is welcoming, clean, and disarming.  She’s greeted by staff that make her feel at-ease while exuding professionalism.  Her overall experience at your center, even in the midst of her whirlwind situation, helps her to feel valued and seen.

Every aspect of her experience thus far has been an engagement with your center’s brand.  The way you speak, the way you portray yourself, the way your physical space ministers to your clients.  Branding is more than merely a logo, specific colors and design elements, or a website.  Your brand is the persona of your ministry that impacts every touch point you have with a client, staff member, volunteer, and your local community. 

Consistency across each of these touch points ensures you provide the greatest care for your various audiences while affirming every promise you make in your marketing. 

Think again of the woman noted above.  Every step of her journey with you earned and reinforced trust, enough to invite you into her situation and minister to her.  Now, even with all the positive “capital” you built to the point of her sitting in your waiting room – how would her experience suddenly change if, when she entered the restroom before her appointment, she walked into a room that was dimly lit with an overflowing trashcan and a sink that needed cleaned?  A simple thing like a bathroom needed some attention and TLC could dramatically change her mindset and her overall experience.

So, is this an article encouraging you to ensure your center’s bathrooms are clean and in good repair?  No.  But it is an encouragement to think about your brand’s reach and ensure all elements (or touch points as I refer to them) are in alignment and receive the same level of care and intentionality.

Do you have thoughts or questions on branding?  Leave a message below!

Clients are experiencing crises at all times of day and night—not just during our business hours. So, how can we be available to them in their moment of need? Is this something you contemplate as you consider ways to best serve those in your community who would benefit from the services your PRC provides? If so, keep reading; let me share how we have partnered with Hope Sync & Infinite Worth to better meet the immediate needs of our future clients.

Hope Sync is a texting portal that goes well beyond simple messaging. They provide a widget for your website, allowing potential clients to easily and quickly start communicating with you via text. Their portal is well-organized and offers numerous features such as:

• Website inquiry form integration
• Medically accurate content that can be shared through text (such as videos and brochures)
• Concern scripts
  • Scripts predetermined by you to ensure that all clients receive consistent wording that aligns with the mission and heart of your PRC.
• Tags that enable comprehensive reporting
• Automated messages.
• HIPAA-compliant

This resource enables you to swiftly and effortlessly respond to text inquiries and share relevant information with potential clients based on their unique situations. Hope Sync, in itself, is a blessing to PRCs and enhances efficiency while delivering information quickly and professionally to those we aim to serve. Moreover, when we partnered with Infinite Worth and utilized these two resources together, it significantly multiplied the benefits.

Infinite Worth provides 24/7/365 nurse coverage for your Hope Sync portal. They are life-affirming, Christian nurses dedicated to our clients, wanting to support PRC’s in focusing on serving potential clients with the aim of scheduling appointments so that you can offer them the on-site services you provide.

They act as an extension of your team, utilizing the concern scripts to ensure that your preferred wording and communication flow are maintained. They can schedule appointments for you at any time of day or night. Numerous options are available for you to customize their support based on your level of need and comfort (for example, they can cover 24/7/365 or just during specific hours that you determine).  

If you are not currently partnered with Hope Sync and Infinite Worth, I highly recommend reaching out to them for a demo and then discerning whether this is something the Lord would want you to pursue to reach more men and women in your community—for the gospel and for life! 

Ha! As leaders, when are we NOT under the gun? Every week is busy. Every project is urgent. But we can learn to step away from the barrel and steal away with our Father.

A few days ago the gun was pointed at my head. I needed to write a brief speech for a fundraising event, and my time was limited. I whispered a prayer and began scanning our Stories file for inspiration. Nothing. Not that the client stories weren’t good; I just wasn’t having cohesive thoughts about the speech.

So I decided to take a walk. Counterintuitive, because the last thing I had time for was a stroll through town. But I’ve learned that a change of pace, a change of scenery, and—most importantly—engaging with my Father, are the best ways to hear from Him.

I gazed up a lot during that walk. I noticed beautiful architecture gracing old buildings. Menacing gargoyles darting from roof corners. Carefree birds winging across clear skies.

My mind became clear as well. As I walked and talked with God, He seemed to say, “Review the stories again and look for a theme.”

Back at my computer, a verse came to mind and a fresh theme emerged. Yep. That’ll work. Thank You, Father!

What NOT to Do When You’re Under the Gun

1. Panic. The Father of Lies is notorious for shooting bullets of fear, doubt, and pressure at you. Recognize his lies and refute them with Truth. Your Father is with You; He’s your #1 Helper.

2. Cram. College all-nighters come to mind—forging ahead when your body is tired and your brain is dead. Resist the urge to soldier on, and ask God for His version of a reprieve. 

3. Settle. This happens when you decide your work is good enough and it really isn’t. Never settle for a solely human outcome. God’s input and outcome for your project will be far superior.

What TO DO When You’re Under the Gun

1. Steal away. Such a simple concept—to get away with God; such a hard choice when the pressure’s on. But force yourself, at least initially. It’ll become easier with time, and the rewards are unending.

2. Commune. Relax with God. Talk with Him. Listen to Him. Notice what He’s drawing your attention to. Let togetherness be your greatest expectation.

3. Be inspired. Being with God—on its own—is invigorating. It’s good for your spirit and your soul. Plus, I’ve found when I’m with God, His wisdom and revelation are with me.

