Have you ever felt it’s time to be benched?

Maybe you, like I, have wondered if it’s time to sit life out. Permanently or temporarily. Possibly you feel like you’ve lost your spark? Or your sparkle? Aging can do it. Loss can do it. Exhaustion can do it. 

At age seventy-seven plus, I’d begun thinking, “I’m nearing journey’s end. I’ve lost my spark. And sparkle. Despite more than six decades of public speaking, could it be time to hand over the beloved microphone to the next generation?”

---

Enter my front door at Goose Landing—Rousseaux Brassier, the Children’s  Ministry Pastor at Story Ashland Church. Rouss, the fire-cracker creator of a Vacation Bible School (VBS) curriculum called The Quester. 
​
“Did I hear you correctly, Rouss?” I queried. “You want me, Granny Goose, to team teach your church’s VBS?”

Despite my trepidation, the answer YES jumped out of my mouth. Even before I knew what I signed up for. We’d be co-teaching a 45-minute lesson FOUR times each morning. Unscripted. Unrehearsed. Back-to-back sessions with no naps in between.

Holy Spirit directed (though it felt like we were shooting from the hip),  we tackled a different topic each day:

• Day 1: Who am I?
• Day 2: Where did I come from?
• Day 3: Why am I here?
• Day 4: Is there a right and wrong?
• Day 5: What’s my destiny?

Were we really going to teach apologetics to children ages five through twelve?
​
I’d ruminated on such questions my whole life,  but could I keep pace with this thirty-year-old Energizer Bunny? I nicknamed us Goose and Rouss, thinking of us along the lines of a modern-day tortoise and hare.

With Christ’s resurrection power, this old goose shared Bible truths and life stories four times each morning without a nap. ​

Rouss and Goose tossed Truth back and forth, building a love connection with each age group. I shared my painful exclusion as a child, how no one wanted to sit next to me as a child.

“I’d sit next to you, Granny Goose,” an eight-year-old boy’s words felt like a hug. Three other kids chimed in that they would too. They loved my deformed left hand’s three-point sermon. A flood of loving notes communicated their love for me. Ancient wounds healed.

The five days ended with Rousseaux’s truth-filled songs megaphoning in our ears and hearts, PLUS Granny Goose came home with what hubby David would have called true realities. These I pass on to any who fear the time has come to be benched!​

1. Step out (wheel out) by faith no matter how ‘used up’ you may feel.   
2. Don’t underestimate God’s capacity to pump His power into and through you.
3. In fact, know God’s Beloveds never get benched. Christ-in-you has someone else to reach. Not even dementia nor a coma can cancel His ability to use you to usher another into His kingdom.  

Additional Take-aways

• I got to spend time with four of my grandchildren
• Granny Goose has a new logo created by a sweet girl named Lively

The Best VBS Ever was shared with four grands

Granny, the Goose, has a new logo

​* * *

If you'd like to learn more about Rousseaux and his Quester endeavor, you can watch the video below: