Purposefully Planting Shade Trees
With the rise of the temperatures and the hint of a sizzling summer just around the corner, sitting in the shade with a tall glass of lemonade is mighty inviting. The concept of shade is appreciated by all the cultures of the earth, but especially here in Arizona, where we definitely feel a pressing need for shelter from the scorching rays of the sun.
Shade in Afrikaans is skakering or skadu; shade in Danish is skygge; shade in Dutch is *nuance (interesting) or schakering or *nuancering (even more interesting); shade in Finnish is varjo; shade in French is ombrage or ombre or *nuance (there it is again) or teinte; shade in German is beschatten; shade in Italian is ombra or tinta; shade in Latin is umbra and shade in Spanish is sombra. (Our English word "nuance" is derived from the French language and means slight variations in shades of color, meaning or expression.)
Shade protects, screens and hides. Sometimes shade even provides a secluded retreat from the busy affairs of the day. STOP right here and REFLECT on the last time you swayed in a hammock beneath glorious shade trees.
Did you know that some trees are grown to specifically produce shade? Did you also know shade trees not only radiate beauty and compliment their surroundings, but that they were purposefully handed down by our predecessors as a legacy?
The maxim "Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago" is credited to both Les Brown and Warren Buffett. This statement is a reminder that greatness is not found in possessions, power, position or prestige but in a thoughtful and generous model steeped in goodness, humility, service and character.
Our predecessors revered God and understood they had a responsibility to leave the world in a better place for generations to come. They read and understood that God is the source of all good things. Psalm 121:5 & 6 says, The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. They decided to imitate Him and bless our world instead of cursing it.
Today, I am faced with many choices. Instead of stripping my world in a narcissistic fashion, I would like to be remembered for planting a few glorious shade trees for the next generation. All it takes is purposeful choices. What choices will you make?
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
I've been thinking about dreaming...
Dream a Little Dream with Me!
Becoming a Dream Bearer
In the book The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson, we are introduced to a character named Ordinary, a Nobody who after receiving a visit from the Dream Giver, leaves the Land of Familiar to pursue his Big Dream.
In the beginning of this modern-day parable, Ordinary realizes that he has been visited by the Dream Giver because he discovers a long white feather resting on the sill of his window. The feather is a message signifying that God Himself has fashioned a dream that He has deposited in Ordinary, His own selected dream bearer.
Just like clouds that are treated with solid particles to convert water droplets into rain, so God seeds a dream in His dream bearer by furnishing the initial vision that stimulates the growth and development of the dream.
A God-given dream is recognizable because it supersedes a dream bearer's immediate reality. The nature of a God-given dream is that it imparts a vision of beauty and excellence that grows in the dream bearer's consciousness as a viable possibility reserved for someday in the future.
God gave me such a dream in the late 1990's to see a women's center developed in the Valley of the Sun. Little did I know then of the meandering path that would lead me to develop Phoenix Seminary's Center for Women with Vision (CWV).
Confirming a Dream
A dream that is seeded and nurtured by God becomes a strongly desired goal in the heart of the dream bearer. The dream appears to have the capacity to fully satisfy a deeply embedded wish or ideal. I have come to believe that the ideal is God's way of motivating His dream bearer to forge ahead into risky territory. The ideal is lovely and lofty because it benefits everyone involved.
Since there is risk in leaving a comfort zone, conquering fears and overcoming obstacles that keep a dream bearer from living a Big Dream, God confirms and reconfirms the dream along the way.
These confirmations are important directional arrows in discerning the timing of the process that God is guiding His dream bearer to follow. The process protects the dream bearer from running ahead of God into presumption or falling back into a place of inertia - a stuck place.
Building a Dream Team
Once the dream is confirmed and the timing is right, then another piece of the journey begins to fall into place. Like passion draws like passion. Other individuals see the vision and desire to commit to the dream, as well.
What exactly draws this kind of support from others? God is at work behind the scenes sparking a noticing that causes others to see the vision with their own eyes.
The team that comes together consists of individuals who share a "like" for the same dream. They are unified because they resemble each other, they are counterparts to each other and equals in character and maturity. They share the same passion to accomplish something for the glory of God.
When Rae Larson asked me to become the director of Phoenix Seminary's Center for Women with Vision, my response was to offer to facilitate a team that would bring the vision into reality. This offer was based upon my belief that God would be faithful to provide His selected team of women in His time.
God has been faithful! He has drawn together team members who share in the many responsibilities of developing the vision. Our mission motto speaks to the respect and honor we have toward all of our team members, Working together to bring vision to life!
Perhaps you, too, have been given a Big Dream. One that can change your life. One that the Dream Giver wants you to achieve. Come on! Step out of your comfort zone and dream a little dream with me!
Becoming a Dream Bearer
In the book The Dream Giver by Bruce Wilkinson, we are introduced to a character named Ordinary, a Nobody who after receiving a visit from the Dream Giver, leaves the Land of Familiar to pursue his Big Dream.
In the beginning of this modern-day parable, Ordinary realizes that he has been visited by the Dream Giver because he discovers a long white feather resting on the sill of his window. The feather is a message signifying that God Himself has fashioned a dream that He has deposited in Ordinary, His own selected dream bearer.
Just like clouds that are treated with solid particles to convert water droplets into rain, so God seeds a dream in His dream bearer by furnishing the initial vision that stimulates the growth and development of the dream.
