God has planted a seed in my heart more than two decades ago. It was the seed of writing. I still remember the exact moment when the seed was planted and how it took root. I was standing outside a Burger King near my college campus. while holding Paul Little's "Know Why You Believe" in my hands. I was fascinated by how Paul defended the validity of Christ's resurrection. I was waiting for my college counselors to give me a ride at that moment. As soon as I hopped into my counselors' car, I shared with them about the book with great excitement and commented, "It would be cool that one day I can become an author writing books to impact lives." That seed remained as an unreachable dream over the years.
As technology changes, email came along and it changed the approach ministries were run. In every position I took on in ministry, be it a volunteer or staff position, I always remind myself that communication is a central key. It is through intentional communication that visions are shared, dreams are fostered and hearts are connected. And I pray that somehow, the intentional communication can squeeze through the junk mail boxes and touch a heart or two, one at a time.
Fast forward to May 2014. I was totally transformed by Mark Batterson's book, "The Circle Maker." Mark said he didn't write a book, he prayed for a book. And he prayed that God will put his books into the right hands at the right time trusting that the right books into the right hands at the right time will bring forth unimaginable transformation. It is so true. His book landed on my hand when I was at a very low point in ministry, and it has brought forth day-and-night-difference transformation on my ministry perspective and it has saved a would-have-been-burn-out soul.
Many dreams in our lives remain dormant, shattered or unattainable. When we look up to the highest mountain, we exclaimed, "How in the world are we going to get up there?" And you may hear a still voice from within crying out, "You can climb the highest mountain if you simply put one foot in front of the other and refuse to stop until you reach the top.”
Two decades later, I start seeing a tiny teeny bud growing out from the seemingly-laid-dormant seed. And I thought, may be I can follow Mark's footstep to pray for a book, a virtual book called "Reflective Living." And may be a sharing or two from the blog can reach the right person at the right time. May be the tiny teeny bud being showered by lots of prayer will one day blossom. And so, I took a brave step to get the domain www.arootedlife.net, hoping that the sharing in my blog be reflections of "A Rooted Life." May God bless the seed that I plant today and turn it into a big tree one day; with leaves and fruits that can provide spiritual support for the ones who are tired and hungry.
Getting the domain name is easy, but putting together the content is difficult. And so days and months went by and the domain name simply sat idle. I could only find time to do very short postings over the Facebook. But I thought at least that is the beginning. So, I tried to post something meaningful on a daily base, building up a healthy rhythmic pace.
A short while ago, a big assignment landed on my plate and I tried to squeeze some time from my daily routine to focus on that assignment. I completely remove baking and writing (two channels that I found relaxing) from my routines. It was an easy step removing baking. But to my surprise, the desire to write continues. I feel like the more I withheld the passion, the more energy was built up from within. It makes me realize that this is indeed a seed that is well rooted in my heart. Today is exactly the half-year mark since I bought the domain name for my blog and I am so glad that I can finally post my very first entry on this milestone date.
Many people have envisioned some sort of dreams at some point in lives. May be you have yours too. Do you wonder why some people are able to turn the dreams into realities while others, dreams remain as items on the wish list? I think determination and persistence can be the keys. A consistent, steady, rhythmic baby step may be the answer to your dream. Why not take a baby step and give it a try? My first baby step was triggered by Mark Patterson’s encouragement, and I hope it encourage you too.
Mark Batterson said:
"I was a frustrated writer for thirteen years. I dreamed of writing a book, but I could never seem to finish a manuscript. The turning point was when I draw a circle around the dream during forty days of prayer and fasting. I fasted from all forms of entertainment to stay focused on my goal. Then I stepped into awriting circle with a Honi-like determination that I wasn't coming out until I had a manuscript in my hand. Forty days later, the dream became a reality. I didn't write that book; I prayed that book."
--from The Circle Maker, p.59