Update #97

“Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my own dear son; surely they will respect him!'” Luke 20:13

Tahoe Planning Committee 2006

For several years I helped run an annual conference in Tahoe, California. A team of us ran the event hosting upwards to 350 overnight, out of town guests. The schedule was packed - outdoor activities, concerts, worship sessions, speakers, and fellowship times. It was a fun-filled four day experience.

Most of the time I am not a big picture person – I love the little details, the fine-tuning, the tweaking…I like taking care of a few trees vs. an entire orchard. When I helped run “Tahoe” I tended the trees of registration, administration and logistics. Others were engaged to handle the activities, speakers, concert artists, worship, city leadership, recruitment, hospitality, etc.

One thing I did learn through this experience is that during the planning phase I needed to be in direct contact with the team lead on a daily basis; and, as the event approached I needed to check in constantly. He had the big picture; he could see all the trees from where he stood and knew what was happening, who was doing what, when.

One year, two days before the event began I was at work and received a phone call. It was the team lead. He just had heard from the activities coordinator that the river was too low to raft, the dance instructors had cancelled, and that the orienteering guide hadn’t confirmed. Because I was in charge of scheduling / logistics we needed an emergency meeting to fix the blight to the activity trees. A lot of prayer, sweat, and sleepless hours followed. Long story short the event was one of the best we ever produced and the attendees were none the wiser to what was happening behind the scenes.

In a spiritual sense, I think God can be viewed as the orchard owner. He chooses us to work in and with his trees to produce a return. God loves to teach and delegate; to let us go and do. He loves to empower and release us into our purpose. He loves to guide, direct, and help us implement. And, like my team lead, constant communication is a must for a successful harvest.

In this metaphor, what groves are you responsible for? When was the last time you asked the owner his input on how you are treating his trees? How often do you communicate with him about next steps, pruning techniques, herbicide options, blight prevention…

God is good, all the time. He is a good boss. He is a good owner. And he is the best manager in the world. Are you under his surveyance or are you trying to run things on your own? You are welcome to join his staff anytime – there are always open positions.

Updates:
Living – My condo in Redmond, WA is still for sale and my renter wants to stay…anyone need an investment property?
Work – I am in Hong Kong – well the airport anyway, the team is on its way and we start in earnest on Sunday! The flight so far has been uneventful but TONS of people (travelers and airline/port staffers) are wearing filter masks due to the swine flu – kinda eerie.
Travel – In my last post I commented how I wanted uneventful travel. One of the ladies I met during my unexpected layover in Albuquerque wrote and said “if your flight had been uneventful…we would have never met!” She is so right! It was a divine appointment and because of her I know where to “sleep” in the Hong Kong airport! Thanks Stephanie! Gate 60 lounge chairs here I come!

Requests:
Travel – keep my tummy on the level. I had food poisoning last week and my stomach is still a bit rough.
Work – Please pray with us as we seek a training lead to manage the upcoming training cycle beginning July 22nd
Finances - If you would like to sow into what I am doing see the footer info at http://www.denaandrews.blogstpot.com/ or contribute at http://www.repurposing.biz/ for more information.