I enjoy watching the space shuttle take off. The sheer amount of thrust and power that it takes to lift that massive spacecraft off the ground is amazing. And straight up at that. It is also amazing to me that people in Mississippi are the ones doing a lot of that work!! Great job for them!!
But before the space shuttle takes off, and all the excitement begins...something else has to happen. Everything has to be prepared away from the launch pad. System tests, inspections, instrument readings must be perfect or within a certain % of some "number" they are looking for. There are countless numbers of protocol operations that HAVE to happen in order for the crew of 7-10 astronauts to experience going into space. We don't see those things happening. We don't see all of the people working SO hard behind the scenes with meticulous numbers and data to ensure that the mission is a success.
However, those people and their jobs are VITAL to the mission. This is how it is when we are working on a big project, event, or experience. Right now, I have two of those. One is getting our new S.S. year kicked off with all people in place. It's important that our mission of discipling others is as good as we can make it. We look at dynamics of classes, sizes, teacher personalities and how that will fit with certain classes. We analyze our space and see where we can be more efficient, and reach more people. We are constantly evaluating what we are doing, if there is a problem, and what needs to be done about it. That's how we are moving to the "Launch Pad" for our new S.S. year.
Another "mission" that I am leading with my wife is M4 Camps 2009. We are a week and a half from launch. It is crunch time. It's the time where we are checking everything. Practices have been going on. Logistics for rooms, meals, worship, worship elements, worship leaders, speakers, staff, churches, and the list goes on. I've got to tell you that the anticipation for the "launch" is high. At the same time, we are excited, nervous, and a little on edge. We want everything to be perfect for liftoff.
The launch and mission is the exciting part. But there is so much more that goes into the actual journey. It's just nice to know that when you are on that journey, someone was taking the time to make sure everything was "All Systems Go"!!
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