Simeon

Today, I’m continuing on with the Christmas theme. While I shared a very special personal memory in our blog yesterday, today’s blog will be about my favorite story from the Bible. It, too, is centered around the birth of Jesus, our Lord and our Savior. It can be found in the verses following what I shared yesterday in Luke 2:21-40:

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise him, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he had been conceived. When the time of their purification according to the Law of Moses has been completed, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord"), and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting a praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.

Simeon is such a cool guy! To be filled with the Holy Spirit, waiting patiently for decades for “a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel” is so inspiring to me. I would love to think that I could be that obedient for so long without wavering or wondering. Sometimes, I’m so filled with doubt. Yet, Simeon was faithful and greatly rewarded for his patience. God calls us to this sustained momentum on a daily basis. It’s not easy. And sometimes, you think you might have missed the sign, but we need to persevere to the end. We need to humbly wait until we too, can be dismissed into peace. What a great goal to have before us . . . Eternal life with our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Good News of Great Joy

My very best memory of Christmas from when I was younger is incredibly special to me. It’s not Santa Claus. It’s not the green bike I got when I was 12. It’s not the amazing Christmas meals that my mom and her sisters would make each year. It’s not even how much fun we had hanging out all day with our Hancock cousins at the Brandriff’s.

My all-time favorite memory was on Christmas night after we had finished the meal, and before we opened the cousin gifts, and after we sang Christmas carols in famous Hancock quartet four-part harmony, my grandpa Hancock would read the Christmas story. What a truly special memory that I will always cherish! If you’ve heard him speak then, you know what a great “narrator” voice he had. He was an extraordinary communicator. And he’d read about how Jesus was born on the first Christmas day. So, it’s not surprising that Luke 2 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible because of this rich heritage that my grandfather shared with our families.

Let me share with you:

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria. And everyone went to his own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and the line of David. He went there to register with Mary who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed as what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:1-20

May God richly bless you and yours this Christmas season!

Thirty Days of Thanksgiving

For those of you who know me, you know that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday (followed very closely by Christmas). There is nothing about autumn and Thanksgiving that I dislike. I try with all my might to be thankful and to think grateful thoughts all season.

If you read my blog at the end of last month, I started out on a quest to be grateful. I listed things like family and friends, fresh cut grass, books, babies, etc. So, I decided that this month I would actually track something I was thankful for each day. I may repeat myself a bit from last blog, but here’s my 30 Days of Thanksgiving:

1. Jesus/God
2. Bible/God’s Word
3. Holy Spirit/wisdom
4. Billy
5. Beau
6. Sarah
7. Jesse
8. My sisters/sisters-in-law
9. The rest of my family
10. Freedom in the U.S.
11. My church family at FBC esp. Brad & Carrie
12. My home
13. Our working vehicles (not so grateful for the one that’s not working)
14. Our jobs in education
15. FGE & SWAY & Sustained Momentum
16. Becca M./Courageous Missionaries
17. Our grandparents/parents
18. Access to education
19. Heaven/Eternal life/Forgiveness
20. Baseball/the Smell of fresh cut grass
21. Caramel apples
22. Dreams & Goals & Giftings
23. Music
24. Snowflakes
25. New recipes
26. Books
27. Nature/Hummingbirds/Fall leaves/Sunbeams
28. Restaurant Gift Cards
29. Friends/Re-connecting with old friends
30. Life and breath

I hope you found yourself on this list in a specific way! Because it’s true – I’m thankful for you. I pray that you will be inspired to be grateful everyday for all the blessings that the Lord has so mercifully given to you as well. God bless you!

Sarah's Thoughts on "The Traveler's Gift"

The Traveler's Gift : Seven Decisions That Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews

I like success... I even like the word. My mom even has a blog called "Sustained Momentum" - our, FGE, definition of success... but anywho.. quick story....

While filming a video for the Austin Peay Comm Dept, a dear friend of mine handed me a book and said, "You and your mom would really enjoy this." My immediate thought was, "He obviously has no idea that I don't read books... but maybe my mom would like it." My second thought was, "Sarah, you're lame. Read the dang book." So I did.

As I had 984,769,276 things to do that week, Mom read it first. She loved it. She was so enthusiastic about it and was so eager for me to read it that she printed me a 4 page synopsis of the book (just in case I didn't want to actually read it, but just get the information lol) For her thoughts you can visit http://sustainedmomentum.blogspot.com/2010/10/making-best-decisions.html :)

Anyways, I finally got around to reading it. Took me a while, but hey it happened :)

If you plan on reading it and don't want anything to be given away, then feel free to stop reading and just know that I found that it was wonderful and incredibly inspirational. :)

For anyone else still reading, mostly for me to go back and read cause I gotta give the book back, lol, here's the 7 Decisions in the book, and my "take", if you will, on them.

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Decision 1 : "The buck stops here. I am responsible for my past and my future." - I find that I make, or try to make, excuses, or blame others, for my past and current situation all the time. I over analyze things and it gets me nowhere, and then I wonder why. But I'm done. "I am where I am today -- mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and financially -- because of decisions I have made."

"Challenges are gifts, opportunities to learn."

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Decision 2 : "I will seek wisdom. I will be a servant to others." - I enjoy helping others. I am my mother's daughter and she is one of the most loving people and tries to find ways to help others and be a servant. I wish I did it more often. But the whole seeking wisdom thing isn't something I necessarily do. I don't choose my friends as well as I should and I don't seek counsel of wise people. But I will. "I will train my eyes and ears to read and listen to books and recordings that bring about positive changes in my personal relationships and a greater understanding of my fellow man."

"I will choose my friends with care; I will listen to the counsel of wise men; I will be a servant to others..."

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Decision 3 : "I am a person of action. I seize this moment. I choose now." - I like being a person of action. For those of you who may not know me, I'm a person of action. When I want something done, I do it. However, I do let things get me down and get in the way of my action. But no more. "No longer will I dwell in a pit of despair... I can do nothing about the past. My future is immediate. When I am faced with the choice of doing nothing or doing something, I will always choose to act!" So many times I get caught up in the "what if" of my future, or even the present. And all it does is bring me down. I waste precious time that could be used furthering the Kingdom of God, wondering about the whatifs in my life.

"I am courageous. I am a leader. Leading is doing. To lead, I must move forward. I seize this moment. I choose now."

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Decision 4 : "I have a decided heart. My destiny is assured." - Again with my whatifs, they cause me to pause and waiver. And so does any drama in my life. I allow it to cause me to pause and stop the course I am on. Why? Yeah, I have NO IDEA. "I will awaken every morning with an excitement about the new day and its opportunity for growth and change." And sometimes, stupidly, I think... boy I sure hope God knows what He's doing... and of course He does. I know He does. Just sometimes, I think well maybe I'm supposed to this... or that... or meet this person or that person, or maybe I met this person for a reason or not....

"I will not wait. I am passionate about my vision for the future. My course has been charted. My destiny is assured."

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Decision 5 : "Today I will choose to be happy. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit." - This was the 2nd hardest decision for me to grasp and run with. I understood the concept.... but as someone who deals with depression, I went "really... everyday I have to be happy?" haha like that was asking too much of me. I LOVE laughter. It's hands down one of my favorite things. I have a STUPID laugh, but I love to do it, so why would it be too much to ask of me to be happy and grateful? I spend more time in one day crying than I do thanking God for the blessings He's given me.... but no more. "My God has bestowed upon me many gifts, and for these I will remember to be grateful. Too many times have I offered up the prayers of a beggar, always asking for more and forgetting to give thanks."

"I will greet each day with laughter. I will smile at every person I meet. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit."

