iBelin

Sitting at the Feet of the Elders

// February 2nd, 2010 // 8 Comments » // Discipline, Faith, Lessons From Leontyne, family, storytelling

Every once in a while you have to stop and consciously admit you do not know it all and sit humbly before someone who knows more, has seen more and has done more than you. This experience is to get not only information but also inspiration.

Taking the time to listen deeply to the stories of how s/he made it to where s/he is is an invaluable use of your time. So, listen to the successes and to the failures and feast on each and every detail. Hearing about the failures and mistakes of someone who has been blessed with success gives you what you need to get up and keep pressing through your own failures. The success stories challenge you to strive to enjoy the same. Sitting at the feet of the elders challenges you to work harder and smarter.

Arrogant folk cannot sit still long enough or see the value of listening to folk who, perhaps, do not have the education or the “talents” they have. These people are foolish. Shun these people!

Put yourself in the company of people who inspire you – who know more than you. Then, work to cultivate genuine, mutual relationships with them that are enriching. Get rid of the lazy, “slovenly” and “slouchy” people around you. They are energy drainers. Moreover, you are known by the company you keep.

Whenever you feel like you are just going through the motions or that you are putting out a lot without getting a lot of returns, come out from among them and sit at the feet of the elders in your life… and be refreshed and renewed.

Lessons from Leontyne: #3-Sing on Your Interest, NOT on Your Capital

// July 16th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // Discipline, Lessons From Leontyne

Miss Price has been famous for his statement for years. She says it is the key to longevity in a successful career. You cannot expend your full resources because this leads to exhaustion and burnout. The singer must rely on good technique, without this performances are unpredictable and the voice is in danger.  Because the opera singer’s voice is her instrument, Miss Price says that she must always be in top physical shape. Too, nothing can be allowed to interfere with the routine that ensures an excellent performance.

This is a good life lesson.  Perform on your interest, not on your capital.  I have said this in another way to those who do ministry: Minister from the overflow!  If you minister from your capital, you will burn out.  You have to stay in the flow of God’s Holy Spirit through prayer, fasting, study, meditation, listening, worship and praise.  You have to be intentional about feeding your spirit especially when you have been called to pour out in ministry.  The call to ministry is not limited to those who are ordained but certainly includes all those God uses to minister: teachers, parents, caregivers, spouses etc.

The tragedy is that too many are ministering from the capital instead of the overflow. So, folk get burned out, angry, resentful, mean, sullen or act out in other ugly ways.  We were never intended to minister or even to live without the power of the Holy Spirit.  We must remember to be filled to overflowing so that when we pour out, we are not found lacking ourselves.

To stay in the overflow is a joy but not easy.  Living and ministering in the overflow requires:

• Pulling away and getting out to a solitary place to pray (Mark 1:35)
• Putting your mind on what will lift and build you up (Philippians 4:28)
• Getting the proper amount of rest (Psalm 4:8; Psalm 121:4)
• Knowing that you are worth taking care of yourself (Psalm 139:14)
• Saying "No" sometimes (Mark 1:37-38)
• Having a retreat among friends who prop you up when you lean (John 12:1-3)

Are you living and ministering in the overflow? How do you make sure you are ‘singing on your interest’?  Leave a comment below and give us some more ideas.

Lessons from Leontyne: #2 – Never Talk About Difficulties

// July 7th, 2009 // No Comments » // Discipline, Lessons From Leontyne

"I never talk about difficulties. Once a success is there, it is not only boring, it is exasperating to think about." – Miss Leontyne Price

Miss Price faced a lot of challenges and difficulties en route to the pinnacle of the opera world but she never let anything deter her from her goal.  It is a good lesson for anyone who wants to offer their God-given gift to make the world a better place.  Difficulties are a part of life.  The more energy you give them the more power they have to stop you from reaching your goals.  You do not have time to complain and mumble and grumble.  Those who sit around droning on and on about how hard life is never enjoy life nor do they contribute joy in anyone else’s life.  If you focus on what’s wrong you will get more of it! It’s just that simple.  Celebrate and talk about the good and the beauty in life.

Yes, life is filled with challenges and difficulties.  Face the difficulty and move on toward your goal without whining and without excuses!

Lessons from Leontyne: #1 – Love Your Gift

// July 6th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Discipline, Lessons From Leontyne

Lesson #1 Love Your Gift

Miss Leontyne Price is the first African American to achieve international recognition as an operatic star.  She reigned in the world of opera for many years as Prima Donna Assoluta and has 18 Grammys to her credit.

I first heard Miss Price sing on PBS in 1982 when she and Marilyn Horne sang in concert at the Metropolitan Opera under the baton of Maestro James Levine.  I am not sure now how I stumbled upon this broadcast but when I heard her sing I was hooked.  Whether you are a fan of opera or not, the beauty of her voice is undeniable.

When I experienced this performance of “Pace, Pace” from Verdi’s La Forza Del Destino from the 1982 concert, I was completely mesmerized. When the aria was over, she appeared transfixed as though she had to be brought back from another space to which she was transported.  The only time I had seen then was when my father would preach and be transported to another, higher place and echo back to us what he heard.  Seeing Miss Price’s performance made me decide that whatever I did in life, I had to do my thing the way she did her thing.

In Miss Price’s performances you can see every cell in her body completely, totally focused on her performance.  She is so completely dedicated to and enthralled by her own singing that she says that she sings, “from me to me with great love!”  She celebrates her own gift and is in love with her own voice.  Because she loves her gift, she says, she can share it freely and confidently with the world.

To love your gift is to take care of it, to be a good steward of it
To love your gift is to refine it
To love your gift is to sacrifice for it
To love your gift is to be devoted to it
To love your gift is to ensure that nothing, no one and no behavior threatens your gift
To love your gift is to be confident in it
To love your gift is to exercise it
To love your gift is to share it, never to hide it under a bushel but to let it shine
To love your gift is to thank God for it.

So, what is your gift?  Do you love your gift?