If you listened to Paul’s sermon on Sunday, it seems like he is right in step with what we are covering with Storyline. He left us with three questions to ask ourselves:
- Where to begin?
- What is your biggest obstacle?
- What are you willing to do about it?
These are three important questions to ask yourself in order to write your subplot. I think before we ask these questions we have to hammer down something we (I mean “I”) glanced over in class – Your ambitions must be clear. Donald Miller says, “If you’ve ever watched a movie in which you weren’t sure what the protagonist wanted, you were likely bored out of your mind. Clarity is critical.”
Think about every great movie you’ve ever seen. Was there ever a point when you didn’t know what the protagonist wanted?
- William Wallace wanted freedom
- Rick wanted to get Ilsa back
- Dorothy wanted to get back home
- Luke wanted to become a Jedi and defeat the Empire
- Bill and Ted wanted to save the future
- Ashton Kutcher and Sean William Scott wanted to find their car
Are your ambitions that clear?
Looking at the three questions, you can’t decide where to begin unless you know where you are going. It reminds me of the passage from Alice in Wonderland when Alice asked the Cheshire Cat which road she should take. He asked her where she wanted to go. She said she didn’t know. He replied “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”
When deciding where to go, maybe you are waiting on God’s will. If you are waiting for a burning bush or to become a pregnant virgin, odds are that isn’t going to happen. There are examples in the Bible when God speaks directly to people, but I think God speaks to us in more subtle ways. Paul said in his sermon that something is bubbling up inside you, that’s probably the will of the Lord.
What is bubbling up inside you? Pray about it, and let’s talk about it on Sunday.
Andy's blog 