By Carl Nichols
If you are anything like me, you HATE when things don’t go as planned. I must admit I am a little OCD in this regard. I hate for a meeting to run long, I hate for things to change at the last minute, and I hate when I plan something and then, out of nowhere, things beyond my control begin to happen. Yes, hate is a strong word, but that’s the way I feel.
Recently at Relevant Church, we launched #STUCK and focused on “circumstances beyond our control.” I learned several valuable lessons from a situation that happened during one of the services. 
Only about six weeks off the heels of an entire side wall of pipe and drape falling in the middle of one of the most important seasons in the history of our church, a few weeks ago we nearly had another train wreck—during the second song of the second experience, our drummer’s in-ear monitors quit working. I noticed it immediately and was hoping the guys could keep it together. If you know anything about playing in a band, you understand that if the drummer can’t hear then everybody could be in trouble. At any rate, I thought the team did a great job of scratching through and making lemonade out of lemons. What was happening on stage was only noticeable to the trained eye, even though we nearly had a disaster in the middle of a rap portion of the song. Not only did most people not notice, but many complimented the music following the experience. With that in mind, there are three lessons I want to share:
- Excellence should always be the end goal. If this is the case, there is always a contingency plan for unforeseen circumstances. When you merely “get through” something in life, train wrecks are inevitable. This is true of everything from relationships to finances to business.
- Never underestimate the power of margin. As a fast growing church plant with limited resources, we have to be very strategic about ensuring that we have “extra” equipment, time, and planning. We have learned this the hard way on several occasions. Margin reduces stress and allows for fruitfulness.
- Having the right people around you is essential to achieve success. It was fun to watch each person play their part and make a success out of what could have been a disaster. Just as important as having the right people around you is ensuring that you set boundaries for the wrong people.
I’m curious, which one of these is the hardest for you?