Teamwork Works!

Praise God it's Easter! For me today, it means more than it ever has before. I am not talking about the resurrection of Christ. There is no way to ever quantify the meaning of this day in spiritual terms. The reason it meant so much is that it ended what was perhaps the most difficult week I have had in twenty years of ministry. So many tough things happened this week that I would get a writer's cramp detailing them all. Each time something happened, I could only think that Easter would soon be here. It was a goal, and it was a survival strategy. I knew that if I could hold it together until Sunday, everthing would be alright.

Now I know I could get all theological and spiritual and say that yes, I know I had the same strength from God available to me each day and each moment this week, and trust me when I say that I prayed a lot and truly relied on God's strength to carry me. I looked forward to Easter precisely because I knew that I could call on God's power each and every moment. What Jesus did on Easter provided the opportunity to rely on Him. I looked forward to Easter as I do every year because it's a day to focus an entire day on what God has done for us.

So, today, was a special day. It means God carried me through the week. I thought often through the week of the line from something I saw that T.D. Jakes did. In it, he says, "It's Friday (the day filled with horrible events culminating in the crucifixion of Jesus), but Sunday's comin.'"

So why is this titled "Teamwork Works"? It is because God used teamwork to carry me through the week. Every time something happened this week, people stepped-up, stepped-in, and stepped-out in action. This week for me was a powerful testimony of God's body, the church, at work. I saw it exemplified in our amazing staff over and over. I saw it in volunteers who went far beyond expectation. I saw it in strangers in the body of Christ (who aren't really strangers, I just didn't know them before), who took care of things and offered kind words of encouragement at just the right times.

Humanly speaking, I was overwhelmed this week. In Mark's blog he said it best that in one situation this week that he and I shared, we had nothing to offer. We could only mourn with a hurting family. The week was like that seemingly every day. By the time I went to bed last night (early), I was so physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted I could barely function, and I knew that Sunday with three services and tear down it would be just as exhausting. But, it would be Easter, and I can accomplish anything through Christ who strengthens me! I tried to take a nap this afternoon, but I couldn't sleep. It was a combination of being too tired and excited.

I was excited because today was everything that I had hoped it would be. The services were off the hook! Greg's message was great, the sound was great, the videos were great, the worship was great, everything looked and worked great, and the results? After the 10:00 service alone (which was standing room only), we handed out 9 Fresh Start packets! That's changed lives! That's why Easter matters! After all the tough stuff this week, today just flat out ROCKED!

Here's my tak-a-ways from the weekend:
1. Teamwork works! I need to trust and rely on the various teams around me more fully. This is huge for me because I am a "just do it and get it done because I know what I want" type of Guy. That is so foolish! This week showed me so clearly that if I simply let go and trust, things work out so much better.

2. Some weeks are like that! This week was so tough. It contained some things that no one including pastors should ever have to take part in. While it included frustrations, I never wanted to give up, I was truly able to focus on the prize, which for me was celebrating Easter.

3. We need to carry each other's burdens. Especially in marriage. This week was tough for me, and it showed in Paige. Paige went through some tough things, and they impacted me. We were able to be strength for each other. Fortunately, it wasn't just us, there were others who carried our burdens and strengthened us so that we could overcome the trials of the week.

4. God is awesome! I already knew that, but I love it when He shows me that again. It isn't fourth in priority because it's actually in all of the above.