What's your vision??

Posted by Teen Bean in , ,

What if someone asked you what your vision for life was? How about the community that you live in? I was asked this recently and was shocked that all that came out of my mouth for a few seconds was "uhhh uhhh uhhh...." followed by the deafening silence of my brain working double time to think of something really witty and charming to say.

Why can't I be that person that just comes up with the catchy slogans and says, "there you go, this is the vision for my life"...

Then the more I thought about it the bigger and bigger that word VISION become... and the more complicated it was to understand.

In a matter of moments I felt like I couldn't even say the word vision let alone understand its definition and then apply it to my life and then the community I live in.

***DEEP BREATH***

After a few moments I asked myself what I thought vision meant. This resulted in me thinking "a vision is the best of what we hope for, right?"

That seemed to satisfy me enough to consider my life and community vision for a few hours. But again this morning I woke up with that pounding question... "What is my life vision?".

This time I decided to trust the internet to give me a proper definition:

vi-sion {vizh-uhn}:
noun
1. the act or power of sensing with the eyes; sight
2. the act or power of anticipating that which will or may come to be
3. a vivid, imaginative conception or anticipation

This got me to thinking. I think a life vision is best defined by taking what you see around you with your eyes and then applying what you vividly anticipate with your heart into that situation.

I used to think coming up with a life vision was about removing yourself from your currant normal situation and thinking of this intensely far away and almost unreachable reality and letting that dictate what you live for. But that isn't vision that is fantasy. A vision is about realizing that the life we live is here and now and also hopeful for a future... having a vision is about having hope for more!

So, are we living up to our potential to be hopeful?... Are we challenging ourselves to see and anticipate? Do you ever take the time to see what is going on around you and then apply the deepest yearnings of your heart into those situations and then strive with everything you've got to catch your life vision... to hope for more?

Don't live your life blindly like I was! Open the eyes of your heart and see what you are really living for... you might have to dig deeper then you thought and brush past a lot of surface crap like I did... but keep it up non-the-less because the more you define the vision you have for you life... the more clearly and fully you can make this journey of life and the more you will understand the purpose for you life!

A Kiss Towards = Worship

Posted by Teen Bean in ,

I know in todays world there is loads of things to worship... pop stars, diets, actors, job, book series, money!!


Today I woke up with the sun splashing into our apartment and thought "wow what an amazing day to worship God".... it set me in a good mood right from the start. The as I pulled on an old raggy top and headed into the kitchen I was even more grateful that my worship doesn't start in a church building or even that slightly awkward singy-song time of a church service that some of us love and hate at the same time. 

It started as I began cooking the food for our community meal for my friends, family and neighbors to share today as we all gather to remember how awesome the Creator of the universe and Father God is. 

I laughed and asked, "Steve what is worship? I feel like I'm doing it right now... but I'm not singing or in a church?" 

Steve was hanging up the latest poster from his poetry gig on our memory wall and said "Worship means 'a kiss towards' or 'adoration'... it about showing appreciation..." (ahhh steve always knows everything! wink wink!)

I laughed and was like "ohhh right that is why this feels like worship!" I continued smiling to myself because I love the way we get to be the church on this estate. Its not about meetings or judgement or rules... its about relationship. 

Our world has tried to take the precious word of 'worship' and make it this cold and distant thing by using it to say "we worship money, items, fame etc" when really worship is very relational and personal thing... its a word used to describe the most personal and real relationship we humans can experience... the relationship between us and our heavenly father and creator!

And God asked us to use the way we worship him or show him our love to bless him AND others! 

So in the same way that I show people love (through telling them, making them food, hanging out with them, being kind, being generous, having a cup of tea). God wants us to show him love in those same ways, but he is even cooler than people because he says that when we do these things for him, BUT with other... it shows Him the deepest love of all!

So I am happy to worship God today... starting now in my kitchen... and continueing into this afternoon as I gather with other people that love God and we share a meal together and show God we love him enough to care for each other and him!

Join me some time... its awesome!