We have a friend named Nasya, but don’t hold that against her. It’s pronounced nAs-e-ah and not nausea, though that’s extremely funny.

Nas is one of those people that I call a catalyst. She has a fun energy about her that pulls people into her circle and makes life an adventure. Once in the Bert Theatre Lobby she saw a lovely introverted Nigerian lady from her small group across a crowd of people, yelled “AJ!!!!!” (her name), and ran through everyone to smother-hug her blushing friend.

It’s standard procedure. Come to Venue Church and you will be awkwardly hugged until you like it in the lobby! Not really but it works for people like Nasya.

In a day of measured responses and leaving options open until the last available moment (in case something better comes up), Nasya is someone who makes up her mind about things that are important and talks everybody else into it too. We need more Nasyas, and less nausea (couldn’t resist).

There are, of course, times for measured responses, but muted responses for fear that something terrible is about to happen (so don’t get too happy) we could do without. And anyone who can’t decide their priorities in front of their options find themselves eventually doing everything LESS important first and snatching at the most important things too late.

It’s just undisciplined, and an undisciplined person never accomplished anything for very long.

Being a bit of a catalyst myself we find ourselves in competition (if it’s something you can win it’s a competition) with each other. We know that we’re supposed to be on the same team so we try and help each other because that’s “nice”, but we like to win too. In fact, just yesterday I talked to a guy who needs to get his finances on track and I sent him over to her Financial Freedom small group. We’re doing a group on parenting in today’s world that I could have invited him to, but I didn’t because it was the right thing to do.

Cough cough.

So who cares if her group is bigger than mine by one person now? I’ll swoop in on the credit anyways because “I’m the one who told him to call you!”. Not really but it’s funny to laugh about.

Unbridled excitement is a contagious thing in a person. It’s particularly attractive if you get stuck in analysis paralysis from time to time. Sometimes an energetic person’s plan is not the best but they somehow manage to make it happen because they offered candy to people if they’d come and help and made it fun.

When I was younger I used to carefully think about everything before I said it to avoid embarrassment until the day I had the thought “My mom says ridiculous things she doesn’t think about and everyone thinks it’s amazing!” (Not putting down my lovely mom in any way, but I was VERY serious you see:). Then, “Maybe I need to be more fun?”

Being a pastor’s kid and speaking whatever comes into your mind can only be described as alarming, but it’s also quite funny. Religious people be crazy sometimes just like everyone else.

…like the time back in the day in another church in another community when Erin refused to give the youth group to a mom to run whose own kids, in her words “Don’t have a problem with rebellion AT ALL”. Note: never say your own kids have no problems AT ALL EVER, unless you’re planning your own public humiliation event.

When Erin told me, my response was “Doesn’t she have a son in jail and didn’t I just have to ask her other son about drugs because his friend ratted him out?? AAAAAnd didn’t they have to remove all the doors in the house because their other kids were knocking holes in them?”

Sure! Let’s put them in charge of other people’s youth!! Awesome!

It’s ok, Erin said a polite no, so they left our church and started another one across town whose main objective, as near as we could tell, was to start rumours that we were “cultish”.

Yeah, people be crazy. I’m getting ready to start my February sermon series Drama Club, as in Life Without the Drama and ohhh do I have material to preach!

But there is a kind of drama that is positive and energizing. A type that creates stories around a goal that helps or saves people, and has the courage to ask “Why wouldn’t youwant to sacrifice for this? Can’t you see the possibilities?”

I’m a dreamer and Nasya is too. She was the one on our Venue launch team who was so excited when I did the mic drop announcement that she tripped running up the stairs to the stage and gashed her legs all up.

What would we do without the Nasyas though? We’d all be a little safer, be able to walk without limping,

Oh and we wouldn’t dream as much.