Building Cathedrals

There are several variations of this familiar little story. Its author is unknown to me, but it has a good meaning and makes a valid point. Please take a few minutes and reflect on this variation of the 3 laborers:

 There once was a traveler who journeyed all over the globe in search of wisdom and enlightenment. In the midst of one village, he came upon a great deal of noise, dust, and commotion.

He approached the nearest laborer and asked, “Excuse me; I’m not from this village. May I ask what’s going on here?” The laborer replied curtly, “Can’t you see? I’m busting rocks.”

The traveler approached a second laborer doing the same thing and asked the same question. The second laborer replied, “Can’t you see? I’m earning a living to support my family.”

The traveler then approached a third laborer who was also breaking up rocks and posed the question a third time. With a broad smile and a gleam in his eye, the third laborer replied with great pride: “Can’t you see? We’re building a cathedral.”

It’s all in our perspective…

Simon Sinek in his book, Start with Why, alludes to this parable when he writes, “We don’t want to come to work to build a wall; we want to come to work to build a cathedral” (p. 135).

Within the environment of a Christian school we offer a holistic educational atmosphere that inspires students to pursue knowledge and understanding, and encourages them to encounter God in a deep and personal relationship. In essence, we challenge them to build cathedrals of their lives for the purposes of God.

For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.  (Jeremiah 29:11)

We’re building Cathedrals!

The Eternal Truth in 7:38

Many years ago, I had the privilege of getting to know Tino Wallenda Zoppe’. Tino is the grandson of Karl Wallenda of the Flying Wallenda’s. Tino and his family have a wonderful faith in Christ that they freely share as they perform on the high wire.

Recently while wrapping up my day at school, I came across a video of Tino. It was almost 5:00 p.m. so I didn’t feel guilty about talking a few minutes to pause and focus on something other than the school-day activities. Besides, the video was only 7:38 in length.

Tino was on the high wire describing how his grandfather taught him to maintain his balance by fixing his sight on a single focal point at the end of the wire. As he became more proficient on the wire he could look away and perform stunts with ease. Whenever he would begin to lose his balance, his sight automatically returned to that point at the end of the wire.

Tino said that life is the same way; we sometimes stumble and lose our balance. For Tino, the focal point of his life is his faith in Jesus Christ. When life gets out of balance, it is our faith in Christ, our spiritual equilibrium that brings us back to center.

I shared the video with a student who came by my office that afternoon. Afterwards the student remarked, “He (Tino) shared his faith through what he did; that’s what I want to do with my life.”

And THAT is the impact we want to have on all of our students! May it be so…

Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx1eG3Z05Vs&list=HL1360875053&feature=mh_lolz

Abide in Me

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”  (John 15:7)

Donna and I are completing a 40 day prayer challenge based on Mark Batterson’s book The Prayer Circle. It has been a remarkable journey and a memorable way to start a new year. On day 30, the title was Abide in Me.

Batterson describes the various levels of education in Jewish culture to illustrate what it means to abide in Christ. The final stage, if one is invited, was “bet midrash” or “house of study.” A rabbi would select his disciples and invite them to “come, follow me.” Sound familiar?

The disciples would follow the rabbi in complete devotion, learning his philosophy and teachings: “The complete devotion of discipleship is sometimes described as being ‘covered in the dust of your rabbi’. It was an allusion to the fact that the disciples followed their rabbi so closely that the dust the rabbi kicked up with his heels would literally cover the disciples who followed him.”

What I took away from this reading was: if I am going to accomplish God’s purposes and plans for my life, I must abide in Him. In my journey through the reading of scripture I must follow my Rabbi so closely that the dust from the pages of His Word covers me.

That is my prayer for you this week; may you be covered in the God’s dust as you follow Him in His Word.

Blessings, my human friends...