I had an epiphany while I was in the shower this evening. (Isn't it funny how epiphanies come in the shower? Maybe they don't for everyone, but they certainly often do for me.) In my last post, I used a metaphor of making chai and the readiness of that chai being delayed to convey different options we have as we experience delay in our own lives. In that post, I looked at three options, focusing primarily on the third, which I felt was the best. Check out the post below if you haven't read it and want to bring yourself up to speed. Tonight, I felt I was given a fourth option, and it has to do with the subject of control....or giving it up.
So, continuing the chai metaphor, we have first have three options when dealing with delay (there could be more, but I chose to look at three in the last post):
1)Decide you were given the wrong recipe and wasted time and resources and throw the chai out. It was all a waste. Pity.
2)Realize that you were given the right recipe, that whatever goal you were striving towards (what that chai represents) was in fact correct, but it's just going to take longer to thicken, so keep stirring. The problem here is that you can go stir crazy checking the chai and waiting for it to be ready, whatever that end goal, desire, or dream may be.
3)Get out of the kitchen for awhile and let God stir the chai (it has to be watched over or stirred, otherwise the milk will boil over) while you enjoy the other things he's prepared in the next room. He'll call you if he needs your help stirring, and he'll let you know when the chai is ready. Getting out of the kitchen helps get your mind off of what's not yet and enjoying what already is.
But here's where the fourth option comes in! Are you ready for this?
4)Realize that you were never in charge of making the chai to begin with and just trust God to complete the work from start to finish. Let go of control and just enjoy whatever chai God is making in there, because if he's the one making it, it's going to be good!
Let's look at this another way. Say you have a dream, a vision, a goal, a plan, and you really want to see that happen. You even feel like it was God-given, so it's important for you to stay the course. When things go wrong or not according to plan, if you are like me, you begin to fear that the plan was wrong all along or that you had the right plan but that you have to maintain the course in order to keep everything on track. It's God's plan, but he gave it to you to steward, so you're partly in charge, right? Right? Hmmm...How much are we really in charge of these things? Now, don't get me wrong. I do believe that we get to co-labor with God, that we partner with him in different ways to get things done, and our part is important. But with that said, if God has a specific plan for something really big in our lives, one of these pots of chai we're intent on stewing over, doesn't it stand to reason that he will accomplish it well, whether or not we are getting the full picture/recipe/whatever?
Here's another way to view it. Let us say that you view your life as a story, and you feel like you see a certain storyline about to play out that you need to keep on top of. You're on a quest, an adventure, and you can see where the story is going. But then the story begins to take a turn, and though you know detours can often lead the hero back onto the original journey, the fear sets in that you might actually find yourself at a different destination. So you remember your story, re-tell it to yourself, and convince yourself that the ending is just what you thought it would be, just what you thought you heard, even though that ending has yet to be told. Granted, sometimes, many times, I believe we are given the ending. This is what is often refer to as prophecy, and it's something I've experienced in my life: God telling me things that are yet to come, and those things happening. HOWEVER, and this is the biggie, why do we have to hold such tight control on our story in the first place? While I believe it's important to have a proper view of the story we're in (and I may write a post on that eventually), why do we have to clutch at the details to ensure we know exactly where the story is going when the narrative we expected seemingly starts to derail? I think it has to do with two words: TRUST and CONTROL.
We either TRUST the Storyteller, the one who is writing the story and causing it to unfold, or we try to CONTROL the story. Who can write the better ending? Many would say that they know the best ending to their story. I certainly feel that way about some things. But I'm realizing that if I really trust that the Storyteller, the one who is making my story and allowing me to write certain parts in myself, has my best interest in mind, then the major destination points are going to be to my benefit. He's good, and he has a GOOD story for me to live. My need to be right, to KNOW everything so precisely, will hopefully feel less important as I trust that this Writer is writing something really good for me, as he has proven to me again and again with the way other parts of the story have played out. That is not to say that there haven't been low points in the story, but all of it works together for good. (Sound familiar?)
Do I care if I got the chai recipe right? Do I care about my story ending the way that I think it should and want it to? Yes. But what if I release greater control in the process, trusting that whether or not I get every detail right, the Chai Master himself, the grand Orator, is going to serve up something that caffeinates the soul like nothing else ever could? I'm mixing metaphors, but I think you get my point. The chai, the story, is his...HIS. So we can relax and let him cook it up, write it out. We can just BE. And trust that whatever else comes along that doesn't seem to belong in the chai or add up to the right ending will somehow work out in the most masterful of ways.
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." -Isaiah 55:8-11
"
Showing posts with label dreams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dreams. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Saturday, May 24, 2014
What to Do When The Chai's Not Ready...or How to Deal with Delay
Have you ever been waiting for something, then realized in the process that the thing that you're waiting for may take a lot longer than you had planned? Have you ever been so sure about something and felt so confident about your timing, then realized that whatever you had been brooding over would not necessarily be finished in the time you had allotted? Let's get more practical here. What are you to do, when you've been confidently pursuing a goal, a direction, perhaps a promise from God---if you believe like me that God speaks to humans---and you suddenly find yourself on a steep slope of indefinite delay? While I do not claim to have all of the answers, I do feel like I reached a breakthrough in this area this morning, and I'm eager to share it with you.
I was talking to God about this---actually, I've been talking to him a lot about this off and on---and this morning, I felt like he gave me a helpful key. First, let's look at two that I'm finding not so helpful. I'm going to frame this with the metaphor of chai, since that's how Jesus spoke to me this morning.
Imagine that you're making a big pot of chai, and you plan for it to be your best chai yet. You're confident about the recipe, the ingredients are fresh and in order, and as you proceed with each step, the aroma of the heavenly brew begins to stimulate your senses! "This is going to be an amazing chai!" you might say. You know that it's going to take some time, as it's a huge pot of chai, and the spices need to simmer long enough for their potent qualities to permeate the golden liquid. So you wait, you stir, you give it the time it needs, and more and more, the manifestation of chai becomes apparent before your eyes. It's time to remove the spices and pour in the milk! (I skipped the description of the previous steps, such as brewing the tea, so as not to turn this into a post on how to make chai.) Fast-forward. The beloved substance before you now looks like chai and smells like chai, and you've given it enough time, seemingly, for more of the water to boil out such that the milk takes its proper place to create a creamy consistency. The consistency should be right by now, so the spices can be removed and the sugar added. But wait! It's not thick enough yet! It's too watery! All of this time, and it's still not ready? What are we to do?
