Like a virus...

That's what a kid is...

(and my little nephew 'Sim' pictured above is in no way archetypal in that way...it's just a real cute shot of him and that super-cuteness illustrates a point I want to make, nothing more...)

And that point is...

You can never take things as they first appear.  You can never trust appearances.  

Most kids are cute.  Some kids, like Simmers up there, are extra cute.  I'm here to remind you 

that said cuteness doesn't mean a thing 'cause underneath the cute exterior they're pure evil.

Kids are like viruses.

Single-minded, vicious, self-oriented.

All a kid wants is to get their way.  

"Isn't she sweet?" No, she's evil.  "He's not a bad kid, he just knows what he wants..." No, he's evil.

And if you let them, they'll take over your life.

Same thing with the people you're going to work with in the movie business or in planting a Church.  People will seem one way then, a few months down the road, will begin to show their real colors and, a year or two further down the road, show themselves to be just like your kids.

A virus, intent on killing you.

Seriously.

Kids are immature.  Most people are immature.  I've found that many people in the Church and in Show Business are especially immature.  Just like kids, or viruses, they're single-minded, vicious, self-oriented.

So what do you do?

You do what you do with kids.  You love them--and the 'color' that takes in your professional relationships will vary with each person--and make sure that they never 'win'.  Meaning, they never get their selfish way.  If they're looking to destroy, it's your job to make sure that doesn't happen.

Your Church, your movie, your TV series are depending on YOU to be the guardian--the virus killer.

You have to nip any and all childish behavior in the bud.  I've been very guilty in my life of being too nice--letting the viruses run amok for too long.  I resolved last year sometime to be much more direct--and even so I'm still letting people get away with more silliness than I should.

It's not about being nasty--far from it.

It's about taking ownership of the simple truth that you (speaking to Church Planters/Pastors/Producers/Directors here) are in charge and that it's on you to protect the venture by killing the viruses.

And that can be hard to do 'cause they bat their beady little eyes at you and they whimper and they cajole and they threaten and they pout and they stomp around and they throw their toys and a tantrum to boot.

And you, like the good parent/producer/pastor you are, stand up to it and win.

'Cause you can't never let the viruses win.

Sick Churches and Dead Movies and Rotten TV are the result if you don't get in touch with your inner virus-killer.

Up and at 'em y'all.

T