Last year I was searching for a gift for my dad, and as usual, I wasn’t having much luck. I never know what to buy for him! Either he has no interest (in most things), he’s already gotten the thing he’s interested in, OR he’s MADE the thing himself. Yes, MADE it. He’s THAT guy. He’s a retired engineer who likes to “make”. I didn’t really know this at the time, but apparently there is a ‘maker culture’ out there. I mean, I knew there were people who liked to craft or had hobbies, but I didn’t know about the ‘maker culture’ (see Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maker_culture if you want to know more). To me, this maker culture is WAY beyond Pinterest and WAY beyond Etsy. This isn’t just a hobby, and this isn’t to make money- it’s in their blood to ‘make’ or ‘create’ things.
I don’t think I have a ‘maker’ personality. I think I have a ‘dreamer’ personality. I dream up really big and creative ideas and then I carefully weigh them out to decide if they are worth the amount of work they will take to execute. If so, I’ll share the idea. If not, I’ll kill that dream before it even makes its way out of my mouth! My dad, well, he has an idea and he ‘makes’ it happen. Here are just a few things I’ve watched him ‘make’ in my lifetime: pulled a sunken sailboat from White Rock Lake and restored it; created molds to make his own fishing lures; hand-soldered/created Christmas lights and developed software so he and 25 of his neighbors could have a Christmas light show synced to music at each of their houses; 3D printed SO many things; used an injection mold machine to make many other things; the list goes on and on. This isn’t even a fraction of the things this ‘maker’ dad of mine has made. I’ve ALWAYS been so in awe of him.
So the gift I ended up finding for my dad last year was a book about ‘making’ and the ‘making brain’ (written by someone who also has a ‘making brain’). I thought it was a perfect gift! My dad said thank you and then kindly said that he probably wouldn’t read it, because he had too many things on his list to ‘make’ and didn’t have time to read (and he said he already knew how his brain worked)! Haha! (Maybe the rest of us should read that book so we will better understand him!) I just know that his ‘making’ brain does have quite a generous side. He made tons of vases once so we could give them as thank you gifts to our volunteers at church; he made hundreds crosses that we put in Easter Eggs for the kids at church; he recently made straps for hospital workers to hold their masks on without putting pressure on their ears; and he also made face shields so that children can see the facial expressions of the adults talking to them and still remain safe. I love the ‘maker’ that my dad has always been.
There’s another ‘maker’ that I’d like to brag on for a bit, her name is Rev. Dr. Leanne Hadley. She’s a ‘dreamer’, who had an idea for a virtual VBS, she got her friends on board, and she moved from ‘dreamer’ to ‘maker’ and then made the magic happen. When I wrote about Virtual VBS in my last blog, it was only a concept we had talked about doing and barely started the work. Virtual VBS is now a finished product that will launch at FUMC Hurst on Monday morning! This is NOT a Virtual VBS led by hired actors at a curriculum company (yes, I know those are great too), but this is a Virtual VBS led by Children’s Directors and Pastors from across the world. I’m in awe. These are people who just love serving with children and couldn’t imagine going without VBS this summer. My ‘dreamer’ brain was again in awe of my ‘maker’ friend.
I hope that you’ll take time this week to notice the ‘makers’. Notice who is quietly sitting off to the side working on something big and amazing. (You might notice the ‘dreamers’ too, we might need someone to jump in and ask about our ideas before we bury a good one!) Notice God, the original and ultimate ‘maker’, who created us all with different gifts and talents. I am SO thankful for ‘makers’, because they don’t let overthinking bury their dreaming, but instead they grab the supplies they need and they MAKE! I wonder if you’ll share in the comments about your ‘maker’ story or brag on a ‘maker’ you know.
Please watch Virtual VBS for yourself next week (you can watch it through the FUMC Hurst Facebook page or on Livestream without registering). Please share it with the children you know (and get them registered so I can mail them some things they will need). Please watch it with them so they will see what amazing things, like Virtual VBS, can be accomplished through the incredible teamwork of ‘dreamers’ and ‘makers’. Please help nourish the next generation of ‘makers’ by commenting on Facebook when the children post their creations, their reflections, and their prayers. Your encouragement of the children and youth who ‘make’ artwork and ‘make’ music as a response to their VBS experience, WILL help them to deepen their connections with people, purpose, and the ultimate ‘maker’, God.
