I AM A LABORATORY FOR TRANSFORMATION ALCHEMY - Part 1
God has me right where He wants me! I have been waiting on Him for a greater understanding of what causes transformational change in the lives of individuals. My theory is that there is a general process with specific elements that can be identified and once identified - can be encouraged and nurtured along by a sensitive, visionary facilitator - if God allows.
Last year I participated in a think tank simply called THE CHANGE PROJECT sponsored by Steve and Barbara Uhlmann. Our group of thinkers met several times over the course of the year. Our first assignment was to read six books selected by Steve Uhlmann and then use them as a jumping off place for our discussions.
We recently concluded our journey together by preparing a one-page summary of what we learned. Our summaries were presented to Steve and Barbara at a one-day retreat in early February.
As I prepared my summary, God revealed to me that the Center for Women with Vision is my own personal laboratory to test my theory of transformation alchemy. I did not need to yearn for one or build one. It already existed. And not only did it exist, but it actually was intended as a gift from my Heavenly Father to me so I could watch Him work. And, as if that was not enough, in the wee hours of the morning the day before my presentation, God also inspired me to look into my own life to see if my theory of transformation alchemy was validated by my own personal experience. My week turned out to be a heady revelation of insights.
What I shared in my summary was that my personal involvement with the Uhlmann think tank offered me a fresh opportunity to explore a philosophy that I have ascribed to for years. Early in my career as a pastor's wife, I became inspired by comments I read in a book entitled, Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman. The book was written in the 1970's by an older, more experienced pastor's wife named Anne Ortlund. Anne manifested an appreciative, joyous, effervescent approach to her life and its many demands.
Here are her comments that specifically gave me INSPIRATION:
"As a woman your eternity-oriented task is to affect others, to move them to God through the Saviour, Jesus Christ. Your temporary task, for the years you have them, is to affect the members of your physical family, by whatever means you can, to be "born again" into God's eternal family and to grow within that family to spiritual maturity. Your lifelong task, at least from conversion on, whether married or single, is to influence everyone you can, by whatever means you can, to the same ends - to help them become temple material of gold, silver and precious stones." Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman by Anne Ortlund (Inspiration Press: New York) p. 74-75.
I wholeheartedly adopted this statement of purpose as my own. It was as if a secret had been revealed about what I was supposed to be doing with my life and my role as a pastor's wife. Relief flooded my soul. A fresh, very welcome sensation welled up - HOPE!
Inspiration can be defined as divine influence on a person to prepare them for sacred revelation. This kind of revelation provides the power and energy to move the intellect and emotions. Inspiration in the Scriptures actually refers to God breathing His very own thoughts into individuals. His thoughts are, by their very nature, higher and loftier than our own. When God inspires a person - He actually infuses them - trusts them with His divine insight.
As I thought about it - it seems that inspiration thrives in an environment of lack. It arrives when I am not full of myself, my own answers, my own confidence, my own success. Inspiration fills the void and something new bubbles up in my soul - a new way to think, a new way to live - and I aspire to change.
The bottom line is that God loves me enough to care about inspiring me. He lives outside the box and moves in mysterious ways to provide motivation for change. Often I am inspired by His Scriptures which speak to my deepest needs or through people who demonstrate what is possible by their example. When I see something I want - that I am attracted to - then the transformation process begins. Inspiration is only the beginning of the process, however. There is more to come.
Praise God for glorious inspiration! Praise God it begins the process of change!
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
I've been thinking about waiting...
GOING SUBTERRANEAN
My blog has been silent since mid-November.
I went silent because of a major lifestyle change that came about when Darryl and I remodeled and moved back into the townhome we lived in (and still own) before our three year hiatus at the Optima Camelview Village.
Also, in November I reached a milestone of 100 blogs. As I crossed that finish line, I felt like it was a good time to breathe a little and give myself space to refresh, reflect and refocus as a reward.
With that being said, however, there is an even more significant reason for taking a break. I promised myself that I would never write anything without humbly waiting on inspiration from God first. So as the noise in my head increased with the chaos of moving and retooling my lifestyle, the ability to hear God's still, small voice decreased dramatically. God took me at my word and kept me sitting in His waiting room until the noise subsided.
I guess here is where you could make a good analogy between the children of Israel struggling with being guided by a pillar of cloud/fire in the Old Testament and my desire to wait on God for His insight before I write. My flesh cries out to push ahead, meet my own goals, do my own thing - but frankly, without His insight, there is really nothing of consequence to write about!