There are two options, no three, for how to proceed in the face of disappointing delay.
Option 1: Give up on the chai all together, concluding that the recipe was all wrong, and all of the time, energy, and ingredients invested were spent on a lost cause. You got it wrong. Pour out your progress, and count your losses, since you don't believe more time will really help. The recipe's wrong, remember?
Option 2: Keep believing, keep stirring, just give that chai more time, and test the consistency periodically to know when it's ready for the next stage. You got the recipe right...it's just going to take more time than you thought. Stick with it, thirsty for chai though you may be, and neglectful as you might operate towards the other needs in your day.
I'll share Option 3 right after I expound on these first two. Option 1 is in some regard, the safest route, since if the recipe is indeed wrong, more time is not necessarily going to help things. It will just end up in more wasted time and greater disappointment after further hope and time were invested. But it's also the most wasteful option if indeed the recipe turns out to be right and what's needed really is more time. Option 2 is a good bet, as on many occasions, more time and patience is what's needed, though the fast pace of a high-speed, instant-everything society can make that difficult. Even so, if the recipe is right, then the ingredients are fine, and it's important to give the process its due.
But there's a problem with Option 2. Continuing with the metaphor of chai-making, this second option keeps one stirring and staring at the brew that is becoming, leaving the maker very thirsty and wanting in the process, and neglecting other needful activities that would have otherwise made for a very good day. You've heard the term "stir-crazy?" Well, I'd say that in some cases, that's an appropriate descriptor of what this option can do to a maker of chai who does not know how long it will be until the consistency is right. Having made many chai's myself, I know what it's like to stew in front of the pot, stirring, waiting, checking, tasting, waiting some more...And the thing about chai is that you can't simply leave it to simmer on its own, not the way I do it anyway. Somebody MUST remain with the pot at all times, lest the milk get too hot and boil over. But we don't want to go stir-crazy either, do we? So what's the solution? That's where Option 3 comes into play! Ready?
Option 3: Continue stirring for a bit, realizing that the recipe is right---you didn't get it wrong---and it's just going to need more time, and when God comes walking into the kitchen, offering to take your place at the stove, gladly accept his offer. Here's how I see this playing out between him and me or him and you:
God: Hey, it smells good!
You/Me: Yeah, I thought it was going to be a really good chai, but I don't know now.
God: My recipe's good. And I saw you getting everything ready. You're gonna be fine. Just give it some more time.
You/Me: That's what I was thinking too, that it just needs more time, and I should just be patient. But I don't know. I'm going stir-crazy here standing in front of this stove! I smell the chai, and I see it's going to be good, but I can't have it right now. And I'm really ready for some caffeination!
God: Why don't you let me take your place here, and mosey on into the living room. I made you some tea there, some of your favorite, and there's some shortbread for you too. Go. Take a rest. I'll let you know when this is ready. It's my recipe anyway, remember? You go and relax. Chai is supposed to be life-giving, not soul-sucking.
You/Me: Ain't that the truth? Okay, God. Thanks for taking over. Let me know if you want me to come back and stir some more.
God: Will do! Enjoy!
So, what does this look like practically? There are obviously different ramifications for whatever your particular situation is and depending upon what your particular chai is in this case. But I think these tips are fair across the board:
1. Get out of the kitchen for awhile. Find some space where you're not looking at and smelling the aromas of the chai that's just not ready yet. (In reality, that would be very difficult if making true chai in a small space, but perhaps your living space is larger than mine. This is where the metaphor breaks down, but ah well.)
2. Enjoy the tea that's already brewed and whatever treats are available to soothe your hunger. I find that God is always preparing something for the future, so what did he prepare in the past that finds its future present today? That last question might have felt like a quandry in time travel, so here it is another way: If something's not ready to enjoy right now, what IS ready? What is around you that is perfect for this present season? Go invest in that. The chai will continue to brew, and God will tell you when it's ready or when he wants your help again in the making.
3. The best things take time. Good chai cannot be rushed. Neither can the richest gifts that God wants to give us. If there's tremendous delay, it might just mean that the end result is going to be better than you thought. A baby takes 9 months to grow in the mother's womb, and even after birth, it still has a lot of growing to do. But it's always becoming more complete, its richness revealed layers at a time. Enjoy the process. But if the process is maddening, go back to suggestions 1 and 2 above. :-)
I myself am a dreamer. I don't typically go for the mediocre, which means that I go for the biggest adventures instead, the greatest desires. A great story, however, often requires many chapters, and that will unfortunately involve some delay. But which story would you rather be living? Or to go back to our chai metaphor, which brew would you rather be drinking? Watery and weak, or the creamy and rich, that most beloved substance? I'll take the latter...and I'll gladly let God stir...so I don't go crazy. Won't you join me in the other room for some tea and cookies in the meantime?
P.S. If you would like a soundtrack for this post, listen to the song "Run" by Collective Soul.
I was talking to God about this---actually, I've been talking to him a lot about this off and on---and this morning, I felt like he gave me a helpful key. First, let's look at two that I'm finding not so helpful. I'm going to frame this with the metaphor of chai, since that's how Jesus spoke to me this morning.
Imagine that you're making a big pot of chai, and you plan for it to be your best chai yet. You're confident about the recipe, the ingredients are fresh and in order, and as you proceed with each step, the aroma of the heavenly brew begins to stimulate your senses! "This is going to be an amazing chai!" you might say. You know that it's going to take some time, as it's a huge pot of chai, and the spices need to simmer long enough for their potent qualities to permeate the golden liquid. So you wait, you stir, you give it the time it needs, and more and more, the manifestation of chai becomes apparent before your eyes. It's time to remove the spices and pour in the milk! (I skipped the description of the previous steps, such as brewing the tea, so as not to turn this into a post on how to make chai.) Fast-forward. The beloved substance before you now looks like chai and smells like chai, and you've given it enough time, seemingly, for more of the water to boil out such that the milk takes its proper place to create a creamy consistency. The consistency should be right by now, so the spices can be removed and the sugar added. But wait! It's not thick enough yet! It's too watery! All of this time, and it's still not ready? What are we to do?
