I wonder how the story would go... A girl walking down the street with a great big box that is wrapped all nice and neat. She passes person after person who askes, ''What's inside the box?'' "Can I show you?" she replies. Time and again as she begins to unwrap the box, but the person says something like "I don't have time for this or I'm sorry I have to go." Finally she takes this box to the one place she expects to find appreciation for her gift, the church. She sets it down in the middle of the lobby and begins to unwrap it, "You can't do that here" says the head usher. "You'll have to find somewhere else. So she takes it to a side room and begins to unwrap her gift, "I'm sorry young lady, you can't do that here" says the teacher of the Sunday School class who will meet in that room just 5 minutes from now. So the young lady takes her gift carefully to the sanctuary. This is the sacred space where she's met with God on many occasions. She takes her gift to the front corner of the space where there is some open floor. As she begins to open it the pastor comes over, "Excuse me young lady, but this is where the communion table must go, as this is the first Sunday of the month." The young girl takes her gift and leaves the church building.

What was the girl's gift? Is this a story that play's out in our church communities as people enter our spaces with incredible gifts and talents that don't fit the normal church model? Take a look at this article to discover what some of those gifts might be and how to make space for such people.

http://www.relevantmagazine.com/god/most-ignored-gifts-church