Big Ideas

My son has always had an ambitious mind. Years ago, he was playing at a friend’s house, and that friend had an electric train. During this same phase of his life, my son was reading some popular books about a broom-riding boy who attends a special school for magical children. You might be familiar with that series.

One day he came to me with a big idea. He wanted to suspend a train track from the ceiling of his bedroom. After that, he wanted to loop some thick rope around the train that would go on that track. Finally, he wanted to attach a broom to the rope, hop on the broom, start up the train, and ride the broom around his small bedroom. Easy, right?


Unfortunately, I was unable to make that father-son project happen. The spirit was willing, but my limited knowledge of construction and my minuscule budget were not going to suffice. Even though we were unable to complete this vision, my son has maintained his willingness to try out new ideas. I hope he always maintains that ability to dream.

There is much to be said about the imagination of a child. As we transition into adulthood and are faced with the inevitable challenges of practical decision-making, it would be nice if we could maintain more of that childlike wonder. At Kingdom Causes Bellflower, we encourage people to dream, to ponder, to ask a lot of “what if” questions. This can obviously be frustrating at times because barriers can quickly arise. However, it can also be exhilarating when we think about the awesome power of God and how He can move mountains.

A few weeks ago, I talked about the concept of being a catalyst, and how KCB strives to bring ideas together for the betterment of our community. This is a theme that I want to stress again, because transformation is about huge concepts, and a willingness to step out in faith.

Do we need to be pragmatic at times? Absolutely. Do we need to think about budgets, resources and timelines? Yes. That said, sometimes we need to get a hammer and just start pounding nails. We need to believe that amazing things can happen when God ignites his people and spreads their love throughout the community.

I don’t regret that my son and I failed to create his vision. Well, maybe a little. That project was too ambitious, but not because it didn’t have merit. It wasn’t possible because it would have fallen on my shoulders, and I am just a sinner, saved by God.

With God, ALL THINGS are possible! Do you believe that? Do you truly believe that? If you do, fire up those dreams. Let us know what God has put on your heart, and maybe we can find others who have experienced the same spiritual excitement.

The people of this community are out there, waiting. What is your big idea?

Imperfect Solutions

I talk to people about Kingdom Causes Bellflower all the time. The reasons for these conversations are rather simple. One, it is part of my job. Two, I believe in this organization.

There are times when these conversations result in excitement, and new opportunities for people to get involved in the work of loving our brothers and sisters. Other times, I get a less-than-enthusiastic response. Sometimes I get pushback because people know that I am a fundraiser, and folks tend to get a little guarded with their wallets. I get that, because I can be guarded with mine.

Other times I have people question the effectiveness of what we do. This skepticism stems from a variety of sources. For one, plenty of individuals have prejudices toward certain social groups, particularly those that struggle economically. Combine that will political baggage, and you have a recipe for leery thinking. There can be a fear even among churches that organizations like KCB are engaging in handouts rather than implementing constructive solutions that promote personal responsibility.

Skepticism is not necessarily a bad thing. There are programs and organizations in this world that are not as effective as they could be, either because they are not designed well or because they are built for purposes other than helping the community grow. Humans like to feel good about what they do. Unfortunately, ministries or outreach opportunities have been accused of actually hurting their intended community, simply because they are (sometimes unintentionally) primarily focused on a goal of helping participants to experience a sense of generosity. Books by Christian authors have been written on this subject, which is part of the reason we are sometimes careful about how we support various projects.

There is value in this type of scrutiny. In Luke 14:28, the Bible says, “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?”

Here is the challenge with this type of thinking. Like many Biblical interpretations, the problem is not the scripture. The problem is how we (sinful people) apply it. A calculating and planning mentality is good, but will only get you so far. If we expect all plans to have a measurable and guaranteed outcome, we have no need for faith. The reality of working directly with people is that the results are never guaranteed. In other words, we cannot use a single verse as our guide. We must put it into context with everything else that Jesus taught us. Otherwise, we would never step out and take any risks at all.

The bottom line is that analysis can sometimes lead to paralysis. Sometimes in our quest for the perfect solution, we end up doing nothing.

I would rather try and fail than never try at all. Understand that we don’t pursue reckless strategies. At KCB we work very hard to think things through, understand the consequences of our strategies, and maintain principles of stewardship. We solicit feedback from pastors, community leaders, business owners, and everyday citizens. We think through time constraints, financial implications and measurement tools.

At the end of these discussions we are faced with hard decisions because all those conversations do not remove the possibility of risk or failure. This is when we pray, ask for God’s wisdom, and go forward with boldness.

Think through your decisions today, but remember that God does not call for you to be cautious. The Parable of the Talents illustrates that God wants us to act and trust that He will be walking with us each step of the way. It isn’t about what the first two men earned in the parable, it is about their willingness to take chances.

There is work to be done. Do not be afraid of failure. The real failure is not doing anything at all.