I’ve had a twitchy eye since last week. Old southern sayings like “someone must be talking about me” or “I’m going to come into money” came to mind, but maybe that’s about an itchy palm? Anyway, it’s eye twitching season for me.

My eye twitches when the school year calendar is final, and I now have a quick deadline to reserve rooms online and set up registration forms and design promotional graphics.

It twitches when I’m unsure if this week’s last Family Night of the summer will be inside or outside. Setup changes are needed either way, and there are leader calls, texts, tables, power, ice cream, and fake snow to organize. Christmas trees are going up, Chrismons supplies are being gathered, staging starts right after the last day camp of the summer, and the homemade liquid snow is finally in a container that won’t leak.

My eye twitches when I realize I texted the wrong date for MOOOOOOVE Up Sunday to a parent I haven’t seen all summer. The cow headbands just arrived, parent calendars are being proofed, and I hope the specially ordered bag tags with our logo will be ready for download today. Gotta find the laminator and Amazon says the connectors might not be here before Friday.

It twitches when we planned a Confirmation Late Night on the Monday before Election Tuesday, only to find out that several high school small group leaders have an ROTC event at the same time. Phone calls, emails, and Panera lunches with youth leaders over the last two months has landing the plane for a new confirmation campaign with many voices, several new resources, and lots of multigenerational involvement. Making the Confirmation Cohort a Faith Milestone alongside new middle school and high school Faith Milestones roll out this fall speaks to the godly patience of our parents and the creativity of the great partnerships of the youth leaders in our new denomination.

My eye twitches because vacation time, travel ball, and busy weekends mean I’ve missed most of the 5th graders this summer who will be moving up to youth. My eye twitches and my heart hurts. (sniff!)

It twitches because not all leadership positions are covered for the confirmation cohort, youth, children, and nursery for the fall on Sundays and Wednesdays, which start next month. Personal recruiting never stops, and it’s filled with possibilities when I ask, “I noticed you… Would you prayerfully consider serving one month on and one month off for …?” or “I noticed… Would you prayerfully consider serving as the wingman/wingwoman for the leader in youth Class Meetings this fall on Wednesdays?” Then there’s training, Ministry Safe links to send, background checks to monitor, and name tags to secure which tell the world, “We have done our due diligence. You can trust us.”

My eye twitches when it’s training season and I’m preparing to present in south Georgia at a Preschool Conference the morning following a training for family ministry leaders at a new local church following a three-day retreat to write some new guidelines among some of the smartest people in my world. The fact I’m even invited anywhere humbles the daylights out of me. Oh the new stories I have to tell!

Yep, it’s eye twitching season. What do I do? I pray.

I pray for our great God to remind me of who (Him), why (families to follow Jesus and have lasting faith memories), when (His timing and the rhythm of my community), what (there’s still time), and how (if He can multiply fishes and loaves, He can multiply hands, smiles, and time) to make this season His.

And I pray for more: more children, youth, servant leaders, families, resources, kindness, patience, love, grace, joy, just more.

And then there’s this week.

This week, new flooring is installed, wallboard is laid, electrical is inspected and prepared for TVs, Wi-Fi, and new lighting. Seventy-two shipments of new furniture and rugs will arrive, eight saints with power tools and little people will hang signs and unwrap bunches of beautiful chairs, and scripture will shine in eight new multigenerational faith formation spaces ready to lead our community to know and love Jesus with their whole hearts for their whole lives. Our five core values are being prepared for display in 30×40″ acrylic frames, an amazing local craftsman is building the children’s large group space as a place to refuel, refresh, and rejoice in Jesus, and two art teachers of the year are creating wall art for painting or building tire structures.

This week, new LED lights brighten shadows, the last day camp will celebrate Jesus’ birthday led by the most faithful Jesus gals. Youth leaders will play, set, clean, stack, sing, paint, and love on the little ones. School supply prizes for End of Summer Bingo will be purchased and plentiful for Sunday school, and 300 fans with 300 mini Jesuses will be shared by our church at the last movie night of the summer in our downtown area following Family Night on Macland for the sole purpose of just being a good neighbor.

It’s eye twitching season with a good and faithful God who offers miracle after miracle among His obedient. It’s more than I can even imagine.

“On the day I called, You answered me; You increased strength within me.” Psalm 138:3