Valley of Vision - 4

Another extract...if you haven't got this book...but it!

"May I confide in his power and love,
commit my soul to him without reserve,
bear his image, observe his laws, pursue his service,
and be through time and eternity
a monument to the efficacy of his grace,
a trophy of his victory...

Help me not only to receive him but,
to walk in him,
depend upon him,
be conformed to him
follow him,
imperfect, but still pressing forward,
not complaining of labour, but valuing rest,
not murmuring under trial, but thankful for my state...

Perceiving nothing of myself, may I find in Christ
wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption.

I spent a little while thinking about a few of these phrases this morning in my devotion...what does it mean to be 'a monument to the efficacy of his grace'? Or how can I increasingly grow in 'perceiving nothing of myself'?

Pride...

''Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man'' CS Lewis

For those interested I discovered these great little humorous pictures over at Hugh McLeod blog...www.gapingvoid.com.

Not all are appropriate, but all are funny.

Joy...

Is this the way joy works? Often being joyful is something we make a decision towards and often it can be a natural overflow of the heart. I don't think there is either a wrong or right answer. I would however tentatively suggest as Christians joy should be an increasingly natural reflex of the heart, as we mature in our faith. However I have do doubt there will be time upon time in which we choose to be joyful, despite our circumstances.

Taylor Mesple

For those interested in the actual song/music, it is a cover of a Bruce Hornsby song. For those interested in the performer, Taylor Mesple is a song writer, producer and session artist. He is fantastic!

How Do You Think?

Some of us can't help but think in terms of pictures and all things visual. I have a friend/mentor who always paints his ideas in picture form...things often just make more sense this way, they have greater potency to broaden the minds horizon and cement ideas. Often they are unavoidable; it is so natural it is for us to use pictures to convey ideas within of speech. Indeed already in the short space of two sentences I have used two pictures...the idea of painting and of cementing (for those who missed it).

Others, instead of thinking predominantly in picture form, think in terms of story. Like a picture, a story adds weight to an idea helping us to think about it more deeply...it has a strange efficacy and power to influence or thoughts; it connects us to idea, it places us within the idea. The best stories are often are not those most far fetched or exciting or dynamic, but those which portray real life most effectively, those with which we can connect most easily, most naturally.

What thing do these two things have in common...I think it has something to do with the fact that both picture and story engage the imagination. Instead of thinking about a concept from a far, the imagination places us within the very centre of the idea itself. Instead of enveloping the idea, the idea envelops us; instead of perceiving the idea, the idea perceives us. When we can engage the imagination in the learning process I think it becomes firstly a more enjoyable process, but also a more effective process.

I am no psychologist, this is just me thinking allowed. Feel free to engage with these comments. Do you agree or disagree? In what ways do you tend to think? Do you think some people have a greater degree of imagination?

More mind mapping...

So I've been checking out some more mind maps...
They can look amazing, if done well. I think.
Here are some examples.
The last one is my favourite.

Mind Mapping...

Have you ever used mind mapping? Are you a complete novice in the field of mind mapping? Are you an experienced mind mapper, with many highlighters, colour pens, and rulers? Have you even heard of mind mapping? Whatever category you fit into, MindMeister might be worth checking out anyway.

Here is an example of my work...click to make big.



So, why is Mind Meister is a good idea?

1. It's quick and simple.
2. It's a good step towards forming a plan, presentation, essay etc.
3. It's a good visual aid.
4. It's free (you can upgrade to a premium package however).
5. It's group friendly.
6. You can share it, embed it, print it, email it, download it.
7. It's clean and tidy...even if your not.
8. It's a web-based program (access and edit anywhere)
9. Create a group user name and password for you friends to edit the mind map