In 1996, when we brought our church's youth group and our own two and four year olds, to Juarez, Mexico for a week of missions, we were introduced to 'the F word of ministry' by the missionary we met south of the border.  In ministry, as with much of life, the F word is flexibility.  Over and over, we've seen the need to be flexible with our plans, our programs, our procedures.  I have been emphasizing the need to use the F word with my students and missions teams while at the same time relearning its value over and over in my own pursuits.

Today was a day where the F word was never far from my thoughts and lips.  In two days, I'm taking 15 students between the ages of 12 and 14 for a four day trip to Vermont.  They will be juggling in a variety of settings while we're there.  But today, the following F-word inducing events occured;
    
    >  My aide, and an integral part of the team , is having some trouble in her pregnancy and may not be able to go.

    >  A show that was set up for our team for two months was cancelled due to poor communication on their end.

    >  My computer appeared to die, and would not even turn on.

By 1:15, I was discouraged beyond description.  then I remembered the F word.  I made a few phone calls.  Here's how things were resolved:
    
    >  I'm still waiting to hear from Ashley, my aide, but last year's aide, Kristy, has agreed to go whether Ashley's available or not.

    >  In place of the cancelled show, I was able to get the team to juggle in a Memorial Day parade after just one phone call.

    >  For no apparent reason, my computer started working again after school, and I'm using it to type right now.

    >  All the food we need for the trip was donated today from one donor.

It's days like this that remind me of when Jesus said, "Don't worry about tomorrow; today has enough concerns of its own."  Would it be sacrilege to say He was encouraging use of the F word?