For the next few days, I’m taking a break from the Blog-tember Challenge to focus on this busy week.
I am blogging from the airport. In a few hours, I will be in Irvine attending the 2-day Orange Tour conference. Our children’s ministry is transitioning to a family ministry this year and I said that I will give updates on this blog. So here’s the latest.
I’m on the way to the Orange Tour. I’ve been looking forward to this since last year. I hope to learn more about Orange, family ministry, and how to implement it at our church. I tuned in to the live stream of the Orange Conference a few months ago and it got me very excited, but also overwhelmed.
It seems that whenever I read books and articles on family ministry, I get overwhelmed. I love most of the ideas and want to start some of them. I also know that the first transition we need to successfully make is with the hearts of the people, and I don’t think we’re all there yet.
I think I’m just itchy. Like waiting to board your flight at the airport. Mine is going to start boarding in 5 minutes. People are on their laptops, tablets, and phones. We look bored, preoccupied, or sleepy. But I know that many people are itching to go like me. We want to get out of our seats and board the plane because then we’d be one step closer to our destination. But the plane’s not ready for us. It’s going through technical check points and probably loading the checked bags.
This ministry transition feels like that. I’m raring to go. I want to get out of my seat and board the plane. I want to be another step closer to my destination. But we’re not ready for the next big step. We’re not ready because the little steps have to be taken first. Like the plane getting checked and the bags being loaded, there are little things that have to be done to make the transition.
I forget that. I forget the little things we do to move the transition along. I forget that we’ve changed some of our events to make it family focused. I forget that we talk about family ministry (talking counts and we need to talk about it like we’re a broken record). I forget that we passed out kid-friendly devotions the parents could do with their kids. I forget that we’re learning first so we can pass on what we learned to everyone else.
When we make transitions or changes in life, we forget the little things. But the little things are part of the transition. They help us make the change. They move us forward. They prepare our hearts.
Don’t discount the little things. We need to do the little things in order to do the big things. The little changes matter.
My flight is boarding now. It’s time. As you wait for your time, take comfort in the waiting and the little changes. Before you know it, you will be where you need to be.