In essence, a stop sign popped up before me in mid-November. Looking back, my assignment was to "run silent" - dredging up a word picture from an old 1958 movie by the name of "Run Silent, Run Deep." The name refers to "silent running" - a submarine stealth tactic. As I contemplated orders to "Run Silent" I also heard a faint echo immediately following to "Run Deep" - perhaps even subterranean - if that was what God determined for me.
What came of plumbing the silent depths? I bow in humble adoration before the greatness of God's works and the unsearchable depths of His purpose which directs His works. From sunlit shallows or murky abyss, God's graciousness and goodness shines forth and I am entranced. I choose to trust again.
My new focus? Steady as she goes! Another colorful seaworthy phrase about finding equilibrium once again - moving out slowly - purposefully - quietly - into this new season. I am reveling in surviving the extremes of the last few months. I am finding the perfectly poised middle of equilibrium once again and it feels so good!
Why quietly? So I can hear inspiration when it comes and give utterance to all God puts in and on my heart. To revel in the adventure of following God's mysterious leading sometimes into the wee hours. Waking is better than sleeping! O happy day!
How great are Thy works, O Lord!
Thy thoughts are very deep.
Psalm 92:5
My blog has been silent since mid-November.
I went silent because of a major lifestyle change that came about when Darryl and I remodeled and moved back into the townhome we lived in (and still own) before our three year hiatus at the Optima Camelview Village.
Also, in November I reached a milestone of 100 blogs. As I crossed that finish line, I felt like it was a good time to breathe a little and give myself space to refresh, reflect and refocus as a reward.
With that being said, however, there is an even more significant reason for taking a break. I promised myself that I would never write anything without humbly waiting on inspiration from God first. So as the noise in my head increased with the chaos of moving and retooling my lifestyle, the ability to hear God's still, small voice decreased dramatically. God took me at my word and kept me sitting in His waiting room until the noise subsided.
I guess here is where you could make a good analogy between the children of Israel struggling with being guided by a pillar of cloud/fire in the Old Testament and my desire to wait on God for His insight before I write. My flesh cries out to push ahead, meet my own goals, do my own thing - but frankly, without His insight, there is really nothing of consequence to write about!
In essence, a stop sign popped up before me in mid-November. Looking back, my assignment was to "run silent" - dredging up a word picture from an old 1958 movie by the name of "Run Silent, Run Deep." The name refers to "silent running" - a submarine stealth tactic. As I contemplated orders to "Run Silent" I also heard a faint echo immediately following to "Run Deep" - perhaps even subterranean - if that was what God determined for me.
What came of plumbing the silent depths? I bow in humble adoration before the greatness of God's works and the unsearchable depths of His purpose which directs His works. From sunlit shallows or murky abyss, God's graciousness and goodness shines forth and I am entranced. I choose to trust again.
My new focus? Steady as she goes! Another colorful seaworthy phrase about finding equilibrium once again - moving out slowly - purposefully - quietly - into this new season. I am reveling in surviving the extremes of the last few months. I am finding the perfectly poised middle of equilibrium once again and it feels so good!
Why quietly? So I can hear inspiration when it comes and give utterance to all God puts in and on my heart. To revel in the adventure of following God's mysterious leading sometimes into the wee hours. Waking is better than sleeping! O happy day!
How great are Thy works, O Lord!
Thy thoughts are very deep.
Psalm 92:5
Thursday, November 24, 2011
I've been thinking about design...
PURELY CONJECTURE, BUT STILL A DIVINE DESIGN
Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and the man who transformed consumer technology, died on October 5, 2011 at the age of 56. The story of his final moments is positively revelatory, especially in light of what his sister, Mona Simpson, revealed in his eulogy. As we know now, Steve's final words were monosyllables, repeated three times, "Oh wow! Oh wow! Oh wow!"
Many have speculated about what Jobs saw in his final moments that caused him to speak out in this way. I know I have spent time contemplating his last words, which given the circumstance, are laden with meaning - especially in light of a few clues he left behind.
Steve Jobs' appreciation of design is legendary - meaning he passionately loved the whole process of conceiving, planning and arranging all of the elements required to produce a perfect result.
We know he had a great love for some material objects, especially those that were finely designed and crafted, such as Porsche and Mercedes cars, Henckels knives and Braun appliances, BMW motorcycles and Ansel Adams prints, Bosendorfer pianos and Bang & Olufsen audio equipment. (Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, p. 105.)
