I love a good story. Even better, I love a good storyteller! I am a voracious reader with an eclectic taste in genres, but what remains consistent in all my favorite books is the ability of the storyteller to emotionally connect with me. A good writer has a remarkable gift. Jesus was an amazing storyteller. He always had the ability to connect with his listener. His stories were short, simple and brilliant.
Recently our family was on a weekend getaway and we stopped in a touristy town on our way home to walk through the shops. In one particularly feminine cutesy store I saw my guys make a beeline for the children’s section which was only corner of the store that might offer them respite from the onslaught of lace and women’s fashion. A few minutes later I noticed their heads bent together and buried in a children’s storybook. I assumed they were just passing time until we were ready to go, but as my daughter and I finished our perusing they appeared in no hurry to put down the book and leave. Mind you, my “boys” are my 17 year old son and 22 year old son-in-law, so I was fascinated to see what could hold their full attention in a children’s book. Curious, I took a look at the story they were reading and soon became as engrossed as they were. The book was called “What To Do With An Idea” by Kobi Yamada. It is a simple premise obvious by the title, but as I was reading it struck me that it brilliantly described what I went through with Reigning Hope. Without giving away the whole book, here’s the process that went through my mind five years ago:
It started as a small idea. I tried to ignore it. I tried to forget it. I tried to stop it. My idea kept following me. The small idea became a big idea. The big idea scared me a lot. It seemed far too big for me. I tried to share my idea with others in hopes of giving it away for someone else to claim, but no such luck. My idea kept growing until it became a part of me and I couldn’t forget it.What am I supposed to do with this idea??? Eventually I accepted that God put this idea in MY heart and I needed to allow it to grow and develop, and speak it out loud and give it wings…which I did in 2013 – and with that the idea kept growing and the story kept continuing. That’s where Reigning Hope is right now… in yet another new chapter. Developing and unfolding, new plots, new twists, new ideas. Even after 4 years I feel like it’s still the beginning of the RH story, and at the moment it’s a cliff hanger to see where it will grow next, but it is growing day by day.
What I hope is that Reigning Hope will do what the best stories do… emotionally connect with its audience. My idea can’t be accomplished alone and the story cannot be written without a larger cast of characters… especially those who have more ideas. Every day I am excited to discover what is next and watch my small idea grow, even though it still scares me! I think dreams and ideas often come too large so that we can grow into them 🙂
REIGNING HOPE MINISTRIES 