Loss of Imagination

I just read a very interesting little blog post over at Mark Batterson's blog Evotional.com. Mark is one of my favorite recent authors. I'm on my second read of his book "In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day."

Anyhow, he spoke at an event called "Awaken" where each speaker was only given 10 minutes to share. He decided to speak about "one of the greatest dangers we face as leaders." Here's what he had to say:

"Neurological studies have shown that over the course of time, there is a cognitive shift from right-brain to left-brain. And if we don't find a way to stop the shift, memory overtakes imagination. We stop creating the future and start repeating the past. We stop innovating and start imitating. We stop doing ministry out of imagination and start doing ministry out of memory."

Oooh, that hurts. I've certainly been guilty of looking at a new opportunity to share a puppet program and thought, "Hmm, what can I do that won't require me to make any new props, or plan any new choreography." Or thought, "These kids have never seen me perform such-and-such before, I'll just do that." God may be presenting me with new opportunities for innovation and imagination, and I opt for the easy route. Ouch, ouch and double ouch Mark!

Read the full post here.