Author: Sarah Gale Evers

The Power of a Strengths-based Team
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What motivates you to make the choices you do everyday?  Why does your teammate do things so differently?  What makes it so easy for your new staff member to pull “that” off effortlessly?  Identifying and activating your areas of greatest potential will set you free to be your best everyday, and doing this as a team will leverage your potential for thriving together. The Clifton StrengthsFinder assessment surfaces your innate strengths (a combination of talents, knowledge and skill) which help … Read More

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Leading with Powerful Questions
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What are some of the most useful tools you use as a leader?  Where do you go for fresh thoughts on leading well? One of the best tools in my leadership toolbox is the “Power Question.” I don’t mean just one question, per se, but rather, the ability to ask a question that helps others think differently about the challenge, situation, or opportunity before us. As a young, new leader, (and as an old, crusty leader!) I thought I needed … Read More

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“Evaluation” Is Not A Bad Word
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One of the “Five Es” of developing leaders is EVALUATION. I’ve often viewed this as receiving feedback from my team leader or director about my work, or going over the results of my 360 with that same person. Now I’m starting to embrace EVALUATION in a fuller sense of the word. But let me start by confessing: that word scares the pants off of me. I don’t know if its pride, perfectionism or something else, but I have a genuine … Read More

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10 Practices to Save My Sanity
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Have you ever felt overwhelmed, disorganized, exhausted, stressed and overworked? I have, too. Over the years I’ve learned a few tricks to help me both start and finish the year strong with only a few moments of losing my mind in between! Habits ranging from handling administrative staff tasks to managing my personal life have been learned the hard way. Here are ten of those habits which help save my sanity. You probably know most of these practices, and perhaps … Read More

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The Finish Line
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  The train station was quiet and almost empty, and I sat alone on a bench soaking in the stillness while admiring the highly polished floors.  According to the grand, old clock on the wall I had about another hour to wait.  Everything was pristine in this major New Jersey train hub, but all of that changed in an instant.  Suddenly there was a surge of people, but this wasn’t an ordinary surge:  I was mesmerized and couldn’t stop staring.  … Read More

A World of Evil and Suffering
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Sarah Evers deals with the question of why evil happens. Unique about this article is Sarah’s writing style and the very current, up-to-the-minute examples of suffering she deals with. Read More

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Don’t Make a Major Life Decision in February. No One is Happy in February.
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That advice arrived in response to a prayer letter I sent out as a wide-eyed new staff gal in New Jersey. It was my second semester on campus and I had recently discovered that my job was hard. I was discouraged. This piece of advice from my dear friends who have walked with God for more than twice the number of years I’ve been alive has guided me through the depressing (though short!) dark month of February for the last … Read More

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iPod: The Single Life
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According to Scripture, being single is actually an advantage in cultivating intimacy with Christ. If you’ve never seen or experienced singleness in this way, then you need to read this article. Author Sarah Evers’ writing is so engaging that it’s difficult to put down. Read More

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Small Steps to the Homeless Shelter
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The roasted vegetables smelled really good.  For the last hour I stood behind the serving counter picking up clean plates from my left, scooping out a generous spoonful of those veggies and passing the melamine resin plate to the person on my right who filled the rest of the plate with spaghetti.  It smelled really good.  I was hungry. He was hungry.  His back was slightly bent.  He hadn’t shaved for a while.  It was a cold day, but he … Read More

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Develop Me? Yes, You!
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Fall retreats are over. Or just about over. Now that this first cycle of the movement year is over perhaps you’ll be able to make time to breathe, reconnect with your family and friends, and possibly get lost in a good book (or whatever it is you do to chill out and decompress in a healthy way). But have you considered focusing on your development as this second movement cycle starts up? “Nobody cares more about your development than you … Read More

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How to Lead a Non-sucky Staff Meeting
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Have you ever slumped out of a staff meeting and grumbled, “That was a waste of my day!”  If so, you are not alone.  I’ve endured and (sadly) led many unproductive staff meetings.  But over the years I’ve tried, tested, failed, experimented, learned and refined a way to create a staff meeting that works (and doesn’t suck the life out of you or your team!). During the blazing hot, hair-frizzing days of Staff Conference 2011, I filmed a short (less than 8 … Read More

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Giving the Ministry Away
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Are you up to your eyeballs in details and strategic planning?  Are you struggling to figure out how to fill the roles with your current team of staff and interns?  Let me suggest a potential solution to alleviate some of your burden: VOLUNTEERS! In the past I’ve only thought of volunteers as bakers for campus events even though Steve Sellers talked about “giving the ministry away” during the last few National Staff Conferences.  While Home Depot’s slogan “You can do it.  … Read More

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