I don’t remember exactly when I met Jenni Catron. It’s one of my worst qualities- remembering the first time I met someone. When people start to reminisce about first conversations or first jokes, I’m usually quiet [which is rare] because for some reason, those moments don’t stick in my brain.

Trust me, it has gotten me in trouble a time or two, and for as sentimental a schmuck as I am, it is surprising.

[How did this blog post turn to from Jenni to my issues? That’s a whole other issue for a different day.]

But over the last couple of years, Jenni has become a trusted friend, an accidental mentor, and in a lot of ways, my hero.

That’s weird to say about a friend who you also tell about your crushes and dating mishaps, but alas. It is true.

Some other things about Jenni?

She’s really funny.

She’s super smart.

She doesn’t tell you what you want to hear, she tells you like it is.

She is a leader that I love and respect.

She has helped me maneuver some pretty tough ministry spots.

She’s an author that works harder than me.

And she always wears adorable clothes and I’m all, “dang Jenni.”

So. That’s my friend Jenni Catron.

Oh, and she’s also the Executive Director at Cross Point Church. So, she’s an author that works harder than me AND she has a real job, a bigtime real job, and she goes to the gym. So I’ve got some goals to work towards. [Except the real job thing, I don’t want.]

Jenni leads a women’s group at Cross Point that I love being a part of and recently we got to read her book Just Lead!.

I alluded to it last week, and I’m gonna talk more about it in the future, but it’s been a pressing topic in my heart figuring out how to be a strong female leader who operates in wisdom and humility.

Though I am not a staff member at a church, this book for women leaders was really impactful for me. It covers a ton of different topics within leadership and from a female perspective, but it doesn’t say WOMEN SHOULD BE DOING EVERY SINGLE LEADERSHIP THING IN THE CHURCH I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR or YOU SHOULD BE IN THE KITCHEN LEADING IN YOUR HOME AND NO WHERE ELSE.

Sometimes I think Christians stand in one of those two camps and think the other is dead wrong. I’m more of the mindset that I hate camping so why don’t we all just get together at a resort and figure out how to lead in the places where God has opened the doors to lead. And this is just the book we’d be reading by the pool at that resort.

With Easter around the corner, I think this is a really great gift for any women you know in church or ministry leadership. Trust me, any of us that are out there leading will always hug the person who gives us another resource on how to do this well.

In fact, I’m going to giveaway a copy of Just Lead! to one of you lovelies…. just tell me in the comments who needs the book in your life- you? Your small group leader? Your mom? Your daughter? Your pastor? The leader of your women’s ministry? The leader of your favorite non-profit?

Leave a comment below and I will randomly pick a winner on Friday!