Creative process....

I have a lot to learn about the process of creativity. Here's the typical situation, someone comes to me to design and harness their ideas. Much of the description is ambiguous, it's a box, it needs life and energy. How do you use this piece, place or area? In other words what is the best function of this to serve the needs? Often someone will place a value on this, a net budget on the creative process or this is the direction. This is an alarm that sounds as the box is expected be upfit within those parameters. When I am excited about the vision or concept, it is easier, you become more invested in the process. It is far easier to push the walls on the details, challenging people to redirect their ideas, even if the budget is a concern. If the box and budget are less than exciting I much prefer someone else's design as it is just routine.

When people do not place conditions on the transformation it is easier to allow the process to grow and take wings, not limiting the power of the process. Change can take place despite the investment, but when the investment takes priority over the transformation the power of change is restricted, constrained.

Am I giving my best from a matter of routine or investing in the process by giving my all?

full-filled

I had a parrot (Caesar) for years who could judge my singing abilities, he used to stand at his perch and sing along with me to songs. He would bob and dart his head around while whaling out a tune. When things went bad with my sing along he would spread his wings and shriek! Truth be told most songs rapidly after the first note possessed this characteristic, where my ability to carry a tune took a distinct turn, no such thing as harmonizing for me!

One of the measures for me on a Sunday of a great worship service is the fact of my prayers for apology! The apologies are for those around me for my singing, inevitably a distraction to their worship experience! Yesterday was one of those days I found myself singing at the top of my lungs through 4 services, only to hear Caesar shrieking in my head! So to those around me... "Sorry!," but a joyful song unto the Lord! Can't argue that, perhaps this is my version of speaking in tongues!

one question....

I had someone ask the other night a question, it is simply hard for me to answer. Scripture is rich in context, simply states "He has lived and died for us." The question was "I have been forgiven, my wife has forgiven me, why can't I forgive myself?" I think it is a matter of truth, faith and acceptance. The truth is Jesus came to earth, died on a Cross and rose from the Grave. It clearly is not one component without the others, if your faith is in Him. Agape love is all about the unexplainable love Christ has for His People, to be flooded with Grace, accepted for who I am despite what I've done. That gives me chills, just to think this is for me.

There's the answer...if I know the truth, believe in that Truth, acceptance will come with building myself in Him. This is where seeking Him requires change, action and discipline to believe bigger than myself. Satan is always going to try and steal the peace Christ delivers, questioning why you can not forgive yourself is not letting the Power flow, receiving this Power is the answer.

Lobster....

You can have it, I do not like it, here's how I learned my distaste for this crustacean. I was away with my father many years ago, at friends of his. I was told we would be having lobster for dinner, with the narrow mind I then possessed, I already knew I would not like it. However, as we sat for dinner that night, it was presented to me...why would anyone want to work that hard for food? I tried it without butter, with butter, with some sauce....net result it was awful to me. I did not last too long before all I had eaten returned to the dinner table! Yes, that's right I raced from the table to witness "Larry the lobster's revenge" for those old enough to remember the sketch from SNL!




Now my take away from this was my violent reaction to lobster, the shame and embarrassment to myself and my father. Utterly humiliated, wishing I was never there and it never happened, this experience has always shaped my distaste for lobster, as it should. Well not really, what I really took away later in life was the contributing factor may have been my actions before sitting at this table, like the case of beer I consumed prior to dinner! I guess you could say I was so opposed to lobster, so focused on my predetermined distaste it became easy to forget the real problem the prevailing behavior all around me. What other prejudices are in my life that enable me to overlook the problem?

worship....

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of traveling with Pastor to another church as he shared a message for them. The chuckle of the day was as the posse was assembling to support Pastor Furtick, I kept getting phone calls and text messages asking how will we find you guys! You would know if you were there! What was so incredible about this experience was to participate in their worship, the Holy Spirit was present, the message was clear and received.... The clarity in my mind was things can be so different from place to place, but as I have heard, "those are preferences..", it is about Him, the message, one unified body of Christ, cast all of those other things aside and seek Him. We all have work to do for His Glory, it is easy to pick things apart and separate ourselves in some way, does this make us effective for His Glory?
I was deeply affected by the facts, "...for those far from God to be filled with life in Christ." That is our mission, I am not who I am because of one church, one Pastor or one way of Worship. What would I do if I did not have this Pastor, this church or this worship? It is true that many churches or Pastor's have not spoken to me, these are really conveniences, I need to spend more time seeking Him.

I am who I am because of "the One who died for me."

Shame, guilt....

