What I don’t see in myself, others do. It happens to us all the time and we don’t even notice. How many of us have stories about this? My two year old son, Manny, was eating dirt; he couldn’t go to the playground because of this. One afternoon I was picking him up from daycare and he was at the playground, it was a hot day, I saw the children playing from afar and there he was, too, he bent down and I thought “Oh, no! He’s going to eat dirt! Don’t do it”… suddenly, I saw as his teacher ran towards him, and he ate dirt. I waited for the teacher to talk with him and then I went to pick him up. Manny came out of the playground and I asked him, “Have you eaten dirt? He answered, “Nooo”. I asked again, “have you eaten dirt?”. He sat down on the sidewalk, placed his hands on his knee and said, “Daddy, me? Nooo Daddy, no. Me? Dirt?”. In Colombia we say: You have two options, which are; to get mad and cry afterwards or laugh and enjoy the moment. I had to laugh, imagine dirt all over his teeth, cheeks and all over his mouth. This is simply something that happens and through it all, we must keep calm. But that is easier said than done!

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Recently in our grow group two members shared stories of Christians who went to church but weren’t very concerned about inviting anyone else. One was a story about a family, all dressed up, trying to take a picture outside their house on Easter Sunday. A neighbor saw them and asked if he could help. After snapping the picture and finding out why they were so dressed up and where they were going, he wondered why they never asked him to go with them.

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For the last several months I’ve been postponing a responsibility I’ve been given by the camp staff I work with to provide camp for our 3rd-6th grade students. For the last three years I’ve written the camp curriculum, and every year I have a moment of inspiration when God gives me a specific book or a message from a preacher, or a conversation between colleagues which clearly shows me the path to walk as I write the curriculum. This year I have really struggled for ideas, energy, and to be completely honest, I’ve had a bad attitude about writing the curriculum. Last fall, I drove four hours to Edmond in horrible traffic to arrive 15 minutes late to a two hour meeting where the vision for the theme of camp had already been cast, and I wasn’t even asked if I liked the idea, yet they all wanted me to write the curriculum. So, needless to say and write, I’ve been a little grouchy about writing, and my grouchiness has contributed to my procrastination. I’m sure everyone has been in my shoes before. Your voice is ignored, and perhaps even your presence isn’t required, yet you are needed to do the work. The theme of Camp Connect this year is WITNESS, and the biblical witnesses we will learn about are Sarah, Mary at the tomb, Gideon, Paul, and Peter. I imagine all of these biblical witnesses were grouchy at times about doing the work, so I think I’m in good company, yet the inspiration still hasn’t struck, and my self-motivation is low.
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Here at SOCC we have so many diverse things like race, ethnicity, age, background, etc. that make us individuals in our own way. I also know that there can be several things that we can have in common, but the one thing that sticks out to me is the fact that we are on the same mission to Love God, Love others and maintain a sense of community and togetherness amongst our church. Community is extremely important in any group that is aiming for the same goal. You know the bigger picture. A group of people who have different opinions, but can agree on a mission that lives out that one true purpose!

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A few years ago I attended a ministers’ conference with Craig Groeschel who started Life Church (LifeChurch.TV). Craig gave an inspiring message about the lessons in leadership he had learned along the way. I believe he had a list of about 10, but 3 were so good that I committed them to memory. I’d like to share those with you and give a little application for each.

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