It Takes Everyone

Confession: I am a Battle of the Books dropout.

For those who may not know, Battle of the Books is a trivia-like competition for students who enjoy reading. The NC School Library Media Association publishes a list of books to be read and studied each year. Various persons then write fact-recall questions about the books and different schools select teams of students to compete again other teams in answering said questions. Teams have no idea what the questions will be until they hear them at the competition.

I started reading this year’s Battle of the Books books at the end of last year. I read a handful of the books and had every intention of completing the entire list…but…I didn’t. I somehow managed to run into a brick wall of anti-reading, and I’ve yet to overcome the wall.

Not reading all of the books = disqualified from the Battle of the Books team = Deanna disqualifying herself as a coach. I, Deanna Deaton, am a Battle of the Books dropout.

But that doesn’t mean I didn’t help with this year’s competition.

It sounds small, I know, and it really is small in comparison to the hours of practice that the team and coaches put into this year’s competition, but I provided the plants for stage decorations and the microphones for the sound system at this year’s countywide competition.

The coaches were hoping to rent some stage decorations, but the rental fell through. I always buy my mom plants for Mother’s Day, so I decided to buy the plants early this year and loan them to Battle of the Books. [Happy Mother’s Day, mom :-D!]

I used to sing in a band. At the height of our career, we bought our own microphones. I have six microphones that now sit in a closet at home. We have no decent microphones at school. I was asked to set up the sound system, so I decided to bring my microphones from home so that the sound would be consistent between teams. I figured that the microphones are much more useful at school for two days than they are in the closet at home.

Like I said, I know that these two things are really small in the scheme of the entire event. Yet they needed to happen. And I could fill the needs. So why not step up and play my part?

The truth is, friends, everything is a sum of its parts. None of us stands completely alone. Ever. Sometimes, our role in an event or happening is as big as coordinating or coaching. Other times it’s as small as providing plants and microphones. Regardless, we each have our roles to play—gifts and talents to offer—things that we can do to help those around us—support that we can give—solutions that we can offer if we will but take a few minutes to see what they are. And I don’t know why, but this truth is especially good news to me today.

I may be a Battle of the Books dropout, but I’m also a Battle of the Books supporter. I did what I could to lead to today’s victory for our school. That’s right—my team won! And I couldn’t be prouder to have been a part of it all.

“ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. Love must be sincere.” Romans 12:3-9