My writing

I guess I can't help it. I do like to write and find great satisfaction in knowing that people like my writing. I think this is especially true when I try to be humorous. There is an even greater satisfaction for me when people laugh at what I have written. This past week our kids ministry "took over" the main worship service on Sunday...what we call "Big Church" to the kids that we minister to. I was given the task of being the "HighPoint Guy". Now, HighPoint is the name of our children's ministry on Sunday mornings and the people organizing the service wanted me to explain a little about why we do what we do and present it like Rod Serling of Twilight Zone fame. I basically had four times that I appeared on stage to give a bit of background on what people just saw. Here is what I came up with:

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Appearance #1 after opening songs:

What you just saw was not a figment of your imagination nor is it a hastily arranged parody of Top of the Pops or American Bandstand. It's real, relevant music infused with godly lyrics to help draw focus to the God that loved us so much that He sent His only Son to save us. The hand motions and body movements we use help engage the entire self in the worship experience enhancing recall and giving teen heartthrob Mr. Andrew Shughart a weekly opportunity to reprise his 1987 appearance on Soul Train. The people who graced this stage are the pre-teen and teen-aged Virtues who use their talents not to perform but to minster to our children by leading them in singing and making sure that all of them feel loved and special. Throw out everything you have ever known about children's Sunday School for the sign post up ahead indicates that you have crossed the friendly confines of your sane mind and are hurtling headlong into the HighPoint Zone. 

Appearance #2 after the Hosts set up the story:

Each week upon a stage not unlike this one is a world where grown men don wigs and sing in falsettos, but draw the line at wearing tus tus and cowboy...this week anyway. They present themselves in this manner to creatively communicate the monthly virtue which is, a single positive trait or quality valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. The key of imagination is used to unlock the illustration of this virtue with Bible stories and passages which can incorporate the use toasted hamburger buns, buckets filled with packing material, and even a happy pirate. For when you see a ministry all wrapped up in a high energy, purpose-driven, flash-mob powered, hoedown-inspired hootenanny you know that you have journeyed even deeper into the HighPoint Zone.

Appearance #3 just before the application:

Wow. You can probably tell we performed an extensive amount of Biblical research to present the passage as accurately as possible. But please, save your adulation for later because there's much more to this story. Not content with merely illustrating this month's virtue with singular passage from the Bible we then proceed to break it down for the children with key applications that fit neatly into their world. After all subtlety is not a gift we possess because, well, we're just a bunch of men that couldn't take a hint if it was super glued to our chests and set ablaze. How could we expect more from the children we love and minister to in the HighPoint Zone?

Appearance #4 just after the application and benediction:

After the application and prayer the 1st through 5th grade children are then dismissed into their Small Group environments where faithful leaders review what had been presented in the Large Group. They help the children draw more specific, real-life connections and applications of the monthly virtue as reflected in the Bible passage or story. Having already had their Small Groups the Pre-K and K children are dismissed into your loving arms and given an immediate opportunity to put what they have learned into action. The Hosts and Storytellers then clean up the mess they have made, and renew the promise amongst themselves that they will never again seek to overflow every sink and toilet in the building in an effort to transform the downstairs hallway into a reasonable facsimile of the Jordan River. These promises are made in an effort more carefully carry out the instructions given to them by the people you are about to hear from in the following video interviews and who comprise the brain trust behind what we like to call the HighPoint Zone.

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It all worked out pretty well and I got some pretty good laughs. Overall I was not as impressed with my delivery of the lines as I would have liked to have been, but I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to do this. It is great and more than a bit humbling when the person who came up with the idea and handed it to me was impressed with the job I did. I am most glad that it is over and that it went well. The whole thing went exceedingly well.