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Decision 6 : "I will greet this day with a forgiving spirit. I will forgive myself." - WooooooWeeeee... the hardest chapter for me to get. I love the idea of forgiveness. But I have never been a person of a forgiving spirit. I harbor things of the past, and dwell on wrong doings done unto me, and it WEIGHS me down. Like physically, I can feel my heavy heart. "No more! At this moment, my life has taken on new hope and assurance..." I now understand that forgiveness has value only when it is given away. By the simple act of granting forgiveness, I release the demons of the past about which I can do nothing, and I create in myself a new heart, a new beginning." I'm still working on the forgiving myself, but that is a process I'm excited to complete.

I also ask forgiveness of anyone I have wronged. I am truly sorry and hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

"I will forgive even those who do not ask for forgiveness. I will forgive those who criticize me unjustly. I will forgive myself."

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Decision 7 : "I will persist without exception. I am a person of great faith." - I have been fortunate in the strength of my persistence in some aspects of my life. It's applying that same persistence, if not a greater amount, to every aspect of my life, especially my faith. "I know the outcome I desire. I hold fast to my dreams. I stay the course. I do not quit."

"I will continue despite exhaustion. I focus on results. I am a person of great faith."

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Well that's all I got....

As I said before, I'm NOT a big reader... and I'm not a big blogger either. I've started a few blog-ish-type things and they all have been fizzles. So for me to read a book AND blog about it... well let's just say it doesn't happen all that much. This really was a blog merely to document the outline and my thoughts on the book. If you felt inspired, wonderful, if not, I pray that you find something that does inspire you to find your personal success.

:)

SWAY Update

I have realized over the past two years that I’m just not all that great at keeping people updated. I have never sent a Christmas newsletter, I don’t call my mom or dad nearly enough, and while I work diligently to keep my immediate family communicating, and that’s about all I get done with any regularity!

So, I’m trying once again to give you an update on SWAY. Yes, we are still making a movie. Yes, it’s taken considerably longer than we ever imagined. Even the big movie companies take years to make blockbusters, so two ladies working with great volunteers on their first indie film can take that long, I guess!

Here’s what we have accomplished:

*Screenplay is written
*All roles have been cast (Jay’s audition took 3 hours!)
*Choreography is complete
*Dancers have been selected
*Locations are finalized (over 35 locations were used including 3 colleges, 2 airports, and 3 dance studios in 2 states)
*Songs/Music selected
*Call sheets complete and distributed
*Teaser made
*Insurance procured
*www.swaythemovie.com obtained
*Record all the music
*Accountant retained
*Hardware and software purchased
*Equipment rented
*Jazz singer contacted (Yay for Debbie Cunningham!)
*Costumes done
*CD song selection completed
*Transportation set
*Crew “hired”
*Carousel found
*Music Director hired
*Successful Kickstarter campaign complete to raise an additional $6,000
*Business Licenses applied and paid for
*Set up a business checking account
*Photo shoots
*Airline tickets purchased
*Housing (if you can call it that) procured
*Tour bus spotted
*Grand piano found
*Music video for “Everything” complete
*www.feelinggoodentertainment.com created
*Meals coordinated for cast and crew
*Movie edited
*Trailer created

You get the idea! We had no clue all that would go into creating a movie. So, here’s an idea of what we have left to do (in no certain order):

*Final music tracks for the movie, trailer, and for the video for “Everything”
*Post the trailer online
*Find a distributor
*Hire a graphic designer for cd and dvd covers
*Procure headshots
*Finalize contracts for mechanical and synchronization licenses
*Focus Groups
*Update websites
*Premiere showings in Salisbury, NC, Nashville, TN and Southern California
*Manufacture DVDs and CDs
*Get CD available on ITunes
*Thank all the volunteers, friends, family, and God for all the support!

There’s way more to do that just that, but you can see that there’s so much left to do in putting this all together! We’ve had over 25 volunteer crew members, nearly 100 volunteer cast members and extras, and over 60 family members and friends (and some folks we’ve never met) to donate financially. Our largest contribution (other than Billy and I) was $1,500 and our smallest was $20. It’s been such an incredible ride and we’re just not done yet.

I did want to take a moment to thank all of you who voted for FGE, LLC (me) for the 2010 Leading Mom’s in Business competition with StartUpNation.com. There were thousands of companies/moms that submitted their profile and we were selected in the top 200 (#84 to be exact)! You can check it out here: http://www.startupnation.com/leading-moms-in-business/. I was so blessed to have such immense support from those of you who voted everyday! It was awesome. I hope next year (with your help) to top that list! Again, I’m so appreciative.

Please pray with us for sustained momentum. There are days when Sarah and I can get so discouraged. God usually uses Billy or Jamie Crist to encourage us to keep going! I’m so hopeful that you will get to see the final product by the end of this year or for sure by early 2011. We are taking baby steps and trusting God that he’ll direct us as we move forward!

Let me know if you have any questions. You know where to find me! God bless.

Rework

When I started this blog, it wasn’t designed to be a place to share what I’ve been reading lately. It’s funny though that it’s morphed into that in some capacity. I started the blog to bring SWAY friends up-to-date on what we’ve accomplished and about this journey. But it’s interesting, I get way more feedback when I talk about a book. So, here goes.

Another good book that I’ve finished in the past two weeks is called, “Rework” by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson. Now this isn’t necessarily an inspirational book and it’s not one that will lead you to be a better Christian. It’s more of an entrepreneurial (they don't like that word) type read. And since Sarah and I are in the middle of developing our little company, Feeling Good Entertainment, LLC in support of our first project SWAY, I thought it would be a good idea to hear what these guys have to say. I love the quote on the front of the book from Seth Godin. He says, “Ignore this book at your own peril.” Well I want to avoid peril, so I’ve read it! It was an easy read.

I could say something positive about every chapter except 2 (and there are no chapters longer than 3 pages) – so that’s saying a lot . . . but I won’t. You need to read it if you are at all wanting to start a company or rethink the way you’re running your company now.

Chapter Highlights:

Ignore the Real World

You’ve heard it said, “that would never work in the real world.” It’s usually said by someone who doesn’t like change and hasn’t had a new idea in the past decade. The “real world” likes status quo. Think outside the box (so to speak) and ignore the real world. New ideas are finding sustained momentum all the time. Don’t let others determine what will work and what won’t.

Learning From Mistakes Is Overrated

I loved this one! “Another common misconception: You need to learn from your mistakes. What do you really learn from mistakes? You might learn what NOT to do again, but how valuable is that?” “Contrast that with learning from your successes. Success gives you real ammunition.” I hate making mistakes and I’ve never been great at learning from them. I like their encouragement to be successful and learn what works. Replication of success is sustained momentum!

Planning is Guessing

Get started! Don’t get bogged down in the mundane of planning and meetings. Just get busy. They repeat this type of a theme in “Start Making Something” chapter as well. “The real question is how well you execute.”

“The most important thing is to begin. So get a camera, hit record, and start shooting.”

Outside Money is Plan Z

Good advice here! Don’t work to get outside investors because: You give up control, you begin to trump building a quality business, spending other people’s money is addictive, it’s usually a bad deal, customers move down in importance, and raising money is incredibly distracting from making the product you want to create.

Be a Curator

They write, “You don’t make a great museum by putting all the art in the world into a single room. That’s a warehouse.” It’s about making the decision to say NO to what is not going to be put on the walls. When starting a new business then, “Constantly look for things to remove, simplify, and streamline. Stick to what is truly essential.”

