Growing Their Gifts

Brad Paisley grew up in Glen Dale, West Virginia, which is very near to Wheeling.  I was in Glen Dale a few weekends ago, so I "did my research" after we left town (I googled).  Wikipedia says that he performed in public for the first time in his church.  The article later quotes Paisley to say, "The neat thing about a small town is that when you want to be an artist, by golly, they'll make you one."

That made me think about church.  I hope our children say that about our churches.  My prayer is that whatever gifts, talents, or dreams our children have, that our churches will nurture those gifts and dreams so that all of the children of God have the chance to go into themselves.  Into the selves that God has created them to be.

Sometimes I worry that we put perfection - in our music, in our readings, in our ministry - at a higher value than the nurturing of the "not so perfect." I hope that we will all take the chance and give those growing into their gifts the opportunity to use them.