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!

**********************************************

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.