Written by Scott M. Crawford, Ph.D
Friends of mine Rachael Taylor and Kelly Cook from Broadmeadow United Methodist Church approached me this morning as I arrived for church. They were leading the Children’s Bible Study and asked the kids, “What are you grateful for?” The answer was a unanimous, “I’m grateful for my LEGO’s!!!” Of course, being a bit of a LEGO fan myself (ever so slightly), this made me smile. Rachael and Kelly asked if there was some way to incorporate LEGO’s into a spiritual message to teach the children. This blog is my answer.
As fans of LEGO JACKSON may already know, it is an idealized version of Mississippi’s Capital City, in which all are welcome, everyone cares for each other, and people bring about justice and equity for all. One of the first buildings I wanted to create was my home church, Broadmeadow United Methodist. It’s a very traditional looking church, with a tall white steeple. Unfortunately, that kind of steeple is very difficult (almost impossible) to recreate in the right scale, proportional to the minifigures that populate LEGO JACKSON.
Building with LEGO often results in this kind of quandary. Having a great idea but not having the pieces available (if they even exist at all). Complicating everything is that the more one builds, the fewer pieces you have left in the collection, no matter how carefully they might be organized for easy retrieval.
Living with a chronic, progressive, debilitating disease like multiple sclerosis is a lot like that. It can be described as “the gift that keeps on taking.” Ones strength, cognitive resources, coordination, and stamina are all taken away slowly but surely…sometimes quite abruptly.
Yet, we are all called to “BUILD” something meaningful with our lives. None of us have the same set of pieces, and although we may try to get more through education, hard work, and creativity, there are always limits.
My life as a clinical neuropsychologist ended when I got a severe form of progressive MS. It was not unlike the time when vandals broke into my storage unit and destroyed a large part of LEGO JACKSON. It was devastating. I’d worked very long and hard to create a life I thought was meaningful, and it was taken away. I was left to “pick up the pieces” and “start over” with “plan B.”
I now have a lot fewer “pieces” than I had before. MS affects my cognition, although most people do not notice. Chronic exhaustion limits what I do despite my “workaholic” personality. Some days it is hard to get out of bed, and it is always a struggle to speak loud enough to be heard (my vocal cords are paralyzed).
There are very few things that I’m absolutely certain of, but one of them is that we are all tasked with creating something meaningful with what we have available. To me, that means serving on various disability related boards and committees, and inspiring others to care for each other and our city through LEGO JACKSON.
I couldn’t build the exact likeness of my own church, so I examined what I DID have, and came up with a design for a “Cathedral” to represent a place where the people of LEGO JACKSON could revere their Creator. LEGO JACKSON’s Cathedral debuted in 2010.
If I had the pieces, I’d like to someday build a Mosque, Jewish Temple, and other places of worship.
You’ll notice I repurposed “wheels” for stained glass windows.
I scrounged enough clear pieces to create a “stained glass cross” behind the altar.
I worked hard to recreate details like the altar cross, pipe organ, baptismal font, and bread/wine. Jedi Knights serve for “monks”.
It didn’t turn out to be my church, but it serves the people of LEGO JACKSON well.
Remember, in life, we are asked to build something meaningful using fewer pieces than we wish we had.
Be creative. Keep building. Never stop.
-Scott
Jackson: photographs by Ken Murphy is available now for purchase. To order a copy, call Lemuria Books at 601.366.7619 or visit us online at lemuriabooks.com.
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