Sprinting through spring

One of the common sense rules in the Underground is "no running." It makes sense because there are tables and obstacles everywhere and really, why would you need to run inside unless something was on fire? The running isn't as problematic as the crashing and subsequent bleeding.

Pretty much everyday down there, I say "(insert kid name), stop running." I've taken to making the repeat offenders repeat "I will not run in the Underground" anywhere from ten to twenty times. It's a temporary fix.

So this is what makes me smile. I'm running the clock for most of the home soccer games this spring. Controlling time is quite difficult. ;)I go from yelling "Stop running" to yelling "Run faster! Get it!" Turns out running outside is essential to a good soccer play.

I'm really surprised that the soccer players don't trip more on the field. They run in such close proximity to each other. That's a lot of feet to trip over plus the ball gets in the way. It seems like when they're all flying around so fast they make instant adjustments to keep their balance. The faster they move, the better they're able to leap over feet and dribble a soccerball. It's amazing to watch.

And that pretty much sums up this time of year for youth ministry. There's so much going on and everything seems to move at an incredibly speedy pace. Camp Sunday was this past week and then next big thing is Youth Sunday on Graduation Sunday. And then it's getting ready for all the summer events. My heart is screaming "Stop Running!" but it's almost more dangerous not to run through this time. The subconscious adjustments to include new events, meetings or conversations are second nature.

Still I think of a quote from my friend Adrian, "Why would you run, unless you were being chased?"