Imagine!

Posted Friday, September 7, 2007, at 9:54 AM

My two-year-old, Chandler, using his imagination to become a kooky pirate who captains the "Crazy Coronado" pirate ship! :)

In my last blog entry I wrote about utilizing a child's imagination. Since then, I have received a lot of correspondence regarding encouraging children to imagine. But what about adults? Is the importance of imagination lost in the transition from adolescence to adulthood?

This week I've decided keep company with the topic of imagination and share something that implies that kids are not the only ones who can rely on their imagination to guide them through their journey of growth.

This morning I logged on to my e-mail account, looking forward to my daily reading of Today's Word ... with Joel and Victoria Osteen.

For those of you who may not know, Joel Osteen, with support from his wife, Victoria, pastors Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, (Go Houston!*Wink*), a megachurch that boasts over 38,000 people in attendance for it's weekly services. Joel Osteen is also a published author and evangelist featured in Lakewood's weekly television program.

"Today's Word" focused on Proverbs 23:7 which reads, "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he..."

Through scripture, God tells us that the imagination is extremely mighty, and that he, our creator, fashioned us all, children and adults alike, as "visual beings" for a reason.

Whether imagination is utilized by children like mine pretending to be on a real-life zoo expedition, or a mother visualizing herself as a positive role-model for her children, the ability to imagine keeps us all going in a the right direction when fueled by positive thoughts.

Traditionally, parents tell their children they can be anything in the world they wish or imagine themselves to be ... but if parents expect their children to believe in what they say, they too must believe it themselves and apply it to their own life. Right?

Sure using our imagination to clean up little Johnny's grape juice spill on the living room floor may really just be, "only in our dreams." Ha!

But when it comes to the direction our life is going in or the focus of our family, God teaches us that what we envision in our mind will eventually enter our heart, and so we shall be.

If we want a world that is filled with laughter and love, joy and peace, then we should first imagine ourselves that way and create those things in our home.

Perhaps the Osteen family best described the relationship between an adult imagination and a successful life when they wrote in Today's Word, "Choosing the right images in your mind's eye is important because your life will move in the direction of your thoughts."

Simply put, the way we adults visualize or "imagine" ourselves to be, over time, is exactly what we and our children will become in reality. Do you agree?

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I agree with you completly but with one other point to be made, not only do we visualize what we want ourselves and our lives to be, we act accordingly and prepare ourselves daily for when our imagination becomes reality. Our faith is nothing without works. If it is a persons desire, persay, to be rich, then they should start giving of what they have now, whether it be money or time, we have to show God we are responsible for what he has already given us and put our imagination into action to become the best "you" you can be and receive all the blessings there are in store for you. There is nothing that cannot come to be if you can dream it and believe it.

-- Posted by 5LittleMonkeys on Fri, Sep 7, 2007, at 9:07 PM

"For those of you who may not know, Joel Osteen, with support from his wife, Victoria, pastors Lakewood Church in Dallas, Texas, a megachurch that boasts over 38,000 people in attendance for it's weekly services. Joel Osteen is also a published author and evangelist featured in Lakewood's weekly television program."

This is not quite correct. The Lakewood Church orginated in Houston and it is still located in Houston, but not at the orginal church.

The Lakewood Church was a small church located in a part of Houston that SOME people would not have wanted to be stranded in after dark. It was in a relatively "poor" side of "town".

The Church became so popular that they had added on more buildings and more buildings until they had no room to build on anymore. It finally moved to I-59 South to what use to be the Summit Building. This building was used for all the sporting events, plus other major events. The people of the church and the Osteen family purchased the building which was at that time called The Compaq Center.

Joel's father, John Osteen, was the one who built the church up to the size it became. He was a wonderful pastor and sadly missed. I beleive he passed away in 1999 with a heart attack and his son Joel then took over being pastor.

The Compaq Center was purchased and renovated for around 70 million dollars and it holds around 16,000 members.

I live in the Houston area and when Lakewood was just a neighborhood church I attended the services often, but, the church not only outgrew the lot it was on and the building, it also outgrew me and many others.

A lot of the people who attended the Lakewood Church found other places to worship because of traffic, the distance of the new location and difficulty of getting to and from the location of the Church.

The distance is about an hour's drive from where it originally started and that is, IF, the traffic is flowing along at a good pace.

Also in order to get to the church you have to travel on one of the busiest freeways in Houston. The Southwest Freeway. It was just too dangerous and difficult for most of the older members to drive to the new location of the Church.

There may be a Lakewood Church in Dallas, BUT, the original Lakewood Church is in Houston and as far as I know Houston is the only place that Joel is a pastor.

-- Posted by PepperJean on Sat, Sep 8, 2007, at 5:41 AM

Pepper Jean: Thanks, i guess?! :) I would like to say in my defense that I am actually aware that the church is based in Houston ... You see, I have had Dallas on the brain, as I just found out that I am flying out there for the National Relay for Life Summit next month. I suppose I have been so excited about that approaching adventure that I let it enter my thoughts while writing this blog?!sorry. I do appreciate your efforts in writing such an informative mini-biography on the Osteen family and Lakewood Church, inspired by my error. Interesting.

-- Posted by deannacoronado on Sat, Sep 8, 2007, at 12:39 PM

5littlemonkeys: totally agree with you too! :) I too understand "Our faith is nothing without works."

That is what I was focused on when I wrote,

"If we want a world that is filled with laughter and love, joy and peace, then we should first imagine ourselves that way and "CREATE" those things in our home.

Thoughts really do go no where without actions. I think that is why the most important thing that we can learn from God is that we will always be tested. There will be different challenges put before us. The key to the positive outcome, I believe, is for us to learn to be proactive instead of reactive.

Oh, and I loved how you said "We have to show God we are responsible for what he has already given us."

You go! What an inspiring thought!

Have a good weekend :)

-- Posted by deannacoronado on Sat, Sep 8, 2007, at 12:53 PM

I failed to mention how much I too love Pastor Olsteen he is truly an inspirational man and leaves you feeling powerful in your walk with God,

and confident in your ability to help someone else.

-- Posted by 5LittleMonkeys on Sat, Sep 8, 2007, at 10:47 PM

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