The Chinese Bamboo Tree

Chinese bamboo tree over 90 ft

What does writing, starting a business and waiting on provision have to do with a Chinese bamboo tree? E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G! Chinese bamboo is quite a hot commodity here in the US. We use Chinese bamboo for beautiful hardwood floors, place mats, cutting boards, you name it. But it's not their versatility I want to write about. It's the growing process of the Chinese bamboo tree.

You would expect great results from a little seed that has been watered and fertilized, watered and fertilized, watered and fertilized for a year. But to the contrary, nothing happens! The second year you water and fertilize, and nothing happens. The third year you water and fertilize, and still nothing happens. If you haven't given up yet, you're most definitely discouraged!

The fifth year you continue to water and fertilize the seed and then---suddenly it seems---the Chinese bamboo tree sprouts and grows to over NINETY FEET IN SIX WEEKS (just one growing season)!

All the hard work and dedication you put into its growth didn't go unnoticed. While you were watering and worrying, life was taking shape UNDERGROUND! You couldn't see it, but life was certainly happening. A favorite scripture comes to mind when I think of this: "We don't look for things that can be seen but for things that can't be seen. Things that can be seen are only temporary. But things that can't be seen last forever" (2 Corinthians 4:18, GOD'S WORD Translation). 

Personally, I have begun a new business that is taking time to grow. I'm also continuing to look for writing and speaking opportunities . . . another growth process. Even myself. I am a growth process! I'm not who I was last year and not who I'll be next year.

My Facebook status for today was, "It can't grow if you won't sow!" Many of us haven't sown any seed because we are afraid it won't grow. I used to be like this. Instead of planting my seed, I would hold on to it (which is why it took me years to ever write my first book!) Of course it can't grow if you won't even exercise the small amount of faith to sow it. 

So the next time you contemplate whether or not to sow a seed, think of the story of the Chinese bamboo tree. Success doesn't happen overnight. Rome wasn't built in a day! Sucess takes time.  But remember, "It won't grow if you won't sow!"

"Help, I'm Drowning!"

"I'm Drowning!"

Yesterday I took the kids to the pool. The older two got in the water with no problem, even though they can't swim and even the baby splashed about happily. But my five year-old . . . he wasn't having it! He stood on the edge of the pool watching everyone else have fun. As I tried to coax him in, he backed away---the closer I got to him, the more he backed away until he full-out ran to the safety of the lounge chairs nearby.

A little while later, he ventured to the edge of the pool again. "I'm gonna get in, Mommy. I can do it myself," he said hanging on to the railing for dear life.

"Corey, the water is only two feet deep. Come on in," I tried to reassure him.

"No! I'm gonna drown, I'm gonna drown!" he shrieked.

"Corey, do you think Mommy would let you drown?" I asked him, bewildered at why he was acting like this.

"Yes!"

I was shocked. My kid actually thought I would let him drown. What kind of parent did I think I was?!

Lesson #1
As a good Father, God beckons us to "swim in the deep with Him." Much like Corey, we, for some reason, think that He is going to let us drown.

Lesson #2
We see everyone else enjoying life, making their dreams come true and we smile and think, "Good for them," but we don't have the courage ourselves to get in the water.

Lesson #3
We run to what's familiar (in Corey's case, the lounge chairs) or "safe," because we perceive the water as dangerous.

Little did Corey realize that even if he stood up in the middle of the part of the pool where we were, the water would have only come up to his waist. He was never in danger of drowning! God spoke to me profoundly through this little experience. It's all about our PERSPECTIVE! What one kid perceived as fun and adventurous, the other perceived as scary and unsafe.

In my business, Organo Gold, or even in my writing business, Dana Che, there are many who look at what I'm doing from the sidelines and say, "Good job, Dana, so proud of you," but they are not able to see themselves doing the same thing! Or maybe they perceive network marketing as "scary" or "risky." After all, what if I don't do well? they ask themselves. I, however, have come to a realization that life is all about taking risks. NO ONE, hear me, NO ONE who is successful got there by playing it safe. What's the worse that can happen? For Corey, it would've been that he fell into the water and I would be right there to catch him. For you, if you trust a loving Father who is able to keep you from drowning, the worse is that you fall and He picks you up. Be not afraid of what might happen if you try, be more afraid of what will happen if you don't.

This is my passion---to see people set free from fear and limited living. Jump in! The water's great!!

Dissin' the President

President Barack Obama

My Facebook status today and the comments written by my friends made me want to expound on my thoughts about people dissin' the President. First, I am neither Democrat nor Republican. Both parties have ideals that I agree with and both have ideals that I disagree with. When President George W. Bush was in office, I would stand up for him as well when people made snide, rude and inappropriate comments about his decisions. We must learn to separate our own opinions from the character of another.

I've never met President Obama, but I think we would be friends if I did. :-) He seems very down to earth and I really believe he thinks what he's doing as a leader is the right or best thing for the country. Now, whether or not that's true is my OPINION.

I've seen comments posted on Facebook that make me want to "defriend" some people. Some are just plain nasty . . . like they have a personal vendetta against the man. But again, I saw the same thing with President Bush.