There are two options, no three, for how to proceed in the face of disappointing delay.
Option 1: Give up on the chai all together, concluding that the recipe was all wrong, and all of the time, energy, and ingredients invested were spent on a lost cause. You got it wrong. Pour out your progress, and count your losses, since you don't believe more time will really help. The recipe's wrong, remember?
Option 2: Keep believing, keep stirring, just give that chai more time, and test the consistency periodically to know when it's ready for the next stage. You got the recipe right...it's just going to take more time than you thought. Stick with it, thirsty for chai though you may be, and neglectful as you might operate towards the other needs in your day.
I'll share Option 3 right after I expound on these first two. Option 1 is in some regard, the safest route, since if the recipe is indeed wrong, more time is not necessarily going to help things. It will just end up in more wasted time and greater disappointment after further hope and time were invested. But it's also the most wasteful option if indeed the recipe turns out to be right and what's needed really is more time. Option 2 is a good bet, as on many occasions, more time and patience is what's needed, though the fast pace of a high-speed, instant-everything society can make that difficult. Even so, if the recipe is right, then the ingredients are fine, and it's important to give the process its due.
But there's a problem with Option 2. Continuing with the metaphor of chai-making, this second option keeps one stirring and staring at the brew that is becoming, leaving the maker very thirsty and wanting in the process, and neglecting other needful activities that would have otherwise made for a very good day. You've heard the term "stir-crazy?" Well, I'd say that in some cases, that's an appropriate descriptor of what this option can do to a maker of chai who does not know how long it will be until the consistency is right. Having made many chai's myself, I know what it's like to stew in front of the pot, stirring, waiting, checking, tasting, waiting some more...And the thing about chai is that you can't simply leave it to simmer on its own, not the way I do it anyway. Somebody MUST remain with the pot at all times, lest the milk get too hot and boil over. But we don't want to go stir-crazy either, do we? So what's the solution? That's where Option 3 comes into play! Ready?
Option 3: Continue stirring for a bit, realizing that the recipe is right---you didn't get it wrong---and it's just going to need more time, and when God comes walking into the kitchen, offering to take your place at the stove, gladly accept his offer. Here's how I see this playing out between him and me or him and you:
God: Hey, it smells good!
You/Me: Yeah, I thought it was going to be a really good chai, but I don't know now.
God: My recipe's good. And I saw you getting everything ready. You're gonna be fine. Just give it some more time.
You/Me: That's what I was thinking too, that it just needs more time, and I should just be patient. But I don't know. I'm going stir-crazy here standing in front of this stove! I smell the chai, and I see it's going to be good, but I can't have it right now. And I'm really ready for some caffeination!
God: Why don't you let me take your place here, and mosey on into the living room. I made you some tea there, some of your favorite, and there's some shortbread for you too. Go. Take a rest. I'll let you know when this is ready. It's my recipe anyway, remember? You go and relax. Chai is supposed to be life-giving, not soul-sucking.
You/Me: Ain't that the truth? Okay, God. Thanks for taking over. Let me know if you want me to come back and stir some more.
God: Will do! Enjoy!
So, what does this look like practically? There are obviously different ramifications for whatever your particular situation is and depending upon what your particular chai is in this case. But I think these tips are fair across the board:
1. Get out of the kitchen for awhile. Find some space where you're not looking at and smelling the aromas of the chai that's just not ready yet. (In reality, that would be very difficult if making true chai in a small space, but perhaps your living space is larger than mine. This is where the metaphor breaks down, but ah well.)
2. Enjoy the tea that's already brewed and whatever treats are available to soothe your hunger. I find that God is always preparing something for the future, so what did he prepare in the past that finds its future present today? That last question might have felt like a quandry in time travel, so here it is another way: If something's not ready to enjoy right now, what IS ready? What is around you that is perfect for this present season? Go invest in that. The chai will continue to brew, and God will tell you when it's ready or when he wants your help again in the making.
3. The best things take time. Good chai cannot be rushed. Neither can the richest gifts that God wants to give us. If there's tremendous delay, it might just mean that the end result is going to be better than you thought. A baby takes 9 months to grow in the mother's womb, and even after birth, it still has a lot of growing to do. But it's always becoming more complete, its richness revealed layers at a time. Enjoy the process. But if the process is maddening, go back to suggestions 1 and 2 above. :-)
I myself am a dreamer. I don't typically go for the mediocre, which means that I go for the biggest adventures instead, the greatest desires. A great story, however, often requires many chapters, and that will unfortunately involve some delay. But which story would you rather be living? Or to go back to our chai metaphor, which brew would you rather be drinking? Watery and weak, or the creamy and rich, that most beloved substance? I'll take the latter...and I'll gladly let God stir...so I don't go crazy. Won't you join me in the other room for some tea and cookies in the meantime?
P.S. If you would like a soundtrack for this post, listen to the song "Run" by Collective Soul.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Seeds, Soil, and Dreaming in the Now
What do you think when you hear the words "dreams," "dreaming," or "dreamer?" Does it conjure images and feelings of things ethereal or distant, or a substance so heavy yet so light that you cannot quite grasp it? Dreams are typically thought of as just out of reach, whether we are talking about the images that flow through our minds while we sleep or the life visions that propel our lives forward through the mundane in pursuit of something better. I, for one, am a big dreamer, and today I would like to explore something that inspired me in a podcast I listened to last night entitled "Living the Dream" by Danny Silk. The idea I want to explore is, <i>What if we could actually experience and give out of the substance of our dream (or dreams) right now in the present?