I have found in my life shame and guilt kept me from the grasp of Grace. It holds me back from what I can be in Him, living in the shackles of sin. As I have sat and listened to 2 hearts bleed in the last 2 days, burdened by the past I again have realized how paralyzing these blinders can be. They stand in the way, burden our day bound by the past. Shame and guilt tell us we are not worthy, that He may have died for you...but not me.
The Casting Crowns song "Set me free..."
Do you want to be free?
Lift your chains I hold the key
All power on Heav'n and Earth belong to me
Do you want to be free?
Lift your chains I hold the key
All power on Heav'n and Earth belong to me
You are free You are free You are free
My speed skating coach used to tell us, "you will never win the race if you see someone's a** in front of you." I have to believe, live and breath victory... The victory has been won, He is Risen there is nothing His love, power and grace can not overcome. I just have to let go, let Him have all of me, His light will shine. He has ransomed me...I live in His victory.

Lurker...

Ok, I have realized sometimes I am so distracted, which means really not living in reality, an example, I often see a police officer at the bridge of 51 & 74. Not always there, but all too often I find myself no matter what my resolve to coming upon it to see the unexpected-expected. See my resolve is before I approach to check my speed, typically not traveling over the speed limit, never the less I want to check myself. Instead of my preparedness, I am suddenly awakened to the reality, I then have to take defensive actions.

The tangible application for me is to know it is out there, my best defense is to prepare for battle, not to be taken by surprise. Typically if I am suddenly thrust in the battle, if you will, it requires a defensive response, limiting my resources. When living in the now it allows me to take offensive actions giving me greater tools to take action. I make adjustments prior to the lurker appearing. It is not about avoiding, it is more about my preparedness, an offensive response to my faith, my battles are lessened simply by being on the offensive, living in the moment....

Prayer for friends...

Perspective is a revolutionary response, I usually have to be shown in order to receive real perspective to where I am. I often am so wrapped up in my world I overlook the true goodness of God. A step back to see how God works around me.....
Two things happened recently, the first our worship pastor Wade Joye and his wife Ferris delivered in emergency c-section twin babies. Life has been stressful for them through all of this, they are not fading from their faith, but being drawn closer to Him. The journey continues for their family as they are facing a difficult beginning. My perspective is not only drawn to how good I have it, more what can I do in response to their need. Prayer, support, friendship and service to them. God is opening an opportunity to be here for them, to witness His power. Their lives will be transformed through His grace and our prayers.
Second, Sunday I had the honor to witness Christ's blessings on young men and women heading to Brazil on a mission trip. The Charlotte Eagles high school and college teams were heading out to witness for Him, they stopped at Elevation before heading to the airport. These are young people leaving the comforts of home to serve the kingdom. It was all I could do to serve them while holding back the joy I felt in my heart for their willingness to be a part of God's movement. I was most blessed by their response to our serving them in this capacity, to actually witness how God moves in the little things and makes them BIG. Pastor's messages from the series "Small is the new Big" really disclosed how brick by brick God can make the small beginnings Big.
One of Pastor's phrases used was "Give God something to work with....." I can see it all around me, I am yours to work with...

Cherokee Warrior...

I was sitting at my desk the other day and occassionally hearing this strange sound. I looked around to see if I could see anything and nothing. I guess it is part of the song I am listening to, or outside. I hear it again, look around, nothing...Eiry, I know I heard something, there it goes again. Nothing, "where is that coming from?" It is like I am being watched, hunted perhaps. The sound is familiar, I identify it in my head...unpredictable in it's behavior. I am going to find it, hunt this thing down and battle this wild animal, as I know it is near me or I am going crazy! It has no place here, there it goes again.... The hunted becoming the hunter, with pin point accuracy I trace it's location calling on my native American instinct like GPS tracking.

Warm, warmer, hot, there stands the beast tangled in a web of plastic. Chills runs down my spine as I confront this baron of the air. The victor stands over its prey, as I look down to see it with it's cold dark eyes, slightly inflating itself in self defense. A rush of adrenaline shoots through my veins, I am going to wrangle this creature, weary of it's unpredictable nature, again the "Cherokee" in me comes out. I start this native dance encircling and disorienting the beast, it has worked as it seems confused by watching this idiot above it!

One fell swoosh I hone in to make my move. Wings flapping, feathers flying with venomous attack on it's mind, I have captured the intruder, "Ha, I've got you, I replied! Now who's in control little birdy?" My thoughts suddenly change, "hey, little birdy how'd you get in here? Don't worry I am just bringing you back outside, I'll let you go. Where's your mommy?" I am suddenly Dr. Doolittle, the good one, not the Eddie Murphy one! As I release the 6 inch beast back into the wild, my thoughts are drawn to one thing, besides the sense of winning this battle, "I hope no one saw that!"

caught on...

It's funny when I get an email and you notice misspellings, especially when you revere the writer! It makes them human, subject to improvement and in some way humors me. What have I discovered in this process, it happens to me....I have been spelling tomorrow with 2 m's for years now! Self discovery also humors me, spell check always seems to catch it but I guess I have blocked it out mentally, never noticing the prompt to change. Not no more!

You try to spend time to clearly articulate and what happens, you miss the little things. Spiritual implication, don't read too deeply into the writing or I may miss the very things I need to correct. Allow others room to change and they will perhaps extend the same grace.