I got a lot of gifts from my parents. Mom and Dad gave me good things at birthdays and special occasions. As I look back, they were enjoyed, then broke and thrown away.

But not all had this fate.

Here’s a picture of me with a Tonka Truck. These were way over engineered. They were built so well. I could sit on the jeep we had and push myself around the room. It was real steel throughout. My brothers and I played hard with them, moving dirt and on projects we thought needed done in the yard. They never broke.

Now here’s the wild thing. They still have not broken. These Tonka are being played with by the great grandkids. They have lasted for sixty years! The over engineering from that era has lasted till today.

These toys were strong, able to accomplish tasks, rough tasks. These toys have endured decades. I believe these are two qualities we all want from our work: effectiveness and long lasting.

I need my Tonkas today for my ministry. I have projects that need to be potent and enduring, like these toys. Let me tell you about two of these that I call Tonka Projects.

Tonka Project 1

This past fall in my role of leading five of our Nav ministries, I could see there was a big task ahead. We were not balanced in our leadership. Organizationally over the years, we have either excelled at ministry expertise or our geographic supervision. This is a Tonka Project because I need to lead, encourage, speak into the balancing act. The challenge before us excelling at both expertise and supervision. Done well it will mean powerful ministry that lasts long.

Tonka Project 2

Last spring I was asked to lead one of the teams working another project. Our funding model was not helping all of us Navs. We dug into all our organization’s processes, practices, policies and system, from HR to our supervisory structures, that are limiting our staff of color and our women from being fully funded.  It’s a Tonka Project because we want to see a diverse staff building the Christ’s Kingdom like Revelation 7 where all the nations are worshiping before the lamb of God.

What will move ahead these Tonka Projects? This portion of Psalm 90 has spoken powerfully to me this year. See how it speaks to our work.

16 Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. 17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! ESV

May God do his part (v16) and with his strength may we do His work. May the Lord use each of us to expand His Kingdom. The Father will empower us to complete His Tonka Projects.