We should find people of great influence in our peer group and in our discipline and listen to them. Because they differ slightly from us, these people sharpen us. Sometimes they are achieving such greatness that we feel a drip of depression looming in our seeming lack of accomplishment. But that only remains when we focus on our accomplishments or lack thereof.

Many would call this sort of activity “self-centered.” I contend that it is probably not “self-centered” enough. Perhaps we need to go even deeper into searching ourselves - we need to search inside of ourselves to find the still small voice instructing us. This voice trumps all external, peer-reviewed comparison. It says, “Keep running the race” and “fight the good fight” and “I will give you rest.” Man, I love that still small voice.

Katrina here. Blog #2. I was painting a young lady this afternoon downtown, and I noticed she was staring off into the buildings. I asked her what she was thinking about and she said, “I’m trying not to.” What a profound statement! We conjured up a business proposition: contemplative prayer meets fine art. Hmmmm… (It’s more like performance art, I suppose…) The question on many brains that needs attention is “HOW does one dump their brain clutter?” So, let’s talk about how to clear your brain. Well the parts are not difficult to understand, and naturally, this will look different for different people. I don’t have a recipe, but I have been trying some things. Here’s what you need to know:

1. Learn to trust more

2. Take your time, be graceful with yourself

3. Only say what you intend to do / only say what you mean

4. Do what you say / mean what you say

5. Be diligent (ask, seek and knock)

6. The door will open

Transparent Practicality — Here is what this has looked like for me. I haven’t perfected this at all, and this may only work for a season, but here is where I am at the moment. As I mentioned in my last post, I have just read David Allen’s Getting Things Done and Armchair Mystic by Mark Thibodeaux. And as Mark mentioned in the comments, these books seem quite opposed at first glance — one is about efficiency and the other is about the art of being. Doing vs. being. Are they really at odds?

I would venture to say that the art of being and contemplative prayer are a means to efficiency. I get much more accomplished when I am fully aware of my surroundings and my time than when I am quickly rushing from one thing to the next. I am also a nerd/geek. I love technology. I was taking apart computer hardware with my mom as a young girl while other girls were playing with Barbie dolls. So here is a tool I’ve been using to dump my brain. It’s a tool I’ve had to come to learn to use, and I like it. (And ultimately, true security is only found with God, and if it falls apart for some reason, I trust that He will provide and take care of me.) The tool is Toodledo, a free online software that manages tasks and assigns them priority. I use it in conjunction with Google Calendar. (You can see the little green checkbox next to the weather icons.) Here is a screen shot:

I like the fact that I can sit down to the checklist, take five minutes and dump everything that needs to get done (with a priority level and due date, if needed).

I used to do the same thing with checklists on pencil and paper, but I always dropped it because I would lose the checklist, and I was tired of transferring all of the tasks that I didn’t do onto a new sheet — I felt like a failure. Ultimately, I didn’t really trust the process either. I didn’t trust that I would do what I had said I would do.

Now, I use Toodledo as a referral point and a sacred space. By placing these things in this “silo”, my mind is like water. If I don’t intend to workout that day, I won’t write it on there! The only way this works is if I make the tool an authentic representation of what I truly desire and need to do. Otherwise a great deal of time and resources has been wasted. Once I’ve dumped those action items, I don’t think about them again (until it’s time for me to think about them). The process has been freeing and helpful.
This tool is one helpful lifestyle change that has really brought me peace of mind. Everyone’s approach will look slightly different. Please leave a comment if you have any suggestions or examples of what this looks like for you.

What about brain noise resulting from non-task based items? Like philosophical concerns or relationships? See you for the next post.

Katrina here. Today is the dawning of a new day! I’m going to start writing my *great* posts here on this blog. All of the posts on katrinawillis.wordpress.com will be art-specific, so be sure to check those out (or sign up for an RSS feed) if you’re interested in the art posts (I post those quasi-monthly).

In North America, we have a hard time sitting still, being quiet, or being with others in silence. Noise = comfort. In high school, I used to study with the TV running and the computer and a side conversation going at the same time. And I would venture to say that high schoolers today are doing the same thing still. I’m actually listening to music as I write this now. Try this exercise: take five minutes, and if you have one near, set an alarm to let you know when the 5 minute mark hits. Turn your computer screen off. Sit upright in the quiet and focus on one thing in the room. Breathe deeply. Try to let you mind STOP. Do not go to sleep.

….. how was it?

