What is Your "Happily Ever After?"

Six people came together on a hot, hazy summer night to enjoy each other’s company.  We sat around the table eating sushi and telling stories.  The stories we told were about our work, our families, and our lives. 

“You won’t believe what happened to me today!”

“Guess what I’m going to do when the kids get back in school.”

“My ninety year old mother-in-law did the funniest thing!”

As we shared our stories, intriguing details from everyone’s life began weaving an amazing tapestry.  The tapestry grew more colorful and lovely as the night wore on.  No two threads were alike.  Each person’s experience was unique and inspiring.  And each person’s life created a beautiful story.     

Once Upon a Time... 

My kids used to say, “Mom, tell me about the day I was born!”  Every life has a story.  Every story has a purpose.  And every purpose is important.  Take a minute to think about your story.  When did you discover your calling and begin living your life with purpose?  How would you finish the sentence that starts your “Once upon a time?”  If you’re not sure, let’s think about the Author of your story.  Our Author and Creator ordained all our days and wrote them in His book before one of them came to be, according to Psalm 139:16.  Isn’t that great news?  Your story already had purpose and significance even before you were born.  Now it’s your job to discover/uncover your story and begin living it with purpose.       

Plot twist ... 

Every story has “Plot twists,” or unexpected developments.  What are the plot twists in your story?  What are the details or circumstances in your life that you didn’t see coming?  Plot twists are challenges you didn’t ask for and gifts you didn’t want.  The good news is these unexpected twists encourage you to turn roadblocks into opportunities.  They encourage change, which leads to growth and progress.  They encourage you to figure out how to move forward with your story according to your Creator’s plan.  Isaiah 46:10 reads God’s purpose will stand.  Although your life might seem confusing, surprising, or even disappointing at times, His plan for you is always full of purpose.  The plot twists you face are not accidental, and as a result of them, the pages in your story will be beautiful.  Those gifts you thought you didn’t want become the very gifts you would never return.    

Happily Ever After... 

Ahhhh…and now for our favorite part.  The music plays and the characters walk off into the sunset with smiles on their faces.  Although we may not admit it, we all have a “Happily ever after” dream for our lives.  To determine your expectations, or your “Happily ever after,” think about these statements:

"If only _______________ would happen then I could ______________."  

"I hope my story turns out like this:  ________________."  

"I would like the last chapter of my life's story to read like this: ________________________"

Your Creator is the author of your story.  He wrote it for you.  But you get to decide how to live it, and your choices determine how your story will be told.  Your life may be different than you expected, but it may also be better.  The colorful threads you are adding to the tapestry make it complete.  So don’t try to rewrite your story.  Instead, find your “Once upon a time,” accept the “Plot twists,” and embrace your “Happily ever after.”  Your story is a beautiful narrative that has been written specifically and especially for you. 

So pull up a chair, have some sushi, and tell us your story.  Tell us His story.    

"Writing our stories and sharing them is one of the most powerful ways to grow and make that journey from the head to the heart.” Claire DeBoer

Stories connect us.

Stories heal us.

Stories give us purpose.

God is the writer I am just the narrator... the person who tells the story.

HOW DO YOU SEE IT?

image by lesliebrown.com

by Katy Shelton

“What do you see when you look at the water?” I asked my sister during Spring Break in Cocoa Beach.

“Sharks,” she said without hesitation.  “And maybe some other toothy, scary creatures of the deep.  Why, what do you see?”

“Water,” I said.  “When I look at the water, I see water.  Sparkling, sunlit waves of water, rolling peacefully toward the shore.” 

There we were, two sisters from an identical gene pool, with two completely different ways of seeing the same thing.

Every one of us, even if we are alike in many ways, sees things differently.  Think about the complexity of a strand of DNA.  Now think about seven billion people on earth, each one with a different DNA combination.  Whoa.  It’s mind boggling that so many people can each have their own specific genetic makeup, totally different from anyone else’s.  As a result of that genetic makeup, each person looks at life in his or her own unique way.

