It’s Not All In The Details

I love the way God is able to use all of His children for some work that He has in mind. He gives each one of us certain talents and then finds the need and fits that person into service. I have seen this over and over again. It is also fascinating how very different we are all wired and these are the ones that make up the citizens of the Kingdom of God.

I don’t do details. Everyone who knows me understands that I don’t see, think, feel, taste or work small. But then there are those who have a most uncanny ability to pick up the smallest minutia and delight in doing complicated, detailed work. Jodie Mannion our accountant who works for us is gifted with details as is Betsy Jenks our book keeper. We couldn’t do business without them!

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But then I think every project has a need for those detailed folks. In April 2004, we had completed the eleven workbooks, thanks to our wonderful authors, Art VanderVeen and Carrie Ott. The contract with Navpress was signed and we were on our way to a great partnership. But as we sat in a meeting with the publishing pros they suggested that we hire a project editor and a proof reader. I had never heard of the former but they explained it was someone who can make sure the entire work holds together. In other words, because the Amazing Collection was such a large project it was important that all of the parts were in harmony and that there were no contradictions. It sounded good as we wanted every workbook to be perfect, so we agreed.

They suggested two women: Leigh McElroy from Houston Texas, an author in her own right and an excellent project editor. Leigh is one of those gifted women who think in a different way than the masses. She was able to bring such a unity and perfection to the completed work that we were unable to do. She was and is to this day a gift to this ministry.

Kathy Mosier was from Colorado Springs and she would take over the proof reading once Leigh was done with her work. Kathy was still in her twenties and newly married when she joined our project. She had done a lot of work for Navpress and they trusted her. And so she took on the arduous job of proof reading every word looking for grammar and punctuation mistakes.

But before we moved forward they wanted these two women to meet with the Big Dream Ministries team including the teachers and Art and Carrie and the board. They wanted them to get to know everyone and also get a feel for the project. And so they arrived on Monday in April and after three days they were totally “plugged in” as team members. Everyone was crazy about these two detail specialists and within a short period of time they became part of the team, all of us working together for one purpose: God’s glory!

When we open the Bible to Corinthians we find that God never intended one person to know it all, or one person to have all the gifts, or one person to run the show by him/herself. God works in the awesome community of heaven. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit along with a myriad of angles and heavenly beings all work together to bring about the will of God. They work perfectly together, no conflict, no jealousy, and no usurper trying to do everything and take credit for it all. And it seems to me that this is a fabulous design. For one thing there is an expanse of relationships. Leigh and Kathy were total strangers living in different parts of the country and then overnight they were not only sisters, but an integral part of the work we were trying to do. And because of them, our lives became richer and the project became more excellent.

That is what I so love about this work that God has given us to do. He has miraculously brought together a huge body of men and women and through His Spirit allowed us the privilege of working on such a BIG DREAM that we all can stand in awe of His power but also in awe of His love that brought us one another. Some of us are good at organization, some at teaching, some at creating. It is not “all in the details”, but they certainly are an important part.

And so the workbooks were completed, checked and rechecked by those two detail gurus, lovely ladies, once strangers, and now sisters.

First Corinthians 12: 4-5, 7

Now there are a variety of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are a variety of ministries but the same Lord. …But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

The Truth Revealed

I remember the time I met my first VIP. It was twenty years ago and the person was my husband’s first boss and the Vice President of a large insurance company. He was rich and lived in a great house. He drove a big car. He had all the perks and could hire and fire at a moment’s notice. I was impressed and intimidated.

And so when we received an invitation to his home for dinner, I received the news with some hesitation. I know who I am (as well as one can really know one’s self). I know that on more occasions than I can remember I have said something stupid or spilt my water glass all over the table, or broken the hostess’s fine crystal glass. I can do those things without even trying, so if they knew the truth I felt certain the invitation would be withdrawn!

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Sally Shriver and I were absolutely beyond ourselves as we boarded the plane for Colorado Springs, Colorado on December 8, 2003. We had accepted an invitation to meet with the Vice President of Navpress, along with their Marketing VP, and several other important people. We still had to pinch ourselves that such an invitation had come at the most opportune time: they were actually interested (very) in The Amazing Collection and wanted to talk about a contract and marketing plan.

We rented a cute sporty car in Denver and began the beautiful trip to Colorado Springs. It was a heady moment, and would have been perfect if I did not have in the back of my mind a sense of unrest. What if this great “dream” did not come true? What if these great men of business found out that indeed behind Big Dream Ministries were homemakers, Bible teachers, mothers, who had never done anything like this in their lives, and who had very little business experience? What if they found out that all that God had done was a total surprise and wonderment to us and we were all still reeling from His mighty miracles on our behalf.

I comforted myself with the fact that Sally was not only a board member but also our business GURU. She constantly astounded us with her business acumen and her accounting skills. I had to keep reminding myself that she had my back covered not to mention the fact that she was a fabulous and fun traveling companion.

That night as we tried to get some much needed rest before the big meeting, I kept going over and over in my mind the many things that could go wrong. We did have a dream and it involved taking the Amazing Collection all around the world and reaching thousands of women in America through teaching them every book in God’s Word and we had asked God to open impossible doors. In fact we asked Him to use The Amazing Collection to bring about a spiritual revival in this country as more and more people learned every book in the Bible. In other words we had asked God for a lot, and we did dream big, but we did so because our God was showing us that we could not dream “bigger” than He could perform! Nothing was impossible for Him! At last I came to this wonderful, freeing conclusion. God was in control. His will would be accomplished. We were His servants and it was our job to listen, to obey and to work for His glory. All else was up to Him.

That is a very freeing thought for the moment. I did not know how the meeting would turn out but I did know I had nothing to worry about.

The next day we walked into the conference room. Sitting around the table were several VP’s and many talented, brilliant people. At once all fear of intimidation left as hands were extended and warm welcomes were given all around. Over the next two days the truth about our great lack of business experience was clearly revealed but it did not seem to matter. They loved what God had done. And from that meeting came a contract and a wonderful year in partnership with Navpress.
 

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The dinner with the insurance company’s VP also turned out to be a gift. We were new in town and new to the company. His wife was warm and loving and asked me back for tea and then became a dear friend. I still would spill the water or say something stupid but it did not seem to matter. It was all about relationship like my encounter with the first VIP and also with our new partners, Navpress.