Making Plans. And Changing Them.

 Each new layout comes with a plan. Often, several plans, before I settle on the final design. Everyone builds differently - some people only buy and build sets, following the instructions exactly and never taking them apart. Others use pictures to guide them, some just make it up as they go along.

Over the years I've found it really, really helpful to be able to plan out my railroad layouts ahead of time,and for this Bluebrick is really helpful, allowing me to keep count of how many track sections I've used/got left over. As I have tracks form 2 different, old systems Lego used, and 9 trains to fit in, I always now build on 2 levels. The pics on the left show the lower and upper levels and then the combined image which helps me work out where I'll need to put bridges and things.

It doesn't have all the details in, but does have what I need. However, as I start building I realise changes need to be made in some places. They're usually small, but not always. I'm in the early stages of building this and have already made a few changes to the plan.

In life, we need to be able to change and adapt as well. Things happen we didn't plan for, and with God's help, it's possible to adjust to them. And if we really mess up, God will help us take the pieces and put them back together. Not always the way they were, but a new combinations, a new way of being.

This layout has exactly the same number of track pieces as my last one, but looks very different. I'm the same person I was 5, 10 years ago, but God has reshaped my personality and my actions to be quite different, and I hope he'll continue to do that to make me more like him over the years to come. In the meantime, it's time for Kids Camp, so let's sit back and enjoy some building!

The In Between Layout

 So, this is kind of an odd post to be writing, as this layout no longer exists! I built it between December 2016 and Spring 2019, anticipating that I had more time to finish it. However, things changed and suddenly I found myself getting ready to leave my job in Williamsburg, start at Reveille and move house! So it all had to be packed away....

On one had that was frustrating, but on the other, it meant I could start planning a new layout. I really enjoy the planning stage of a layout, seeing what will work in a new space and working in the limitations it creates. For this layout, I really did have as much space as I wanted, so I went and bought more baseboards etc to create more space, it was a relatively easy process, and I could see the big picture quite easily. Having 3 steps down into the room made it particularly easy to see the whole layout at once.

With as large a layout as this though, there are lots of spaces to fill in, so I found myself creating lots of details for the first time - houses, a beach with cafe, volleyball and a boardwalk and so much more.

As we journey through Kids Camp next week at church there'll be a mix of big pictures and small details. We often get hung up on the details while God sees the big picture. I wonder what would happen if we stopped every so often and looked at the big picture. As I work on my new layout I have the plans open every time on my computer, ready to guide me, and give me a big picture perspective. But more on that next time.

Lastly, if you're interested, there's a time lapse video of this layout being built available here.

It's been a while, I've been busy building....a family!

OK, so I haven't posted here in, well, a long time. And a lot has happened in that time, but I'll get to that shortly.

I'm back on here because, well, isn't everything online now? Pretty much, and certainly everything at church is online, including our upcoming Kids Camp, for which I've been recruited to do a thread based on Lego. So here I am resurrecting this blog and my occasional thoughts on how my faith and Lego interact.

Since my last post in 2014 I've settled well and truly into life here in the US, got married twice (ok, legally once, but we had two weddings, one here and one the following week in Ireland) and become a dad! As a kid my excuse was always "I'm keeping my Lego for my kids..." I may have to start sharing at some point in the next few years now! I've also moved house 3 times, which means I'm onto my third US layout, pics of which are included. I'll do another post about the 2nd one soon.

With Kids Club coming up, I'm reflecting on the theme of "Love Under Construction", to help children see that their relationship with God is an ongoing thing that sometimes needs repair/rebuilding/adjusting and so on. 10 years ago if you had told me I'd be where I am now and ridiculously happy in that place, I would have laughed in your face. But the journey I have been on, both literally in moving over here, and in the growth and learning I've done, has been phenomenal, I've met wonderful people, and grown my Lego collection enormously, which can't be bad.

I'm at the very early stages of this layout, I'll post about the plans etc next week, but it's a stage I love, seeing things begin to take shape, but knowing they'll change as I go along. As I look back on the last few years, I can see so many times I was a project under Love's construction as God has continued to reshape me and mold me into who he wants me to be. My plans for Kids Club may change, but that's ok. Lego, life, and love all require a bit of flexibility.