Michelangelo looked at a chunk of marble and saw David.  Stephen Hawking looked at a jumble of numbers and saw Physics.  Mark Twain looked at the Mississippi River and saw Huck and Jim.  Babe Ruth looked at a baseball bat and saw home runs.  And Nelson Mandela looked at division and saw reconciliation.

Now I know most of us will never impact the world the way these talented geniuses have, but we all have a certain reach.  And if we’re all looking at the same things but seeing them differently, shouldn’t we also each have a different, unique role here on earth?  Shouldn’t we take what we see and how we see it, and turn it into something purposeful?  Shouldn’t we strive to do something positive based on the unique way we view the world?  Let me answer that:  YES.

The tricky part, for some of us, is to figure out why we see things the way we do, and what to do about it.  Why are we introverted/extroverted?  Why do we love/hate academics?  Why are we artists or athletes?  Why do we want to lead, or why do we want to follow?  And why have we been given this particular set of abilities?

Here’s a suggestion:  forget the category others have put you in and start over.  Discover yourself by looking within.  Shut down the voices of anyone that thinks they have you all figured out.  Don’t let someone tell you that because you like math, you can’t also like English, or because you like history, you won’t like science.  Don’t let them say that because you’re an athlete you’re not going to be artistic.  Go ahead, bust out of the stereotypical boxes society has created and allow yourself to be you.  You are your own unique combo of DNA, remember?  

And, please, for the sake of all us terrible test takers, move above and beyond the standardized questionnaires that try to tell you who you are and what you are forever meant to be.  You know you better than anyone else.  What do you feel passionate about?  Why do you feel passionate about it?  What do you wish you could do that you’ve never allowed yourself to do because you’re afraid someone will laugh or you might fail?  Dig deep and pull out those hidden desires, those hidden treasures.  They are in there somewhere, waiting to be uncovered.  Bring them to the surface and embrace them.  And then get to work.

Work on your passion.  Spend time to develop it.  Aim to perfect it.  And once you have put in some real effort and you know a little about what you’re doing, GO AHEAD AND DO IT.  And know that you will fail.  And succeed.  And fail, and succeed again.  Because that’s what we humans do.  All of us.  Even those amazing people I mentioned before.  They all had failures to go along with their success.  But they all kept trying, working, and pushing forward because they saw something in their own unique way and wanted to share it with the rest of us.

Now the greater, more significant point is this:  once you discover your passion, work to develop it, and ultimately put it out there, SURPRISE, you will be doing exactly what your Creator intended you to do.  After all, HE is the one who gave you that unique way of seeing things and your resulting abilities.  HE wants you to love your life’s work.  And HE wants you to succeed.  Really, He does.  And in the process of developing yourself, HE will be glorified.  How exciting!  We get to do what we love doing, and honor our God at the same time.  

So, whether you look at the ocean and see sparkling, sunlit waves, or if you look at the ocean and see Jaws, you have a wonderful, important point of view that needs to be shared with the people around you.  Go ahead, identify your passion, work to develop it, and for God’s sake, as well as everyone else’s, put it out there.  Enlighten the rest of us.  Open our eyes to your view of the world.  We want and need to know how you see things, because only you are able to see them that way.

When your soul sings … take good notes.

 A ship’s logbook is kept by the captain and the crew.  Information is recorded, and operational data relating to his ship and the journey.  Weather conditions, times of routine events and significant incidents, crew complement or what ports were docked at and when, all make up the logbook. It is essential to traditional navigation and is kept daily.

In a few words, a logbook helps a sailor navigate his journey.

Over the years I have kept a pretty traditional journal.  But when I read about a logbook in Austin Kleon’s book, Steal Like an Artist, I just knew that this was exactly what I needed as I was pursuing new callings and deeper purpose life. It was a new twist to my journaling, if you will.