For those of you who don't know, Danny Silk is a pastor on staff at Bethel Church in Redding, California, and he is one of the many speakers there whose sermons rock my world on a regular basis. You may be wondering at this point, "Wait a minute. Did you just say that a sermon rocked your world? Are you kidding?" If that is you, I'm actually excited that you are reading this because you have an opportunity to experience something incredibly rich and life-giving that you have probably otherwise experienced as dull or irrelevant up until now. Just as there is a good way to cook chicken (insert vegetable of your choice here if you do not eat meat) and a bad way to cook chicken, and as chicken-eaters (or vegetable eaters) all have varying tastes, the same is true for the presentation of sermons. Some are full and juicy, some are bland and dry, in need of salt, and some are in between, neither the perfection of poultry nor culinary disaster. If you want to get a taste of the particular sermon I am talking about, check it out (and many others like it) here: http://podcasts.ibethel.org/en/. If it ends up taking you to a general page, look for the podcast entitled "Living the Dream."
Now that I have hopefully piqued your interest in exploring the joy of sermons (think of 'em as inspirational talks with incredible revelation and truth packed in), one of the statements that struck me the most in Danny Silk's sermon was this idea that our dreams are primarily for the good of others. Yes, we get to enjoy our dreams, both in the process of pursuing them and in living them out, and that's such a gift, but if we make it all about ourselves and how good we are going to feel as we are pursuing or living out those dreams, we've missed the point, and they are likely to become an unhealthy weight in our lives. The truth is that all of our amazingness is meant to impact others in a positive way, not to simply sit as our own personal reservoir for us to drink from and enjoy. There's a reason the Dead Sea is called the Dead Sea. The salt water doesn't flow out anywhere. It remains within itself. What a waste to the waters around it. The same can be said for our lives and in this case, our dreams.
That brings me to another thought I was pondering with Jesus this morning and the reason for me writing this blog. I thought, "Okay, what is it that I want my dreams to do to others?" (in a good way) "and how can I pursue the heart of that right now even while the fullness of those dreams are not yet manifested?" To put it another way, what is at the heart of my dreams in terms of how they are going to affect people, and what can I do right now, today, to cultivate that in my life and in the lives of others?
I conjecture that we can actually perform the substance of our dreams right now, since the seed of those dreams lies within us, what God has put in each and every one of us, and the manifestation of those dreams just multiplies the scope of how many people we are able to reach with that substance. Let's break it down into very practical terms, using an example from my own life.
David (that's me) wants to revolutionize the mainstream theatre world from the inside out, taking what he sees as a broken system (albeit with some very beautiful working parts) and restoring it, with the help of others, to a glorious wholeness which produces greater life through the art that is created and the way that it is created. David wants to see greater opportunities for actors and other theatre artists of color who have historically been marginalized for reasons unjust. David wants to make high-quality theatre more accessible to the poor. David wants to foster theatre-making atmospheres in which every person involved, from the production crew to the actors with the smallest parts, feel incredibly vital to the community of which they are a part and thoroughly safe to be who they are. David wants to raise up an army of playwrights, producers, and directors who will create works of greater substance, honoring what's good, noble, pure, right, and exposing the very real evil and brokenness that exists in the world. (This means that not all art has to be pretty in order to be pure and potent. Sometimes dark chocolate tastes better than milk chocolate. Both have their place.) David wants to see more work like this get into the mainstream theatre sector, serving as a norm in the industry and not simply the unseen anomaly to be kept hidden underground for a select subculture. No. It's time to change the game. Serve one another and slay the dragon. If theatre became more about serving others than serving the self, it would look totally different. And it will.
So, that is some of my dream, in a nutshell. It actually doesn't fit into a nutshell, which is why there is more of it not even listed up there, and which is why it is a DREAM. Dreams don't fit into nuts...but they do begin as seeds, and grow beyond what at first appears minuscule to become something much bigger. We must not neglect the seeds of our dreams. Seeds need to be cultivated in the right soil before they can grow (most of the time, anyway...Some seeds will grow regardless. How cool is that?). I think that soil is our hearts, and the more we cultivate that soil (or let God cultivate it with us, in his loving way), the more the seed begins to grow and the greater potential that beanstalk or tree has to develop into something MASSIVE.
In this analogy, there are two things that I feel we can do. One is to ask, "What is the seed--not the big tree that the dream will be but the heart of the dream?"
In my case, it's a heart to see worship of God returned to the center of theatre-making, broken hearts made whole, fractured lives mended, and relationships restored. It is to see people step into who they are meant to be as individuals and as communities and through stepping into their destinies, to make the world brighter...to give the world CHAI! If I could condense all of this into one sentence, one thought, perhaps it's found again in my chai imagery, that I want the chai of God to caffeinate people's souls and awaken them to new realities, brightening the world as they step into their destinies as individuals and communities. I want people to taste Jesus' chai and come to life.
The question here then becomes, "What can I do with this seed right now?" or "How can I pursue these things at this very moment, without the external parts of my dream having taken place fully yet?"
If we continue to use my own dreams as an example for this breakdown, I can call people into their destinies on a daily basis through encouraging them and speaking words of identity over them. I can be a peacemaker in the lives of my friends and others, helping to restore relationships. I can create works of life or simply BE the work of life that God has made me and so allow others to drink of the chai that he has put in me. I can write a blogpost like this!
What about you? What are the seeds of your dreams, and what can YOU do to cultivate them right now? Take a minute and actually think about it. It might just change your whole day. Ha! Once you've done that (or if you need some further help fleshing this out), read on.
The second big right-now thing that we can do is to cultivate that soil I mentioned, namely the condition of our hearts. If that is where the seed is to grow, then we surely want the soil to give it the best potential for growing into the most full expression of dream that it can. Perhaps our hearts determine how far a dream will grow, or if it will grow at all.
So how can we cultivate that soil? For me, it has a lot to do with letting Jesus, Holy Spirit, and God the Father, soften that soil through daily conversation, meditation on the truth (as revealed in the Bible and in other congruent things that have been spoken to me through others), and taking risks where God wants to stir the soil up. If I just remain a sessile piece of earth and say, "No God! No stirring today! I'm just gonna stay right here and you're not gonna move any of this dirt around!" I'll just become a hardened mound of dry soil and clay. And we know how hard it is to work with hardened clay. If, however, I say, "Okay, God, you want to shift things around? I'll let you," then the soil is tilled and things that were hard or were becoming too heavy are aerated and even watered where needed.