We have heard, even sedated, how he ripped off an oxygen mask because he hated the design: "He ordered them to bring five different options for the mask and he would pick the design he liked." (He Knew He Was Right. The strange, sad, triumphant life of Steve Jobs by Lev Grossman, TIME, November 7, 2011, p. 53)
Again, Mona Simpson enlightens from his eulogy, "Before embarking, he'd looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life's partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them, before saying his final words."
My conjecture - I am wondering if because of his love of design, he was actually viewing it in the scene set before him as he was breathing his last.
In her eulogy, Mona Simpson also spoke about how love was the focus of Steve Jobs' final days. "Love was his supreme virtue, his god of gods. He tracked and worried about the romantic lives of the people working with him."
Conjecture #2 - I am wondering if in his focus on love, Jobs was able to follow the thread all the way back to its source and originator - God.
Job's primary test for recruiting people in the spring of 1981 to be part of his merry band of pirates was making sure they had a passion for the product. He would sometimes bring candidates into a room where a prototype of the Mac was covered by a cloth, dramatically unveil it, and watch. "If their eyes lit up, if they went right for the mouse and started pointing and clicking, Steve would smile and hire them," recalled Andrea Cunningham. "He wanted them to say, 'Wow!'" (Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, p. 114)
Conjecture #3 - Could it be that the designer of everything, even the afterlife, was waiting to see how Steve Jobs would respond to seeing a perfect design right before his eyes - something hidden from him in life but now revealed? Was he given a final opportunity to respond to his Creator as he took his final breath?
These conjectures are purely guesswork on my part but something I believe is worthy of God and His love for His creation. I believe He loved Steve Jobs to his last dying breath and He sought a relationship with him as he passed from this life to the next. Oh, wow!
Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and the man who transformed consumer technology, died on October 5, 2011 at the age of 56. The story of his final moments is positively revelatory, especially in light of what his sister, Mona Simpson, revealed in his eulogy. As we know now, Steve's final words were monosyllables, repeated three times, "Oh wow! Oh wow! Oh wow!"
Many have speculated about what Jobs saw in his final moments that caused him to speak out in this way. I know I have spent time contemplating his last words, which given the circumstance, are laden with meaning - especially in light of a few clues he left behind.
Steve Jobs' appreciation of design is legendary - meaning he passionately loved the whole process of conceiving, planning and arranging all of the elements required to produce a perfect result.
We know he had a great love for some material objects, especially those that were finely designed and crafted, such as Porsche and Mercedes cars, Henckels knives and Braun appliances, BMW motorcycles and Ansel Adams prints, Bosendorfer pianos and Bang & Olufsen audio equipment. (Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, p. 105.)
We have heard, even sedated, how he ripped off an oxygen mask because he hated the design: "He ordered them to bring five different options for the mask and he would pick the design he liked." (He Knew He Was Right. The strange, sad, triumphant life of Steve Jobs by Lev Grossman, TIME, November 7, 2011, p. 53)
Again, Mona Simpson enlightens from his eulogy, "Before embarking, he'd looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life's partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them, before saying his final words."
My conjecture - I am wondering if because of his love of design, he was actually viewing it in the scene set before him as he was breathing his last.
In her eulogy, Mona Simpson also spoke about how love was the focus of Steve Jobs' final days. "Love was his supreme virtue, his god of gods. He tracked and worried about the romantic lives of the people working with him."
Conjecture #2 - I am wondering if in his focus on love, Jobs was able to follow the thread all the way back to its source and originator - God.
Job's primary test for recruiting people in the spring of 1981 to be part of his merry band of pirates was making sure they had a passion for the product. He would sometimes bring candidates into a room where a prototype of the Mac was covered by a cloth, dramatically unveil it, and watch. "If their eyes lit up, if they went right for the mouse and started pointing and clicking, Steve would smile and hire them," recalled Andrea Cunningham. "He wanted them to say, 'Wow!'" (Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, p. 114)
Conjecture #3 - Could it be that the designer of everything, even the afterlife, was waiting to see how Steve Jobs would respond to seeing a perfect design right before his eyes - something hidden from him in life but now revealed? Was he given a final opportunity to respond to his Creator as he took his final breath?
These conjectures are purely guesswork on my part but something I believe is worthy of God and His love for His creation. I believe He loved Steve Jobs to his last dying breath and He sought a relationship with him as he passed from this life to the next. Oh, wow!
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