I Blame Flatirons
I bought Halloween candy last week for the first time in my life. It doesn't mean I'm going to answer the door for trick-and-treaters (I won't because I don't care) or that I'm going partying (boring). So what do I need 10 lbs of candy for? Church. I blame Flatirons for the pile of candy in my grocery basket last week.
Like seemingly every other church, Flatirons is having a “Fall Fest” the weekend before Halloween. Besides requesting the customary volunteers, they also asked everyone to bring candy, providing collection boxes in the church lobby. Now I don't care about Halloween, but I do care that kids get a chance to bump into Jesus just like adults. I care that children get a chance to learn that God loves them and doesn't hate them. Besides, I have a Sam's Club card – leverage what you have, right?
As I start looking through my life, I keep finding little “plot twists” that I can blame on Flatirons.
After serving for about 3 months, I've become contented and joyful in the ministry I've been placed in (Summit – Flatirons' children's ministry). Once again, I'm doing audio/video, but the title “tech team” sounds better. In my previous church, I often felt like tech people were expected to exist at the beck and call of those on stage. The worship team was a little better, but there was still a fundamental disconnect between mixing desk and band. Here I feel like part of a team with the teacher, working together to bring kids closer to Jesus. Of course, having a smaller room doesn't hurt – instead of shouting to be heard on stage, merely speaking has the same effect.
It's kids ministry, even, which continues to amuse/puzzle me. To me, that's always one of those ministries that you're “called to” and the other sane people find other ministries. Lest you wonder, I am not called to kids min. Turns out they need tech people too, though, and I can do that half-asleep. Some weeks I do indeed do it half-asleep, at least until my coffee takes effect. As background, I got volunteered for youth group at the Vineyard a few years ago. That was OK but not a good long-term fit for me, so I stepped down after six months. In contrast, I plan on sticking with “my” room of second and third graders for the foreseeable future. I'm content to serve and excited for each of my scheduled weeks.
Then I realize that these plot twists are not totally Flatirons' fault. In reality, it's God working in me over the time I spend there and I'm just noticing what's already true.
Like when I took my friend shooting last week. It was her second time ever shooting a firearm and her first time shooting a handgun. I did remember to impart some basic instruction points (Thank you Appleseed) but it was hard to describe how to shoot from “first principles” and zero previous experience rather than “you just do it”. I showed her how to shoot, let her participate for a while, then traded off. After all, one purpose of each and every range trip is to maintain my own skills. Exposing others to the sport is a very fortunate byproduct. When it was my turn, I picked up either the pistol or rifle, picked a target spot, and, without thinking, executed “inhale-exhale-pause-press” (rifle) or “grip-stance-front sight-press-recoil” (handgun). Later, I was replaying my shooting in my head and realized that somehow all the necessary movements came from “muscle memory”, flowing like second nature. Looking at the target, almost without exception, neat holes appeared in pairs or in groups just as I intended.
When did I ingrain all those habits so deeply? When did I get to be that good of a shot? I don't know, it just happened. Like me growing in my walk with God. When and how did I become a different man than even just six months ago? “Just happened”, I guess. I can't complain, though. Was it practice, like how my shooting improves? Maybe. Who knows? I'll settle for being thankful and continuing to press into the changes in my life. All of them. (For lo, shooting is both enjoyable and doth restore my sanity)
If I had pondered my future six months ago, I would not have foreseen myself as content as I am in the circumstances I am in. Yet here I am, and my life is good. At the beginning of the year, I had my own image of what the autumn should look like. Of course, my life looks nothing like that. However, it really is true – God's plans are better than mine and I prefer His now that I see it.
God, through Flatirons, is finishing the work that my former girlfriend started. That, however, is a good story for another day.
Like seemingly every other church, Flatirons is having a “Fall Fest” the weekend before Halloween. Besides requesting the customary volunteers, they also asked everyone to bring candy, providing collection boxes in the church lobby. Now I don't care about Halloween, but I do care that kids get a chance to bump into Jesus just like adults. I care that children get a chance to learn that God loves them and doesn't hate them. Besides, I have a Sam's Club card – leverage what you have, right?
As I start looking through my life, I keep finding little “plot twists” that I can blame on Flatirons.
After serving for about 3 months, I've become contented and joyful in the ministry I've been placed in (Summit – Flatirons' children's ministry). Once again, I'm doing audio/video, but the title “tech team” sounds better. In my previous church, I often felt like tech people were expected to exist at the beck and call of those on stage. The worship team was a little better, but there was still a fundamental disconnect between mixing desk and band. Here I feel like part of a team with the teacher, working together to bring kids closer to Jesus. Of course, having a smaller room doesn't hurt – instead of shouting to be heard on stage, merely speaking has the same effect.
It's kids ministry, even, which continues to amuse/puzzle me. To me, that's always one of those ministries that you're “called to” and the other sane people find other ministries. Lest you wonder, I am not called to kids min. Turns out they need tech people too, though, and I can do that half-asleep. Some weeks I do indeed do it half-asleep, at least until my coffee takes effect. As background, I got volunteered for youth group at the Vineyard a few years ago. That was OK but not a good long-term fit for me, so I stepped down after six months. In contrast, I plan on sticking with “my” room of second and third graders for the foreseeable future. I'm content to serve and excited for each of my scheduled weeks.
Then I realize that these plot twists are not totally Flatirons' fault. In reality, it's God working in me over the time I spend there and I'm just noticing what's already true.
Like when I took my friend shooting last week. It was her second time ever shooting a firearm and her first time shooting a handgun. I did remember to impart some basic instruction points (Thank you Appleseed) but it was hard to describe how to shoot from “first principles” and zero previous experience rather than “you just do it”. I showed her how to shoot, let her participate for a while, then traded off. After all, one purpose of each and every range trip is to maintain my own skills. Exposing others to the sport is a very fortunate byproduct. When it was my turn, I picked up either the pistol or rifle, picked a target spot, and, without thinking, executed “inhale-exhale-pause-press” (rifle) or “grip-stance-front sight-press-recoil” (handgun). Later, I was replaying my shooting in my head and realized that somehow all the necessary movements came from “muscle memory”, flowing like second nature. Looking at the target, almost without exception, neat holes appeared in pairs or in groups just as I intended.
When did I ingrain all those habits so deeply? When did I get to be that good of a shot? I don't know, it just happened. Like me growing in my walk with God. When and how did I become a different man than even just six months ago? “Just happened”, I guess. I can't complain, though. Was it practice, like how my shooting improves? Maybe. Who knows? I'll settle for being thankful and continuing to press into the changes in my life. All of them. (For lo, shooting is both enjoyable and doth restore my sanity)
If I had pondered my future six months ago, I would not have foreseen myself as content as I am in the circumstances I am in. Yet here I am, and my life is good. At the beginning of the year, I had my own image of what the autumn should look like. Of course, my life looks nothing like that. However, it really is true – God's plans are better than mine and I prefer His now that I see it.
God, through Flatirons, is finishing the work that my former girlfriend started. That, however, is a good story for another day.
posted by The student of life at 10:56 PM
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