By Caryn Evans of Des Moines Iowa

Yesterday at First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we heard about the Prophet Isaiah and Prophetic Imagination.  It made me  think about Charles Dickens’ opening of a Tale of Two Cities “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”

Prophetic  Imagination. What a concept.  John Lennon wrote about it in his beautiful song “Imagine.”

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace…

You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Prophets are alive today. They are persons gifted with profound moral insight and exceptional powers of expression .   On December 14, we have the opportunity to hear from one.  Caryn West is an ordinary person who is doing something extraordinary.  What started as a home decorating project turned into a message for the entire world.  Take a look at the challenge she places out for us.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIysyvuJAgA

An ordinary person with a passion for making the world a different place, Caryn is an artist and a writer with a keen sense of stewardship.  You need to be in church on December 14 to hear our youth read the words of a modern day prophet.  You need to see the images and “Imagine all the people Living life in peace…”

Stewardship and children.  Stewardship and peace.  So many opportunities to be a steward and if passionate enough, a prophet.   Using our gifts and our imagination is a formula for a change.