I caught up with a young guy who recently moved here and joined our church. He was part of our church in Yokohama, learning a lot in leadership there, and wants to continue in that path here. Great young guy, Japanese, bilingual, self-motivated and self-learning. We're really blessed to have him here. 

We talked about opportunities for him to continue to grow and how he can help carry the vision for our church in Fukuoka. Some things I'd like him to try. Some things he would like to try or bring from Yokohama. And it was a great conversation overall. But I think the most impactful part for him was probably in the last 10mins, with a few right words at the right time. What were those words for this conversation?

Real simple. Something we talk about a lot as leaders and pastors in Lifehouse. That we should celebrate every one and two that comes for the first time. That makes a decision to change the direction of their life to follow Jesus. That takes a step closer to community and God. And really important when you are starting something new. Because every one is a person's life. Every one matters to God. But in the pursuit of the big visions we can have...one can seem small. When you compare to others in different situations, bigger teams and communities that have already built a big foundation, one can seem disappointing. One can seem insignificant. 

But one is a lot. One is big. One is significant. Without the one, you don't get to two. If you can't be faithful to care for one, you can't be trusted with more than that. And when you realise the effort it takes for the one, you better celebrate it - otherwise you won't have the joy to keep going, it'll just be grind grind grind. 

Why were these the most impactful? Because part of what I'm asking him to do is to start something from pretty-much nothing. Trying things that he hasn't really done before. That are going to be out of his comfort zone. And I could see the scale of that was getting a bit daunting. He was up for the challenge, but the size of it was bigger than he thought it would be because I pointed out the difference between doing what they are able to do in Yokohama now compared to what they could  and had to do when they were at the same stage as us. But those few words, celebrate the ones and the twos, that reframed his perspective. Now one or two isn't going to be a lot of work that was disappointing because we didn't get five or six. It's going to be a celebration of the work that was done. The potential of lives changed. And that as the ones and twos come in, it will build to threes and fours, and fives, and tens. A few right words make all the difference.