Process vs. Event - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“Sow a thought and you reap an action;

sow an act and you reap a habit;

sow a habit and you reap a character;

sow a character and you reap a destiny.“

Ralph Waldo Emerson

            I do realize that this book is contrary to so many self-help books that are out there. “Focus only on the moment.” “Take that first step; the rest will follow.” I do totally concur that finite thinking is needed to get out of a hard place. Sometimes you can’t even imagine the next step. The first one seems so impossible. However, if we choose to live life only looking at the next step, never taking time to look up and see the direction in which we are travelling, we could find ourselves in a much worse place than where we are now.

An event is like the number 4 or 9. By itself it really has no significance. But when you realize that 4 is the number between 3 and 5, and 9 is the number between 8 and 10, you begin to see the significance in respect to what came before and what will come after. A pattern emerges that can be useful to us. Another mathematical illustration is the Fibonacci sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, etc. At first glance it looks like a random sequence of numbers. After further evaluation you find that adding the previous 2 numbers derives the next number in the sequence. Even that does not fully explain the significance of this particular series. You see, as the sequence approaches infinity, the ratio between any number and the next one in the series approaches 1.619, or what is called the Golden Ratio.

The Fibonacci numbers are Nature's numbering system. They appear everywhere in Nature, from the leaf arrangement in plants, to the pattern of the florets of a flower, the bracts of a pinecone, or the scales of a pineapple. The Fibonacci numbers are therefore applicable to the growth of every living thing, including a single cell, a grain of wheat, a hive of bees, and even all of mankind. Consider the following:

·                              The distance of the navel to the feet times 1.618 is the height.

·                              Distance of the fingertips to the elbow is 1.618 times distance of the wrist to the elbow.

·                             The width of the two front teeth over the height is 1.618.

·                             The length of the face to the width is 1.618.

·                             The windpipe divides into a long and a short bronchi. The long bronchi is always 1.618

                times the short bronchi.

This is not a treatise on mathematics. However, you can clearly see that the position a number has in a given sequence gives a whole new meaning to the number.

The same is true for events. An isolated event cannot be fully understood or appreciated until you look at it in the context of the process. The Christian life is a process. Sure, there are events along the way. Being born again is an event. Being baptized is an event. Taking communion is an event. Prayer is an event. It is only when the events become part of the process that we begin to find fulfillment and growth.

The ultimate goal of a Christian is to become Christ-like. That is not an event. There is no experience at the altar that will make you Christ-like; it can only bring you a step closer in the process. We do not live the Christian life by seeking “events.” It is only when we commit to the process of allowing the Holy Spirit to “direct our steps” that we will find ourselves on the path to becoming like Jesus. It is a daily choice of taking up our cross.

For the most part, events just happen. That’s the modern culture’s mantra: live and let live. Go from one event to the next hoping that each encounter will somehow be better than the one before and will eventually lead us to a better life. That is not the way this world works.

Look at the laws of thermodynamics. If left alone things tend to degrade, to slow down, to die! The only way for things to improve is for energy to be applied. When that energy is applied in a particular direction objects respond accordingly. They go where they are directed, at the speed in which they are motivated to move.

This is life as a Christian. By allowing the Holy Spirit to “move” us in the direction that He desires for our life, we wind up in a better place than if we had just drifted along without purpose.

This is the life of process! Events still happen; things like prayer, worship, fellowship, and Bible study. We still have life encounters; some planned, some not planned. But as we journey through the events we need to take time to pause, reflect, repent, adjust, and adapt to the Lord’s purpose and continue the process of becoming like Christ.

Process vs. Event - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Lao-tzu

In John Maxwell’s 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, he discusses the difference between an event and a process[i]. Consider the following:

Event                                       Process

Encourages decisions              Encourages development

Motivates people                     Matures people

Is a calendar issue                   Is a culture issue

Challenges people                  Changes people

Is easy                                      Is difficult

Being event-minded is short-term. It has sizzle. It can draw a crowd. However, without substance (or process) the crowd will quickly fade away.

We Americans love to eat. For the most part eating is an event. We stuff food down the pie-hole to keep our stomach from feeling hungry. It has not always been this way. One of my favorite movies is “Kate and Leopold.” It is a great illustration of clashing cultures. In one scene they are eating dinner prepared “American style.” After complaining about the quality of the meal Leopold reflects on his culture.

Please understand. I am used to a different sort of preparation. Where I come from a proper meal is the result of reflection and study. A recipe is merely a theme which an intelligent cook can plan each time with variation.

Several courses are served. Menus are often prepared days in advance, timed to perfection. It is said, without the culinary art, the crudeness of reality would make life unbearable.

This is a very different approach to our throw-the-pre-packaged-meal-in-the-microwave-and-eat-it-on-the-way-to … Event vs. process.

            If this much effort is expended on a meal should one not put forth much more effort planning our life? In reality we do a great deal of planning in many areas of our lives.

A wedding is an event for those who are invited guests. They arrive, witness the happy union, enjoy a little refreshment, and then off to their own life. The couple getting married see the wedding as the grand culmination of months, or even years of planning and preparation; definitely a process. Even getting to the point of being engaged is a process. You meet (event), you date (multiple events), you fall in love (result of a sequence of events), and then you decide that this is the one! That is a process!

Divorce is an event. It is the result of the process of a failed marriage. An unrepentant spouse, an abusive spouse, a lack of respect; all can be dealt with when they occur. If left unchecked it becomes a process that leads to the event: divorce. Unfortunately divorce is in itself a process. You don’t walk out of court with everything resolved. It will affect everyone involved for the rest of their lives.

