Sunday, April 10, 2011

CROWN

This is a busy season. Crazy busy for the RamFam. But -- I can't hide the fact -- that we love it.

We are apart of a large production at our home church called The Crown. It all began 6 years ago when I was on staff at New Life. That year, about 5 weeks before Easter, our children's pastor announced that we needed to come up with a kid friendly production to go along with The Thorn. We all thought he was crazy. He was crazy. 5 weeks isn't much time and that year the whole thing was painful. Truthfully, I figured if I had to be miserable, I might as well have my whole family miserable and make them participate with me (Besides there weren't that many people too participate that first year!). To my utter shock, it stuck. And 6 years later, we can't imagine Easter time without all this craziness.



We've been demons, angels, disciples, townspeople, and makeup artists. We've had 3 trips to the emergency room due to Crown injuries and we've spent countless hours with Crown friends only to cry the next morning when we are too tired to get up for school/work. (Eventually, our fatigue takes over and we just start dragging in later and later to school. Schools love that btw. Not.) About the time we think we have a Crown hangover, performances begin (this year 8 total) and we get a renewed burst of energy, passion and a sense of God's crazy love for children and families.




We expect God to stir the hearts of over 1,000 kids and adults this year. We expect hundreds of people to be drawn to God's crazy love for them...just like we were. As we prepare for this -- I get the priveledge of serving with dozens of teens, kids and their parents who love Jesus...who love worship...who are passionate about prayer...and love one another.



That's right...I witness weekly DOZENS of TEENAGERS and CHILDREN who really do love Jesus and church -- who spontaneously gather around and lay hands, praying over a sick team mate....who pray for God's love to reach others in the hallways during the Cruxifiction scence...who pray over each other...and pray over all the people who will come to see the productions -- usually with no adult prompting. I watch adults instruct and train, "Boys and Girls lift your hands and let's pray"..."Boys and girls, worship starts in 5 minutes. Be there." "Guys, this kid is sick//that kid was injured...let's pray now for them." "I see you're feeling discouraged, I'm going to pray for you."



I watch CROWN parents pull kids out of other activities and forgo school assignments for a time -- because THIS is simply more important....moms - up early, cooking and packing dinner, costumes for kids AND for themselves, etc. Directors make 5:45am runs to Starbux to make sure volunteers make it through the morning. I watch kids spend HOURS perfecting their parts, working out, praying, listening, watching for what God is doing...and when instructing these kids, there is no talk amongst those working on the production about the "short" attention span of children...no expectation that the teenagers don't want to participate in spiritual things. On the contrary, there is an expectation that THIS YOUNG GENERATION is called to change the world -- and we are called to instruct and train them...and it's a joy to do so.

People work hard...but more importantly they expect God to change lives and do what only He can do. There's alot of joy and freedom in that.

So...the RamFam is tired. And very satisfied. And very expectant about this upcoming week...along with alot of other great families we've come to really love!

Here's to Crown season!



Loving the world, hating the dark

Shanna