Taking Out the Trash

Since May, we have hosted a Family Day at our Vineyard church.  The day was perfect!  It took months to plan and lots of hard work, but the outcome was not only a blessing to the families we serve, but a true encouragement to Brian and I, as well.  We sent the kids outside to play on fun bouncy houses, while the adults received some training/empowerment and then split up into groups to plan our grade level classes.  The best part of the day (to me) was when we brought the kids and parents together for a family worship time.  The kids were free to dance, run, and express themselves while being led in worship by our new kid worship band.

Speaking of, that is the other assignment from the Lord that I have been working on.  I have been meeting with three 10-11 year old boys who play instruments.  We have successfully put together a kid band that can play 3-4 songs after 5 practices.  These kids are the best musicians of their age that I've ever worked with.  During band practice, we work on music theory, but we also practice prophetic singing, discuss the difference between performance and worship leading, and discuss matters of heart preparation, such as personal connection with Jesus at home.

Throughout the summer, I have been doing a lot of logistics, like organizing classrooms, recruiting volunteers, writing children's church curriculum, scheduling workers for the next 3 months, buying supplies, and much more.  Lots and lots of phone calls.  Lots and lots of copying.  Lots and lots of frustration.  I am a natural administrator.  It comes naturally to me, but it can still be quite overwhelming at times.  I keep telling myself that lots of preparation provides a smoother ride for all of the volunteers.  Lots of planning produces success each Sunday.

Brian and I dream of a kids ministry that is empowering kids to do the ministry.  We dream of kids conferences and family worship days.  We dream of producing family worship music and training lots of parent volunteers how to engage their kids at home and at church.  But today, the road that leads to this dream includes taking out the trash, buying goldfish at the store, calling some more volunteers to plan this Sunday's lesson, and meeting with the band to play "He Loves Us" one more time.  The road to fulfill our dreams seems overwhelmingly mundane today, but I am trying to keep my passion alive by knowing that this path leads to dreams fulfilled.

Maybe you dream of preaching to the masses or making music that is sold in every nation.  Maybe you dream of owning a business that is worth millions of dollars or raising a large family of brilliant adults.  Probably no matter what you dream about, it starts with mundane things like taking out the trash.