What do you do when the perfect outpost doesn't happen. You read and print every post with the word perfect in it, you run it through the photocopier and pass it round to everyone you know.

And still the outpost remains - well yuk.

Or perhaps your outpost began showing signs of life, showing signs of becoming like those you've read about, and then abruptly stops.

What then...

This is where you come in.
This is where making the perfect outpost depends on you.
This is where the whole outpost development rests on your shoulder.

It's faith and vision and prayer and perseverance and love and guts and motivation and encouragement and effort and will and desire and just about everything you've got.

All of this comes from you.
Your desire to see your outpost grow and develop in to a world changing, child changing, community shaking ministry.

This is the point where you don't give up.
This is the point where you don't let your shoulders slump.
This is where you must persevere.

When you call for an opening parade and there are only 5 or 7 or 20 or 40 kids - don't despair. Look and see the 20, the 50, the 100 children.

When you see sloppy uniform, scuffling boys and talking girls on parade, don't get depressed. Look and see shiny, pressed uniforms and ramrod-backed children standing at attention, positively gleaming.

You control what you see.

Don't look with worldly eyes.
Look with eyes of faith.

Imagine your outpost as you want it to be.
Dwell on these images.
Think of what it will be like.
Live and breath those feelings.

Now use this eye of faith to colour in the view you have today.
Use the eye of faith to colour your attitude.
Use the eye of faith to motivate and inspire.

Look for a reason to celebrate and hammer the life out of it.
Any excuse to show off progress towards perfection - should be a cause for promotion.

A small example:
I've been stuck with my trailblazers trying to motivate them through the Bible award. (We don't go in for cheating or making awards easy at Blaxland - that's not the perfect outpost way!). Now, finally, one of the Traiblazer girls has finished the Bible Award!

Can you imagine the hoo-har that I will make of this on Thursday!

Any excuse to celebrate.
Every accomplishment toward the goal is to be recognised and celebrated.

You make the outpost.
Not the outpost council - you
Not the men's ministry leader - you
Not the pastor - you
Not the Senior Commander - you
Not God - you
Not anyone else in the whole world - it's you.
It's your responsibility.

Own the problem.
Shoulder the responsibility.
See the outcome.
Change the world.

GO!