“Keeping a simple list of who/what/where means I write down events that seem mundane at the time, but later on help paint a better portrait of the day, or even become more significant over time." Austin Kleon

We are all weary travelers searching and longing to find the way home.  Where am I going?  Where have I come from?  Keeping a log over time impacts greatly my perspective.  I begin to connectthe dots.  Yes!  My life IS a story!

We shouldn’t get discouraged when we attempt to write our own story.  Some feel they don’t have a story at all. Instead, look all around and find the story that is being written for you.  Read the details of your life as a story.  Everyone has a story and it needs to be recorded and possibly heard.  If for no other reason, you need to read it yourself and listen to it as well. The passions of life, the people of life and the positions in which you find yourself are all adding up to something pretty amazing.  Everyone has a story and nobody’s story is dull.  It all gets back to your purpose…we each have one, you know.  So within every purpose there has to be a story.  Begin to fit the puzzle pieces together in your logbook to see the bigger picture.  Writing, I believe, can help me chart my progress. Jotting down my opinions can help me refine my ideas.

When your soul sings … take good notes.

When your heart takes a punch, write about it.  

When life gives you a clue, make a note of it.  

When something inspires you, jot it down.  

When you have an idea, log it.

When a prayer is prayed, record it.  

When a prayer is answered, express it and rejoice.

“A memory inventory. An archive of sorts. Place-markers of my own narrative & those which intersect & entangle with my own. I am my own historian. My own keeper of my chronicle. Branches and leaves reminding me of where I've been & where I'm going.”  Abigail Green

Tracing the threads and trends in my life helps me see that these things have brought me to where I am today. The path gets very foggy for me at times.  I’m so glad I can go back and read my logbook on the days when things were crystal clear.  My very own words inspire me to move forward.

“Don’t doubt in the darkness what you saw in the light.”

Write it down and remember... Home is not that far away.

… all a part of your journey, just the daily stuff. If it inspires, put it in there.

Dear Glenn Beck ...

artwork by Abbie Little

Hi Glenn,

My name is Anna Nash and I have lived in Birmingham, AL my entire life...50 years now :)

Just 1 short year before my birth 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed in 1963. Obviously I have little personal memory of that happening in my city but my entire life I have been well reminded of the horror that happened in our own backyard.  It makes me so very sad when I google "Birmingham, AL”. Without fail you will find something on the bombing on the first search page that comes up.

I was thrilled when you announced that you would be coming to Birmingham with your people and this movement for change.  Here are a few things I took from your segment on this:

“…the South, and Birmingham in particular, is going to be the region that steps up and brings reconciliation to the country.”

“The South will rise again, and this time it will save the country, not divide the country.”

“I think Birmingham, Alabama is going to be a place that restarts the country. It’s known for all of the bad things that happened in the ’50s. I think Birmingham, Alabama, is going to be known for all of the good things that happen here on out, just like Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston is forever going to be known for its good people, and I think Birmingham is going to be next on that list.”

You shared that you felt the nation is reaching a turning point—either begin a revival of faith and respect or continue toward a “cliff” from which there may be no return.  The part of the country where you see the most potential for a cultural turnaround is the South.

Like you, I believe that the change we are longing to see in this country is going to start deep inside the hearts of people, and not in D.C.  Change won’t even start within the church...even right here in the Bible belt of Alabama until true change takes place in souls within the church!  Until we believe that we were created by God to be a part of the bigger story we will NEVER begin to see a difference in our world.  People here in Birmingham and beyond have forgotten. We have forgotten what we were made for and why.  We have become lazy, comfortable and consuming people who are self absorbed in so many ways.  Folks around here are hoping for a new government official, a new pastor, a new plan to bring change.  We have forgotten about organic change that comes from grass roots movements.  Many here feel invincible...thinking that things happening around the world won't happen here.  A “someone else can do it” mentality has saturated so many communities.

