點子的驚人力量
By:Robert Foster
過去這一年我讀了大約30本不同種類的書，但其中一本仍然常常浮現在我的心中：馭風男孩（The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind），作者是威廉．卡寬巴和布萊恩．密勒。這本書談到一個14歲的男孩比利。他住在非洲東南部馬拉威共和國一個受乾旱所苦的小村莊裡。他和他的家人就像村莊裡其他人一樣，過著沒有自來水，沒有電的生活。比利（也就是威廉．卡寬巴）沒有錢，沒受教育，也沒有機會－－但他有一個點子！
比利拒絕放棄他的夢想。作者寫道，「他的肚子裡只有一點玉米粥，手邊有一些遺忘許久的科學教科書，但憑著許多好奇心和決心，他開始一個大膽的計畫，要讓他的家庭得到一套只有2%馬拉威人能擁有的奢侈品。」
在村莊的垃圾堆裡，他收集「東西和廢棄物」去做一個風車。在他的夢想實現之前，他一直是村民的笑柄。但後來風力就能把水井裡的水抽到他家裡，也能提供他家那草房裡一個燈泡的電力。
一個點子（或一個夢想）的力量就是引擎。它可改變我們的生活和思考方式。在1970年中期，一個名叫比爾．蓋茲的大學輟學生有一個點子。那個點子最後變成一家領先群倫的大型軟體公司叫做微軟。每一個在那斯達克交易市場上市的那4000多家公司都從一個核心點子衍生出能量。那個核心點子就像一個火花，引導他們開始去創立那些公司。
「主阿，賜給我一個點子。」這是一位名叫道森．特洛特曼的簡單禱告。最後他成為導航會的創辦人。上帝使用他這遍及全球的事工去感動無數人的生命。
在1950年晚期，我的妻子瑪莉安對我說：「鮑伯，這是我們可以做的事。」當時我們坐在美國亞立桑那州土桑市的唐克沃迪民宿農場的游泳池邊。後來這顆種子在柯羅拉多州的迷失山谷中生根發芽，我們就在那裡建立了一間民宿農場。
然而，當我們有一個點子的那一刻，並不一定都是應該行動的時刻。有時最應該做的事是等待－－等待最好的時機、資源和人力都到位，使點子生出果效。所以，當你有一個點子，不論它有多好，先讓它沉澱一下，讓上帝有時間動工。當一個點子生根，其步驟應是：禱告、計畫和準備。
當我回顧過去50年，我看自己像個小男孩（雖然當時我是40歲），謙卑且熱切地駕馭聖靈呼召的風，勇敢地去做我一點也不了解的事，但我願意信靠上帝，把一個簡單的點子變為真實。
是否有你無法跨越的河流？是否有你無法鑿穿的山？相信我，對於人們認為不可能的事，上帝特別在行。祂可以完成其他能力無法做到的事。
本文改編自「週一早晨觀點」，這是一系列由羅勃．符思特以電子郵件發出的默想文章。他不收費，鼓勵人們複製，只要註明出處即可。若有任何問題或評論，請寫信到29555 Goose Creek Rd, Sedalia, CO 80135, U.S.A.或傳真 (303) 647-2315。
思想 / 討論題目
你可否想到某人－－甚至可能是你自己，有一個特別的點子，然後就發展出非常創新的產品或服務？你認為那點子是如何發展起來的？ 當一個新的點子被人嘲笑或反對時，我們應該如何正確地回應？ 本文作者建議當一個點子誕生時，不要立刻就行動。智慧的做法是等待，「讓上帝有時間動工」。你是否同意這個建議？為什麼？你若同意，你如何知道你已等待得夠久了？ 你認為應該如何最適切地執行禱告、計畫和準備這三個步驟？註：若你有聖經且想要看有關此主題的其他經文，請看：
創世記1章26-30節，41章25-40節；尼希米記2章11-30節；詩篇37章4-5節；箴言3章5-6節，16章3、9節；使徒行傳2章17節
THE INCREDIBLE POWER OF AN IDEA
By: Robert Foster
Over the past year I have read a varied assortment of about 30 different books, but one has remained glued to my heart: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer. The book is about 14-year-old “Billy,” who lived in a small, drought-plagued village in the southeastern African nation of Malawi. He and his family, like everyone else in their village, had to live without running water or electricity. No money, no education, and no opportunities, but Billy – William Kamkwamba – had an idea!
William refused to let go of his dreams. The authors write, "With nothing more than a fistful of cornmeal in his stomach, a small pile of once-forgotten science textbooks, an armory of curiosity and determination, he embarked on a daring plan to bring his family a set of luxuries that only two percent of Malawians could afford."
At the village scrap dump, he collected "stuff and junk" for making a windmill that became the joke of the community – that is, until the day his dream became a reality. Water was pumped from a well and it provided enough energy for a light bulb in his family hut.
The power of an idea (or a dream) is the engine that can transform the way we live and think. In the mid-1970s, a college dropout by the name of Bill Gates came up with an idea. That idea eventually led to a huge, cutting-edge software company named Microsoft. Each of the more than 4,000 companies listed on the NASDAQ exchange has derived its power from a core idea, the spark that led to its beginning.
"Lord, give me an idea." That was the simple prayer of a young man named Dawson Trotman, who eventually became the founder of The Navigators, a worldwide ministry God has used to touch countless thousands of lives.
And it was in the late 1950s when my wife, Marian, said to me: "Bob, this is something we can do." There, as we sat beside the swimming pool at the Tanque Verde Guest Ranch in Tucson, Arizona, U.S.A., a seed took root that sprouted into Lost Valley Ranch, the guest ranch we established in Colorado.
The moment we have an idea, however, is not always the time to spring into action. Sometimes the best thing is to wait – for the right timing, resources and people to fall into place to bring the idea into fruition. So if you have an idea, no matter how good it may be, leave it alone. Allow time for God to do His work. The steps to follow, once an idea has taken root, are: prayer, planning, and preparation.
As I look back over the past 50 years, I see myself as a little boy (even though I was 40 years old) who humbly and earnestly harnessed the wind of the Holy Spirit’s call to dare do something that I knew nothing about, but was willing to trust in God to translate a simple idea into reality.
Do you have any rivers that seem uncrossable? Are there any mountains you cannot tunnel through? Believe me, God specializes in things that someone thought were impossible. He can accomplish what no other power can do.
After all, He promises, "Call unto ME and I will answer you, and show you great and might things, which you do not know" (Jeremiah 33:3).
Adapted from Take Three on Monday Morning, an e-mail meditation published by Robert D. Foster. Permission to reproduce with proper credit is freely given and encouraged. For questions or comments, write: 29555 Goose Creek Rd, Sedalia, CO 80135, U.S.A., or fax (303) 647-2315.
Reflection/Discussion Questions
Can you think of someone – perhaps even yourself – who had an unusual idea that developed into extremely innovative product or service? How do you think that idea came about? What is the correct response when an idea is received with ridicule or opposition? How is it possible to overcome discouragement or seemingly overwhelming obstacles? Robert Foster suggests that once an idea is conceived, rather than moving immediately into action, it is often wise to wait, to “allow time for God to do His work.” Do you agree with this advice? Why or why not? And if you do agree, how can you know when you have waiting long enough? How do you think the three-step process of prayer, planning and preparation can best be implemented?NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to review some other passages that relate to this topic, consider the following verses: Genesis 1:26-30, 41:25-40; Nehemiah 2:11-30; Psalm 37:4-5, Proverbs 3:5-6, 16:3,9; Acts 2:17
