Monday, March 26, 2012

Blah Blah Blah... to writing a great story

by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com


Blah Blah Blah is by Dan Roam, author of Back of the Napkin, leads us from just
using words when we communicate, to vivid thinking and expressing. Every word we use has a picture connected to it by the person hearing the word. Take the word "fly." There are many different visual images that a mind can attach to fly... it's an insect, it's a plane trip, it's going fast.... When we clarify communication by using vivid images, we quickly direct the brain to the right path we intend.
We all can at least draw stick figures, using our best illustrating skills, even from the least skilled illustrator, we can get our point across more clearly. Blah, Blah Blah takes us from boring to taking the clutter out and sharpening it, from removing the fog to seeing the essence of the main idea, from clearing up misleading information to what it is intended to mean. The Blah Blah Blah is the boring, foggy, misleading that hinders vivid thinking.

Vivid thinking is the visual and the verbal being interdependent. It's creates words
and pictures, contains words and pictures and explains everything using words and pictures.
When and where to use pictures to sharpen up words.Roam calls it vivid grammar.When you hear a noun draw a portrait, a picture of a person, even with stick figures.
When an adjective is about quantity, draw a chart to compare numbers, volume, the amount.

When it's a preposition, use a map to show its direction and relationship.

Is it past, present or future tense, use a timeline to show where it fits.

If the verb is complex, make a flow chart to show options of direction.

When you have a complex sentence draw a multivariable plot.

This one requires some explanation... a steak, with vegetables, water, and seasoning make a stew.

Show how the parts come together in what proportion to make the end result.
One note about Blah Blah Blah. This summary really doesn't do the concept justice. Only words are being used here, and his illustrations in the book will enhance your understanding way beyond what you read here. (Check his website, and book.)

Once you learn vivid grammar... using what kind of pictures, illustrations in place
of which parts of grammar... Roam takes you into the forest. So if you can't see the forest for the trees in your communication, here's more guidelines.
The walk through the forest starts with...Form is determining if you are using all of the six vivid grammar parts well... portraits, charts, maps, timelines, flowchart, multivariable plot.
Only the essentials. Distill your idea down to the essentials, only the essentials.

Recognizable. Use visual metaphors from nature, life, the world people have seen before.
Evolves. The idea should evolve. Nearly complete the idea so others can complete it. Connect the dots.Spans differences. Include the opposite of the idea. People can grasp the what from what it isn't, and seeing the difference.Targeted. It goes where the listening is inclined to go: the leader wants to know where it's going, the doer getting it done, the expert wants complexity, the newbie needs simplicity, the numbers personwants quantities, emotional person feelings.
Roam uses the hummingbird and fox to demonstrate how this works. The hummingbird likes to show you, the fox talks your arm off. We have both of these in our brains, but we seem to have more emphasis on the words. Vivid communication is a show and tell.

http://www.danroam.com/

What's in a great story?
Jesus is using our lives to build a great story
through us. He is the Author and Perfecter of our Faith (Heb. 11:2). As a premier author, His story holds one's attention with plots and subplots through each day. Healings, dealing with naive disciples, and conniving religious leaders. Many following him, many what him leading their cause, many loving him in depths never known before, and many wanting to kill him. The story is a movie headliner... action, romance, intrigue, adventure, tension, conflict, mystery, excitement, laughter, heartbreak and uplifting joy.
Our lives are a great story too, that Jesus is writing. You see books that have the author's name as written, "by John The Author with Sam The Writer." We are a "by" "with" authorship. Your story "by" you "with" Jesus.
Bob Sorge in a presentation called "Jesus, the Consummate Author," impresses on us that our lives are a story of great intrigue. With life not being perfect, and working through highs and lows, challenges with victories, we have a great story with many fascinating subplots. He points out...
http://www.ihop.org/resources/2012/03/23/jesus-the-consummate-author/
(Bob Sorge, Oasis House Ministries)


If our lives were perfect and all things went well without any hitches,
it would make quite a boring story. But with things moving along a merry road, and then all of a sudden injustice, surprises, unfulfilled visions, disappointments, then another surprise... it is going on the path of a great story. Plots, subplots with unexpected turn of events... it builds, grows, twists and turns. We enjoy a story that has an ending that surprises us, catches us off guard, creates curiosity on what will happen next. That's the average person's life. When God is with us, He works with us through all these facets of our lives.