Well, just like you, I had an epiphany a few years ago that God was going to do something mighty in the Magic City of Birmingham.  Of course, He would choose a city where such a horrible thing had happened to bring light and redemption.  All eyes are on us, I know.  What a joy that our city of Birmingham would be the picture of redemption, love and change in the US! If we could change anybody can!   Nothing would thrill me more than God's favor here on us and through us to a seeking people.

Since I believe we should each play our part (Be the change you want to see!), I have gathered a community here in Birmingham called Beacon People. We are about guiding, connecting and inspiring purpose driven people.  There are some pretty amazing grass roots groups here in Birmingham who want to be a part of the Bigger Story!  Just thought I'd email you to say that reconciliation is happening here!  I am thrilled that you have a prompting about this as well and that you are coming as a Beacon to inspire us.  God knows, we can use as much help as we can get!  Here are a few organic things that are happening here that I thought you'd like to take a look at before you come in August.  I'm walking on sidewalks, sitting in coffee shops, singing in church and meeting with folks all around who are beginning to realize that true change in our culture will have to start from within. People who are willing to do the hard work of making a difference and are living for something greater than themselves are becoming ignited!  Here are just a handful of those making sacrifice … all of these are based out of Birmingham!  There are more, but for time sake I’m just noting a few that I am personally connected with through Beacon People:

1.  www.Inspero.org

2.  http://www.restorationacademy.org/

3.  http://csalabama.org/

4.  http://lifelinechild.org/christian-adoption-services/staff/state/alabama/

5.  forevergingerbread.com

6.  http://seedscoffee.com/

7.  http://www.commonthread.org/

8.  http://the-wellhouse.org/

9.  http://ornaments4orphans.org/

10.  http://www.magiccitywoodworks.org/

11. www.restore-ministries.org

When things start happening in and through our city I want to be able to say that I was a part of it!  Redemption is what God is all about and He has redeemed ME, so how could I not desire to make a difference in the lives of others?!?!?

Thanks for listening and I hope some of this was a bit helpful as you are getting to know the audience down here!  Grateful for the role you are playing, Glenn.  Please let me know if I can do anything on my end here to help.

Time to shine,

Anna Nash

awake!

Summer mornings - sun rising, heat quickly coming, a little more relaxed living, something out there calling me to get away, leave, get some R and R… slow the pace.

My thoughts quickly go to, “Am I asleep?”  “Has summer put my soul to sleep?”  What exactly does this mean? I think William Wallace in Braveheart said it the best, 

”Every man dies, not every man really lives.”

Asleep could be synonymous with death … I want to live awake and fully alive deep from within.  I want to really live!

What puts me to sleep?  What kills my soul?  The swirling waves around me of the day to day, the pull to make life all about me…self-satisfaction.  These thoughts come from no where, thoughts that say, “Happiness comes from living for yourself. Go out there and find something to make yourself happy”  Killing soul thoughts.  This mindset calls me to quick joy, temporary satisfaction.

Oh there is so much more.  Awake my soul!

Need to Breathe declares it perfectly in their song Slumber - 

Days they force you Back under those covers

Lazy mornings they multiply

But glory's waiting outside your window

So wake on up from your slumber, baby, open up your eyes

Tongues are violent, Personal and focused

Tough to beat with your steady mind. But hearts are stronger after broken,

So, wake on up from your slumber, baby, open up your eyes

All these victims stand in line for the crumbs that fall from the table, just enough to get by.

All the while your invitation

Wake on up from your slumber, baby, open up your eyes.

Take from vandals, all you want now

Please, don't trade it in for life -  Replace the feeble with the fable

Wake on up from your slumber - Baby, open up your eyes

Come on, Sing like we used to - dance when you want to - taste of the breakthrough

And open wide … Come on now and open your eyes

take a listen, let it move you.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbx_qFSCd7M

Our greatest satisfaction comes in life when we are fully alive and investing in making a difference in the world through our gifts, our resources -  doing what we love and do well.  

So wake up, really live, get outside yourself even in the tiniest of ways…today.  Don’t hear the falsehoods of, “Well, nothing I do really makes a difference.”

