Santino Effect

Did you ever see season 2 of Project Runway? It was, in my opinion, the best season of the show. It had a lot of creative challenges, talented and quirky designers, and a little thing called the Santino Effect. Santino Rice was one of the top three finalists. He was extremely creative. He was very blunt. He did a Tim Gunn impersonation that was hilarious. Love him or hate him, if you watched the season, you knew Santino and what he was about.

However Santino had a downfall: he wouldn't stop 'touching' his designs. Santino would finish a breath taking stunner of an outfit but then he'd add just a dab more of fabric here...and maybe a button there...and then before you knew it, Santino had taken his beautiful creation and made it into some odd, ugly thing.

Yesterday the Santino Effect hit me upside the head hard! I was typing up the vision of my room for our conference next week. I could talk about my job for days. I could tell you how to implement a similar program in your church. I could tell you the benefits of it until I am blue in the face. But when it came to putting it all on paper to give to conference attendees...well....

Santino Effect. I couldn't stop rewording. I couldn't stop editing. I couldn't stop adding. I couldn't stop touching the information. I worked on this all day. ALL DAY! I had a break down around 9:20 pm....I seriously couldn't figure out a way to convey this burning passion to the world.

That's when I finally realized that I couldn't leave it alone because to me it was the most important information I could give the attendees. It was so important for them to understand the value of pouring into the children of volunteers and staff. I had to make them see that we have to help kids love church not resent it or their parents for serving.

So after a panicked call to Chris, his patient kindness reassuring me that it was ok, I stopped touching it. I stripped away some of the ridiculous things I had added, looked at it, and smiled. I love what I get to do. I love it. I get to share all of this in less than a week with hundreds of children's pastors. What a blessing!

Here's hoping I don't let the Santino Effect hit me again with any more of the conference prep.