Where Have All the Lizards Gone?

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. 1 Corinthians 3:5-7 (NIV)

Where have all the lizards gone? Gone to auction and most of them sold. The GeckoFest Gala was last night. What a relief for that to be almost over. Since GeckoFest is only held every other year, I have some time to decide whether I want to participate again. A lot will depend on how much our historical park earned from their share of the proceeds. Putting on an event of that scale, where 61 six foot geckos are sponsored and hung throughout the city for three months generates a lot of good feelings and some upset citizens. Not that most didn’t love the geckos. People were excited to see them around town and many people went on gecko hunting expeditions to find everyone on the list. The disappointment came when the geckos came down. Not many had the money to buy one of their own. They think that the geckos should become public property and remain for all to see. And then, there were the ones who were stolen. Someone left the place where the geckos were stored unsecured and four, including the replica of the Geico Gecko, the event’s major sponsor, were taken. At least, the case of “Lizard Larceny,” gained media attention bringing in more bidders to the auction. The auction or “GALA” was a hectic and somewhat disorganized event. Thirty-nine small twelve inch geckos painted by local artists were in a silent auction. Most sold for $25 though several hit the $100 mark. I was in charge of organizing that and as happens with many silent auctions, there were some disappointed bidders who felt that they should have been high bidder and won their favorite gecko when in fact, someone else outbid them. The large geckos did not sell for as much as we had hoped. Most went for their starting bid of $500 which means after materials and artists’ commissions, the GeckoFest committee only made $50 on the gecko sale. A few went for around $1,500. Some did not sell and will be available for purchase on line. After the cost of the Gala meal, advertising and other expenses, I will be surprised if there is much left to divide among the members of the cultural organizations who worked their tails off to make the event happen. We just have to keep focusing on the community spirit and attention to local cultural organizations generated. The same thing often happens with a lot of our “church work.” We think we are on the right track and invest lots of time and energy into something only to feel like we didn’t make our goal. But, at least with ministry done in the name of Christ, we can always be sure that the seeds that are planted will someday bring a fruitful harvest. I know that to be true. We cannot become discouraged when we do not see immediate results. And here is another truth. While they are cute for a time, I hope I will not see a six foot gecko for a very very long time.