the best thing out

Thursday's always the deadline for producing the DVD of the Holiday Club.

Thursday evening we invite all the children to come with their parents and watch the DVD about the Holiday Club. We try to give them a feel of all that's going on. And we try to give them a sense of the message we're putting across.

They usually come out in sizeable numbers. Which is something they didn't ever formerly do when we held our so-called 'parents' nights'.

The DVD works well. As a resource, that is. The parents come out for this. A chance to see their children on the screen. A bit of entertainment. Visual communication.

So deadline day is a frantic rush. Completing the editing process. Creating the DVD. Then starting to run them off.

It sounds quite simple and easy when written in white and blue. But it's not.

And today it seemed that the whole of hell was throwing just all that it's got at the process of getting this DVD produced. It felt like a strange sort of battle was going on. As if the DVD might somehow have an impact on a lot of lives and see those lives being changed.

So a load of praying was going on as well today. I mean there always is. But sometimes there's a need to have a concentrated time of prayer about a particular issue. And this was one of those times. Or days, more like.

The theme of the week is 'The Great Escape'. And the 'star' of the story is God himself. He's the one who rescues folk and sets them free.

That's why we pray. He fixes things. Gets us out of scrapes. Opens up the way ahead when it seems like there isn't a way.

So a day like today when these problems arise, we look to him for 'rescue' once again. I don't know how he does it, half the time. But he does. And he did again today.

It was good to see the folk all out this evening. A chance to chat a bit as well.

There's a guy who wants to see me sometime soon. His children have come for a year or two and I had a chance to chat with him last year a bit. I've seen him once or twice as well about the village here.

He wondered if I'd be around the place if he popped in through the week sometime. He wanted to talk some more. Maybe tonight the message is getting home. Who knows.

There's another home where things are going on. Next door to the couple I've met with for over a year, there's another young family too. I don't know them at all. But their daughter's been coming to the Holiday Club and she thinks it's the best thing out.

Now the mother's starting to think that she should maybe be exploring 'church' herself. Take her child along to Sunday worship and discover what it's really all about. A case of sort of coming back for more.

Another lady, who's 'local' in terms of where it is she lives - she's been around here quite a bit in recent months: popping in for coffee through the week, that sort of thing. And this week, like a lot of folk, she's been around again and stayed awhile for coffee after dropping off her daughter for the Club.

She wants to join us here. Says she feels so very much at home among us here. And obviously, as well, her daughter loves it all.

One of the things that's striking for a lot of folk is the number of lovely youngsters who are on the team.

There are loads of these youngsers involved. They're really very gifted. They're amazingly committed, giving up their precious time off school or university, and some taking time off their work. They're brilliant fun, full of laughs and full, as well, of energy and stunning creativity.

And they love the Lord.

I think that makes an impact on the parents of the children who are coming to the Club. I think they see the number of these young folk that there are, and see the way they revel in involvement in this sort of thing - and they think to themselves, it may well be, this is how I want my children, as they grow, to be.

Today's been another good day.

A battle, like I say. But good.

I didn't get done what I'd hoped I might do. Mainly because of the technical struggles which occupied all of the morning and on beyond midday as well.

But, hey, the deadline was met! The evening was great. And the other stuff doubtless can wait.