This also implies action on our part. Sometimes, we get to till the soil of our own heart along with God. Jesus might say, "Hey, see that patch over there? It needs some water" or "Let's throw some manure over there." And we can say, "What? Water? MANURE?" and resist even stepping in that direction for fear of a mess, or we can say "Okay, I'm not sure about this, but your fertilizer worked well last time, so I'm willing to give this a go. Just help me with the manure part, alright?"
In my life, this looks like reaching out to people whom I wouldn't otherwise reach out to, or considering working with a student population in theatre that brings me outside of my comfort zone but reminds me that it is important to give to people whose differences challenge me.
What about you? Which area of soil is God wanting to cultivate in your heart right now? If you don't believe in God, you're certainly welcome to try to cultivate that soil on your own, and I would applaud you for your noble effort. However, from personal experience trying to fix myself up in my own strength, I can tell you that it's hard to work with the manure from the outside when there's plenty of manure I can't deal with on the inside. Sometimes a whole new heart is the only way to reset the pH levels in the soil. And to quote the title of a song my mom, Cat Ello, wrote, ("Jesus, Gardener of my Heart") "Jesus" is the only gardener that can do that kind of soil transplant. (See Matthew 13 if you are interested in looking further into this imagery of Jesus as a gardener.)
So what are the seeds of your dreams? What is the thrust of them, the heart behind all of the activity? How can you engage in that thrust today, RIGHT NOW? And how is the soil of your heart in which your dreams can truly thrive and grow into all they were meant to be? How can you cultivate that soil, not tomorrow, not in the future, but RIGHT NOW, TODAY? If you need some gardening tips, I've got a guy you can talk to. ;-) Let's get dreaming...today.
"Jesus Gardener of my heart,
break this fallow ground apart.
Loosen every layer of the hardness that's in me.
You have plans that I don't know.
Fruitful seeds in me you'll sow.
Come prepare the soil.
You're the Gardener of my heart." -From "Jesus, Gardener of My Heart" on Cat Ello's upcoming CD of original music.
For those of you who don't know, Danny Silk is a pastor on staff at Bethel Church in Redding, California, and he is one of the many speakers there whose sermons rock my world on a regular basis. You may be wondering at this point, "Wait a minute. Did you just say that a sermon rocked your world? Are you kidding?" If that is you, I'm actually excited that you are reading this because you have an opportunity to experience something incredibly rich and life-giving that you have probably otherwise experienced as dull or irrelevant up until now. Just as there is a good way to cook chicken (insert vegetable of your choice here if you do not eat meat) and a bad way to cook chicken, and as chicken-eaters (or vegetable eaters) all have varying tastes, the same is true for the presentation of sermons. Some are full and juicy, some are bland and dry, in need of salt, and some are in between, neither the perfection of poultry nor culinary disaster. If you want to get a taste of the particular sermon I am talking about, check it out (and many others like it) here: http://podcasts.ibethel.org/en/. If it ends up taking you to a general page, look for the podcast entitled "Living the Dream."
Now that I have hopefully piqued your interest in exploring the joy of sermons (think of 'em as inspirational talks with incredible revelation and truth packed in), one of the statements that struck me the most in Danny Silk's sermon was this idea that our dreams are primarily for the good of others. Yes, we get to enjoy our dreams, both in the process of pursuing them and in living them out, and that's such a gift, but if we make it all about ourselves and how good we are going to feel as we are pursuing or living out those dreams, we've missed the point, and they are likely to become an unhealthy weight in our lives. The truth is that all of our amazingness is meant to impact others in a positive way, not to simply sit as our own personal reservoir for us to drink from and enjoy. There's a reason the Dead Sea is called the Dead Sea. The salt water doesn't flow out anywhere. It remains within itself. What a waste to the waters around it. The same can be said for our lives and in this case, our dreams.
That brings me to another thought I was pondering with Jesus this morning and the reason for me writing this blog. I thought, "Okay, what is it that I want my dreams to do to others?" (in a good way) "and how can I pursue the heart of that right now even while the fullness of those dreams are not yet manifested?" To put it another way, what is at the heart of my dreams in terms of how they are going to affect people, and what can I do right now, today, to cultivate that in my life and in the lives of others?
I conjecture that we can actually perform the substance of our dreams right now, since the seed of those dreams lies within us, what God has put in each and every one of us, and the manifestation of those dreams just multiplies the scope of how many people we are able to reach with that substance. Let's break it down into very practical terms, using an example from my own life.
David (that's me) wants to revolutionize the mainstream theatre world from the inside out, taking what he sees as a broken system (albeit with some very beautiful working parts) and restoring it, with the help of others, to a glorious wholeness which produces greater life through the art that is created and the way that it is created. David wants to see greater opportunities for actors and other theatre artists of color who have historically been marginalized for reasons unjust. David wants to make high-quality theatre more accessible to the poor. David wants to foster theatre-making atmospheres in which every person involved, from the production crew to the actors with the smallest parts, feel incredibly vital to the community of which they are a part and thoroughly safe to be who they are. David wants to raise up an army of playwrights, producers, and directors who will create works of greater substance, honoring what's good, noble, pure, right, and exposing the very real evil and brokenness that exists in the world. (This means that not all art has to be pretty in order to be pure and potent. Sometimes dark chocolate tastes better than milk chocolate. Both have their place.) David wants to see more work like this get into the mainstream theatre sector, serving as a norm in the industry and not simply the unseen anomaly to be kept hidden underground for a select subculture. No. It's time to change the game. Serve one another and slay the dragon. If theatre became more about serving others than serving the self, it would look totally different. And it will.
So, that is some of my dream, in a nutshell. It actually doesn't fit into a nutshell, which is why there is more of it not even listed up there, and which is why it is a DREAM. Dreams don't fit into nuts...but they do begin as seeds, and grow beyond what at first appears minuscule to become something much bigger. We must not neglect the seeds of our dreams. Seeds need to be cultivated in the right soil before they can grow (most of the time, anyway...Some seeds will grow regardless. How cool is that?). I think that soil is our hearts, and the more we cultivate that soil (or let God cultivate it with us, in his loving way), the more the seed begins to grow and the greater potential that beanstalk or tree has to develop into something MASSIVE.