I think this is so helpful, because often times we get caught up in wanting to add more. Add more staff, add more equipment, and add more projects to the calendar for this year. But if we are truly going to be successful, it’s about adding the right things at the right time and being able to say no to the things that will distract us from sustained momentum.

Meetings are Toxic

‘Nuff said.

Quick Wins

“Momentum fuels motivation. It keeps you going. It drives you. Without it, you can’t go anywhere.” “Get in the habit of accomplishing small victories along the way.” Sarah and I call this Baby Steps. When we first started making SWAY, God help orchestrate so many details to fall into place so rapidly. We thought we’d finish the movie in about 8 months, tops! Well, here we are two years later. Still making forward progress, but its taking so much longer than we ever imagined to make a movie. This chapter is so right – we really have to celebrate the small accomplishments! That momentum keeps us moving forward.

I think you get the picture. I found some great ideas in this easy read. I would highly recommend this book to you, if you are someone who likes to play by their own rules and are so not interested in getting from point A to point B the same way everyone else does. This book was a great help in shaping my perspective on starting and running a successful business.

It’s all about sustained momentum!

Thanksgiving

I’m on a quest, an expedition. In many ways it feels like a brand new journey. I want to believe that I’ve been pursuing this aspiration my entire life. However, I’m confident that I have not, at least not to the degree that I should have been. So . . . my new goal: To Be Thankful. Yeah, I know, you were probably thinking that I was going to say something far more amazing or enlightening. Sorry! I’m simply on a mission to be grateful, truly thankful.

I am not completely sure where to start. And it makes me sad that I can’t just be grateful without having to compare with others who are experiencing some sort of loss, like unemployment or a death in the family, or living in a country without the freedoms we expect here in the U.S., or parents whose kid’s lives are spiraling out of control. I just want to sit on my front porch swing and be grateful.

But my spirit is restless. I’m pretty ego-centric and selfish!

Sister Thomas Aquinas, the former President of Aquinas College, in Nashville once scolded me as the school year began that I needed to learn to stop and celebrate the here and now. You know . . . live in the moment. We’d just had a record number of new freshmen and transfer students begin that fall semester. She and I compared numbers and goals and things looked great! I began looking to the spring semester. And she abruptly told me to stop! She said I needed to celebrate the accomplishments of the Admissions team over the past 6 months. She went so far as to make me plan a party! It was so funny, because I would never have done that. For me, once a goal is met, I check it off the list and move on to the next task. I rarely, sit back and think about how I got from point A to the conclusion and how very grateful I should be – to my family, to my friends, to colleagues, and most importantly to God. I just blaze a trail without counting my blessings!

So, I’m starting today. I’m grateful: For YOU, and my family (Sarah would say, “especially her”) and friends, for the beautiful autumn leaves, for a working vehicle, for a job, for my new friend, Becca, for baseball, for caramel apples, for sunbeams, for hummingbirds, for SWAY, for the amazing sunrise I witnessed this morning, for the smell of fresh cut grass, for sustained momentum, for books, for Sister Thomas Aquinas, for the cry of a newborn baby, for breath, and especially for Jesus!

Guess what’s in 26 days? Yep . . . Thanksgiving! Counting your blessings with me?

Making the Best Decisions

I know; it’s been quite some time since I’ve posted anything of serious value. I’m sorry. Life is such a roller coaster – I know you know what I mean! This year has been quite tumultuous for me and there are days that I feel like I’m just hanging on for dear life.

So, let me share the latest. I spent 40 days reading, “The Purpose Driven Life,” by Rick Warren. It really helped me focus on priorities and made things quite a bit more clear. Then last week, one of Sarah’s friends recommended that she and I read, “The Traveler’s Gift: The Seven Decisions for Success,” by Andy Andrews. I would recommend it to you; it was an easy read. And very thought provoking.

If you think you might read the book – stop reading this blog now!

Otherwise, I thought I’d share a bit about the things in the story that had an impact on me. Here’s my disclaimer though. There are assumptions, conclusions and goals made by the author that I don’t agree with – not many, but a few – so if you have issue with an opinion of the author’s, I too might agree with you.

The first decision: The Buck Stops Here. I liked the idea that we are responsible for our own actions. “The rise and fall of my emotional tide will not deter me from my course.” Wow! This is so me – each day is precarious depending upon my mood. No more; slow and steady wins the race. (Ok, I won’t be moving all that slowly, but you get the idea.)

The second decision: I Will Seek Wisdom. If you know me, you know that I strongly believe in being a servant to others just as Jesus modeled for us when he was here on the earth. So the second decision resonated well with me. I think it’s incredibly important for us to seek wisdom from those who are trustworthy and wise. I will seek to make positive changes in my personal relationships.

The third decision: I am a Person of Action. I was inspired by the challenge to seize the moment. I don’t think of myself as a coward, but there truly are times when fear (usually when it comes to a lack of funds) can paralyze me. “I am a person of action. I can make a decision. I can make it now.” Quite inspirational.

The fourth decision: I Have a Decided Heart. But sometimes, I lack perseverance. “I am passionate about my vision for the future.” “My course has been charted.” As I always say, in my mind, success is sustained momentum. I really need to keep moving forward. And STOP looking back!

The fifth decision: Today I Will Choose To Be Happy. I am the possessor of a grateful spirit. I love the saying, “Always have an attitude of gratitude!” It’s the reason that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. The idea of stopping to be grateful and to share all that God has given with family and friends is really special to me. “It is impossible for the seeds of depression to take root in a thankful heart.” I loved that.

The sixth decision: I Will Greet This Day with a Forgiving Spirit. It’s so sad to see how really good I have gotten at holding a grudge. I can go all the way back to when I was 8 and think of friends and family (and others) who have wronged me. And I haven’t forgiven and definitely not forgotten. So, after reading this chapter, I am committed to forgiving myself and others . . . even if you never ask and have no idea that I remembered! Grudges stand in my way of attaining the goals I have for me. I wrote down a list of folks that have hurt me and I prayed that God would help me forgive. I tore up the list. Each day I start with a reminder to myself: Forgive and forget – I'll say it till I got it! My favorite line from this chapter is: “I believe the good Lord would rather me pray and work not pray and wait.” Alright then.

The seventh decision: I Will Persist Without Exception. “I know the outcome I desire. I hold fast to my dreams. I stay the course. I do not quit. I will continue despite exhaustion. I focus on results.” Mr. Andrews quotes the Bible here, “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.” “Too much of my life has been spent doubting my beliefs and believing my doubts.” No more! “I am a person of great faith.”

Many of these “decisions” pierced into my heart – and I “got” it! I am hoping that as a result of reading “The Traveler’s Gift,” I am a different person today. Honestly, the 6th decision about forgiveness was the most life changing. I hope that one (or more) of these decisions encourages you to make a change in your life. If the book sounds interesting, then read it!

Happy Birthday to me!

Let me start by saying Happy Birthday to my twin, Mike Ferguson. We've shared the exact same birthday day our entire lives even though we first met when we were 11. 36 years is a long time to be friends; I'm blessed to know him - he's a special person.

So, I'm actually reading two books right now at the same time - I don't recommend it - I'm not making much progress on either one. So, nothing to share from the readings.

But I am sitting here pondering life. Not sure why! Tomorrow is my birthday; I'll be 47 - not really a huge milestone. But just 3 years from 50 so that's pretty cool! But since this has been by far the hardest, most painful year of my life thus far, I feel that reflecting, as I start another year, isn't necessarily a bad thing!