If you’re anything like me, you probably have experienced days where you’re thinking deeply on something… and there is constant brain chatter (leading to anxiousness). I wake up thinking about “things” and I spend the entire day thinking about “things” as if my thinking will result in some sort of change. “If I just think deeply or hard enough, I’ll live wisely.” If I meet someone who doesn’t “think” as much as I “think” then they’re obviously more hollow headed than me. End of story. Until recently…

I have been seeking peace of mind. Jesus told us that those who listen to him and do what he says will be like the man who built his house on the rock. When the rains come and the winds blow, the house will sit firm. But those who only listen to his words build their house on the sand. The writer of Proverbs says that as a dog returns to its vomit so a fool returns to his folly (26:11). In English, we call this rumination. We’re so comfy with our own vomit that we won’t seek out new food.

I’ve just recently read Armchair Mystic by Mark Thibodeaux and Getting Things Done by David Allen. In the mix, I’ve also been meditating on the Matthew 6:33 mantra (Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all of these things shall be added to you…)

The result has been the freeing art of the brain dump. What? How do you do that? Stay tuned.

There is so much to do –

Books to read,

                        Houses to clean,

            People to meet,

Errands to run.

We have little time to share with each other what matters

In between the lines.

At the end of the day,

            The end of our life,

We look back and see our life wasted at high speed

When we never took the time

To sit with you, to walk with you.

To commune

With You.

My frenetic nature keeps me

Looking over my shoulder at all the things that need done,

And for even this moment I am tempted

To forget to be.

Who am I? 

How will I ever know, if I never am?

Hold me, clasp me, and gaze into my eyes.

I am - I want to be - hypnotized. 

                        With You.

“To teach is to create a space where the truth can be practiced.” – Parker Palmer

Right now in Iraq, Baghdad University is learning the importance of teachers creating special spaces for their students. Right now only 30% of BU’s students show up for classes and many who show up for class are so afraid that little learning can actually take place. Teachers are being threatened not to show up to teach, and many have abandoned their posts. Anyone involved in professional development must lie about their business in Baghdad in order to sneak through patrolled road blockades.

Teachers’ main job according to Palmer is to create a special kind of space. A space where the truth can be practiced. This space has been threatened in Iraq, and now the country faces a world without professionals or educated leaders. But what does a space “where the TRUTH can be PRACTICED” actually look like?

This is the kind of space that I am looking for. As a man who desires more than anything else to see people formed in the image of Christ our Lord, I am thinking hard about this definition as a platform for understanding how discipleship happens.

Churches for years have done a great job with getting people to a point where they make a decision for Jesus - raising their hand at the end of a sermon, praying a “sinner’s prayer” or even coming forward to repent and be baptized. All of those things are merely stones on the path toward full maturity in Christ - something we’ll never fully see in anyone this side of heaven.

We all need to be given space to grow into that form that Christ has shown us. Yeast grows to fit the container it is placed in. Could it be that our huge church facilities are still too constricting? Are they keeping Christ-followers from reaching their God-shaped potential?

I think that in the context of discipleship and “mission” work, The definition looks more like this:

“To invite others to Christ’s abundant life is to create a space within hearts, marriages, and spiritual communities where the Truth can be practiced.”

We need time each day to practice the Truth, (Jesus is the Way, Truth and Life). In our own personal way, we need to know how we connect with the Lord and discover how he is shaping us. This does not mean we have a “quiet time” every day with our devo-Bible dusted and ready to go. It might mean biking in the woods, getting ice cream with God, reciting Scripture as you wash the dishes, a vow of silence, reading poetry, or whatever your heart cries out for.

Our marriages need space to practice the truth. Katrina and I wrote a simple statement that has been a guiding voice in our marriage since the beginning. “To live a life of God’s JOY with each other by building an environment that will spur the other on toward a more spiritually-formed life influencing others to grow in the love of Christ.” Maybe it sounds cheesy to you, but we’ve made it a point in every place we’ve lived to create a spiritual space where we can be formed by the Spirit in personalized ways that bring us great joy. It has been amazing!

Our churches and spiritual communities need space within relationships to invite people to practice this truth. I’m not talking about physical space necessarily, but space within the hearts and wills of the people to practice what they know to be true. Feeding the homeless together, visiting the elderly, adopting an unwanted child, cleaning up a city park, praying the Lord’s prayer together each week…

Imagine what our world — YOUR world — would be like if you lived knowing that your heart was GOOD and that the things that brought you great joy actually brought God great joy and that he is interested in sharing in that joy with you?  It all starts with a little yeast.