The Distillery Church

A New Configuration

So Last week someone wanted to put a video on the laptop that is connected to the projector and I had to tell them “no” only because the projector is too far away from the screen and would not project the image correctly.  Currently our program that runs the slides is setup to project a smaller image than normal so it fits on the screen.

It bugged me all week that we could not watch a video on that screen, so i did something about it today.  At around 1:00 PM I began working on an alternate fixture to hold the projector closer to the screen so that we could watch videos.  I took a flat board a little larger than the projector and drilled holes in each corner.  Then I took some cat 5 cable and ran it over the florescent fixtures attached to the ceiling.  I used two cables the same length, ran them through the holes on each end of the board and tied them off making a hanging fixture.

Then I placed the projector on it and plugged it in.  It looked okay except that whenever the air moved in the room the projector would rock back and forth.  Watching the image go left and right and then bigger and smaller eventually made me want to vomit, so I tore it all down in frustration.  Well of course I was very careful with the 700 dollar projector and as well I was careful pulling the cable down so as  not to rip the light fixtures out of the ceiling,  but other than that I ripped the sucker out of there.

Then I sat down and started thinking.  The pole that the projector was on was too far away from that wall, but it happened to be a good distance from the other wall adjacent to this one.   By “good” I mean the perfect distance from the other wall.  So I began by taking the entire gathering space and turning it 90 degrees to the right.  I moved all of the instruments and all of the chairs, the altar, the cross, everything and to my surprise people seemed to like it better than the way it was before.  And we can finally watch a video on the screen with no additional configuration.

I liked it better.  So for the year 2010 we now have a brand new configuration in our room.  Likewise, I feel like there is a new move of God going on here.  I know.  every pastor says that on any given day of any given week, but usually not me.  I am pretty laid back when it comes to saying those kinds of cliche sorts of things.  In fact it is a bit of a stretch for me to mention it, but I really see God doing stuff.

Of course I asked him to show me more stuff and to actually try and get my attention once in awhile because frankly it has been a little quiet.  but that is besides the point.  For the past few weeks I have really felt that God is doing something new here.  Notice I said “God.”  Because I have been doing the same ole stuff.

I am seeing this thing become some “thing.”  I am watching community form in front of my eyes and its a bit like having a cool-ass ant farm.  Not one of those where the ants lay dormant and never seem to do anything because they were all dead in the package you mailed off for from that magazine (doesn’t that suck when that happens?).  No, I mean one with all sorts of cool tunnels and portals and rooms and such.

Being a pastor is a little like that.  You kind of HAVE to sit back and let God do it.  Like watching an ant farm.  If you got a good shipment and it was meant to be then the ants get to work and start building the thing.  But if for some reason you opened the package too soon or you really aren’t the sort of person that digs ants, then those ants are certainly not going to dig for you.

So all that being said, do you like ant farms?  Can you let God build it?  Are you the kind of person that can listen and trust God when he tells you to shut up and listen?  Plant a church then.  You don’t need any sort of sponsorship — just you, a few friends, a place to meet, and God.  Go for it.  Do it and let me know how it goes.

In the mean time the Distillery will be here just kind of watching what God does and hoping for some cool tunnels once in awhile…