the prized hard drive

I'm taking a break from my prince charming episodes to talk about gifts. Last week was my birthday where I received an amazing gift that has been worth retelling. I was fed, caked, and handed a flash drive. I know, it doesn't seem like a flash drive would count as an amazing gift...but this was a USED flash drive.

I should explain...

It was a flash drive that contained my gift.

Wait...that's not exactly accurate either...let me try again.

The flash drive had been used to save a powerpoint presentation created to tell me what my real gift was going to be.

Clearer? I suppose I should just tell the story.

I inserted the flash drive into my computer and began to play a powerpoint that described the contents of my birthday celebration in a style that was one part treasure map and one part scavenger hunt. Slide after slide showed dates, times, locations, and pre-locations...my heart and mind racing to try to figure out what this gift was going to be. Was it a night out on the town? Seeing a musician friend in concert? My imagination raced ahead of the clues to try and be Sherlock Holmes. All of me deductive skills proved useless as I got to the final slide. I discovered that I was going to see one of my favorite artists in New York City!

I made some sort of unnatural sound that had never been made prior and let the stunned excitement settle in on me. It was truly an amazing gift. Smiles on the faces of those in the room confirmed that I was officially no longer cool, but I suppose that is what birthdays are for, right? This was a gift tailor-made for me by someone who knew me. It took time, sacrifice, and creativity. It was a good gift...a great gift.

Hugs were shared, thanks were given (profusely and humbly) and I set my sights on New York City.

I was describing this experience a pastor and friend. We got to talking about Pentecost and how each of our respective churches handled the subject. Pentecost is the birth of the church...it's when Jesus returned in the form of his spirit to honor the promise that he will never leave us again. He not only gave his presence...but he gave us gifts.

Kinda like superpowers.

We all have them. Short lists are in the Bible...like speaking or healing or being able to make guests feel welcome. Some people just see life a little differently while others are able to use their strong shoulders to help the weak. Some have the ability to express their love in art while others express it in drywall or casseroles.

A gift - when exercised - is easy to spot. We tend to identify these people as extraordinary because they stand out in the crowd. They are the 20% of people doing 80% of the work. But there is a problem with that...

...he gave us ALL gifts.

The church's #1 problem isn't that we don't have enough money or that the culture seems to work against good or even that leaders have abused their power. It's that we have piles of unopened and unused gifts. We look like a bizzaro christmas where the gifts are ignored...or even worse, admired and put away. It's like my grandmother who had a drawer filled with beautiful clothes that were given to her. She was saving them for a special occasion that never came. She said they were too nice to wear...causing gifts - which included heart, hope, and resources - to never do their intended work.

Not to say that we aren't grateful. No...we, do an amazing job of making sure the giver is well thanked. We sing songs, read scripture, hear preaching, and even talk about how great the giver is when we are with each other. Have you ever tried to find good hymns when planning a sunday service about the spirit and his gifts? We sing about Jesus and his love, his sacrifice, and his power - all the while holding the gift he gave behind our back.

I wonder if Jesus ever feels like saying "Friends, you've thanked me...but I have given you gifts to use. You can let go now. Go see what you can be".

I suppose it's easier to talk up the giver and keep describing the vehicle for the gifs over and over. It would be like me saying my birthday gift was a flash drive. I could make sure I keep thanking the giver...I could make it a weekly or daily thing. I could commit to ever day looking at at least one of the slides and pondering it's truth. I could attend studies and read (or write) books about the various nuances of the presentation - use of colors, why a particular font was used, the significance of the locations, etc. I could get into arguments about the right way to view the flash drive and it's ultimate meaning.

Or I could get my skinny butt in a seat, order some drinks, and get ready to enjoy the concert.

I think that's what the giver would prefer. I think there would be great disappointment if all I ever did was celebrated her and the description of the gift but let it go unused. The gift involved sacrifice and I would dishonor the giver and the gift if I don't get myself to that show and let it infect my soul.

You have a gift...open it. Use it.

The giver will be there...rocking out with us.

That's a promise.

becoming prince charming part 6: quest

We've so far talked a lot of back story when it comes to our Prince. As much as I am convinced that Charming's prep-work and the princess heart are key pieces of this man's puzzle, I'm ready for some action. Let's talk about the one charecteristic that, when the tough guy thing and the sensitive singer wears thin, defines our man Charming. It's that part of the story that not only makes this mere man a prince, but identifies princesseses in the process. Its what gives us a story worth telling.

I'm talking about the quest.

Snow White lived in faith that her prince will come...even if her situation seems to scream otherwise.

Sleeping Beauty was at rest while the Prince went through hell

Cinderella's hopes seemed lost in a tower while the prince saught the right fit.

But in each story, the Prince found a princess, confronted seemingly impossible odds, and began a tireless hunt to find her again.

Its what Prince Charming does.

I think the question is why. What motivates this man to risk peril to find or rescue a princess? There is no gaurentee of success or even of return. He has a life. He has comfort. He has power. He is...well, Prince Charming. He is the most elegible bachelor of all time.

so, what is the charecteristic that keeps the quest going?

Faith.

Simple, powerful, faith.

Our hero believes in more. He believes that there is true love and that happily ever afters do exist. He believes in beauty - even after one dance. His life was one of privilaged mediocrity...then she gave him a peek into heaven. He can't unsee it and has set his mission toward finding it.