Our culture is sold on the quick fix. “Buy a lottery ticket, win big, and get out of debt.” “Take a pill and end depression.” “Get an abortion to eliminate an inconvenience.” Even our spiritual lives are not immune. We go to an altar for someone to zap us into a relationship with our God. All of these are looked upon as events. One and done. Wham, bam, thank you ma’am. Unfortunately, none of these “events” solve anything. Life is not an event.

Let’s examine some of these so-called “events” and try to learn something about human nature that gets us into these circumstances. If we can learn how minimize our dependence on the quick-fix our lives can have a much deeper meaning and significance.

Debt does not happen in a day. Getting out will not happen in a day. Just as it takes repeatedly making bad choices with money, it will take repeated actions of making wise choices to get out of debt. This process is not nearly as much fun as winning the lottery, but much more certain to get the desired result.

Depression normally does not come in a day. By living with problems, allowing them to build day after day without resolution will cause us to become depressed. A pill will not eliminate our problems. It simply masks the symptoms of depression. True relief from depression comes from taking on the problems, making difficult choices, and taking decisive action. This is a process.

            The most important relationship we can have is with our Creator. The charge we have from scripture is this: “he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Philippians 1:6 (KJV). This speaks of a growing relationship; one that begins on the day we are saved, but continues the rest of our life. You do not get this at an altar. Instead, this comes from time spent in prayer, Bible study, worship, and fellowship with other believers. Truly we are born again in an instant (event), but we are being saved for the remainder of our time on earth (process).

You see, if we will take time to consider the end result that we desire (e.g. financial stability, sound mental health, relationship with God, etc.) we can better manage the events in our life, knowing that instead of living for an event, we are living out a process. As we relate to our spouse in marriage we understand that we must repent when we wrong our mate. We value them as a person, not an object to be abused. We treat our husband or wife with respect. In living out the process of marriage the event of divorce is never even considered an option.

By viewing life as a process we can better manage bad experiences, knowing that life will continue, tomorrow will arrive, and we will survive. If all we see are events, it is very easy to have our world shaken by a bad event. In an event-driven mindset we can get blown off course easily. A process-driven mindset will remain on task, moving toward the goal, taking the bump in the road in stride, knowing that better things are in the future.

Choose today to look for the process, not the event.

---

[i] John C. Maxwell, 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership (Thomas Nelson, 1998).

Process vs. Event: Chapter 1

Greetings! For years I have had thoughts of writing a book. I actually have started several but seem to run out of steam before making much headway. A friend suggested that I try blogging just to get in the habit of writing, plus to get feedback. The following is a first draft of Chapter 1 of one of my many attempts. The working title for the book is "Process vs. Event." I would greatly appreciate you taking time to read it. And then if you will, e-mail some of your thoughts to ibworshipin@gmail.com. Thanks in advance for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.

                    “No man is an island,

                     Entire of itself.”

                  John Donne

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? That question is often posed for the purpose of launching one into deep thought, eventually losing oneself in the abyss of mystery as to the origin of things. I did not have to think long before answering. It had to be the chicken.

First of all I will tell you that I am a Christian. As such I look to the Bible for answers to life’s questions. There it tells me that God created the animals, including chickens. He did not make eggs!

         However, I can answer this question without believing in creation. Think about it. An egg without a chicken to keep it warm until it hatches is only good for one thing; an omelet! A chicken had to come first in order for the process to work. Laying an egg is just an event. Hatching a chick is a process. Hence, the chicken had to come first.

Just as an egg is of no use without the chicken, an event is relatively useless without the process. The more important question to ask is “Which comes first, the process or the event?”

Our lives are filled with events, and those moments are vital to our existence. Birth, for instance is an event. We celebrate our birthday. We count our age from that day forward. Our death is an event. We mark our tombstone with both of these dates. It’s the bookends of our experience on earth. These are certainly “events,” but upon closer inspection we see that even these “events” are the result of a “process.”

Our birth event was the direct result of another event: conception, when the sperm joined with the egg. The event of conception actually started a process: the creation of an embryo. It continued to grow until you were fully formed in your mother’s womb. Then another process brought about your birth event; it’s called labor. Labor is also a process, ending with the birth of a child.

So you see, even the events of our life are for the most part the result of processes. Birth and death are two events in our life, but we really have no direct control over either of these. Everything in between these two “bookends” will determine our life experience. That is where the remainder of this book will focus. Do you live for the process or the event? The choice is yours for the most part. Choose wisely!

Little Foxes

I heard a story about some mischievous seminary students. They decided to play a practical joke on a friend.

One day while Jim was in the shower, his roommate took his car key to the corner hardware store and had a duplicate made. Returning the original before being found out, the pranksters began their plot.

Each day when Jim would drive to campus and park one if the pranksters would move his car. At first they simply moved it a space or two. After a week or so they began moving it to the next row. Next, they moved Jim's car to the next lot.

Jim never said anything about his car "moving." They continued taking the prank further until they were moving his car completely around the block from where he had parked.

One day after class Jim remained in his seat with a puzzled look on his face. The professor asked what was wrong. He looked at the prof and said, "I have no clue where I parked my car."

The friends owned up what they had been doing. Jim was so relieved to learn he was not losing his mind, although he did shower with his keys from then on!

You see, a little change is hardly noticed. We adjust quickly assuming it was just a slip. As the change increases we adapt to the new lifestyle of “looking for the car.” Eventually we get to a place of total depravity and a hopeless state.

There’s a saying that has been attributed to many. Regardless of the origin the truth is still applicable. “Sin will take you further than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and will cost you more than you're willing to pay.” Song of Solomon 2:15 tells us that it’s the little foxes that spoil the vines.

What “little” thing have you let slip today? You could lose your car!