In this analogy, there are two things that I feel we can do. One is to ask, "What is the seed--not the big tree that the dream will be but the heart of the dream?"
In my case, it's a heart to see worship of God returned to the center of theatre-making, broken hearts made whole, fractured lives mended, and relationships restored. It is to see people step into who they are meant to be as individuals and as communities and through stepping into their destinies, to make the world brighter...to give the world CHAI! If I could condense all of this into one sentence, one thought, perhaps it's found again in my chai imagery, that I want the chai of God to caffeinate people's souls and awaken them to new realities, brightening the world as they step into their destinies as individuals and communities. I want people to taste Jesus' chai and come to life.
The question here then becomes, "What can I do with this seed right now?" or "How can I pursue these things at this very moment, without the external parts of my dream having taken place fully yet?"
If we continue to use my own dreams as an example for this breakdown, I can call people into their destinies on a daily basis through encouraging them and speaking words of identity over them. I can be a peacemaker in the lives of my friends and others, helping to restore relationships. I can create works of life or simply BE the work of life that God has made me and so allow others to drink of the chai that he has put in me. I can write a blogpost like this!
What about you? What are the seeds of your dreams, and what can YOU do to cultivate them right now? Take a minute and actually think about it. It might just change your whole day. Ha! Once you've done that (or if you need some further help fleshing this out), read on.
The second big right-now thing that we can do is to cultivate that soil I mentioned, namely the condition of our hearts. If that is where the seed is to grow, then we surely want the soil to give it the best potential for growing into the most full expression of dream that it can. Perhaps our hearts determine how far a dream will grow, or if it will grow at all.
So how can we cultivate that soil? For me, it has a lot to do with letting Jesus, Holy Spirit, and God the Father, soften that soil through daily conversation, meditation on the truth (as revealed in the Bible and in other congruent things that have been spoken to me through others), and taking risks where God wants to stir the soil up. If I just remain a sessile piece of earth and say, "No God! No stirring today! I'm just gonna stay right here and you're not gonna move any of this dirt around!" I'll just become a hardened mound of dry soil and clay. And we know how hard it is to work with hardened clay. If, however, I say, "Okay, God, you want to shift things around? I'll let you," then the soil is tilled and things that were hard or were becoming too heavy are aerated and even watered where needed.
This also implies action on our part. Sometimes, we get to till the soil of our own heart along with God. Jesus might say, "Hey, see that patch over there? It needs some water" or "Let's throw some manure over there." And we can say, "What? Water? MANURE?" and resist even stepping in that direction for fear of a mess, or we can say "Okay, I'm not sure about this, but your fertilizer worked well last time, so I'm willing to give this a go. Just help me with the manure part, alright?"
In my life, this looks like reaching out to people whom I wouldn't otherwise reach out to, or considering working with a student population in theatre that brings me outside of my comfort zone but reminds me that it is important to give to people whose differences challenge me.
What about you? Which area of soil is God wanting to cultivate in your heart right now? If you don't believe in God, you're certainly welcome to try to cultivate that soil on your own, and I would applaud you for your noble effort. However, from personal experience trying to fix myself up in my own strength, I can tell you that it's hard to work with the manure from the outside when there's plenty of manure I can't deal with on the inside. Sometimes a whole new heart is the only way to reset the pH levels in the soil. And to quote the title of a song my mom, Cat Ello, wrote, ("Jesus, Gardener of my Heart") "Jesus" is the only gardener that can do that kind of soil transplant. (See Matthew 13 if you are interested in looking further into this imagery of Jesus as a gardener.)
So what are the seeds of your dreams? What is the thrust of them, the heart behind all of the activity? How can you engage in that thrust today, RIGHT NOW? And how is the soil of your heart in which your dreams can truly thrive and grow into all they were meant to be? How can you cultivate that soil, not tomorrow, not in the future, but RIGHT NOW, TODAY? If you need some gardening tips, I've got a guy you can talk to. ;-) Let's get dreaming...today.
"Jesus Gardener of my heart,
break this fallow ground apart.
Loosen every layer of the hardness that's in me.
You have plans that I don't know.
Fruitful seeds in me you'll sow.
Come prepare the soil.
You're the Gardener of my heart." -From "Jesus, Gardener of My Heart" on Cat Ello's upcoming CD of original music.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Juggling, Tennis, and the Secret of Successful Planning
What if you didn't have to impress anybody? What if you didn't have to worry about messing up your life by making the wrong choice in a matter or taking the wrong step in a particular direction? What if---just what IF--this was a year in which you could run uninhibited after the inclinations of your heart and know that you would end up okay, safe---no, better than safe---better than where you started? My friends, I propose that it is just such a year, with a magic IF. Let's explore this, shall we? I'm sure you want to know what the IF is, IF such a scenario is possible. Let's see!
Being the beginning of the new year, this is a time when many, myself included, reflect on the past and, more importantly, start planning and dreaming for what's ahead in the new year. But for those who started the previous year with high hopes or major plans that left them wanting and unfulfilled at the end of the year, the thought of dreaming and planning again can feel futile. I have definitely been there at times, and I can attest that it makes planning and hoping much more difficult the next time around. However, I am glad to say that more often than not, my times of forward-thinking for the new year have been incredibly rich, encouraging, and fruitful for the rest of the year. Let's find out more about that magic IF that I referenced earlier.
As one who believes strongly in the activity of God in the presence of our daily lives, I see inviting God into our planning for the new year (or any planning for that matter) as of utmost importance in dreaming and planning that is fruitful. That's not to say that those who do not involve God in their planning can't make effective plans that turn out well. Rather, I think he's involved whether we want to believe it or not, and the more we involve him intentionally in the planning process, the more grounded and joyful our planning process will be. Check out the following thoughts from one of the wisest kings who ever lived, King Solomon:
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." -Proverbs 19:21
"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." -Proverbs 16:3
"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." -Proverbs 16:9
I see a few things happening here, and these things have proven true time and time again in my own life. The first key I see is this: We all have plans in our heart, many of which we come up with, but in the end, God is going to have his way.