Ask for it!  Look within.  

“Am I dying? Wake me up!”  

“Awake, awake, put on your beautiful garments …

Shake yourself from the dust and arise … loose the bonds from your neck! (Is.52)

If you look for it, it will come.  Seek and you shall find.

Don’t just - "Stand in line for the crumbs that fall from the table - just enough to get by …

Remember -  "All the while your invitation -wake on up from your slumber, Baby, open up your eyes!

outside the door ...

I love to go out of town on trips!  I've always dreamed of having a job that allowed me to travel.  I've heard it gets old, but for now, to me it seems dreamy.  I love hotels.  I love slipping my feet down into clean sheets, the smell of the bath products, the noise of hustle and bustle outside the door.  The beam of light coming in between the blackout curtains in the morning beckons me to want to discover a new view that is awaiting as I open the curtains. The anticipation of a good cup of coffee calls me to adventure out the next morning. So many unknowns on a trip.  I'm finding as I get older that I do love an adventure and exploring. This is new for me.

The journey...the trip...the path...that's all of life, isn't it?

If only our journey in life brought so much anticipation and excitement as a trip.  I'd love to wake up fresh, new and excited to explore the unknown every morning.  Life is like an exciting exploration for some but not for others. What's the difference?  I am convinced it has everything to do with purpose.  Today at Beacon Group we heard about a physician who retired from his career as a doctor and poured himself into a life in the outdoors and hunting.  Pretty soon he became bored.  His trip became uneventful and it lost its newness.  He returned to work as physician and purpose has returned...happy and fulfilled once again.

What is your purpose?  What are you living for? 

It may be time to consider your own journey... if you lack zeal for the trip it might just be time to re-evaluate.

Listen and be excited about the hustle and bustle outside your door.  Open it and enter and join a world who needs you and all you were created to be.

Stand still and shine ...

photo by lesliebrown.com/

“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”  ― Anne Lamott

At one Beacon Group this strong young woman Jamie of Ornaments 4 Orphans shared this quote to challenge us.  As she stands and shines we were all ignited by her story and mission.  

Disturb Us...

Sir Frances Drake was  an adventurer in the 1500's.  He wrote the following as he departed to the west coast of South America.  Just a few months ago before Beacon People was even birthed a close friend shared this with me. As I look back now I see that it was part of the heart preparation for me as well as others around me for Beacon People.

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

attributed - sir francis drake -1577

These thoughts move me when I don't know north from south.  Help me remember the WHY... so that I won't miss the stars...

Thanks, Mama!

When I would have a bad day as a little girl, my Mama would always tell me, “If you want to feel better just go do something nice for somebody else.”  Funny, this always worked.  I would make my sister’s bed, write someone a note, set the table for dinner without being asked and slowly the blues would fade away.  

An old Proverb says, “He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.”  Hmmmm…maybe Mama was on to something.

Now, years later I’m realizing this on a much, much larger scale.  All of my life…every day, hour and minute is spent either investing or spending.  

Jim Elliot puts it into words best…in fact here it is in his logbook. 

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose.”

When I thought about this quote it was in a very broad general sense…like the whole of my life…like the eternal life.  Well, what if we asked ourselves the question, “What would it look like if I lived each day based on this principal?”  Oh my, now there’s a convicting question! 

What am I holding on to tightly that ultimately I will not be able to keep? 

What did I do yesterday or am doing today that can’t be lost?

Is there some avenue I could pursue that intrigues me which would have eternal value?

Again, as we have said so many time before, this doesn’t have to be some HUGE movement/mission/calling.  I’m talking so very practically here.  You never know how just one little thing done may be a puzzle piece for something of great impact in this world.  

I like to think that if I’m able to make a difference in just one person’s life each day by the end of the year I would have made a difference in the lives of 365 people! The souls of people will last forever.

You know that feeling of significance you feel when you know you have made a difference for the better?  Ahhhh. Pursue that tomorrow.

p.s.  Thanks, Mama.