Passion Nurturing Activities, Pt. 4

We've talked about words and how they can stir our passion, but how about time? How much time to you give to your passion? If you're not happy with your answer, here are some things to try:

Take a Time Out. Remember how that works? Time outs? When you were a kid and got a little out of control, Mom sent you to the Time Out chair to cool off. Well, this is a similar principle. Take time to play. Get out of the house, away from your everyday life. Get out in nature. The woods, the ocean, a local park. Go to the library. Go to a playground and watch the kids. Go to a museum and let the beauty of other people's passions wash over you. Go to the gun range and, as my hubby calls it, "plink." Watch cartoons. Take a break from being an adult. Getting away from "it all," at least once in a while, is restorative.

Spend time with people who are living their passion. You know who they are. You know the people in your life who are immersed in doing what they were made to do. Ask to spend a day with them, and watch their faces. Ask them how they stay focused. What they do to refill and rejuvenate. Let those who have gone before you help you on your journey.

Take a 15-minute vacation. Can't get away for a whole or even half day? No worries. Take 15 mintues. Close the door. Sit in a comfortable chair. Close your eyes. And let your imagination take you wherever you want to go.

Let yourself laugh! I've seen the restorative power of laughter over and over again, how it brings healing and even health. I have a whole shelf of videos and DVDs I watch to laugh. Doris Day movies. Red Skelton and Victor Borge comedy routines. The Dick Van Dyke show. And on and on. One of my all-time favs is a video of NFL snippets, set to ballet music. Hysterical! Laughter is a powerful force, friends. Give it full rein as often as you can.

Time. Words. Friends. Laughter. Or something completely different. Find whatever it is that works for you, and do it. Don't let your passion be consumed by day-to-day stresses. Don't let the fire God breathed into you be quenched.

Never forget, passion is a precious gift. One a loving Father has given to bless you and those around you. Cherish it. Express it. Let it bless your world.

Peace.

Karen

Passion Nurturing Activities, Pt. 3

Silence, music, counselors...these are all great helps for stirring creativity and passion. So, too, is the written word. May seem like a no-brainer to some; for others may seem impossible. But I'm not talking about being a writer. I'm talking about the power of writing down what you know. Think. Feel. And letting that action show you things about yourself. And God.

Here are some simple things you can do, even if you hate to write:

Keep an Evidence Journal. Write down your God Stories. The times you saw God act. The times you felt His touch and presence. Do it with story or just key words. But get it down on paper. When God moves in your day, write it down. When someone speaks truth to your heart, write it down. When you struggle, write it down. Remember the children of Israel were told to write these truths on the doorposts that they might not forget all God had done for them. Then, when you've done that for awhile, go back and read what you wrote. It's so easy to forget God’s faithfulness. What a blessing to have solid, firm evidence of His action, His presence in our lives, in our passion.

Read the Scriptures. Whether you believe in God or not, you'll find beautiful, powerful writing in the Bible. If you do believe in God, then I challenge you to spend as much time in the Word as you do in reference and research books. Don't leave God out of the equation when seeking to rejuvenate your passion, or you may not like the final product.

Share words with others. In other words, encourage! Being encouraging encourages us.

Read. Immerse yourself in words, gloriously written words. Think about it. If you were stranded on a desert island what 4 books would you want with you? Read them. Read kids books, too. (Anything by Dr. Seuss or Shel Silverstine is a joy.) Whatever books speak to your soul. Block out time each day to read. And do it someplace that you love. Your favorite chair, with the lights perfectly adjusted, the fire going in the fireplace, music floating around you…or not. Do it however you enjoy it most. Every day. It's important. If you want to find your passion.

Okay, almost done with activities. Last installment coming soon!

Karen

Passion Nurturing Activities, Pt. 2

Ready for more? Then here we go. But prepare yourselves. This next one is hard:

* Accept the delays. I know, I know, we want to keep going. Progress. Reach the goal. But here's what I've learned in the midst of my journey: the detours ARE the journey. All those things getting in your way, those obstacles keeping you from accomplishing your goals? Maybe they're God's way of putting the brakes on what you're focused on so He can get you refocused. On Him. And His plans for you.

