Goodness, it’s already Wed.?! Where does the time go?! I think time truly might be speeding up, it’s not just our imaginations – but that is a subject for another day…so anyway, my awesome team of Monty Bass, my video editor, and Sarah Farrell, my web designer, have been putting the finishing touches on the website over the last few days so we can finally officially launch. Oddly enough on Sat. night (yes, I know, I have such an exciting social life lately), Monty and I had just finished editing Ariane De Bonvoisin’s Epiphany interview when out of the blue she called to invite me to attend the 11:30am Agape church service the next day to hear Michael Beckwith speak – she had VIP tickets. I was like, ‘you need tickets to attend church??’ but I said I’d meet her there at 11am.
Um, okay. Wow. I saw why you needed tickets. Well, they weren’t really tickets but someone had assured her seats. I thought surely this was ridiculous and what could possibly warrant such a big deal for church? There was this huge line outside like we were going to a concert or something. Well…now I get it. I ended up getting seated on the front row and experienced one of the most fun, most involved, most joyous and engrossing church celebrations I’ve ever witnessed. Michael Beckwith is amazing which is why he is world-renowned and on the national and international scene. (He’s in the film, The Secret, and has appeared on Oprah and Larry King, amongst other shows.) He is so funny, cute, alive, devoted and real. He’s like a Chris Rock of ministers. That’s who he sort of reminded me of – the way he talked and laughed and made jokes and paced back and forth on stage and just the energy he put into all of it. Agape endorsed Ariane’s book, The First 30 Days, so we met Michael afterwards and he could not have been more real, gracious and super-cool.
I found it interesting that his sermon that day had to do with our gifts and that if we just stick with cultivating our gifts, they will guide us. He says our gifts are not really for us but to serve others and society and if we quit saying, ‘yes, but…(insert whatever excuse you want here)’ and just do what we feel called to do and work diligently on those gifts and talents, even if we’re scared or worried, those gifts and talents will end up guiding us to places we never even knew we could go.
I found it interesting because I don’t know if this is total coincidence because it happened with my last blog entry, but his message reminded me of what Elizabeth Avellan, the film producer of Desperado and Spy Kids, had to say in her Epiphany interview:
‘Develop your talents, and they will guide you.’
They both said not to worry about what will happen but to develop, cultivate, and honor your gifts and talents and they will lead and guide you to the next thing along life’s path. That does seem to be a tenet that most of the successful people I have interviewed for Epiphany have embraced…so I’m just sayin’…food for thought…