I personally believe that God has his way overall, and that the first proverb I quoted refers to God's plans in that general sense. Notice it says that the Lord's "purpose" prevails rather than his "specific" plans. I am imagining God playing a game of tennis. He's a master athlete in this case, and he knows his intention, but he's going to work with what he is served. There are other times in which he gets to serve, and we, as the other player, get to respond to what he has initiated. Does God want to win the game, get his way? Sure he does! (And thankfully, he is a God that has only our best interest at heart, so for him to win is a good thing, as it means a win for us as well.) But he's willing to play in such a way that takes our actions into account. That includes our messing up, and him not getting his way on every serve. Still, his purpose will prevail. He's just a better tennis player than we are. He's God! Or look at it another way. If God is triune, meaning that he is one God but three persons in community (Father, Son--Jesus, and Holy Spirit), then it's as if the God-team is actually 3 players working together! What an advantage! Can you imagine three on one in a tennis match? That seems somewhat unfair, doesn't it? Well yes, it does, if you are looking at it like a regular tennis match where it's one team against the other. But let's look at something else here.
Remember how I said that in the proverbial tennis match with God, his win is our win? Well, let's look at that in terms of our planning and take the tennis metaphor a bit further. What if, in our three-on-one scenario, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit weren't simply whacking that ball against us on the other side but instead inviting us into the rhythm of their racket? What if tennis suddenly became more like an epic juggling game in which, instead of trying to conquer the other player's court, everyone shared the same court, no net, and the only objective was to keep the ball in the air? That's how I see planning with God. He wants to keep the ball in the air and desires to invite us into his rhythm as we do so. He has various strategies, different ways of hitting the ball, various sequences of passing the ball around (remember the three persons involved, along with us as the additional player?). He too (or I could say "they too" if that's less confusing), delights in the myriad of ways that we find to keep the ball in the air, and he wants to partner with us in that. Let's go back to those proverbs I mentioned earlier and look at the latter two.
"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." -Proverbs 16:3
How does this work, this give-and-take with God? In this juggling-tennis-hybrid scenario (we could cal it "jennis" or "tuggling!"), when we as player number 4 have an idea of what we want to do, the next routine we want to add, we can check it with God, commit it to him, and make sure it fits within the rest of the juggling scheme he's set out for that portion of time. He may use our routine as is or say, "Actually, let's keep the double cascade but substitute the racket we're going to use for this other racket right here." Or he may have some other idea entirely, and say, "No, a double cascade right there won't work with what I've got next. It won't provide enough force for this really awesome trick I want to wow you with." His plans are good, and if we can involve God in our planning process and ask him first what he has in mind, we're better set for the course of action in our year. Some don't plan for the whole year. Some just plan for a season. I tend to do both. Whatever the case, it's so helpful to involve God in the process, since he knows what he wants to do and loves to let us in on it when we ask him. Can you imagine trying to juggle with someone who wasn't listening? That's what I think many of us try to do with our lives when we are not intentionally seeking God for his direction. No wonder the ball drops so much of the time!
I think that sometimes, we are so used to our plans falling to the ground that we can go to another extreme by discounting our own involvement in the tennis match altogether, saying instead, "Only you, God, not what I want, but what you want!" Sound familiar? How about this one? "My plans always fail, so I can't trust myself or my thoughts any longer. God, just tell me what to do, and I'll do it. I don't want to screw up again." We'd rather let God do all of the juggling for us, or else tell us every single move to make so we don't get out of sync and drop the ball--or get hit by it. But we needn't fear either. Check out that final proverb:
"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." -Proverbs 16:9
Here, we see a person making a plan, and God establishing the person's steps! Did you get that? If not, read it again because it's really good! Sometimes we are so afraid of trusting our hearts, but in this case, the heart of this person is planning a course of action, and it is God who is establishing the steps to get there, making them firm. I sense that there's a bi of Proverbs 16:3 in the works here. Player Us and Player God are working together, juggling tennis balls, with tennis rackets. We just said, "Whoa, God! Now that I see what rhythm your juggling in, I just got this crazy idea of a routine that would go really well! I have the first few parts and the last part, but I don't know what to put in between. What do you think? Can you help me figure it out? Will this work?" More often than not, if we're in God's flow, he'll fill in the details for us, or give us clues here and there but leave a lot of the figuring out to ourselves, to strengthen our own confidence as master tugglers (no, that wasn't a typo...I've decided I like the hybrid term created earlier, and I'm using it as a verb). In this scenario, there needn't be any fear of messing up because we're tuggling with someone who knows how to catch every ball that we whack, whether we hit it too hard or too soft. He's a master tuggler, remember, and he will establish our steps as we stay in sync with him. And what if we get out of sync? There is still no reason to fear. King David, who just happened to be the father of King Solomon, also shared some great wisdom on this subject in one of his songs. He wrote,
"The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand." -Psalm 37:23-24
Beautiful, right? Another translation of the same passage of song begins it this way, "IF the Lord delights in one's way, he makes her steps firm." Ah, so there is the magic IF! How are we to know if God delights in our way? Well, if we're delighting in his way, he is delighting our ours. When you love someone, you begin to partner with them more, their desires start to sync with your desires, and vice versa. So, if we receive God's love, we can begin to love him back, and gradually we begin to walk in ways that are delightful to both him and us.
"I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!" --Psalm 37:23-24 (this from the ESV translation)
Who's ready to run? Who's ready to trust your heart? Who's ready to TUGGLE? Wait...who's serve is it again? ;-)
Being the beginning of the new year, this is a time when many, myself included, reflect on the past and, more importantly, start planning and dreaming for what's ahead in the new year. But for those who started the previous year with high hopes or major plans that left them wanting and unfulfilled at the end of the year, the thought of dreaming and planning again can feel futile. I have definitely been there at times, and I can attest that it makes planning and hoping much more difficult the next time around. However, I am glad to say that more often than not, my times of forward-thinking for the new year have been incredibly rich, encouraging, and fruitful for the rest of the year. Let's find out more about that magic IF that I referenced earlier.