This lesson was especially hard for me to learn, but through it I discovered my life verse: Habakkuk 2:3—"Slowly, steadily, surely, the time is coming for the vision to be fulfilled. If it seems delayed, do not fret. It won’t be overdue even a single moment."

* Listen to the voice of the One who breathed your passion into you. Remember Elijah and his trip up the mountain? (If not, check out 1 Kings 19, 9-13). There was a mighty windstorm, and an earthquake, and a fire, but where was the voice of God? In “the sound of a gentle whisper.”

So how, you say, do I do that? How do I hear God's voice more clearly? Here are some suggestions to get you started:

Silence. Yeah, that's right. Silence. How much time do you spend in silence? Odds are good we all could use more. Try going on a silent retreat, either an organized one or one you set up yourself. Go away from everyday life, leave all the gadgets and technology at home, and spend time--real time--in silence. What's that? You'll fall asleep? Okay, so do so. Who knows? Maybe that's exactly what God is calling you to so He can speak to your heart while you're at rest.

Use Music. Find time to sit and just listen to music you love. Close your eyes and focus on the lyrics. Let music speak to you, draw you out of yourself and into God. (Want a suggestion for a great CD? Streams. Outstanding music, stirring lyrics.)

Next installment to come soon! Promise.

Karen

Passion Nurturing Activities

Great discussion, all, on nurturing passion. Here are some other things you can do to rejuvenate that creative, passion-filled part of your spirit:

1. Surround yourself with friends who encourage your passion. Remember, "a wise king is surrounded by wise counselors." Share your passion, what you think God's planted inside you, with those who love you, with those with whom you’re safe. With those who keep you accountable. Seek their guidance. And listen to them!

2. Disconnect from technology. Okay, don't hyperventilate. But think about it. We have to be the most connected, available, interruptable people ever! Give yourself a break--literally. Shut off the phone, the computer, and anything else with an on/off switch. Focus on the silence. And what God has to tell you in the midst of it.

3. Regain Perspective. Remember, it's not about you. Sure, it feels like it is, but it's really not. It's about what God wants to accomplish. So step away from yourself. Got mountains close by? The ocean? Anything bigger than you? Look at it. Let the sight of something truly huge and majestic remind you of your place in the world. Then look to Scripture. And let that remind you of your place in God's economy.

Okay, that's enough for today. More to come soon!

Karen

Let's Explore Together: Passion Killers

Happy Valentine's Day! What a great day to be talking about heart passion, huh?

Thanks for all the comments on what passion is to you. Great response, very thought-provoking. Generally speaking, then, True Passion is:

• Something you care deeply about
• Your burden
• What drives you—and what drives you nuts. Like a terrier puppy with a sock. Need a crowbar to pry it loose.
• Something that costs you. There's wonderful Scripture that Angie Hunt quotes that goes something like this, "I will offer my God nothing that has not cost me." Real passion calls for sacrifices.
• A compelling urge. (Such as...hmm...dark chocolate!)

I think another sign of your deepest passion is that when you actively do something work in the area of your passion, you feel God’s glory. His delight.

Years ago Francine Rivers gave my family a movie (on VCR...tell you how long ago that was). She said the main characters reminded her of my mom and dad. The movie was Babette’s Feast. I was excited 'til I saw it was a foreign flick. Danish, to be exact. Much as I love languages (my college double-major was journalism and multiple languages--I studied French, Spanish, and Russian), I'm not crazy about watching movies with subtitles. But this was from my dear friend Francine, and she said we like it. So we all sat down and watched.

