Here's the second of five principles of the "hands," framework of spiritual transformation: Jesus makes you more and more like him--a heart and soul faith, made flesh--as you discover your kingdom heart. (You can read the intro here, no here.) These five posts are a bit longer than typical, but oh so worth your contemplation!  

If you want to build a ship,

don't drum up people to collect wood and

don't assign them tasks and work,

but rather teach them to long

for the endless immensity of the sea

(Antoine de Saint-Exupery).

A good story engages us heart, soul, mind, strength.

A good story inflames our passion.

A good story invites others to, "Come and see."

Your kingdom heart

--your place of passion for the kingdom--

may be found at the intersection of

 The Story of You and His Story.  

First: Explore The Story of You. From the time you were a child, you have journeyed down many paths, often in unanticipated directions. As you look back at stages along the way, you're sometimes pleasantly surprised; often, however, you look back with disappointment and disillusionment--more so as your journey moves you farther and farther away from your initial expectations. And so you create a story, a story replete with heroes and villains, a story that explains how you got from there to here--and not over there.

If the outcome thus far is favorable, you're likely to be equally fond of the narrative you've crafted to support it. If, however, your expectations have been dashed, you'll likely show up in your own story as a victim. You cast your family, friends, and associates in supporting roles--often assigning them partial responsibility for your disappointment and disillusionment.

Your story is likely compelling--so convincing, in fact--that it becomes your reality. Once you've crafted your story, you may surrender authorship; you give the story itself the power to shape your life, your relationships, your outcomes.

Journal around The Story of You...

Did you once imagine you'd be here...or over there?

Are you delighted...or disappointed?

Who or what is responsible for your being here?

What do you think of them?

Is there a theme or a pattern that helps you see how circumstances and choices are knit together, why things are, and how things might be?

Are you an active, passionate character or a passive observer--a victim, even-in your own story?

Have you taken any gifts or personality assessments in your life that might bring clarity to The Story of You?

Speaking of story, name three books and/or movies that you often revisit. What draws you to them? Is it the plot, a character, a scene? What do the three have in common? Do they have anything in common to the theme or pattern from the previous inquiry?

Second: Discover His Story. Scripture is, to many, a reference book akin in literary style to an encyclopedia or a dictionary, a book of quotable quotes, filled with precepts and promises, marked by chapter and verse. Inspired, yes. Readable as a book, not so much. Tragically, this perspective of scripture is not limited to those who are new to scripture. Many veteran devotees of the word of God never get past this entry-level perspective of scripture. Consequently, their Bibles, for all practical purposes, might be subtitled, Book of Regulations Encapsulating Duty of Man, or by the acronym thereof.

Wonder is reserved for those who recognize scripture, not merely as a book of quotable wisdom and divine directive, but as a sweeping, three dimensional, interactive narrative of God's relentless efforts to establish and restore a relationship with his creation. It is the story of the kingdom of God; the whole and its many parts share a recurring theme of Bondage, Deliverance, Reconciliation.

Authors J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis admired God as the Master Storyteller, who communicated truth through historical narrative. Both men comprehended the power of story to communicate truth and to inspire the spirit. Interestingly, Tolkien was drawn to story because of his love for scripture; Lewis was drawn to scripture because of his love for story. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings, and Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, used their masterworks to convey themes of good and evil and to allegorize the Christian faith.

Even as readers engage in Tolkien's Middle Earth and Lewis' Narnia, readers of the New Testament can engage the narratives, characters, and correspondence of the Bible and discover--and develop a passion for--Father, Son, Spirit; and justice, kindness, humility. Further, His Story, The Divine Narrative, doesn't conclude with the final page of The Revelation; it continues to unfold to our generation and beyond, inviting you and me to step into its pages and participate in the story--much as Peter, Lucy, Edmund, and Susan stepped through the wardrobe and into C.S. Lewis' world of Narnia.

I'm curious, do you read scripture or do you see it?

Journal around His Story...

Is there a plot, a theme, an event, a doctrine, a character in scripture that particularly resonates with you?

Does this place of resonance in scripture reflect the theme or pattern you identified in The Story of You?...Does this place of resonance bear any relationship to your three favorite books and/or movies?...Does this place of resonance reflect your giftedness or personality styles?

Your kingdom heart--your place of passion for the kingdom--may be found at the intersection of The Story of You and His Story. Can you see a possibility?