I’ve been sitting on this entry for about 6 months now — the idea of telling stories. Every so often I listen to a podcast, message, video clip that sends me thinking again.
Not even 10 minutes ago I was listening to one such message and one of the closing remarks was about using the tools you have rather than the ones that you don’t to follow your vision.
Currently, in addition to my photography, I work for a non-profit organization in Vancouver that trains young people to move beyond themselves in pursuit of God and all He has available to them. So now, as we are preparing for our staff to show up at the beginning of December and students a month later, I find myself thinking about the tools that I have in my hand and how can I use them.
When I was young, having received my first camera and leafing through National Geographic magazines, I would be whisked off to faraway nations and little known peoples on marvellous adventures up erupting volcanoes, along disputed borders, and across frozen wastelands. I loved to read so the accompanying stories were always engaging but it was the photographs that truly captured my attention.
Fast forward nearly 30 years and soon I will be responsible for discipling, mentoring and taking a group of young adults through a foreign country on a 5 month program of learning, stretching and growing. Each of these kids have a story to tell, and each of them is about to write a very significant story in their life! How do I use what tools I have readily available to tell those stories?
Do we build blogs? Design a magazine? Take photos? Create videos? Build a coffee table book?
Writing this, I can’t even sit still…
I’ll be back!
Ok. I’m good again. When you start feeling inspired, it’s really hard to sit still let alone keep writing.
The message that inspired this rewrite on this entry was from a session at the Heaven in Business Conference down in Redding, CA. It seems to me that my best writing happens after listening to messages about business…
Even though it’s a at the very least 10 months down the road, I’ve been contemplating what life after YWAM will look like. Having spent so many of my days building someone else’s vision in exchange for money I would like the opportunity to build my own vision and legacy.
Which brings all of this around…
…telling stories.
Here is part of mine:
Unorthodox storytelling method? Probably.
It includes some of my central focuses, beliefs, dreams, visions but leaves space for expansion.
In one of our recent staff meetings, we were praying for our current and upcoming discipleship training schools and the two words that were the common thread were LEGACY and VISION.
What vision do we have for leaving our legacy?
Personally. As an organization.
What will my personal legacy be within the organization?
What story will I write during my time here?