Ok, so I get the goal is heaven. I get that we need to share the Good News about Jesus to everyone we care about. And we are to care about everyone! I am cognizant of the fact that the absolute best way to stop feeling sorry for yourself in the midst of a crisis or when we are feeling blue is the serve others who are less fortunate. And I love feeling thankful. I love helping others reach their potential. So, why do I struggle - like all of us do - with feeling so insignificant. I guess it just depends on how much rejection and disappointment that we've had to experience - I know I've had my share. Your story is likely similar. How do we break out of our daily ruts and routines and get involved in front-line, life changing ministry?

Tomorrow starts my 48th year on this planet. I don't want this year to be like the past 47 years - ups and downs - hurts and disappointments - me being selfish and egocentric. I really want to make a change; I want to make a significant difference in others lives. I have decided that I am going to work with orphans/foster kids and give my disappointments over to the Lord and try with His help to make a positive difference in these young people's lives. Pray for me; pray for sustained momentum for me.

I still desire to complete SWAY and we will, but I just want this to be so much more about serving others and less about me fulfilling the desires of my heart.

Just my thoughts on my birthday eve.

James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Heaven On My Mind

Do you think about going to Heaven? Often? Or just at church when the pastor’s message topic is Heaven? I know that I didn’t think of it very often; my schedule is way too busy. As a Christian, I had confidence in the fact that those who love, obey/follow and confess that Jesus is Lord get to go. But since, like the Trinity, it’s a bit hard to wrap my arms (mind) around, I haven’t thought a lot about it. It's beyond my ability to comprehend. I do know that I have an opinion of what I would want it will be like and I’m 100% sure to be wrong!

I’ve just finished reading The Great Divorce, by C.S. Lewis (for the first time, I know you can’t believe that, but it’s true) and I highly recommend it.

I want to know which bus passenger are you? Will you get to heaven and have an excuse as to why you want to stay in purgatory/hell? Will you just plain feel more comfortable in twilight?

Will just the mere sight of God’s glory brightly lighting your surroundings, send you packing?

How about the way that heaven is “managed?” What if they aren’t as organized as you think they should be?

Will you leave Heaven if you run into someone you feel isn’t worthy to be there? You find fault with the forgiveness of their sin.

Would you be able to give over your addiction to Jesus no matter how painful it might be?

Would you rationalize away Heaven?

Will you reject unconditional love to hold onto what you find comfort?

Would you leave if you couldn’t be the one in control? In charge?

I think it’s amazing to watch these characters process the chance to stay in Heaven.

Unfortunately, I relate to a few of them. I may not have ever said it out loud, but I know I’ve thought: I hope that I get to live here on the earth until I get married. . . . Until I have children. . . . Until I get that perfect job. . . . Until I have grandkids. It’s always something.

Our lives here on earth are just practice for the real dance! We put so much stock into “things” that won’t last. “He who has the most toys, wins” for example is a mindset that we too often find here on earth. Wins what?

So what am I doing today to prepare for heaven? What are you doing? Will there be people (friends and family members) who are not in heaven, because you or I didn’t tell them about Jesus?

My prayer is that we can focus on the true goal and focus on the one who gives us true meaning and sustained momentum to our lives and that as we meet people, we can share with them our hope and good news in Jesus and they in turn will be able to live eternally with God in Heaven.

My To Do Lists

For those of you who know me well, it is quite an understatement to say that I’m a To Do List kind of girl! I have a typed To Do List for work. I have a hand-written To Do List notebook for SWAY stuff. I have a sticky-note To Do List in my personal calendar for the home stuff to do! None of these lists is automated. In addition, I keep two (paper) calendars. I have a work calendar and a personal calendar. I recall recently, upon opening my personal calendar up at home to check the time of an upcoming baseball game, Jesse asked, “Do you really look at that?” To which I replied, “Of course!” Astounded, he said, “Everyday?” I just laughed at him; he obviously is clueless to how “organized” his mom is. To say that I’m dependent on my calendars and lists is quite fair. (I even have the schedules for the boys baseball/softball teams taped to the refrigerator.) I have a copy of Sarah’s semester schedule and Billy and Jesse’s annual school calendar just behind my calendar. I have immediate access to this vital information 24/7.

With all that said, I want to share about an experiment that I’m trying. I’m not sure how successful (sustained momentum) I am at this, but I feel quite gratified at the end of each day. So, here’s how it started:

I’ve been reading the book, "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren (please pray with me that Mr. Warren’s sight is restored and that God completely heals him) for the past 26 days. There are many themes that overlap and so certain topics come up in subsequent readings. One such topic has been the idea that we are created for God’s purposes and not our own. While I think that God could possibly use a few of my ideas, I do get it . . . He’s in charge and He’s the one with the plan!

So, each day for the past few weeks, I have started with a blank To Do List and I pray. I really, really try to stay out of the way, but I ask God to put whatever tasks he needs/wants accomplished that day, that I might be able to help him with. And every day He shows up. It’s sort of like Manna, he gives me just enough for each day. Some tasks are more challenging than others, but some days I get off easy with more simple chores. He brings to mind friends that I need to pray for or call/email. He reminds me of database info that needs to be updated. He prompts me to finish projects that I’d started and forgot about. I like it when he shows me a job listing that would be perfect for a friend who is unemployed and I can pass it along. Its tasks like that (including all my regular work) that He calls me to do! It has completely changed the way I look at my To Do List. Funny, it’s not mine anymore – it’s His To Do List!

A few scriptures come to mind for me:

Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones. Luke 16:10

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

The plans I have for you are plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

I hope you can find sustained momentum in turning each day and each task over to the Master Planner all to His glory!

Thank you! Muchas Gracias! Danke! Merci Beaucoup!

Alright; so maybe the out of the ordinary blogs are becoming the norm. With that said, it is from the bottom of our hearts that we thank our friends and family for helping us meet this hugely extraordinary interim goal of raising $6,000 for SWAY on Kickstarter! We are completely blown away by the generosity of those we are close to and those we have yet to meet. It’s such a wild collection of people from our past and present; our little independent movie brought us all together in this common goal! Pretty cool.

We want to thank the following folks for their financial contribution to the making of SWAY prior to the start of our Kickstarter campaign:

Billy LeJeune
Beau LeJeune
Matt Putnam
Dr. James Pogue
Lance and Denise Coy
Scott and Donna Farnham
Billy and Brenda LeJeune
Terry and Kelly Maples
Joanne Crough
Lauren Brooks
Laurie Crist
Vic and Karen Coy

Kickstarter Contributors are:

Mary Luongo
Mitch and Viki Mitchell
Jennifer Myers Darby
Donna Wilkinson
Lance and Denise Coy
Scott and Donna Farnham
Robert and Peggy Brown
Gary and Mary Martin
Andy Goudy
Barbara Williams
John and Sharon Carter
Laura Godrey
Karen Roady-Bohls
John and Lisa Bledsoe
Larry Stephens
Betsy Byrne
Jay O. Stephens
Robert and Diane Brown
Tim and Joni French
Dan Ahlberg
Ryan and Jennifer Russell
Jim and Winnie Carter
Donna Audino
Dan Martin
Donna Cox
Jeff and Paula Aspacher
Kasper Pittman
Scott and LuAnn Akers
Meredith Fox
Kimberly Fell
Vic and Karen Coy
Rick and Karen Hawley
Cindy Shinn
Joe VanGilder
John and Kitty Ritenour
Cherry Bolgeo
Cheryl Hunt
Christy Shalhub
David Hampton
Donnise Clark
Doug & Lorrene Yarbrough
Naomi Derryberry
Norm Hancock
Quinn McRae
Zach McRae
Tom and Dorothy Brown
Margie Nathanson
Mickey and Leah Mangrum
Shawn and Joni Holland
Connie Hansom
Nicole Durant
Jamie Crist
Michael and Rachel Kelley
Bridgette Gibbs

Honestly, I didn’t know we had that many friends out there! You all are so amazing to help us out. We are very excited for you to see SWAY.

