![]() ![]() Some are real some are helpful and some aren’t either. Can the church really not grow, whether in numbers or generosity? Can your child really improve his behavior, even if you change yours? Is a relationship with a loved one really limited by a past mistake? Can you really not find meaningful work, even if you redefined your sense of “work” – or “meaningful” – in the first place? Testing the reality presented to us to determine whether the limits we see are actual or artificial, helpful or a hindrance. That realization gave him permission to “poke reality,” testing to see which boundaries were real and which were simply conventional. At one point Jobs said that his whole life changed when he realized that the “reality” he lived in had been created by people no smarter than he was. There was a documentary on the life of Steve Jobs a few years ago. And I suspect many of us do this in our relationships, too, defining the possibilities ahead of time and not seeing the potential in ourselves or the people around us. We assume there are limits and thereby restrict the possibilities we see by conforming to artificial boundaries. I suspect that many of us do this same kind of thing in our roles – whether in business, the church, or our community. Except when you’re trying to solve problems or see possibilities and suddenly those self-imposed but entirely artificial boundaries just aren’t helpful anymore. Much of the time, this is really valuable. So what makes us do it anyway? Well, by evolutionary design we are trained to see patterns, and part of seeing patterns is detecting boundaries. Why is that? After all, no one said you couldn’t draw outside the lines – or, literally, outside the box. What’s interesting is how few people think of that. This allows you draw above and beyond the rows and connect all four quite easily. ![]() The key to solving the nine-dot puzzle is to refuse to see the outer line of dots as a boundary. This first time I tried this puzzle, I tried various ways, but just couldn’t do it. Some of you may already be familiar with this, but the instructions are to connect all 9 dots by drawing only four straight lines that are connected – that is, drawing the lines without lifting pen from paper. Now I want you to look at the 9 dot puzzle handout. It conveys a sense of “Why are you picking this fight?” or “Couldn’t you have just left things as they were between us?” Jesus, by his sheer presence in this synagogue, has upset the order. His opening question, asked by the spirit that possesses him, is idiomatic and therefore difficult to translate. The man with the unclean spirit finds Jesus, initiating the exchange. Possessed by the Holy Spirit, fresh from successfully confronting Satan in the wilderness, preaching the reign of God, and now in the company of at least four followers, it’s time for Jesus’ public ministry to gather momentum. ![]()
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