Boxes. Packing tape. Bubble wrap. And files that go back ten years.

NCC staff moves into new office space today, and that means I’ve spent the better part of the last 48 hours sorting, sifting, and packing  my stuff. It’s amazing what accumulates over 10 years. My notes from our Godspell auditions in 2007. “CG” Leadership Training from 2002. Handouts from our first Leadership Retreat. Props from our 2007 Leadership Retreat. Sermon manuscripts from 2006. Small group promo videos from 2005. First Protege Huddle notes from 2008. Preliminary discipleship map designs from 2006.

I was never sure exactly what I was sifting through– 10 years of crap? Or 10 years of altars of God’s faithfulness? I guess it depends on perspective.

The buried treasure I got most excited about was this. Notes from a “zone leader” meeting from August 2002. Zone Leaders were our first coaches. Nathan Gonzales, Leslie Adams, and Brian and Kim Hill. They were the faithful crazies that helped me give vision to, train, care for, and navigate insanity for our leaders in the early days. And I’m pretty sure these are the notes from our very first meeting as I was casting vision for them regarding their role.

Notes from an early zone leader meeting.

The past two days have been an opportunity for gratitude and worship. To see where God has brought us. Every leadership application, every retreat handout, every summit attendance list, every Alpha message manuscript, every Mr. Potato Head retreat prop…are altars. They are memories of God’s blessings and markers of his faithfulness. So thankful for the amazing people I’ve had the privilege of doing life and ministry with and humbled and honored that I get to do what I do.