Chasing The Wild Goose

God Can Steer A Parked Car

I've just finished reading Phil Vischer's new book, Me, Myself, & Bob, in one sitting.  While I was reading I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more and then I cried some more.  Maybe I was so touched by the story because, like Phil, I've been an entrepreneur and can relate to joys and heartache of running a business. 

I felt as though I was there for the roller coaster rise and fall of his company Big Idea.  From the production of the first Veggie Tales video to their eventual bankruptcy.

I was reminded of an old sermon that describes how when man starts something it almost always eventually becomes a Frankenstein.  How once created, organizations, businesses and ministries all seem to take on a life of their own.  They start to serve their own interests rather than the interests of their creator.

Towards the end of the book, Phil refers to the oft quoted passage from Proverbs, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."  I mean...yes, right...that's it, we have to strategize and come up with goals or else we won't know where to head....or will we.  He goes on to point out that none of the modern translations use the word vision, they use the word revelation.  When the King James version was translated, "vision" didn't mean what it means today.  It wasn't about goals and ambition and a "vision statement"...it literally meant a vision from God.   

He writes:

According to Paul, God had in mind even before I was born the "good work" he wanted me to do.  I don't have to dream it up, I don't have to read a hundred business books and craft a "vision paper," I don't have to try a bunch of stuff and see what works.  I just have to stop and listen.

The Problem with the saying "God can't steer a parked car" is that, while its cute, it isn't biblical.  When people of great faith in the Bible don't know what God wants them to do, they don't just run off and make stuff up. They wait on him.

I've used that phrase myself.  I've told people, "Just do something, start moving, get going, God will direct you."  The problem is, like Phil points out, that doesn't seem to be how the God of the bible works.

Take Noah, a man who actually got to "save the world."  He waited 500 years for his chance.  What was he doing during the wait?  Genesis 6:9 says, "Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God."  That's what Noah did for the first 500 years of his life, he walked with God.  That's what God is calling us to do, to wait on Him.  To walk with him.  Not to run out and and try to manufacture something important to do for Him. God's more interested in our relationship with Him than what we do for Him. So maybe God can steer a parked car...the question is, will we wait for Him?

But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

The Way of the Wild Heart

I'm currently reading The Way of the Wild Heart: A Map for the Masculine Journey, John Eldredge's newest book.  Its very, very good.  When it comes out later this year it will be a must read for men.  It picks up where Wild at Heart left off and explores the masculine journey.  For a preview of the material, I'd highly recommend the Masculine Journey Audio Set that is available from Ransomed Heart.  Its on sale right now for $16.99.

While I'm talking about Ransomed Heart, I'd like to recommend again, that if you haven't been to their Men's (Wild at Heart Bootcamp) or Women's (Captiviting) Retreat you really need to go.  If you are unable to get into one of their retreats (there are always many more men trying to attend than they have room for) I'd also recommend Boot Camp Northwest.  Some friends of mine run these events and do an incredible job. 

I'm considering taking a group of guys on a four day expedition during which we'd explore The Way of the Wild Heart together.  Attendance at a Boot Camp type event (Ransomed Heart, Boot Camp NW, Band of Brothers DVD set, etc.) would be a pre-requisite.  If you're interested, please drop me an email at jon@jondale.com.

Cure for the Common Life

Its 1:18 a.m. on Sunday morning March 19, 2006 and I’m wide awake. I just finished reading Max Lucado’s best-selling book, Cure for the Common Life. I actually read it in one sitting.  I haven’t done that in a while…read a book in one sitting.  I’ve got a stack of books by my bed that I’ve read the first three chapters of.

The book was really good…an easy read.  It’s based in large part on Arthur Miller’s, The Power of Uniqueness, but is much more readable.  Max uses the acronym S.T.O.R.Y. as the outline for the book.  He says that in your STORY lies your sweet spot.  He describes your sweet spot as, “A zone, a region, a life precinct in which you were made to dwell…life makes sense when you find your spot.”  In order to find your spot you have to answer the questions that make up your STORY.

1. What are your Strengths? What are the gifts and talents that God gave you?  As Max says, “God gave you not a knapsack, but a knack sack. These knacks accomplish results.”  What is it that you love to do…that takes so little effort to do well? What comes second nature to you?  What can you do so easily that it makes you think, “Can’t everyone do this?”  No, they can’t, but the fact that you do reveals something about your topic.
   
   
2. What is your Topic?  “Once you know your verbs, you look for your nouns.”  What are the topics you love? What books do you love to read?  I love reading books on sales and business, Amy can’t fathom why I enjoy reading them.  Earlier today, I actually read her a whole page from Seth Godin’s book, Purple Cow, which talked about the changes in marketing over the last century.  Imagine my surprise when she had to pretend to be interested by it.  She, on the other hand, can spend endless hours pouring through her art books examining the intricate details of hundreds of paintings. 
   
