Lead – Page 4 – Melissa Schlies

Six Ways to Handle Conflict With Your Spouse—During Quarantine

A few weeks ago, on a Saturday morning, one of us woke up to the other scrolling through their phone. Tony and I said good morning, asked each other how we slept, and then both of us got lost in our socials. For a while our conversation revolved around what we were seeing online. Then both of us put down our phones. We talked about what we wanted to do that day, and a few other things, before stumbling into THE CONVERSATION. No matter what stage of marriage you’re in, every couple has a conversation that needs to be had. [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-04-29T23:35:58+00:00April 30th, 2020|Categories: Conflict, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Marriage, Relationships, Social Distancing|Comments Off

Five Virtual Activities to Revamp Your Screen Time

A few weeks ago, a Social Distancing Meme appeared in my Instagram feed. On the top half it read “Isolation without kids.” Underneath it showed photos of a couple smiling as they did yoga, played a game, and read together in bed. It also showed a woman painting, while in another photo, a woman was planting a garden. Then, on the bottom half, the meme read “Isolation with kids.” Underneath it showed a photo of kids in a hot tub overflowing with bubbles. There was one of a baby covered head to toe in Skippy Peanut Butter. Then there was [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-04-22T23:50:39+00:00April 23rd, 2020|Categories: Balance, Creativity, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Social Distancing|Comments Off

We Will Get Through This

When I was a junior in High School, I used to pray over my Chemistry Textbook. I’m not kidding. In the middle of doing my homework, with the book open on my desk, I’d lay my hands on its pages. Then I’d put my head down on my hands as if I was going to go to sleep, and I’d pray. I’d pray that whatever the book was supposed to teach me about Chemistry would magically enter my brain. That God would use osmosis or His incredible grace to help me understand the language of chemical equations my brain could [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-04-15T23:43:27+00:00April 16th, 2020|Categories: Courage, Fear, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Social Distancing|Comments Off

Reader Question #1: Can Someone Have Faith and Still Be Scared?*

Recently, a good friend and email subscriber reached out to me with this question: It is possible to have complete faith in God, and still feel fear? Or perhaps more specific to our current circumstances, can we simultaneously have faith that God is going to watch over us, while still being afraid of Covid-19? When it comes to life, faith, science—basically everything—we as humans want absolutes. And, we want ourselves to be resolute. Once we find what seems to be the right position on everything from the type of milk we drink, to politics, to our beliefs—we want to be [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-04-08T20:45:09+00:00April 9th, 2020|Categories: Anxiety, Courage, Faith, Fear, Hope, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Reader Question|1 Comment

Five Ways to Approach Your Pandemic Grief

In the corner of our living room right now, there is a big stack of boxes. It had begun to form over a month ago, when our plans looked very different. Now, they’re a daily reminder that our lives have been put on hold. Tony and I were supposed to move this season. No, we haven’t found a house (though we came very close to putting an offer on one). But before Covid-19, we’d been actively looking. And as the boxes in our living room can attest, we were already packing. We were READY to move. Only now, everything is [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-04-01T23:16:50+00:00April 2nd, 2020|Categories: Acceptance, Change, comparison, Conflict, Depression, grief, Health, Hope, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Mental Health|Comments Off

Books To Help You on Your Creative Journey

I have a confession to make. In case I haven’t shared this before, I can be a little too independent in certain areas of my life. In some situations—even if I am a total newbie—I jump right in, assuming I will figure things out as I go. Of course, this doesn’t mean I don’t always do my fair share of internet surfing first. Before I baked my first loaf of whole wheat bread, I looked up at least a half a dozen recipes before landing on the one I wanted to try. And when it came to doing my first [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-03-19T18:33:42+00:00March 26th, 2020|Categories: Creativity, Good Books, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, Preparation|Comments Off

Social Distancing: Five Tips To Working From Home

It’s a strange thing to find oneself at home interminably, when so much of your life has been at your job. If you live alone, all of a sudden everything is very quiet and still. If you have kids, it’s the opposite. And, if your home has become your work place, it is all the stranger. To do work in the place you rest feels unnatural, and terribly distracting. Yet this is where most of us have found ourselves this past week: Working from home. As I decided to pursue writing and life coaching a few years ago, this reality [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-03-18T23:19:26+00:00March 19th, 2020|Categories: Adulting, Balance, Change, Creativity, Health, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, Preparation, Routines, Social Distancing|Comments Off

Five Podcasts To Help Us Step Into Our Creativity

When I first became a youth pastor, I felt like what Shonda Rhimes calls the F.O.D.—the “First Only Different.” I was the only female minister in our department. When I went to our network meetings with other youth pastors in the area, again, I was the only woman. And often, the only single person in the meeting. Don’t get me wrong, I met and worked with some great guys at those meetings. But, spending two hours of each month listening to men talk about balancing fatherhood with ministry—didn’t exactly help twenty-three-year-old me navigate being a woman in the field. I [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-03-11T23:58:07+00:00March 12th, 2020|Categories: Change, Creativity, Friendship, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, podcasts I love, Success|Comments Off

Love Learn Lead March 5, 2020

One of my favorite feelings in the world is when I open the oven to take out something I’ve baked—and it looks and smells awesome. Whether it’s a batch of cookies, a loaf of bread, or a pie, there is an incredible feeling of joy and pride that surges through me. Which makes me wonder, What do you create that makes you feel this way? As we live in a culture where everything is graded, measured by “likes,” or easily compared to a million other people’s similar attempts, it can be hard to believe our work is good. To celebrate [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-03-04T23:59:42+00:00March 5th, 2020|Categories: comparison, Creativity, Lead, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, perseverance, Practice, Preparation, Uncategorized|Comments Off

Five Important Lessons I’m Learning About Friendship

Have you ever been to a school dance or wedding reception, where the DJ was really good? Where not only did they have a phenomenal playlist, but they also had fantastic transitions from song to song? When this happens, the music literally doesn’t stop, and neither does the dancing. Sometimes, I wish it was like this with friendships. Similar to the way a DJ smoothly changes from one song to the next, I wish our friends would move in and out of our lives just as seamlessly. Ok, truthfully: I wish some friendships would never end. Period. But because people [...]

By Melissa Schlies|2020-02-27T11:56:27+00:00February 27th, 2020|Categories: Adulting, Friendship, Lead, Leadership, Learn, Love, Love Learn Lead, Relationships, Self Care|Comments Off

Reader Question #1: Can Someone Have Faith and Still Be Scared?*

Five Ways to Approach Your Pandemic Grief

Books To Help You on Your Creative Journey

Five Podcasts To Help Us Step Into Our Creativity

Love Learn Lead March 5, 2020

Five Important Lessons I’m Learning About Friendship

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