Next, we are completing the final day of filming. Then, we will work (a couple weeks at least) to finish the final visual edit of the movie. Simultaneously, we will have Jim Frazier (Music Direction) finish the work on the music tracks for the movie and CD. We are hopeful to be completed by the end of August/early September, Lord willing! Please pray with us that we can meet these goals. You can stay current with our sustained momentum at www.swaythemovie.com or at www.feelinggoodentertainment.com.

The next huge endeavor will be to find just the right distribution company and handle all the legal aspects of mechanical and synchronization licenses. We’re out of our league big time on this, so God will once again be in charge!

Please feel free to contact with any questions or suggestions or contacts that you have! I’ve said it a hundred times, but we are so blessed by you. Thanks for standing with us as we attempt to finish this fun project! We can’t wait to send you your DVD/CD of SWAY! God bless you!

Recipe For Making An Independent Movie

This will be another unusual post for our blog, but I certainly hope you are blessed by reading it as much as I am in writing it. Sarah and I have great friends and an amazing family!

Today we reached another interim benchmark/milestone in the miracle that I call SWAY. We’ve had a campaign running for the past 80 days to raise $6,000 on a website called Kickstarter. We have financial needs that are much greater in order to complete the entire project, but for whatever reason, God led Sarah to request $6,000. And guess what! This morning we reached that financial goal. What an incredibly exciting day! God truly has blessed Sarah and I (and the boys) through about 50+ of our family member’s and friend’s amazing generosity and encouragement.

So, I’m at work and I briefly share with a co-worker that we met the Kickstarter goal early this morning! He is absolutely amazed, that we raised the money needed. But he communicated that he is even more surprised that we are actually making a movie. He said, “If I decided that I wanted to make a movie, I would have no idea where to start.” And I didn’t say it, but I thought, “Me, either!”

I’ve decided that I need to write the Recipe for Making an Independent Movie. And so in this blog, I want to share with you, our recipe.

Ingredients:

2 Women (the crazier and sillier, the better)
5 Crew members (amazingly creative, dedicated, and talented)
1 Actress (who can also write screenplays, cast, choreograph, edit, sing, direct, and dance)
1 Actor/Singer (who can be patient and put up with the silly actress and her crazy mom)
1 Music Director (who can take the vision and make it a reality)
3 Guys (preferably a dad and two brothers – who can put up with listening to Michael Buble 24/7)
2 Contestants (for the Sweet Tea drinking competitions)
1 Director of Photography/Assoc. Director/Cameraman (who isn’t worried to be filming a musical)
2 Assistant Directors (one for NC and one for TN who are great friends and quite competent)
1 Photographer (who serves as a great friend to keep the actress sane)
22 Dancers (previous experience prohibited)
2 Taxi Drivers (at all hours of the night)
1 Professional Jazz Singer (Debbie Cunningham)
2 College Professors (actual Department Chairs at Catawba College)
8 Band Members (must at least appear to be able to play an instrument)
1 Rapper (who improvises the scene differently, each take)
1 Clapboard girl (must be under 8 years of age and willing to smash your fingers)
1 Sister (enthusiastic enough about the project to fly to Nashville to be in the movie)
40+ Actors and extras (at least one must be employed in FL)
105 Financial Investors and businesses in partnership with us (Family and Friends who encourage us)
2 College Campuses (Beautiful . . . Catawba College and Trevecca Nazarene University)
1 Eternally Faithful, Patient, and very Creative, Heavenly Father

And all the folks listed above are VOLUNTEERS!

Just mix this all together and by the end of 2010, God willing, there will be a really fun, jazzy musical called SWAY fully baked.

Another Odd Blog

Well, as you know life at times requires sacrifice. In pursuit of sustained momentum, we have to give up things that are valuable to us in order to meet our goals. I am making said sacrifice now. We need to buy a computer to do the final edit of SWAY. The cost will be $1,200. We are saving; Sarah's getting a job and I'm selling my Gone With the Wind memorabilia collection. I've been collecting for well over 25 years. I've done a conservative estimate with a value of $850. But will sell the entire collection for $750 to one GWTW fan.

Here are the items:

The Costuming of a Legend: Dressing Gone With The Wind Series
(All still in original packaging and Certificates of Authenticity included - Bradford Exchange)

Plate One: "The Red Dress": #275D Valued @ $35
Plate Two: "The Green Drapery Dress": #17522A Valued @ $35
Plate Three: "The Green Sprigged Dress": # 4026D Valued @ $35
Plate Four: "The Black and White Bengaline Dress" #2951B Valued @ $35
Plate Five: "Widow's Weeds" #8512B Valued @ $35
Plate Seven: Plaid Business Attire" #16398B Valued @ $35
Plate Eight: "The Orchid Percale Dress" #12915A Valued @ $30
Plate Nine: "The Mourning Gown" #537C Valued @ $35
Plate Ten: "Final Out-take: The Green Muslin Dress" #383C Valued @ $35

The Legendary Costumes o Scarlett O'Hara Ornament Collection (4) Valued @ $35
(Still in original packaging and Certificates of Authenticity included - Bradford Exchange)

Gone With The Wind: Cameo Memories Plate One: "Jewel of the South" #6424A Valued @ $35
(Still in original packaging and Certificates of Authenticity included - Bradford Exchange)

Critic's Choice: Gone With The Wind Plate One: "Marry, Me Scarlett" #13030C Valued at $35
(Still in original packaging and Certificates of Authenticity included - W.S. George)

Gone With The Wind: Golden Anniversary Series
(All still in original packaging and Certificates of Authenticity included - W.S. George)

Plate One: "Scarlett and Her Suitors" #5815C Valued @ $35
Plate Five: "Home To Tara" #5118K Valued @ $35
Plate Six: "Strolling in Atlanta" #9195H Valued @ $35
Plate Eleven: "A Toast to Bonnie Blue" #13221A Valued @ $35
Plate Twelve: "Scarlett's and Rhett's Honeymoon" #18870A Valued @ $35

Gone With The Wind Lapel Pin Collection (4) Valued @ $10

Gone With The Wind Movie Matted Picture Valued @ $15

Gone With The Wind Limited Deluxe Edition Collectible Scarlett O'Hara Doll - Drapery Dress (World Doll - Display stand included) Valued @ $45

Gone With The Wind Compact Disc Valued @ $10

Gone With the Wind Domed Statuette Valued @ $25
Gone With the Wind Statuette Valued @ $10

Plate One in the Golden Anniversary Series: "Scarlett and Her Suitors" #5815C Valued @ $20

Gone With the Wind Metal Lunchbox "Frankly My Dear I Don't Give a . . ." Valued @ $10
Gone With The Wind Coffee Mug Valued @ $12.50
Gone With The Wind Coffee Mug (Scarlett) Valued @ $12.50

Framed Gone With The Wind Postage Stamp Valued @ $15

Unframed Autographed Picture of Vivian Leigh (Black and White) Valued @ $15

Gone With the Wind The Legendary Love of Rhett and Scarlett "You're Not Turning Me Out" Premiere Issue MUSIC BOX #A3579 Valued @ $60


You can contact me directly at 615.478.5083 or lejeune.diane@gmail.com.

I sure hope that there is someone out there who loves GWTW as much as I do and who would value this collection.

Here's to sustained momentum!

Diane

Designer Cupcakes and Floodwaters

I actually have just finished reading a book. However, it wasn’t very good; quite cliché in fact. So I have nothing to share from having spent a dozen hours invested in hope of an exciting plot twist or redeeming ending.

