When a Dream Dies
Phil Vischer spoke at the Moody Bible Institute's Founders Week 2009. "Phil Vischer?" You say. "As in the Veggie Tales guy?" Exactly.
Whether you loved or hated Veggie Tales, listen to Phil share what God taught him about dreams through the bankruptcy of his own Big Idea. (He also has a few laughs about being a storyteller in a lineup of preachers.)
So listen to it, and share your thoughts. (Scroll down to the Wednesday, 10:30am session, and click "Listen to Audio")
A few quotes:
"If God gives you a dream and breathes life into it and shows up in it and then it dies, it may be that God wants to know what is more important to you: the dream or Him."
"We are not called to be a people of vision; we are called to be a people of revelation."
"The impact God has planned for us doesn't occur when we're pursuing impact; it occurs when we're pursuing God."
"The most important thing is not the work I can do for God. The most important thing is to make God the most important thing."
Labels: other
posted by Jason at 8:47 PM
7 Comments:
Very nice! I just finished it, he did a good job. Any application to your life there Sonic?
2/09/2009 11:12 PM
We heard that the other night and thought it very good indeed! This is something I'll keep in mind! And your thoughts on it are?
-Johann Van De Leeuw
2/10/2009 3:22 PM
"Ibraham and Asaac! Wow!"
~Shoulda been in your "quotes" section :-)
It's amazing how much this message concerned my recent idolization of fencing. Yet it speaks to so many in different circumstances, too.
2/10/2009 7:55 PM
Application in my life. Good question.
The quotes I posted kind of sum it up. Plus what Phil said about how Noah spent the 500 years before building the ark: he walked with God.
Sometimes I'm tempted to wonder about what I'm doing in life--the "am I really making any difference?" kind of questions. Besides the George Bailey type of implications of that question, this message served to remind me that I don't have to be able to point to this or that thing and say "now I know my life counts"
Because it's folly to identify myself in what I do (see quote #4)
Because it's folly to pursue impact for God instead of pursuing God (see quote #3)
Because it's folly to seek to just see, rather than seeking to see God (see quote #2)
Not that God doesn't have work for us.
Not that impact is a bad thing.
Not that vision is a bad thing.
But when a day passes and there really doesn't seem to have been anything distinctive about it, the important question to ask is not "Did I have an impact?"
Instead: God has revealed Himself. Am I pursuing Him? Is He the most important thing?
The message was also an encouragement to me about the hours spent in God's Word and the time spent learning to pray. They're not wasted. As Phil said, Noah walked with God for 500 years. That was his preparation.
Impact does come for God's people. Maybe what looks to others like big impact. Maybe not. We don't overreact and say, "nope, I don't want to have an impact," but in seeking first God and His kingdom, the impact we have is the impact He wants us to have, and is not limited to and mangled up by our own visions.
It's interesting how a teaching like this fits in with the likes of Don't Waste Your Life and Do Hard Things. It's not opposed to them by any means, but it does help guard against wrongly applying those messages--so that the focus remains on God Himself rather than on me trying to ensure that I don't waste my day or that I do enough big or hard things.
2/10/2009 10:24 PM
Thanks Jason, I enjoyed it. Convicting quote: "Anything that you are not willing to let go of is an idol; and you are in sin."
Chad
2/17/2009 11:44 AM
Very good Jason. I've been slowly digesting Phil's "sermon" for the last week or so myself. Thanks for writing out your struggle with “just walking with God” (as if that’s less than best). So many times I wrongly think that if I do not DO something BIG for God EVERY DAY that somehow I am not DOING ANYTHING for God. Notice how "me centered" that thinking is—serving God is not about me, it's about Him!
I find it comical that I posted a link to Phil's message on my own blog, but I took a totally different angle and focused on Phil’s surprising statement about the world needing more Christians to learn about God not more Christian movies (even movies like VeggieTales). Phil is right on, I just wouldn't have anticipated hearing that from a world-renowned Christian moviemaker! Oh, that God would use each of us as we walk the daily paradox of both striving and resting in the mercy of Christ!
2/20/2009 1:07 AM
Josiah, the quote you posted struck me as well when I first listened to it. I'm glad that he says that and still has a heart for making Christian media.
There is a lot of Christian merchandising available, and I don't know that everyone would be willing to say what Phil said. (I can't remember the exact context of that quote, but perhaps Phil himself wouldn't have said that before God took away Big Idea.) At the same time, I think there are Christians who might have the attitude, "so forget about the arts--why bother with Christian media!"
So to hear Phil say "The world doesn’t learn about God by watching Christian movies. The world learns about God by watching Christians." is really refreshing, and a really good reminder that what makes a true impact as a Christian witness is our lives, not ultimately the big things we might accomplish.
2/23/2009 12:17 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home