As one who believes strongly in the activity of God in the presence of our daily lives, I see inviting God into our planning for the new year (or any planning for that matter) as of utmost importance in dreaming and planning that is fruitful. That's not to say that those who do not involve God in their planning can't make effective plans that turn out well. Rather, I think he's involved whether we want to believe it or not, and the more we involve him intentionally in the planning process, the more grounded and joyful our planning process will be. Check out the following thoughts from one of the wisest kings who ever lived, King Solomon:
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." -Proverbs 19:21
"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." -Proverbs 16:3
"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." -Proverbs 16:9
I see a few things happening here, and these things have proven true time and time again in my own life. The first key I see is this: We all have plans in our heart, many of which we come up with, but in the end, God is going to have his way.
I personally believe that God has his way overall, and that the first proverb I quoted refers to God's plans in that general sense. Notice it says that the Lord's "purpose" prevails rather than his "specific" plans. I am imagining God playing a game of tennis. He's a master athlete in this case, and he knows his intention, but he's going to work with what he is served. There are other times in which he gets to serve, and we, as the other player, get to respond to what he has initiated. Does God want to win the game, get his way? Sure he does! (And thankfully, he is a God that has only our best interest at heart, so for him to win is a good thing, as it means a win for us as well.) But he's willing to play in such a way that takes our actions into account. That includes our messing up, and him not getting his way on every serve. Still, his purpose will prevail. He's just a better tennis player than we are. He's God! Or look at it another way. If God is triune, meaning that he is one God but three persons in community (Father, Son--Jesus, and Holy Spirit), then it's as if the God-team is actually 3 players working together! What an advantage! Can you imagine three on one in a tennis match? That seems somewhat unfair, doesn't it? Well yes, it does, if you are looking at it like a regular tennis match where it's one team against the other. But let's look at something else here.
Remember how I said that in the proverbial tennis match with God, his win is our win? Well, let's look at that in terms of our planning and take the tennis metaphor a bit further. What if, in our three-on-one scenario, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit weren't simply whacking that ball against us on the other side but instead inviting us into the rhythm of their racket? What if tennis suddenly became more like an epic juggling game in which, instead of trying to conquer the other player's court, everyone shared the same court, no net, and the only objective was to keep the ball in the air? That's how I see planning with God. He wants to keep the ball in the air and desires to invite us into his rhythm as we do so. He has various strategies, different ways of hitting the ball, various sequences of passing the ball around (remember the three persons involved, along with us as the additional player?). He too (or I could say "they too" if that's less confusing), delights in the myriad of ways that we find to keep the ball in the air, and he wants to partner with us in that. Let's go back to those proverbs I mentioned earlier and look at the latter two.
"Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established." -Proverbs 16:3
How does this work, this give-and-take with God? In this juggling-tennis-hybrid scenario (we could cal it "jennis" or "tuggling!"), when we as player number 4 have an idea of what we want to do, the next routine we want to add, we can check it with God, commit it to him, and make sure it fits within the rest of the juggling scheme he's set out for that portion of time. He may use our routine as is or say, "Actually, let's keep the double cascade but substitute the racket we're going to use for this other racket right here." Or he may have some other idea entirely, and say, "No, a double cascade right there won't work with what I've got next. It won't provide enough force for this really awesome trick I want to wow you with." His plans are good, and if we can involve God in our planning process and ask him first what he has in mind, we're better set for the course of action in our year. Some don't plan for the whole year. Some just plan for a season. I tend to do both. Whatever the case, it's so helpful to involve God in the process, since he knows what he wants to do and loves to let us in on it when we ask him. Can you imagine trying to juggle with someone who wasn't listening? That's what I think many of us try to do with our lives when we are not intentionally seeking God for his direction. No wonder the ball drops so much of the time!
I think that sometimes, we are so used to our plans falling to the ground that we can go to another extreme by discounting our own involvement in the tennis match altogether, saying instead, "Only you, God, not what I want, but what you want!" Sound familiar? How about this one? "My plans always fail, so I can't trust myself or my thoughts any longer. God, just tell me what to do, and I'll do it. I don't want to screw up again." We'd rather let God do all of the juggling for us, or else tell us every single move to make so we don't get out of sync and drop the ball--or get hit by it. But we needn't fear either. Check out that final proverb:
"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." -Proverbs 16:9
Here, we see a person making a plan, and God establishing the person's steps! Did you get that? If not, read it again because it's really good! Sometimes we are so afraid of trusting our hearts, but in this case, the heart of this person is planning a course of action, and it is God who is establishing the steps to get there, making them firm. I sense that there's a bi of Proverbs 16:3 in the works here. Player Us and Player God are working together, juggling tennis balls, with tennis rackets. We just said, "Whoa, God! Now that I see what rhythm your juggling in, I just got this crazy idea of a routine that would go really well! I have the first few parts and the last part, but I don't know what to put in between. What do you think? Can you help me figure it out? Will this work?" More often than not, if we're in God's flow, he'll fill in the details for us, or give us clues here and there but leave a lot of the figuring out to ourselves, to strengthen our own confidence as master tugglers (no, that wasn't a typo...I've decided I like the hybrid term created earlier, and I'm using it as a verb). In this scenario, there needn't be any fear of messing up because we're tuggling with someone who knows how to catch every ball that we whack, whether we hit it too hard or too soft. He's a master tuggler, remember, and he will establish our steps as we stay in sync with him. And what if we get out of sync? There is still no reason to fear. King David, who just happened to be the father of King Solomon, also shared some great wisdom on this subject in one of his songs. He wrote,
"The steps of a man are established by the Lord,
when he delights in his way;
though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
for the Lord upholds his hand." -Psalm 37:23-24
Beautiful, right? Another translation of the same passage of song begins it this way, "IF the Lord delights in one's way, he makes her steps firm." Ah, so there is the magic IF! How are we to know if God delights in our way? Well, if we're delighting in his way, he is delighting our ours. When you love someone, you begin to partner with them more, their desires start to sync with your desires, and vice versa. So, if we receive God's love, we can begin to love him back, and gradually we begin to walk in ways that are delightful to both him and us.
"I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!" --Psalm 37:23-24 (this from the ESV translation)
Who's ready to run? Who's ready to trust your heart? Who's ready to TUGGLE? Wait...who's serve is it again? ;-)
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