So here’s my random question for this week: What’s up with Designer Cupcakes? I don’t get it. I haven’t actually tried one, so I’m not qualified to have an opinion. But this is like a million dollar industry now. Can someone who’s enjoyed a Designer Cupcake, please fill me in on the scoop? Otherwise, I just may have to purchase one myself to find out what all the rage is!

Back to other far more serious topics. Since I’m not relying on a book for support on this week’s topic, I’m going to have to rely completely on personal experience. And this week my personal experiences have been quite difficult. But you know that even in difficult times, you can still experience sustained momentum and God can and does bless.

So last Saturday the state of Tennessee was subjected to a deluge of rain storms unlike we have ever seen in recorded history. It is one thing to see pictures, but it’s far more awesome (not necessarily good) to witness the destruction in person.

So here’s our update: of course, we had damage. Our basement flooded, so our washer and dryer are damaged. We were able to get all of Billy’s guitars, amps, and music equipment upstairs before any of it was damaged, but we still have so much left to clean up from around the rest of our very lived-in basement. And the moisture in our house is wreaking havoc with my asthma. We went for a day without electricity. We had no internet or cell service for days. We eventually had to evacuate to a larger town about an hour or so from our home. Roads were closed or at a complete standstill for hours. They closed our evacuation city (Clarksville) as well, the following morning. Needless to say, it was a tough time. However, we were quite fortunate: no one was hurt and everything we lost can be replaced. (I know that sounds so cliché but it’s so true.)

We could really use your prayers as this has been such a tough time for so many (in our family - especially me). It’s been great to watch so many volunteers come together to rebuild Nashville and middle Tennessee. I read of one charity that asked for 100 volunteers to help and 8,300 showed up. Pretty cool! Pray that God would give us the energy and resources to finish this clean up. I’m hoping for a dumpster this weekend to dispose of all our belongings that were destroyed! It is hard to get back into the swing of a normal routine, when you’ve experienced a natural disaster. Pray for us and all the others who were negatively affected. God bless.

Place In This World

What motivates you?
What is your purpose here on this earth?
What do you do that really counts in life?

Are these questions that you ever wrestle with? I do. Probably too often. I love the song, "Place in This World" by Michael W. Smith. And so does my son; he sings it quite well. It addresses a theme that I’m pretty sure all mankind somewhat regularly considers.

"If there are millions down on their knees,
Among the many, how can you still hear me?
Hear me asking, where do I belong?
Is there a vision that I can call my own?”
Michael W. Smith, Wayne Kirkpatick, Amy Grant
(c)Career-BMG Music Publishing Inc., Sony/ATV Milene Music)

Can you relate? Everytime I fly into LAX over the thousands and thousands of homes, I think of the millions of people that God created and loves. It makes me feel so insignificant at times. I just want to find my place in this world.

So, I was reading chapter 3 in The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. The chapter is entitled: "What Drives Your Life?" He starts with a scripture verse paraphrased from the Living Bible:

I observed that the basic motive for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy! Ecclesiastes 4:4

Really? Seriously? What motivates us to be successful is sin? I was initially discouraged by this! I hope and pray that deep down this really isn’t true about me. I pray that the success I desire is a sustained momentum to accomplish God’s plan for my life.

Mr. Warren outlines 5 ways that people are driven today. They are driven by:

Guilt
Resentment and Anger
Fear
Materialism
Need for Approval (pgs. 28-30)

Ok, while all 5 may be true about me, I’ll deny it. However, I’ll own up to the last one. I love to do a good job in order to make someone else happy! I really like doing this especially if it’s a surprise. I am very motivated by approval.

Mr. Warren writes, “Nothing matters more than knowing God’s purposes for your life, and nothing can compensate for not knowing them.” (pg. 29) Do you know God’s purpose for your life? Are you accomplishing those purposes?

The book outlines how your life will improve if you know your purpose as designed by God. Knowing your purpose:

Gives meaning to your life
Simplifies your life
Focuses your life (“If you want your life to have impact, focus it.”)
Motivates your life
Prepares you for eternity (pgs. 30-34)

So, what’s the key to discovering your purpose here on this globe? I have no idea! Honestly at 46, I feel like I’m closer than I’ve ever been to knowing what my purpose is and resting in God’s grace. But it’s not a secret plan that you follow. God deals with us each on an individual basis. I know that the hours I have spent over the past year and a half straight, praying for God’s Will to be done in my life and in the scriptures that I’ve read through and meditated upon have contributed to feeling this peace and direction. But by no means have I arrived; it’s an ongoing journey from here to Heaven.

Take time out of each day to pray and read God’s word. It’s the only surefire way I know to seek out your “place in this world” and to live a purpose-filled life. Reading The Purpose Driven Life, by Rick Warren is a good idea too!

You, Lord, give perfect peace to those who keep their purpose firm and put their trust in you. Isaiah 26:3 (TEV)

Community Relations

I am, admittedly, not a great reader. But when I find a book (or author) that I like, it’s difficult for me to put the book down. So, this week, I came across a book called, For One More Day by Mitch Albom. I was really moved (I cried and cried) by the mother/son theme. (Note: I have worked diligently this week to be a much more attentive mom to my boys as a result of this read.) I recommend this book especially if you’re a mom or a son or if you have one! It will be worth your time.

I’m ashamed to say that I wasn’t familiar with the author’s name but I had heard of a very famous book that he’d written prior to this one called Tuesdays With Morrie. So, of course, after I finished For One More Day, I went to the public library and got three other Mitch Albom books; Tuesdays With Morrie, The Five People You Meet In Heaven, and Have a Little Faith. I like the way the author writes and the themes he chooses to write about. I’ve only finished Tuesdays With Morrie but I promise before May 8th when my books are due back, I’ll have read the other two as well!

So, my thoughts today are from my reading of Tuesday With Morrie. I’ve actually been wrestling with this topic for a few months, but with fresh perspective, this story caused me to rethink this issue.

True story: Morrie Schwartz, a dying college professor, re-unites with one of his favorite students twenty years after he graduated. They had lost touch since college and are catching up now that Mitch finds out that Morrie is dying.

Morrie starts the conversation with the following questions:

“Have you found someone to share your heart with?
Are you giving to your community?
Are you at peace with yourself?
Are you trying to be as human as you can be?” (p. 34)

Ok, so these questions are deep and they take an entire book to answer them, but I wanted to focus on the second question specifically: “Are you giving to your community?” I am not; well at least not anymore. Are you?

I used to: I was in the church choir. I was a youth sponsor for our high school group. I helped out as a counselor at church camp. I sang on the Worship Team one weekend a month. I volunteered in the nursery at church. I was on the Executive Board of Directors for Beau’s baseball league and Sarah’s softball league. I was President of the High School Booster Club, and served on the PTO for the kid’s school. I volunteered for the Board of Director’s for Beau and Sarah’s pre-school. I worked at our community crisis pregnancy center. I helped each year for VBS. I managed a Little League baseball team. I taught second grade Sunday School. I even bowled on the church bowling league.

So, what happened? Does this sound familiar to you at all? Did I just get older? Or busier at work? Kids get older and busier? Is working two full-time jobs pushing me over the edge? I don’t think it’s just that. I believe that our society as a whole has become more egocentric and lazy, and the idea of being involved in community and other’s lives just isn’t as important or valuable as it once was.