A God-given dream is recognizable because it supersedes a dream bearer's immediate reality. The nature of a God-given dream is that it imparts a vision of beauty and excellence that grows in the dream bearer's consciousness as a viable possibility reserved for someday in the future.
God gave me such a dream in the late 1990's to see a women's center developed in the Valley of the Sun. Little did I know then of the meandering path that would lead me to develop Phoenix Seminary's Center for Women with Vision (CWV).
Confirming a Dream
A dream that is seeded and nurtured by God becomes a strongly desired goal in the heart of the dream bearer. The dream appears to have the capacity to fully satisfy a deeply embedded wish or ideal. I have come to believe that the ideal is God's way of motivating His dream bearer to forge ahead into risky territory. The ideal is lovely and lofty because it benefits everyone involved.
Since there is risk in leaving a comfort zone, conquering fears and overcoming obstacles that keep a dream bearer from living a Big Dream, God confirms and reconfirms the dream along the way.
These confirmations are important directional arrows in discerning the timing of the process that God is guiding His dream bearer to follow. The process protects the dream bearer from running ahead of God into presumption or falling back into a place of inertia - a stuck place.
Building a Dream Team
Once the dream is confirmed and the timing is right, then another piece of the journey begins to fall into place. Like passion draws like passion. Other individuals see the vision and desire to commit to the dream, as well.
What exactly draws this kind of support from others? God is at work behind the scenes sparking a noticing that causes others to see the vision with their own eyes.
The team that comes together consists of individuals who share a "like" for the same dream. They are unified because they resemble each other, they are counterparts to each other and equals in character and maturity. They share the same passion to accomplish something for the glory of God.
When Rae Larson asked me to become the director of Phoenix Seminary's Center for Women with Vision, my response was to offer to facilitate a team that would bring the vision into reality. This offer was based upon my belief that God would be faithful to provide His selected team of women in His time.
God has been faithful! He has drawn together team members who share in the many responsibilities of developing the vision. Our mission motto speaks to the respect and honor we have toward all of our team members, Working together to bring vision to life!
Perhaps you, too, have been given a Big Dream. One that can change your life. One that the Dream Giver wants you to achieve. Come on! Step out of your comfort zone and dream a little dream with me!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
I've been thinking about perfection...
Practically Perfect in Every Way!
Mary Poppins is a memorable 1964 Disney musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. It is the story of a magical nanny who descends (literally) upon a family living in London in the spring of 1910. Mary brings a healing presence to the home before the wind blows her away to a new destination and a new mission.
Julie Andrews won the Best Actress Oscar that year for her performance and as you can imagine, with her beautiful face and lyrical musical ability, she was able to portray Mary as "practically perfect in every way!"
The line "practically perfect in every way" has become a popular, catchy phrase from the film and one that I was reminded of recently when I attended the musical while it was here in February at the Gammage Theater.
I have been rolling this phrase around in my mind and I find myself considering the subject of perfection. I don't know about you, but when it comes to perfection there is only one place to head to and that is to God's Word. As you may know, the Bible has a thing or two to say about perfection.
For instance in Psalm 119:96, I find this interesting tidbit:
I have seen a limit to all (human) perfection,
but Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
"Broad" meaning, the Lord's commandment has no limit to its perfection, because it is resourced by God's own limitless perfection. Wow! And amazingly, when we as Christians seek to live in conformity to Scripture, we are, in fact, pursuing the very perfection of God.
The way we move toward that perfection is by remaining steadfast in our obedience. Then, throughout our lives, we continue to grow in holiness but are not yet perfected in it because perfection will only be realized when Jesus returns.
But, hey! How encouraging is it that God lets us see His perfection and even feel it a little as we press toward the day that we are completely perfect in His presence.
Until then, here is my latest version of the phrase:
God is "absolutely perfect in every way!"
He easily trumps the Mary Poppins version.
Mary Poppins is a memorable 1964 Disney musical film starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. It is the story of a magical nanny who descends (literally) upon a family living in London in the spring of 1910. Mary brings a healing presence to the home before the wind blows her away to a new destination and a new mission.
Julie Andrews won the Best Actress Oscar that year for her performance and as you can imagine, with her beautiful face and lyrical musical ability, she was able to portray Mary as "practically perfect in every way!"
The line "practically perfect in every way" has become a popular, catchy phrase from the film and one that I was reminded of recently when I attended the musical while it was here in February at the Gammage Theater.
I have been rolling this phrase around in my mind and I find myself considering the subject of perfection. I don't know about you, but when it comes to perfection there is only one place to head to and that is to God's Word. As you may know, the Bible has a thing or two to say about perfection.
For instance in Psalm 119:96, I find this interesting tidbit:
I have seen a limit to all (human) perfection,
but Your commandment is exceedingly broad.
"Broad" meaning, the Lord's commandment has no limit to its perfection, because it is resourced by God's own limitless perfection. Wow! And amazingly, when we as Christians seek to live in conformity to Scripture, we are, in fact, pursuing the very perfection of God.
The way we move toward that perfection is by remaining steadfast in our obedience. Then, throughout our lives, we continue to grow in holiness but are not yet perfected in it because perfection will only be realized when Jesus returns.
But, hey! How encouraging is it that God lets us see His perfection and even feel it a little as we press toward the day that we are completely perfect in His presence.
Until then, here is my latest version of the phrase:
God is "absolutely perfect in every way!"
He easily trumps the Mary Poppins version.
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