He is building a story in us
. A story we can tell others
on how God so uniquely took us through all aspects, unexpectancies, disappointments, tragedies, complexities of our lives. A story that encourages others through our unexpected turn of events we can expect God to be with us and come through with a surprise, a twist, a fulfillment, and mission we never would have expected.
But the thing God is up to is building our faith. He is our author and He is the perfecter of our faith. The longer the answer waits to come, the more He is building faith. Abraham waited 40 years for his answer to the promise. The whole time, through ups and downs, hills and valleys, Abraham's faith grew strong. This timeline built Abraham's faith. The delay grew His faith.
It is in and through our story of ups and downs that our own faith is being strengthened. We become people of great faith through this, our life adventures, and with great faith we will see great things. A great cloud of witnesses are watching, people of great faith. Our faith becomes larger (great means large) so we become larger in our faith through the going through of all the hopes, disappointments, followed by new hope.
This is how God builds great faith. So as God builds great faith in us, His is also giving us a great story. With a great story others will listen with intrigue and curiosity about our lives... "well then, what happened next." So our life is a testimony, a story to share... we have a story of movie caliber, compelling attention, that others can see themselves as part of. Our faith is built... we believe and increase belief for the wonderful vision God has given us.
Sorge pointed out too that life growth is based on trajectory. We have hills and valleys, it goes up and down, sometimes within the same day. But over the course of time, we see a trajectory going up. It's not based on days, weeks, months, as much as years. When we look back over a year, and see how God has been building our lives. Ask yourself, "How has God changed my life from this time a year ago."
Jesus is the author and perfecter of our faith. He is helping us write a great story for others, and is building our faith to become large in faith.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Inspired Mission Discovery ... Spirit empowering process.

by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com


The inspired mission God has for you is discovered and empowered through His Spirit,
that dwells in the Believer. What's the origin of all things and how God manufactures them.

It all Starts in Prayer,
Develops through Prayer,
and Continues through Prayer.


In the New Testament they always teamed up... 2 or 3 together going somewhere or
doing something. They met in homes, journeyed together, went on mission efforts in teams.

Each lived and mastered personal discipline.

They inundated themselves with God's Word, Jesus' and the disciples' teachings along with the teachings of
the prophets. They had a very disciplined prayer life. They continually thought about and reflected on God's Word, shared It with others, and lived it out through the Spirit. A life in Spirit directed them.

They connected in prayer.

They met frequently to pray and share what the Spirit was instructing them as well as their insights to the Scriptures. They would worship in songs and sharing with each other. In constant communication with each other, and in communion with each other and the Holy Spirit, they shared all things, their Spiritual gifts, insights.

So their routine was

Prayer... worship... the Scriptures
and listening to what God was speaking to them.

They followed a process... which initiated Inspired thought, action; a Spirit-led lifestyle was a continual part of them.


The Inspired Process


While in prayer

A mission was revealed and purpose for their lives was established.


In prayer

They learned the details and specifics to their mission, and ideas were born.


In prayer

They received gifts of the Holy Spirit to Supernatural results for accomplishing their mission.


In prayer

As they met together, the power of agreement manifested, they grew in relationship
and they saw expressions of Power. This happens when Believers unite in prayer and a Spirit of being one is birthed, all of the Greatness of Jesus is now part of this group.

In prayer
Strategies are presented
by the Spirit. Divine Intelligence is received, cooperate
action is designed around the gifts of the prayer team, while being orchestrated by the Spirit. They function like a well-conducted orchestra, many diverse parts and gifts synchronized in harmony as one beauty sound.

In prayer
Boldness and courage came
over them. They took bold actions as directed by
the Spirit bringing to completion the strategies given by the Spirit of God. Gifts of the Spirit are manifested and become self evident. Miracles happen, love abounds.

In prayer
We stay saturated by the Spirit as God directs us in all of our efforts.
The Kingdom of God is birthed... functional, beautifully attractive.

It all happens in prayer through all phases of activity, as God directs and empowers, and fills everyone with His Love, living a life of satisfaction unmatched by anything else.

In short, it looks much like this...
each part preceded with prayer... unceasingly interacting with God's Spirit.


Pray it
... two or three united in prayer ... vision emerges

Find it
... idea discovery ... the mission

Expand it
... align gifts to accomplish mission ... gift discovery

Empower it
... back to prayer for God's empowering (mini-Pentecosts) ... Holy Spirit Endowment

Mobilize it ... proclaim and do it ... strategic directions emerge
Fulfill it
... coordinate actions ... enact systems and processes


“Prayer is the first thing
, the second thing, and the third thing necessary for seeing the Mightiness of God. Pray, then, my dear friends, pray, pray, pray.” (Edward Payson)


"When God has something very great to accomplish, it is His will that what should precede it is the extraordinary prayers of His people." (Jonathan Edwards)