March 12, 2021

The Last Handoff in the Relay

by Taylor Davis

A Note from Taylor Davis

My Physical Therapist at the Mansfield Airrosti Clinic is an amazing young lady. Tiffani was an All Big-12 100-meter dash sprinter for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. The 4 x 100-meter sprint relay is one of the most exciting and intense moments in college sports. She might be the most cheery, peppy, and lovable person who has ever tortured me? (It’s a good pain, Mr. Taylor!)

In a relay (come on Summer Olympics), all the training, and work, and effort, and positioning comes down to that handoff between runners. I mean it’s not only about being the fastest at that moment… it’s about being the fastest four runners, working together, and not DROPPING THE BATON.

As our staff met and worked this week, it was amazing how many conversations I was in which started to turn toward a less complicated future. So many of my department meetings or one-on-one discussions had the hint of a more open and confident world to come. There was the realization that we felt good about serving coffee again, in a nice safe way out on The Back Porch all morning Easter Sunday. Our Children’s Ministry and I talked about improving the odds of a big, exciting VBC week back on campus in June. Mission week will be back on campus, safely and creatively doing projects around town and having some wild worship!

I am not announcing anything here. I am simply sharing, and even guessing that you have found yourself in similar conversations that this week started feeling like all of us are on the fantastic Texas Tech 4 x 100 women’s relay team. We have been working hard for a while now. We have trained ourselves, refrained from many things in order to stay healthy, and we feel like we are almost ready to run!

We just have to focus on that baton handoff!

How we start filling up the Sanctuary again matters. We know exactly how to welcome all the children and students back to our big, fun summer events, but we have to do it right. Our Care Team will have to focus even harder as the running comes even closer to continuing that intensity of not missing a single care need or phone call. The next few months of Covid progress and warm weather may be the absolute hardest few months of us sticking to every little detail of our hard work and training.

The smallest item in an NCAA track meet is that little baton. That light little stick that if dropped… knocks somebody out of the race. I cannot wait to run folks… but my eyes right now are on that baton.

See you at one of our services this weekend!

TD

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