When we look at the issues of our day--- affordable health care for all, education benefits for all, equality for all and the protection of our religious freedoms---there are bound to be major disagreements. All I want to know is, can we disagree in a mature, responsible and cordial manner? Some issues, especially issues on morality are passionate for many. Personally, I take a bold stance against abortion. However, I have learned to disagree with others in a way that will highlight the truths in my words and not the anger behind my words.

The President of the United States gets paid far less than most celebrities, receives daily death threats, is ostracized by half the country and never can seem to do anything right. It's time we begin to support our leaders again. And for those who pray, PRAY! Pray for his health, his decision making, his convictions and his courage.

"Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14, NLT.  

The "F" Word

The "F" word. It's such a bad word that many of us never want to admit we use it. We think it. We ponder it, but we dare not say it. We dare not admit that we struggle with it. We call it other things . . . introvert, cautious, careful, or my all time favorite, "practical." But really, we need to call it what it is. F-E-A-R.

Fear destroys our destiny and keeps us stuck in today with no hope for tomorrow. I will be honest to say that fear has controlled my life for quite some time. If you were a friend of mine in the late 90's and dropped me off at home when the house was vacant, you knew your role: you had to get out of your car and come "check the house" with me. We would look under beds, in closets, in the refrigerator (what?!) . . . all so that we could pounce on that burglar before he pounced on me! I had convinced myself that there was always someone lurking in the shadows waiting to attack. I had 9-1-1 on speed dial and would call them whenever I heard a scary noise. No lie. At one point, after I got married and moved out on my own, the police department threatened to fine me if I called them again with one more false alarm! So, I stopped calling them, but nonetheless, I was still fearful.

We lived in a safe neighborhood and no one else's house had been broken into, but that didn't matter. It's only a matter of time, I thought, Eventually, someone is going to break in here. That's because fear has been described as "False Evidence Appearing Real." It took a lot of praying, reading Psalm 91 and calls to my best friend at midnight (if my husband wasn't home) to overcome that fear of my home being burglarized.

But, the "F" word didn't leave me. It simply attached itself to another situation and I became fearful of other things. The Bible teaches that fear is a spirit (2 Timothy 1:7) that does not come from God. It is sent by the enemy to torment, depress and stifle you. It will choke the very life out of you if you allow it. 

Now that I am a businesswoman, I still face fear. Fear of talking to others, fear of rejection, fear of not meeting my goals, fear of looking stupid. What about you? What are you afraid of?

I am learning that no matter what fear you face, the antidote is ACTION! Take massive action toward the very thing you're afraid of, and you will knock that fear giant right on its tail! I'm all in today!! How about you?

Working While Resting?

So, yesterday's post was all about allowing the Lord to build our "house"---our hopes, our dreams and our plans for the future. We all know either from firsthand experience or watching a TV show like, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, that constructing a home takes T-I-M-E. Even on Extreme Makeover, with nearly a hundred construction workers, helpers, designers and the like, the process of constructing something from nothing takes time. Ponder this acrostic that I made up:  

 T hings

    I mprove 

                                                   M ost

                                                         E ventually

 See, no matter what you may be waiting for. Things improve most eventually! Ever heard of "bad grammar, good gospel?" Case in point. :-) Every thing that is of value takes TIME to grow. Someone told me a very encouraging story last night about the Chinese bamboo tree. I learned that it takes this tree on average 5 years to sprout! Think of the planter who waters and nurtures this plant for 5 years without ever seeing any results! But by faith, he continues to water and nurture it day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year. Then in the fifth year, something amazing happens. That Chinese bamboo tree explodes out of the ground and grows up to 98 feet tall in ONE GROWING SEASON (4-5 months)!! That's huge . . . literally! Just think if that farmer said, "You know, I don't see anything happening, I may as well cut down this tree and choose another plant." It takes time to see results! 


So, what to do in the waiting? Well, there are two ways in which we can wait: passively or actively. The Bible is clear that "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:17). Yet works without faith is insanity! We need both. I love the book, What to Expect When You're Expecting (a must-have for soon-to-be mamas and daddies). I just love the title. Expectation is the exact posture we need to have while waiting for the promise. In our expectation, we rest, but we also work. Huh? Is it really possible to work while resting? You bet it is. 

Right now, I am in a season of my life where I am believing God for BIG things. But, I'm not sitting around twiddling my thumbs hoping success will just fall on me! I'm planning my work and working my plan, and trusting God the whole way through to accomplish His plan in Him timing and in His way. That, friends, is active rest. I am not anxious, nor am I desperate. I know that in T-I-M-E, my answer will come and it will be a big, loud YES! 

"Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!" (Proverbs 6:6). Notice the difference between the wise ant and the foolish sluggard. Being lazy, lethargic and not on purpose leads to folly, destruction and lost hope. The ants are busy accomplishing their task FOR A SEASON and then they rest all winter. You can't rest if you haven't worked! So, in whatever season of life this finds you, please allow me to encourage you to actively rest in God. Pray over your plans daily, being cognizant  of God's Master plan, then work your plan. And after you've done all you can (be that praying, worshiping, putting a plan of action together, making a phone call, etc.), REST!! God's got this. 


Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philipians 4:6-7)