Thursday, October 25, 2012

My Big Day with Oprah- Take Two


Did I mention I was in the same room with Oprah?!?!

Being present for the taping of two Oprah's Lifeclass episodes was just a bonus. And sitting next to my bestie in the front row (stage right) to boot! Dreams really do come true.

"My" shows already aired live on Oprah.com and will air on television (OWN- The Oprah Winfrey Network) in January 2013. I'll try and give you a heads up on an exact date if possible. But only if you promise not to laugh if you see me jumping around like a crazy woman.

The theme of my Lifeclass episodes was Living with Purpose and Rick Warren was the guest. Warren is the author of The Purpose Driven Lifethe #2 best-selling non-fiction book of all time. Second only to the Bible. I had forgotten that President Obama selected him to give the invocation at his inauguration (which, by the way, upset a lot of social progressives.)


I wasn't excited when I discovered Rick Warren was going to be the guest. I knew he was an Evangelical Christian minister at a religious right megachurch, and that made me a bit skeptical. (But it didn't really matter who the guest was because I was going to be in the same room as Oprah!) Of course, I shouldn't have doubted my Oprah. Warren turned out to be a great guest and I learned a lot from him. There were a lot of ah-ha moments, a lot of murmered mmm hmms, and a few Amens! from the audience. It was a great reminder for me not to prejudge the messenger; to just listen to the message and then let my heart judge it's truth for me.

Which reminds me of a great quote from another spiritual leader:
Believe in nothing, no matter where you read it or who has said it, not even if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. -Buddha

Here are the notes (quotes, concepts, and meaningful phrases) I furiously pecked into my phone during the taping:

In the poker game of life, we are dealt five cards:
1. Chemistry- our physical make-up, appearance, DNA
2. Connections- our relationships
3. Circumstances- we give them too much power
4. Consciousness- how we talk to ourselves, the voice in your head
5. Choices- this card can make or break your entire hand


Nick Vujicic was dealt an incredibly rough hand. If you are not familiar with his story, please take the time to watch this YouTube video. The 4 minutes and 11 seconds will undoubtedly be the most inspirational of your day. It's a great reminder that 95% of the things we worry or complain about are miniscule in the grand scheme of things. Warren's only request for his appearance on Oprah's Lifeclass was to have Vujicic on the show. It was powerful to see him in person- he radiates positive energy and an authentic power despite his enormous physical limitations. (I am happy to report that Vujicic just got married and his wife is expecting their first child. Doesn't that make you smile inside?)


And now on to more show notes:

God's plan for us/ our life's purpose is like a Polaroid picture. It starts out just a shadow, and with time the picture becomes clearer and into focus. If you don't yet know God's plan for you, just wait. It will become clear in time.

Hope= Holding On Praying Expectantly

If you live by the approval of others, you will die by their rejection. -Rick Warren

The two things that will cause you to miss your life's purpose:
1. Envy- I must be like you to be happy.
2. People Pleasing- I must be liked by you to be happy.
You must live your life for an audience of one.

We often look for love in our accomplishments, acheivements, and appearance. To be authenically powerful (significant,) we need to find a way to give our gifts in service.

Stages of a Dream
Dream
Decision
Delay
Difficulty
Dead End (Death of a Vision)
Deliverance

I'm sure you can relate these stages to a situation in your own life. To illustrate the idea for you, I'll use the example of my dream to be a mama: Once Hubby and I decided to start conceiving, we were met with significant delays. Followed by significant difficulities. Then our dead end- IVF failed and we were told we wouldn't have our biological child without a miracle. Then 5.5 long (and yet now seemingly short) months later, a stranger birthed our baby. The baby destined to be our child. In fact, the one we were always waiting for, we just didn't realize it. Deliverance!

Miser- the root word of miserable. Not a coincidence. We receive by giving.

How do you find your life's purpose? Look at the things that shape you:
1. Spiritual gifts (I'm not 100% sure what he meant by this. Anyone have input?)
2. Heart (What are your passions?)
3. Abilities (What are you good at/ with?)
4. Personality
5. Experiences (Jobs, education, family, painful experiences)

Our greatest strengths often come out of our pain -Rick Warren

God never wastes a hurt. We might, but he won't. He will use it for good.

The way you serve God is by serving others.

It's all about love.

Humility- It's not about denying your strengths, it's about being honest about your weaknesses.

There are accidental parents, there are no accidental babies.

You can waste your life, or you can invest it. Invest in what will outlast you, people and love.


Please share if any of these notes touched you in some way. I know I'm going to buy the book. Anyone else? I'd love to have some people to discuss it with chapter by chapter.


*FYI: The first seven chapters of The Purpose Driven Life are available free on the book website.

7 comments:

  1. Love the post Kathianne. You are such a blessing and I appreciate your transparency and sharing of your beautiful life....I can totally relate to the process too having gone through a divorce and really a lot of other things in my life that were important to me followed along the same lines. And I love how in my life, when my dreams or ideas die, sometimes the Lord revives them or He reveals a totally different outcome that is beyond what I could have imagined to begin with. There is a scripture in the Bible that says "My thoughts are not your thoughts, My ways are not your ways." Sometimes it seems I must die to the idea in order for deliverance to come...more of a volunteered surrender to the Lord. Thanks for posting...reminds me of how much the Lord loves us and is always present through our pain.

    As far as spiritual gifts, I would think that he was relating to the gifts referred to in 1 Corinthians 12 such as gifts of faith, healing, words of prophecy and wisdom to others by way of the Lord.

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  3. Thank you Jackie for your kind words and your insight!

    I also had two comments to this post on my facebook page and I wanted to share their recommendations with all my dear readers:
    1. Heather (who I taught Sunday School to in the early 1990's) posted this web address about spiritual gifts: www.purposedriven.com/article.html?c=201578&l=1
    2. Kristen said, "If a person really wants to get the inspiration *and* understanding about their life's purpose, a much better book is "Cure for the Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot" by Max Lucado- It's one of my faves and contains a step-by-step process for diving in deep to who you are and what you're made for."

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  4. Love your line: "There are accidental parents, no accidental babies!" True, true my friend!

    Becca

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  5. Anonymous11:12 AM CDT

    Thanks for the post. I am up for reading the book and discussing it chapter by chapter.
    I also have to say that it made my heart sing to see you so happy, jumping up and down in that green dress with your long hair bouncing (and no, you didn't look like a crazy woman). It was really a joy for me to watch you realize a lifelong dream.
    Love,
    Merls

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  6. Merls- What an incredibly loving sentiment. Your words warm my heart.

    Becca- We both understand that more than most!

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  7. WOW - Such juicy information, Kathianne! Thank you so much for sharing. Love, Jean

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