Within seconds we were captured. Drawn in to the story of two daughters--both with amazing talents--each who gave up their dreams to stay at home first to serve their pastor father, and then to serve his community. Humbly. With love. Then a woman comes to town, sent by a friend of theirs to be the sister's housekeeper, which she does for 14 years. When she wins the lottery. So what does this woman do with all that money? She prepares a meal
for the sisters and their community, her offering to honor them for their lives spent for each other and God. (The movie is so much more than I can relate here, and if you haven't seen it I urge you to run, don't walk, to the nearest video store and rent it.)

But what struck me most deeply in this moving film was one line Babette spoke to the sisters: "How the angels must delight in you." That, I think, is what it's like when you're given to your God-breathed passion. When you live and act and move in concert with passion, when you nurture the seed of passion planted within you when God breathed you into existence...

...The angels delight in you.
And so does God.

Whatever your passion is, then, you need to cherish it. To help it's roots grow deep and sure, and the blossoms to stretch to the skies until they bloom in all their glory. (Can you tell we're heading into gardening season?) And that means you need to be aware of things that keep you from you passion.

Namely, Passion Killers.

What do you think kills passion? What steals your delight in what you do, in who you are. What blocks out God's whisper? What wraps itself around you and puts a barrier between you and the passions God has poured into you?

I've got two Killers that I wrestle with regularly: Grief and Fatigue. Grief was for a season. But fatigue, well, I fight with that a lot. Both drain you, hinder your ability to think and even, at times, feel.

How about you? What are the passion killers you fight with? Share them here, and in the next installment, we'll explore how to deal with those killers, and how to nurture that wonderful passion within.

Peace.

Karen

Let's Explore Together: Passion

I do a lot of teaching at writers' conferences and leading retreats, that kind of thing. One of the workshops I've been doing for a number of years is a joint exploration on something that I've been thinking a lot about lately: passion. Not necessarily the romance kind of passion, though that's always nice to think about. Especially when you've got a hubby you think is pretty wonderful. (Which I do...Love you, Don! ) Mostly what I've been thinking about is deep-in-the-core passion. Life passion. The kind of passion that drives you; gets you out of bed in the morning; gives the good, bad, and even ugly of life meaning.

And though I've taught this workshop on passion a number of times--most recently at the Pacific Bible College One-Day conference in Medford, Oregon--I've learned that it's never the same. Because passion is alive and active, it's different things to different people, and sometimes it even changes. But through all, it's deep within us. It's a part of the fabric of who we are.

So since we're heading toward Valentine's Day, I thought I'd see if you wanted to go on an exploration with me. To discover passion.

Real passion.

Ruling passion.

Life passion.

First, we'll explore what it is. And what YOURS is. Then we'll figure out what hinders passion, and what nurtures it. Sound good? Okay.

The more I've pondered the whole idea of passion, the more one question kept rolling around in my brain: What exactly is it? So I went to a source I love to explore, one where I can get lost in the pages (which shows one of my passions is definitely words): Webster's. Here's what my dear ol' dictionary had to say about passion:

a (1): emotion passion is greed> (2)plural : the emotions as distinguished from reason b: intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction c: an outbreak of anger5 a: ardent affection : love b: a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept c: sexual desire d: an object of desire or deep interest

Hmmm...intense, driving, overmastering...ardent...strong...devotion...deep desire or interest.

Okay, that rings true. But what do others have to say about passion?

German poet and dramatist, Hebbel, once said: "Nothing great in the world has ever been accomplished without passion."

Joss Whedon, a man who understands witty, passionate writing, said: “Passion, it lies in all of us, sleeping... Waiting... And though unwanted... Unbidden... It will stir... Open its jaws and howl. It speaks to us... Guides us... Passion rules us all, and we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love... The clarity of hatred... And the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion maybe we'd know some kind of peace... But we would be hollow... Empty rooms shuttered and dank. Without passion we'd be truly dead.”

Wow. I like that. A lot.

So how about you? What do you think passion is? And what do you think YOUR passion might be?

Can't wait to read your thoughts!

Peace, friends.

Karen