Leaders cut their teeth on hard work, determination, and perseverance. These practices aren’t bad, unless they characterize a leader’s modus operandi. Jesus’ m.o. was stealing away with His Father. He worked hard and completed His earthly mission, but He did it in concert with His Father. He was rooted in His Father’s love, inspired by His Father’s vision, and energized by His Father’s Spirit.

“Father, help me to lead and follow like Jesus.”

When you’re under the gun as a leader, step away from the barrel and steal away with your Father.

How have you learned to find God in the midst of a crowded schedule? Feel free to share your thoughts in the Comment Section below.

Let’s be honest. As leaders, there are days—sometimes seasons—when we feel like we’re losing ground. Our brains are foggy. Our decision-making is dull. We feel one step off with the Lord. Fortunately, God has a remedy.

When I’m doing my morning stretch routine—supporting most of my weight with one hand—occasionally it’ll slip. Not out from under me, but enough to get my attention. A quick spray of water increases the grip between my hand and the mat.

It’s not unlike the power of God’s love in our lives.

There’s nothing fluffy or superfluous about God’s love. It’s the glue that keeps us connected to Him and the motivation that keeps us progressing in Him.

Yes, our salvation forms the bedrock of our relationship with God and is based on the reality of Jesus’ death on the cross, His payment for our sins, and His resurrection from the dead.

But… “God so loved the world…”

He never intended our salvation—and our relationship with Him—to be absent love. The actual experience of the love of our Father (1 John 3:1), the affection of Jesus (Phil. 1:8), and the fellowship of His Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14) are part and parcel to our salvation experience.

3 Simple, Essential Ways to Stay Grounded in God’s Love

1. Draw near. Draw near to work, and work will draw near to you. Ever feel surrounded by work? Maybe that’s what you’re drawing near to! Draw near to God, and God will draw near to you. It’s not that we don’t work; it’s just that we start from a place of embracing our Father and experiencing His encircling, empowering love. Intentionally draw near.

2. Read Scripture. There are countless passages on God’s love. Find one or two, read them slowly, and allow the truth of the words, the reality of the love, to saturate your spirit. I read Philippians 1:1-11 this morning and came away with firm footing in the love of my Father. Marinate in God’s truth.

3. Worship. We worship whatever we gaze at, and whatever we gaze at is magnified. If you’re fixated on work, or problems, they become monstrosities. But if you gaze at God, He is magnified in your heart and in your life experience. Everything else—the deadlines, the pressures, the workload—diminishes to its true size. Worship in spirit and in truth.

Paul prays for the Philippians—and us—in Philippians 1:9-11 –

• That your love may abound more and more
• With knowledge and discernment
• So that you approve what is excellent
• So you’re pure and blameless
• So you’re filled with the fruit of righteousness
• And God receives glory and praise

As leaders, if you want to make wise decisions, if you want to do things with excellence, if you want to lead a pure life, if you want to bear righteous fruit, if you want God to be glorified through you—start by abounding more and more in the love of God.

What are some ways you stay rooted and keep growing in the love of God? Feel free to share your thoughts in the Comment Section below.

Your schedule’s jammed. Your mind’s packed. And you’re headed into an important prayer meeting for your organization. How do you shift gears?

That was me a few weeks ago. There was no margin in the day, no time to take a walk before the meeting, and—truth be told—not much time to even breathe.

Another staffer was leading the meeting, so she laid out the topic, we discussed it a bit, and we worshiped.

Even so, it was difficult for me to engage.

We began to pray, and I waited as others started to interact with our Father. Little by little, their prayers lifted me. It was as though spiritual oxygen was wafting into the room as they praised God and recounted His faithfulness. A theme began to emerge, and my spirit began to revive.

Before long, I was hearing from God and able to participate. We had a powerful time of prayer, and each of us left the meeting buoyed up by the experience of talking with our Father together.

5 Reasons Leaders Need the Body of Christ

1. You’re not the end-all. If you believe your prayer and insights somehow have to be superior to everyone else’s, shed that. God is the end-all, and He distributes His wisdom and gifting through the whole body of Christ. It’s an easier way to lead—knowing it’s not all on your shoulders.

2. You won’t always be at the top of your game. Are you okay with having a bad day or being “off” a bit? If you aren’t, you’re somehow attempting to be super human. But you are just human, period. And God knew that even leaders would need strong, supportive comrades around them. David’s mighty men come to mind.

3. God designed us, including leaders, to need each other. Leaders aren’t the head of the body of Christ, Jesus is! So, we can take ourselves off the throne, and rightly fulfill our leadership role while making plenty of space for others to play their role. And we can cultivate a culture of mutual encouragement.

4. Staffers experience playing a key role. When you focus on your gifting and role, and allow others to function in theirs—they experience the thrill of fulfilling their God-given calling. Plus, you’ll experience far greater buy-in when others are invited to the table.

5. The outcome is exponentially greater. If one can chase a thousand, two can put ten thousand to flight. This biblical principle is true of the body of Christ. When staffers share in discernment and exercise their giftings, God creates momentum, synergy, and a final product that reflects His multifaceted wisdom.

When you’re maxed as a leader, resist the urge to camouflage it. Allow yourself to be human, allow yourself to be seen as human, and embrace the body of Christ around you. Leaders aren’t the head of the body of Christ, Jesus is! Be a leader who is real, and who is welcoming the body of Christ around you.

“Leaders aren’t the head of the body of Christ, Jesus is! Be a leader who is real, and who is welcoming the body of Christ around you.”- Lisa Hosler

How is God teaching you to both lead and welcome the body of Christ around you? Feel free to share your thoughts in the Comment Section below.