In the book, Bowling Alone; The Collapse and Revival of American Community, Robert D. Putnam writes that there has been significant social change in America in the past decade or so. He chronicles how political groups, veterans organizations, church, social clubs, schools, sewing clubs, and even bowling leagues have seen a drastic drop off in membership. We don’t exercise our right to vote. People are just not involved in their communities and with their friends like they used to be. He refers to a Life magazine article that warns America about the overabundance of leisure time that they are wasting (on TV and online programs). This problem of having “too much time on our hands” has led us to take life easy. Giving back isn’t important to us anymore. (p. 16)

I’ve experienced this not only personally but professionally as well. When Sarah and I began working on this movie project, I never imagined the amount of help we would get from friends and family members to get as far as we have so far. But surprisingly to us, for the most part, the majority of friends we talk to, don’t care at all. They are so wrapped up in themselves (and sometimes their kids) that they don’t want to even hear about someone else’s life. It was a sad commentary on life that Sarah and I had to learn quickly as phone calls to friends go unreturned and emails never get answered. At first our feelings were very hurt, but quickly we just decided to not worry about it and move forward.

One blessing that has happened, however, is that Sarah and I are now more highly aware and really try to take time to listen well when people who make up our community share about their lives, passions and dreams.

So, how do we remedy the problem of a lack of concern, care or connectedness between families? Between friends? And between other members of our communities? To be honest, I’m not completely sure.

But here’s what I am going to do - my own sustained momentum: I am going to do my best to develop better relationships one person at a time. I’ve started going to a women’s Bible study at my church and volunteer to help in the nursery at church. I’m signing up to work VBS this summer. At least it’s a start. Since, I honestly believe that God created us to be in community with our fellow human beings and that we aren’t complete without these ties, I’m going to follow through and get involved again!

What about you? Are you giving to your community?

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6:9-10

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4

The Stockdale Paradox

Have you ever read something and thought: Wow, I wish I’d written that idea! There are gems of thoughts so profound they can change the course of your day, your career, or your life. Well I’ve been reading “Good To Great” by Jim Collins again. I’ve come across a principal that I feel we must re-embrace as FGE pursues sustained momentum.

The Stockdale Paradox*

“Retain faith that you will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties;

and at the same time

Confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.”
(p. 86 *Named after Admiral Jim Stockdale)

Simple, right? And yet so profound!

I have faith that God will prevail in the end whether or not our little company does and that is where I find my comfort and hope. With that said, however, I believe that FGE will prevail in the end as well. We daily seek for God’s Will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. We earnestly appeal to see how we can be part of His mission and plan. He has brought us this far; we are confident that he will finish the good work that He’s begun!

We have dreams to create family friendly entertainment that makes you want to dance or reflect or dream or reach out to someone but most importantly we want to inspire you to change your world for the better! We are not looking to make millions of dollars or create a huge conglomerate company; we want to keep it simple. We want to work with friends with whom we have a shared vision. We want to create and live with integrity and love. No matter what the difficulties, we know that our faith will sustain us and that God will prevail.

Now, the more difficult part of this paradox for us is “confronting the brutal facts of our current reality.” Do you know how many movies are released just in the U.S. each year? It’s over a thousand a year. Add to that the number of movies, created by little independent teams just like us! It can be overwhelming at times to think of the odds that SWAY will make an impact on anyone other than the LeJeune family! However, we feel called to accomplish this and so we persevere.

Another brutal fact is that we have never attempted something of this magnitude before. God has taken us step by step and day by day to teach us new concepts (and software programs) and to introduce us to new people who help us accomplish this seemingly impossible challenge. If God had allowed us to see a year into the future last January, I’m confident that we would have been so overwhelmed we wouldn’t have even tried. We are still finding sustained momentum every day.

Another brutal fact is that we don’t have the financial resources today to finish what we’ve started. But we trust God to know that he will provide. He has so far! (Check out our project on KICKSTARTER @ www.kickstarter.com/projects/swaymovie/sway.) God is using so many different tools and so many different people to make this project a success.

Let me finish this blog with the following paragraph from the “Good to Great” book:

“ . . . the key elements of greatness are deceptively simple and straightforward. The good-to-great leaders were able to strip away so much noise and clutter and just focus on the few things that would have the greatest impact. They were able to do so in large part because the operated from both sides of the Stockdale Paradox, never letting one side overshadow the other. If you are able to adopt this dual pattern, you will dramatically increase the odds of making a series of good decisions and ultimately discovering a simple, yet deeply insightful, concept for making the really big choices. And once you have that simple, unifying concept, you will be very close to making a sustained transition to breakthrough results.” (p. 87)

Feeling Good Entertainment's (FGE) new website debuted to very little fanfare two weeks ago. It is our official company website. Please check it out when you have a minute. We’d love any feedback or ideas that you want to share! You can find it at www.feelinggoodentertainment.com. Sarah made this website in her Website Design class at Austin Peay – I think she deserves an A. We’ll see what the professor has to say!

God bless.

Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy Name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Matthew 6:9-13

KICKSTARTER Project Approval for SWAY Today!

This blog will be quite different from my normal posts. I just wanted to get our good news (sustained momentum) out to our friends as soon as possible!

We finally got our project, SWAY approved on KICKSTARTER today! We have 90 days to raise $6,000 to take SWAY to the next level. Please take a few minutes out of your very busy day to check this out. If all of our FB friends donate $20 we will easily meet our goal!

Go to: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/swaymovie/sway to see how you can get involved! Honestly, we can't do it without you!

Please also encourage your friends to become members on our Facebook group page - SWAY. Our goal is to get 1,000 FB friends all across the country!

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Talent: Time Management

Happy Friday to you. I’m so looking forward to a few days off! Weekends are such a blessing in my life. I’m sure it’s that way in your life as well.

I can’t get off the topic of talents and using them in service to others. But today, I’m convicted on using my time well, as well.

Now, the story I’m sharing with you today, has gotten me some grief from my friends Andy and Allen. But I still want to share it with you anyway, because some days I feel like I accomplish so little.

“Have you ever heard the story about the farmer who told his wife one morning that he was going out to plow the “south forty?” He got off to an early start so he could oil the tractor. He needed more oil, so he went to the shop to get it. On the way to the shop, he noticed the pigs weren’t fed. So he proceeded to the corncrib, where he found some sacks of feed. The sacks reminded him that his potatoes were sprouting. When he started for the potato pit, he passed the woodpile and remembered that his wife wanted wood in the house. As he picked up a few sticks, an ailing chicken passed by. He dropped the wood and reached for the chicken. When evening arrived, the frustrated farmer had not even gotten to the tractor, let alone to the field.

“How many times have you found yourself in a similar situation? You intended to do something you know was important, but were distracted and never accomplished what you set out to do. Or perhaps you can think of something that you have always wanted to do but can never find time for. By the same token, are you aware of something that you do often that is a waste of time?” Managing our time well is a talent.

The author continues, “Do you remember the parable of the talents as it is recounted in Matthew 25:14-30? Jesus tells a story of a master who gave three of his servants money (talents) to invest while he was away. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; and to a third servant, one talent. When the master returned, he asked all three to account for the money. The servants who had received five and two talents, respectively, were rewarded, for both had doubled their talents through wise investments. The third servant, however, had done nothing with his talent. Because of this poor performance, no reward was given, and in fact, his talent was taken away from him and he was punished.

“One of the many lessons to be learned here for us is that God expects us to invest whatever He gives us. Often we think of God’s blessings in terms of money or material goods. But time is also a gift of God, one that He has given all of us equally each day, and we are expected to use it wisely.

