Wednesday, July 12, 2017

SUMMERTIME-VBS TIME

VBS began Monday evening at L church. I helped serve fruit drinks for supper, and helped with the ketchup dispenser for the hot dogs.
  After dinner, I was put to work making yarn pom-poms that would become aliens. We made them ahead for the younger ones. Then I stapled 2 foam bowls together to make a space ship - must have
made about 12 of them. Next, three of us were asked to unroll cotton balls! Unroll a cotton ball? I never knew they could be unrolled. Not as easy as it may seem. Some went fairly well and others ended up in two pieces. We only did half the bag of 400 and there's at least a couple more bags to
go. Looks like I will be at it again tonight as this is for Thursday's craft. Who knew in seminary that
I would be unraveling cotton balls as part of my ministry! At the very least, I know I am doing it for the children in VBS - that they will be amazed at the wonder of the universe when they work on this craft and the wonder of God's love for them, and our love for them. Unravelling cotton balls with an involved member of the church and the council president made for good fellowship. It's amazing sometimes how the simplest, silliest of things can end up being a true ministry. God is always
in the unexpected, in the simple, in the ordinary doing God's thing with us and through us. Nothing is ever too silly, too small, too ordinary, too simple for God not to accomplish God's good work of making God's love, presence and good news in Christ Jesus known, to bring forth hope, peace, grace, forgiveness, blessing, life - new and eternal. It is an awesome thing to see unfold, revealed before one.
It also reminds me of God's delight in the unexpected, in the very small and simple, and of God's mighty sense of humor. "Here, I am, in this little, simple act of unraveling cotton balls. What seems
small and silly to you, is of great significance to others, makes myself be known and discovered, and every act contains great love."
  So, I look forward to unrolling those cotton balls this evening! God is there in the midst of it all.
  Next week is VBS at the M church, but I will  be there just on Tues. morning as we leave for vacation on Wed. I've been asked to help prepare snacks for 101 kids that day - grapes and something else. Yet, another, simple, ordinary act full of love and fellowship, profound with meaning, and full of God's presence!