Imagination Development
Recently I have been wondering about the phrase “delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.” Obviously when someone or anyone for that matter reads a phrase like that we immediately begin dreaming or imagining the possibilities of what it is that makes up the desires of our hearts. Consequently, I have always wondered at the staggering potential for just such a statement made by the Creator God. Desires is so inherently vague in its depiction of what we should want because most of the time what we want is sex, power, and materialism. What then does God who is so significantly Other to our world and our existing way of thinking, what does He actually mean.
C.S. Lewis writes; "Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
I toy with the idea that part of being a pastor and my role as leading people (however impossible that is) on a spiritual journey is that I am in fact in “imagination development.” Helping move one set of brain waves, mind matter, and head space to a position where they can see the finite dream transformed into the infinite and the mortal dream transformed into the eternal et cetera. Facilitating imagineering so that God can truly work on the most powerful sets of hopes for the future possible... with the promise that He will answer.
What do you think? What is this idea that God promises the idea of our hearts? Bible has another phrase; “the heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful.” You think C.S. Lewis is right? Do you think we more often than not drive after a dream that is second-best?
Hugs and kisses,
DSW
posted by DSW at
6:46 PM
4 Comments:
deedub,
i gotta say, i can't help but imagine a very different ministry. "imagination development" is a great ideal to toy with.
but ministry is about making disciples.
clearly, making disciples has nothing to do with the desires of our hearts... or does it?
david was a king after God's own heart. he was the youngest of his family, but selected because of his heart. if we do what is right in the eyes of the Lord, and He takes favour on us, then our heart would desire the things that He desires (righteousness, holiness, disciple-makingness), and wouldn't it make sense that He should give them to us?
i've often wondered at the grammar of that verse, "he will give you the desires of our heart". is it that he will give us that which we desire, or will he give to us the desires for which we will long for? i hope i communicated that clearly enough...
keep up the worship of God with all your mind, man! :D
By
Andrew, at 12:44 AM
Well I got to say its so refreshing to see someone understand that being a pastor is not about finding new ways to force there views on to a group of people at the chance they they have all the right answers and will never be wrong. You Mr. Dsw seem to at least understand that your nothing without God which puts you in a good spot to be able to be used by him. I think the desires of our own heart are mostly wicked and evil with the only good things being done so we can receive some sort of reward however it may look. however there is something to be said for the idea that when we get saved we are "changed" we take on the heart and personaility of Christ. or so we should. So at times under christ "influence" or as much could be without affecting our free will i do think that it is a promiss to give us the desires of our heart as they would be the desires of our farther. but as it goes we are spirit and flesh and seem to fight that battle each day. So it seems at times that our desires would not be met. i think the harder question for most of us to face is what and for what reason do we desire the things we do.
also most people wouldn't understand the idea of second best untill they know there is better out there. sadly no one these days seems to think like chris columbus "what if i leap off the edge and find i hit land" funny how people thought the world was flat, when each day and night round planets gave them light.
Don't know you but im sure I would like you. good luck on the pastoring.
By
Anonymous, at 7:12 PM
some guy,
lets talk more.. lets do dinner.. internet style.
my email:
disciple_davie@hotmail.com
use that for email or msn, either way is good. I hope we do not pass up an opportunity to arbitrarily abuse each other with verbal pornography and emotionally manipulate each other by trying to outdo each other with who's got the better story to illustrate their point..
hugs and kisses,
DSW
By
DSW, at 10:14 PM
so.. Its D and leaving a freaking msg on this blog.. so read it..
fact is I belive that "imagination development" can be done through video games and artifical stimulants (ie weed) and so on. Keith Greens wife as we know came to seek Jesus just because she saw a burning cross on a huge drug trip!
i dont know that there is a way to expand peoples mind when there is no room for expanse. They say that by the age of 5 i think it is, where all your nero-pathways are set and the amount you learn is limited to that number. In the same way a person is sort of set in some crazy cycle, sub-consiously or not, whereas they become all they have learned. (IE how we all become like our dads and moms weither a good or bad thing) and to break that cycle is tri-mendously hard...
I think it is a pastors (one days our) job to see to it that whatever is before him, he finds a way to show that audience, even if it is one, Jesus. Every day, every circumstance is different, therefore needing a different expereince.
I think God uses identities in churches to minister to certian spectrum of society. IE Toronto airport - over charismatic, and the thomas question - answers to questions. Each one having a dynamic of people targeted and being effective at it. Over all it comes don to this;
Be more than a way, or a certian style. Be all things, as Christ was all things, in the parameters of Himself. He knew what to do and when to do it, when to draw back, and when to push. Be like Christ in all you do, whereever you go, to whoever you know.
If anything, you have an ability like no other to relate to an audience that is broader than most. Reach at any cost.
By
Anonymous, at 3:41 PM
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