“Therefore, be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.” (Ephesians 5:15,16)”

From the book, Managing Yourself by Stephen B. Douglass

I have LOTS of friends who are using their God-given talents well. It’s always such a blessing to see what God is doing in their lives. A few come to mind:

The first that comes to mind is Robert (Bob) Bell. In the middle of this recession, he quit his job and started his own photography studio. You can check out his passion/work at: http://rbellphotography.com/

Another friend, that I thought of, who is pursuing her passion and using her talents is my friend, Debbie Cunningham. She’s a full-time mom and Jazz Vocalist. She’s amazing! Check out Debbie at: http://debbiecunninghamjazz.com/

And the third friend, who came to mind, is Rachel Kelley. Rachel is a busy mom who loves to be creative (i.e. pumpkin cookies). So, she wrote and self-published a children’s book. (Her mom did all the artwork!) It’s a great story with a valuable lesson for kids. I love how she goes into the schools and reads the story to the kids and gets them to talk about their talents! My copy of her book arrived today in the mail! You can get more info at: http://michaelkelleyproductions.com/store/

I’m inspired by others who spend their time and talents making this world a better place. I hope that Sarah and I can do our best to use our God given talents in a way that will brighten someone’s day as well! www.swaythemovie.com

Celebrating Gifts

I believe that it is impossible to sustain momentum toward any personal or professional goal without paying careful attention to our gifts and talents. We need to not only be aware of our strengths but nurture them and take time to improve upon our skills. If you’ve ever worked for me before, you know that it’s so very important to me to know what makes you tick and for you to be aware of it as well.

Anytime I begin a new job, I always suggest (sometimes require) that my new staff read “Leadership is an Art” by Max DePree. It is my favorite management book and is quite the easy read. The first chapter begins . . .

“My father is ninety-six years old. He is the founder of Herman Miller, and much of the value system and impounded energy of the company, a legacy still drawn on today, is a part of his contribution. In the furniture industry of the 1920s the machines of most factories were not run by electric motors, but by pulleys from a central drive shaft. The central drive shaft was run by the steam engine. The steam engine got its steam from the boiler. The boiler, in our case, got its fuel from the sawdust and other waste coming out of the machine room – a beautiful cycle.

The millwright was the person who oversaw that cycle and on whom the entire activity of the operation depended. He was a key person.

One day the millwright died.

My father, being a young manager at the time, did not particularly know what he should do when a key person died, but thought he ought to go visit the family. He went to the house and was invited to join the family in the living room. There was some awkward conversation – the kind with which many of us are familiar.

The widow asked my father if it would be alright if she read aloud some poetry. Naturally, he agreed. She went into another room, came back with a bound book, and for many minutes read selected pieces of beautiful poetry. When she finished, my father commented on how beautiful the poetry was and asked who wrote it. She replied that her husband, the millwright, was the poet.

It is now nearly sixty years since the millwright died, and my father and many of us at Herman Miller continue to wonder: Was he a poet who did millwright’s work, or was he a millwright who wrote poetry?

. . . It is fundamental that leaders endorse a concept of persons. This begins with an understanding of the diversity of people’s gifts and talents and skills.

Understanding and accepting diversity enables us to see that each of us is needed. It also enables us to begin to think about being abandoned to the strengths of others, of admitting that we cannot know or do everything.

The simple act of recognizing diversity in life helps us to connect the great variety of gifts that people bring.” (pp 5-7)

I highly suggest you read this book. It’s worth your time.

Take a few moments to think about what special gifts and talents you have to offer. What can you contribute that no one else can? Are you wasting your God-given talents? (Matt. 25:14-30)

Start today to change your world, one person at a time, by being a blessing to others and using your gifts to make someone’s day better.


Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

SWAY Update Letter

This is a letter we just shared with our SWAY friends and fans this past week. I wanted to share it here as well.


Dear SWAY friends,

So many of you have requested an update, that we figured it was about time to let you all know what is happening with SWAY.

First, we want to thank you all for your support and encouragement throughout this crazy endeavor of making a movie. We honestly couldn't have gotten this far without you. We are so very blessed to have such a great, diverse, investor and friend base to whom we are indebted.

We have finished the first rough cut of the movie, and it is 90 minutes and 22 seconds long. We have figured out what footage we still need and hope to film in the next month. Sarah has also compiled a blooper reel that is quite humorous. We are currently working on putting together a new trailer and hope to have it up in the next few weeks.

We recently met with a company about distribution. The owner was amazed at the amount of work that was accomplished almost all by volunteers. He seemed quite impressed and we are hoping to have the soundtrack on iTunes in late Spring.

Along with finishing the film itself, we have recently increased our networking capabilities on the web and have several new places for you to stay updated and follow up on what is going on with SWAY. You can follow us on:

TWITTER:
www.twitter.com/swaymovie

INDIEGOGO:
www.indiegogo.com/sway2010

BLOGSPOT
www.sustainedmomentum.blogspot.com

LINKEDIN
www.linkedin.com/in/dianelejeune

and this new SWAY profile page account that is sending this email. And as usual you can contact us on the SWAY group, the Feeling Good Entertainment page on Facebook, or via email at lejeune.diane@gmail.com, or lejeune.sarah@gmail.com.

As we finish post-production we covet your prayers, we still have a lot to learn and a lot of money to raise. Our most recent investors are Terry and Kelly Maples from Cincinnati, OH and they have been such an encouragement and blessing. If you are at all interested in becoming an investor in SWAY please contact Diane or Sarah. We really need continued financial support, and every little bit helps.

Please know we love you and are excited for you to see our first effort in making an independent full-length movie.

God Bless,

Diane and Sarah LeJeune

It's a God Thing

Attempt something so

impossible that unless

God is in it,

you are doomed to failure.

This has been my motto since grad. school in 1996. However, until this past year, I've never really attempted something this monumental. The making of the independent movie, Sway has pushed me further, in every way, than I could ever have imagined.

To give you a bit of insight into this project, I would like to share with you from the forward of a book that I'm writing entitled, It's a God Thing.

"My family is just an ordinary family; much like yours. We struggle to make ends meet financially, schedule too much in our busy days, fight over whose turn it is in the bathroom and have goals and dreams that we would love to see fulfilled.

I am sure that you would agree that while some challenges may be ordinary, the individuals who makeup our families are extraordinary. The same is true in the LeJeune home.

A few years back, while attending a seminar for my day job, I jotted down notes for a family Mission Statement. This lead to a Vision Statement, Purpose Statement, Guiding Principals, and Target Areas for the LeJeunes. I will not go into detail - that’s a book that may be written someday - but to give you the foundation for why we do what we do, it’s summed up in our family mission statement:

We exist to love and serve God, one another and our world.

One Guiding Principal outlines our commitment as a family to pursue excellence in our lives - to be the “best one on our row,” so to speak. One of the 4 Target Areas is the Arts. The kids play instruments, sing, write music, enjoy theatre, movies, museums, and so on.

It is this foundation from which my daughter, Sarah, believes that she can accomplish anything she sets her mind to do. Success, which I believe is defined as sustained momentum, has not always come easily to her, but yet she continues to persevere, learn and grow.

And so it is that kind of teenager, along with tons of help from lots of her good friends, who, with the complete support from her parents and brothers, has attempted the nearly impossible task of writing, directing, casting, acting, choreographing (with Betsy Foster), dancing, and singing in an Independent, motion picture musical for her first professional job. Sarah will be the first to tell you that God was in this endeavor every step of the way and that He brought just the right person at just the right time to help us. She completely knows that she could not have done it alone. There are over 100 friends and professionals who have made SWAY a reality."

 (c) 2009 Feeling Good Entertainment and Diane C. LeJeune

We have tried to live by this motto since we set out on their family adventure to Tennessee in 1997. We really have never fully experienced complete and total dependence on God at this level until we decided to make SWAY. Now I cannot imagine living any other way!

Philippians 4: 19-20 My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever.