I love God's Family!!

I just have to share!!! I'm telling you, God is stretching me to places I've never been before!! The good news is that once you're stretched, you don't go back to the "before"!! =)

This week is Family Camp at our church. Every night, we are doing a family "production", which requires actors, sound people, media people, behind-the-scenes people and probably more that I'm just forgetting to mention!!

Just a few short weeks ago, I was ready to walk into Pastor Bryan's office and tell him that I was going to have to cancel it because it wasn't coming together. But, I knew if I did, he would tell me that it was too late and to depend on God for the answers to my problems. I'll be real honest -- even if I EXPECTED him to say that and I know it would be good for me to just walk this thing out, I still would have walked away mad! =) Know what I mean?

So, last night was the first night and it wasn't all that great. I take that back -- my actors were AMAZING!! They knew their lines and they were right on cue!! My sound was all off and crazy because I thought the easy thing to do for everyone was if I put everything on my computer. It wasn't -- and that's why I don't run sound at our church!! =) I felt so sorry for Tim back there trying to make it work and just being frustrated that it wasn't working. We just both agreed that we would just pretend that Monday night never happened!! =)

However, tonight, WE ROCKED!!! Right before the service, I was trying to figure out how to get the audio parts OFF of my computer and on to a CD, but I was convinced that I didn't have a CD burner on my laptop!! Well, one of our computer guys started messing with my computer and I DO HAVE A CD BURNER (I guess it wasn't "activated" or something)!!! I know that sounds silly to you "computer people", but that's also why I'm not a part of the computer team!! =) So, about 30 minutes before we were to start, we burned the CD and tonight was AMAZING!! Everything went just as planned and I'm telling you that I couldn't be more pleased with our cast and sound guys!!! This week we're talking about HONOR and those guys deserved to be honored this week for putting up with me and all my stuff!! =)

But, tonight I was thinking about this whole thing and about how far God has brought me. I am usually one that I want to do everything by myself because I'm sure to get it done and I don't like to depend on other people, but God has showed me that if I am serious about growing His kingdom, I MUST be a team player!! I haven't really added up how many people that it has taken this week to pull this camp off, but I know it's probably over 20 -- and that's a separate team than my team mates on Sunday mornings (there are 16 of them!!) Who would have thought that I would be leading a team of almost 40 people?!?!?!

Now, it may sound like this is all about me, but I guarantee you that it is not. I am blown away at how God takes you through things and then you can look back and say, "WOW! Look how much I've grown!" God didn't throw me off the cliff and say, "Here, lead 40 people." He took me by the hand and said, "Here, lead 5." Then, it was 16. Then, it was 40.

I'm also NOT saying that I have all of the answers!! In staff meetings, we've been watching some leadership videos and with every one, I'm challenged to look at my team in a different light. God has absolutely blessed me with the most amazing team EVER!! I'm even at a place where I don't necessarily need more helpers on Sunday mornings -- when does that ever happen?!?! I'm sure there are areas that I'll soon turn loose of and I'll need more people, but I'm telling you that I truly and honestly have the BEST team EVER in the history of children's ministry!! =)

I think that I'm slowly learning to be a team player. At our first leadership video in staff meeting, I struggled because from the time I was a little girl, I didn't want to be on a team. I wanted to do things by myself because people always let me down or they were the ones making fun of me on the playground and then they get me as a partner and get an A on a "group project" for me doing all of the work.

But, there is ABSOLUTELY NO WAY that I could have done this week of camp by myself!! I have so many people that have been doing so many things that I'm afraid to list them all because I'm afraid I will forget someone!! If any of you are reading this, YOU ARE AMAZING!!!

God has really shown me through this process that he TRULY has put people around me that want to see me succeed and they will do whatever it takes to make God look good. I love my church just for being the "family" that they say they are.

One last thing before I go CRASH into my bed: You know the Bible says that God has hidden treasures and will reveal them to those who seek after them? I have to tell you that when we bought my laptop, we didn't buy the computer with the "CD Burner Upgrade". But, somehow we walked away with one!! I think God knew that tonight -- July 25th, 2006 -- over a year after I bought it -- I would need that CD burner and I think He just put it in there for me!! =) Of course, you know that I'm God's favorite -- right?!?! =)