{"id":323,"date":"2010-05-18T17:24:49","date_gmt":"2010-05-18T17:24:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/raincitypastor.wordpress.com\/?p=323"},"modified":"2010-05-18T17:24:49","modified_gmt":"2010-05-18T17:24:49","slug":"getting-to-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/richarddahlstrom\/2010\/05\/18\/getting-to-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting to “Why”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

This past Sunday evening\u2019s sixty minutes <\/a>offered a remarkable example of the power of vision. \u00a0This is worth watching! Gustavo Dudamel is the new Venezuelan conductor of the LA Philharmonic. \u00a0He could have gone anywhere, but chose Los Angeles because, as he says, he wants to \u201cchange the future of this city through music\u201d. \u00a0Members of the Philharmonic are now investing part of their professional hours teaching young children in the poorest parts of the city how to play instruments, believing that the disciplines associated with music are a path to living well.<\/p>\n

This gets to something I\u2019ve been pondering recently: the power of WHY. There\u2019s a book out called, \u201cStart with Why\u201d<\/a>, and the premise is that we tend to begin everything by focusing on the \u201cwhat\u201d and the \u201chow\u201d. The really great leaders though, always start with the why, because it\u2019s the why that motivates us at our deepest level and inspires us to sacrifice, action, living differently.<\/p>\n

Gustavo understands this, because he doesn\u2019t say, \u201cwe\u2019re going to teach kids how to play the violin\u201d<\/em>. \u00a0 That\u2019s not inspiring, or motivating to anyone except die-hard violinists, and even they will have their own ideas about the \u2018how\u2019 question which might make them dismissive of Gustavo. Instead, he begins with the \u201cWhy\u201d. We\u2019re going to change this city! <\/strong>The what<\/em>: \u00a0by teaching kids to become musicians. \u00a0The how<\/em>: \u00a0by linking professional musicians with the poorest children in Los Angeles who\u2019d never otherwise have access to good music, training them, and then letting them perform at the Hollywood Bowl.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the church\u2019s \u201cWhy\u201d?<\/strong> Though it varies from community to community, our passion had better be to make God\u2019s good reign visible on this earth<\/strong><\/em>, because in a world longing for justice, mercy, beauty, hospitality, and hope, that\u2019s compelling \u2013 and it\u2019s our calling.<\/p>\n

We\u2019re taking what we hope will be a significant offering this coming Sunday, all of which will go to digging wells in Uganda<\/a> through Living Water International. \u00a0But we\u2019re not just digging wells (that\u2019s the \u201cwhat and how\u201d): \u00a0We\u2019re making God\u2019s reign visible.<\/p>\n

We gather each Sunday to worship through singing, prayer, fellowship, and teaching. \u00a0But we\u2019re not just gathering. We\u2019re making God\u2019s reign visible. \u00a0Imperfectly? \u00a0Of course, but that\u2019s the vision.<\/p>\n

We do stuff, each of us, in our lives: \u00a0work, family, hobbies, rest, exercise. \u00a0Is there an overreaching \u201cwhy\u201d that governs the \u201cwhat\u201d and the \u201chow\u201d of our days. \u00a0I hope so. \u00a0Making God\u2019s reign visible in my body, my life, my marriage, my family\u2026 this is a \u201cwhy\u201d worth sacrifice, discipline, sweat. \u00a0And this is a \u201cwhy\u201d that assures a great adventure.<\/p>\n

I listen to Gustavo, and the children playing on the stage of the Hollywood Bowl, and tears come to my eyes. \u00a0\u201cYes\u201d! \u00a0Here\u2019s someone imparting hope and he\u2019s an entire army of musicians committed to doing it with him, all because he can understand and articulate the \u201cwhy\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This past Sunday evening\u2019s sixty minutes offered a remarkable example of the power of vision. \u00a0This is worth watching! Gustavo Dudamel is the new Venezuelan conductor of the LA Philharmonic. \u00a0He could have gone anywhere, but chose Los Angeles because, as he says, he wants to \u201cchange the future of this city through music\u201d. \u00a0Members […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bridges","category-life"],"yoast_head":"\nGetting to "Why"<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This past Sunday evening's sixty minutes offered a remarkable example of the power of vision. \u00a0This is worth watching! 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