He believes, even after midnight or in the face of dragons or even of death itself.

Our faith is what keeps us walking forward. I know in my life I have constant opportunity to go back to places that filled gaps or helped me forget in days when the journey, quite frankly, is easier than it is now. It's that same faith that keeps me moving. I believe that what is forward is greater than the distractions of the past. I believe that the terrors that appear along my way will make noise, but the glory of the goal silences their shouting. I believe that my scars serve as reminders to keep myself...but they don't convince me that love is a myth.

For our friend the Prince, to lose faith would be to lose everything.

In the believing, Charming discovers that, through finding her, the one who
was saved was himself.

A princely quest, simply put, is what is required when a man's life is changed by seeing grace.

Becoming Prince Charming part 5 - Breaching Bulwarks

OK…so I know I said that I was all done talking about the Princess and we would focus on Charming.  However, it has occurred to me that without the Princess, there is no Prince Charming.  Now, of course, there will be a man named Charming (what a great name, by the way) and his royal blood makes him prince in title. For the purposes of our investigation, there is an ingredient that makes this mere man become legend.

It’s the heart of a true princess.

Need is often considered a weakness.  No prince (or princess) wants to be considered weak or helpless.  It would be grave error to assume that all this rescuing business equals an incapable princess whose only value is her physical appearance. Now, I do know beauty that is worth fighting dragons…but it’s not a beauty that is merely external.  “Quest” beauty is a beauty that starts from inside and flows out.  Princesses worth the miles are women who read.  They are women who manage households with their own flair.  These are women who embrace outcasts who choose to live on the fringe (or in the forest) because they just don’t fit in the kingdom.  These are women with strong hearts.  These are hearts worth finding.

These are hearts that give some men courage and other men flight.

This heart…is what makes our man Charming fight.

See, Charming is no trifle himself.  He is good looking, smart, funny, winsome, a great dancer, sportsman, singer, and I would assume owns a Trans Am.   There is no shortage of maidens in line in hopes that he will look their way and fill their childhood hopes of palace living and tiara wearing.  These women, while he is kind and truly cares about their welfare, create no spark in the heart of the Prince.   He doesn’t need someone to take care of him or clean up his messes or make him look good. He is not lonely and is perfectly fine on his own breathing deeply every day.

Until she.

She causes something to wake in him - a dormant something that he didn’t even know existed before the dance where she touched his hand. 

He is now on a quest for her heart. He doesn’t seek to posses it…but to know her and provide all the space she needs to flourish.  This man, who needed nothing, has been changed into a man who aches.

So, back to the heart of the matter. There is a beauty in letting down your defenses and letting someone in enough to create need. We can exchange the word for “desire” or “quest”, but it really is choosing to need someone. 

 When you let down the drawbridge a person comes in and alters the story. It’s true.  Our dear Charming is on a quest for the fierce heart of a princess.  He must be prepared, he must know what he seeks, and he must fight through every obstacle between him and the woman he loves. He will fight dragons, brambles, wars, scars, and stories to free her to be the woman she was made to be.  He will fight anything for her…

…except her. 

After all has been conquered, the honor of Charming must now go into effect.  His sword is sheathed, he removes his helmet, and reaches out his open hand.  He knows that the only way to love a princess is with an open hand.  All of this was for her.  He cannot posses her.  He has not purchased her with his quest.  She is free.

Truly free.

She can go.  She can say “I’m really not interested”.  She can run.

For Charming, the quest was about her heart, not getting paid.

A princess worth the quest is dangerous because there are no guarantees. She is accustomed to herself.  She is happy with herself and has no need of princes to complete the package.  She is a force to be reckoned with as she does the hard business of running her part of the kingdom on behalf of her Father.  Some might misunderstand - tempting her to remain in the middle of her bed for the day - but she chooses the fight.  

A prince who has what it takes to finish the quest knows this.  He’s not looking for someone to fill the empty side of the bed.  He has no need of cooks, cleaning ladies, or maidens to giggle at his jokes.  Our prince is looking for the heart of a queen.  Causing this one to swoon takes more than a sideways glance - it takes the heart of a man. It’s a heart that is willing to put down it’s defenses and give itself for true beauty. This doesn’t make him weak. The safe route would be to build enough defenses 

In watching Prince Charming over the last few weeks, I’ve been intrigued over this aspect of our hero. Prince Charming, the man who needed nothing at all, has cleared a space at the core of his soul to fit the wild heart of Eve. This man has lowered his defenses and stood before a princess covered in the blood and sweat of his journey and simply said “I love you…you are free”.  With all of his heart he hopes that she will let down her drawbridge and let him in - into her world - and show him all of the wonders that make her into the woman for which he fought.  It’s not because he doesn’t have a world or an identity of his own. His hope is that she, in turn, would desire to see his kingdom.  He has favorite books, family albums, records he plays over and over…the dreams he only shares with God.  No one has ever been here. He is nervous for the first time in his life…but she is worthy.

He has long desired to enter magical worlds and believed they were only in fairy tales.

Until She.

I’ve come to believe that courage isn’t living a life without fear or being invincible or invulnerable. Courage is recognizing that to move past where you are requires entering a situation that you cannot control - where fear is a proper and lifesaving emotion - and racing in anyway.

You just might find the eyes of a queen looking back at you.