   Max says, “God implants such passion.  Listen to the way he described the builder Bezalel. ‘I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, intelligence, and skill in all kinds of crafts.  He is able to create beautiful objects from gold, silver, and bronze.  He is skilled in cutting and setting gemstones and in carving wood.  Yes, he is a master at every craft!’(Exod. 31:3-5 NLT).  That’s God speaking! Can you hear the pleasure in his voice?”  I can imagine God saying similar things about Amy’s writing or her music.  So what fascination did God plant in you?  What do you get passionate about?  As Max asks, “What makes your pulse race and your eyebrows arch?”
   
   
3. What are your Optimal Conditions?  What factors trigger your motivation?  Everyone is motivated by different things.  For me its unrealized opportunity.  There’s a little coffee shop that I meet a few of my buddies at on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.  And, God bless the owners, I just see so many things they could do to increase business.  And I find myself in conversations with people where we brainstorm different ideas.  It fascinates me that as I sit there with my friends (we’re the only customers in the store), there is a Starbucks across the street (inside a grocery store) that has 10-15 customers in line, waiting to buy coffee that isn’t as good as the cup I’m drinking.  The challenge of helping this coffee shop become a thriving business starts my engines.  What starts yours? And . . .
   
   
4. What about Relationships?  In your moments of greatest fulfillment, how do you relate to people?  Some people love to be part of a team.  One of the first things I did when we moved to Colorado was join the Pikes Peak Whitewater Club.  I love whitewater kayaking, but its no fun by myself.
   
   Others function better alone.  They prefer long walks or fly-fishing.  Its not that they don’t like people, it’s just that they don’t need people.
   
   Then there are people like me.  Put me in any situation and I usually become the leader.   I don’t try to.  It just seems to happen.  I’m guessing I sometimes come across as pushy or domineering, but I don’t mean to.  I just see needs and try and get the group to move to get them done.
   
   Whatever your relationship style, you need to understand it to find your place in your STORY.  There’s one final piece you need to tell the whole story.  What makes you say . . .
   
   
5. Yes!  In the movie Chariots of Fire, Eric Liddel defends his passion for running by telling his missionary sister, “God made me fast, and when I run, I feel his pleasure.”  Where do you feel God’s pleasure?  What makes you think, “This is what God made me for?” 

When you find your Strengths, Topics, Optimal conditions, Relationship preferences, and what makes you say “Yes,” you will have found what Max calls your STORY, and in your STORY lies your sweet spot.

An Army of Ordinary People

My mother, Felicity Dale's latest book, An Army of Ordinary People, has just hit book shelves.  Its a great read, especially if you are interested in simple types of church.  Here's the intro from the back cover:

""...they could see that they were ordinary men who had no special training... They recognized them as men who had been with Jesus." In the first century, those ordinary men and women-people just like you-came face-to-face with Jesus and became a force that turned the world upside down. In this powerful collection of stories, Felicity Dale shines the light on the same kind of Holy Spirit activity sweeping the U.S. today...God is mobilizing an army of ordinary people to carry out His extraordinary work in simple ways around the globe. May the stories in these pages inspire you to join their ranks!"

To order your copy visit www.karispublishing.com.

Captivating Released

It's not often I'll recommend a book before I've even started reading it, but I know this one is going to be great.

I just received notification that you can purchase this book at a discounted price until April 15th directly from Ransomed Heart.

What Wild at Heart did for men, Captivating offers for women – to heal their hearts, set them free as women. This book unveils the glorious design of women before the fall, describes how a woman is wounded in her life, and how her feminine heart can be restored. It also reveals the power, freedom, and beauty of a woman released to be all she was meant to be. Every woman longs to be romanced, to play an irreplaceable role in a great adventure, and to be the Beauty in the story, to unveil beauty. That is the life God intends for her; that is the life Jesus invites a woman into as his Beloved.

Click Here To Buy The Book

New Eldredge Book

If you like Eldredge, you'll love this book. It's great for non-christians too. The book comes out on August 20th and for the first 3 days you can get it for 1/2 price (just $5) from John's website, RansomedHeart.com.

Here's what Amazon.com has to say about the book:

We don’t usually identify with the author of a great story. Instead we bond with the hero and heroine—the one that the story is about. We share in their heartaches and triumphs. We cheer their accomplishments and mourn their losses.

When we think about our own story, we may see God as the author—an omniscient and omnipotent cosmic mastermind—but fail to recognize Him as the central character. In Breathtaking, John Eldredge invites us to revisit the drama of life, viewing God not only as the author but also as the lead actor, exploring His motives and His heart. Eldredge examines the power of story, the universal longing for a “plot” that makes sense deep inside us, our desire for a meaningful role to play, our love of books and movies, and how all of this points us to the gospel itself.

It’s a story better than any fairy tale! Our human hearts are made for great drama, and the gospel, with its tragedy and grandeur, truly is breathtaking.