Piloting Faith: Thoughts from the top of a tower...

A Word for the Day...

My friend took his parents to see the Sears Tower (now called the Willis Tower) in Chicago. They rode the elevator to the top, 110 stories up into the air where they could see the beautiful city skyline. My friend's father was blown away by the scale of the building. The view was stunning. But his mother was unimpressed. Instead, she said, "This is nice, but I wonder what holds all of this up." So, they went searching.

They discovered it took 4 entire floors of cement and steel underground to support this magnificent tower. That is a huge footprint. Very few people ever pay attention to the foundation. But without it, 110 floors and a stunning view would not be standing.

In a world that is obsessed with having the tallest, biggest, shinest "whatever," we often forget that its the foundation that makes any of that possible. A foundation isn't sexy, but nothing of scale is possible without it. If built well, the end result becomes less about flashy ego. Instead, it becomes a work of art.

I love that my friend's mother was the one to point that out. She was a wise one indeed. We need a strong foundation for a well-lived life. When our life is founded on generous and inspiring friends and family, a spiritual curiosity that opens us to new depths of love, and work that reflects our passion and values, we are building on a foundation that can scale.

Rev. Cameron Trimble
Author of Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight

Prayer for the Week

Let all that confines me fall away.
Let all that holds me back be removed.
Let all that leads me astray be rejected.
Let everything in me that longs for truth
be the path I follow to freedom in you.

Amen.