The Promise I Made You

I made you a promise on November 22 in a Monday Morning Memo called “Time Travel”.

This was how that memo began:

“My friend Don has a time machine. He takes me with him sometimes. You should come, too! Every person who rides in Don’s time machine is changed by it.”

“The United States Department of Justice has booked passage on Don’s time machine for countless prison inmates. State and local governments and hundreds of rehab centers have booked journeys for people as well. Thirty-five million in all.”

“Each trip through time begins with a series of words…”

I then described two different types of storytelling and the purpose and effect of each. And to give myself a little “third-party credibility,” I quoted Professor Steven Pinker of MIT and Harvard.

When the word-count of that Monday Morning Memo indicated that we were approaching our destination and it was time to land, I instructed you to store your tray-table and return your seat to its full, upright and locked position. Then I told you something you probably didn’t know:

“Every word in the English language is composed of just 44 sounds called phonemes. We arrange these into clusters called words which we string together in rapid succession so that others can see in their minds what we see in ours.”

And then I talked about the Book of Beginnings. Do you you remember?

“In the first chapter of Genesis, God says, ‘Let there be this’ and ‘Let there be that’ for 25 verses, and then in verse 26 he says, ‘Let us make mankind in our own image.'”

“According to that ancient story, God spoke the world into existence and then gave you and me the power to do the same. When you, as a storyteller, speak a world into existence in the hearts and minds of your listeners, you are doing the work of God.”

“Don Kuhl has spent the past 30 years unleashing the power of storytelling to help 35 million people find peace, hope, and happiness, and now he has written a book for you and me. It will be published early next year.”

And then I promised you,

“I’ll make sure you know when it’s available.”

Roy H. Williams

That book is now available for pre-order on Amazon.com. It’s called “Changing with Aging: Little Stories, Big Lessons.”

Don sent preview copies to several people I know. Everyone who has received a copy has been enchanted and enthralled by the stories in Don’s book, as I knew they would be. Don is a remarkable teller of short, bright, heart-warming stories that overflow with honesty, transparency, and wisdom.

Peter Vegso, the original publisher of that record-breaking series of books, “Chicken Soup for the Soul,” is such a fan of Don’s stories that he jumped at the chance to publish Don’s book.

I have fulfilled my promise. I told you the book is available for pre-order. Do what seems to you good.

My partner Johnny Molson was asked to speak to a 4th grade class last week about his career as an ad writer.

When he left the school, Johnny texted me to say that two of the children had asked remarkably delightful questions. The first child asked,

“Have you ever cringed at your own commercials?”

Johnny answered yes, that he always cringes at the predictable commercials his clients occasionally demand that he write, but no, he never cringes at the happy ads that flow from the depths of his heart through his fingertips and then onto the radio and television airwaves. That’s when the second child asked,

“Do you have a criminal record?”

A conversation with a child is a remarkable adventure full of twists and turns, with surprises around every corner.

Today’s rabbit hole is like that, too. It is a theological journey that begins in the first chapter of Genesis and ends with me saying, “We are passengers on a world spinning out of control. Having wrongly been taught that everything happens according to ‘God’s Perfect Plan,’ we blame him for every sadness.”

Some of you will be outraged and offended and feel compelled to explain to me why I am tragically and horribly wrong, but I think the more open-minded of you will be intrigued and fascinated by things you never heard before.

But none of you will be bored.

The title of this photo-filled essay is “God is Not in Control. We Are.” But it is not a denial of God. It is my strange and unusual confession of faith in him.

Indy Beagle is teaching a seminar in Dubai this week and gave me complete authority to do whatever I wanted in the rabbit hole.

To enter, just click the image of my friend, Don Kuhl, at the top of the page.

Aroo,

Roy H. Williams

Craig Archibald is an important acting coach in Hollywood. His client list would rock your world. The thing that makes Craig special is that he teaches his clients that acting is a highly competitive business.  He tells them that if they want to succeed as actors, they need to think like entrepreneurs. Craig also recommends that business owners study acting to improve their financial performance! Fascinating, right? Take your seat, grab some popcorn, the curtain is about to rise on the mesmerizing connection between Hollywood and Business and you don’t want to miss it.  Friend, you won’t find this sort of thing anywhere except MondayMorningRadio.com!