Nancy Beach

Unbelieveable Proposal

When my husband proposed to me, let’s just say I was underwhelmed.  We had been dating about 10 months, and were hanging out at his house in the family room.  He looked over at me and said, “So, you want to do it?”

“Do what?”  I inquired, totally uncertain what he had in mind.

“You know, get married…”  So that’s how we decided to become engaged, look for a ring, and plan a wedding.  No original song, no getting down on his knees, no poetry, no champagne, no ring hidden somewhere creative, no Eiffel Tower moment.  We have laughed often over the years, as Warren tries to justify his approach saying that he wanted to be sure I was really interested (which I thought was totally obvious in every way!).

Last Saturday, a staff member on our Production team proposed to a staff member from the Promiseland team.  And this proposal exceeds everything I’ve ever heard about!  I’m attaching the link.  With the help of his friend and teammate Brooke Sanford, and tons of volunteers, Kevin popped the question to Laura using our church facility and some cues from the film Enchanted.  Laura was completely surprised, and both sets of parents were there to join in the celebration.  You just have to watch this 2 ½ minute clip to believe what happened.

And here’s what my logical left-brained husband said when I told him about Kevin’s extravaganza:  “What if she had said No?”   Oh, his sense of romance hasn’t changed in 28 years.  Good thing I adore so many other things about him!

Surprised At My Daughter's Play

Last Thursday evening I attended the Opening Night of my daughter’s high school play, In The Garden of Wild Flowers.  This play centers on the life of Rachel Carson, a naturalist and writer who wrote the highly influential book, Silent Spring.  Carson was one of the first people in our country to raise the alarm about the environment, and it was fascinating to learn more about her life.

But something else was fascinating.  My daughter had told me that she played the part of Dorothy, Rachel’s friend.  Right before the play, my husband and I met his sister for dinner.  She is quite familiar with Rachel Carson and somewhere in our conversation, let me know that part of the controversy that swirled around Carson’s life centered on rumors that she was a lesbian.  Then I thought…that’s interesting…my daughter is playing her friend!  We showed up at the play, and it was clear that Rachel and Dorothy had that kind of relationship.  My daughter did an excellent job in her role, and there was nothing overt in her scenes with Rachel.

Afterwards, I asked Johanna when she was planning to fill us in on the unique aspect of her role.  She smiled and said she was trying to keep it under wraps and be subtle with it.  Johanna hadn’t told any of her friends about it – but I informed her she could at least have told her mother!  Ah the joys of parental surprises…

Right Brainers in Budget Meetings

I’ve spent the past four days – all day! – in budget/planning meetings for the Willow Creek Association.  Down the hall, I know our church staff is in the same kind of meetings.  And I have four more days of these meetings to look forward to all next week.  It’s that time of year.  For a highly right-brained person like me, this is, shall we say, not my favorite kind of meeting.  The numbers on the page start to look fuzzy, and it was only a few years ago that I learned paragraphs around numbers are bad.  This year, with the economic downturn looming for all ministries, the conversations are quite sobering and stretching.  We have to be more creative than ever, figure out how to somehow do more with less, and make excruciating decisions about what parts of the ministry need to be shored up and where we need to cut back or even stop.  I do enjoy the strategy part, and seeking discernment with my brothers and sisters.  It’s just all the details and ALL THOSE NUMBERS that make me crazy!

What I marveled at yesterday while I tried to look fully engaged as I snuck a little work on my laptop, was that some people actually love the numbers stuff.  I could see their eyes shining as they wrestled with what all those numbers mean, how they could be adjusted, and how the computations stack up to previous years.  You should see some of my team members jump when they get to use their calculators and figure out some kind of percentage or other computation.  Half the time, I don’t even track what they’re doing, but they sure do seem excited.

Obviously, it takes all of us to advance the kingdom.  I thank the Lord for crafting people who love numbers and administration and who steward our resources so carefully.  I am equally grateful for those who traffic more in pictures and words, who can’t sit through a meeting without doodling, and who bring color to this black and white world.

If any of you are also sitting through budget meetings trying to hang in there and be a team player, know that your right-brained sister in suburban Chicago is doing the same.  It’s part of the deal.  But I can’t wait until I can move on to what I am uniquely called to do, and leave the numbers in more capable hands.  In fact, today I get to have a brown bag lunch with about 25 arts leaders from the Chicago area.  We’re meeting at the church where I grew up, so that will be a blast from the past for me.  Hopefully that will refresh me before heading back to left-brain world next Monday!

Eli Stone Musings

Eli Stone may just be one of the most spiritual shows currently on television.  It’s certainly not overtly spiritual, but underneath the rather quirky stories and ensemble of characters, I sense a pursuit of the guidance of God and giving oneself to that which is good.  Eli is a lawyer who, because of a brain aneruism, has visions of the future.  These visions propel Eli to seek understanding, usually through a Chinese acupuncturist who serves as a sort of Yoda spiritual guidance counselor.  As a result of several incidents that exposed the materialistic, dark side of the law firm, Eli and his boss have decided to transform their partnership toward pro bono work that will help the helpless.  Whether they can make any money doing so and pay their young associates remains to be seen.

In one recent episode I still don’t fully understand, Eli met with a psychologist played by Sigourney Weaver who ended up as a kind of God-figure.  If anyone can help me sort that out, I’d appreciate it!  What fascinates me is how writers – whether they be Christian or not – still occasionally create pieces that reflect a pursuit of God and a more soulish kind of existence.  If you haven’t yet watched this show, you might want to check it out.  Let me know if you have any thoughts about Eli Stone, and if you can shed some light on that whole Sigourney Weaver deal, that would be nice…

Tommy Walker Serves at Willow

   

Our church welcomed back an old friend this weekend, as Tommy Walker and a small team of musicians came to lead us in worship.  There was a time way back when Tommy came to Willow at least three times a year, but it’s been awhile since he’s joined us.  It was a gift to hear some of his new music mixed in with several old favorites.  One of my observations is that very few people warm up to a congregation as quickly as Tommy does, and very few people teach a new song with greater skill than Tommy.  In fact, you hardly know you are learning a new song because he teaches just a small section, and his music is very accessible and singable.

What comes through, most importantly, is Tommy’s heart for God and for God’s people.  The lyrics of his songs are rooted in Scriptural truth, and he seems to approach that truth with some fresh language. It was a joy to partner with him as I taught the message this weekend.  Driving away from church, I sensed that God used us to be “agents of hope” for those who desperately needed a word of comfort and a sense of the Father’s compassion.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – as hard as church work can be, there’s no endeavor I would rather invest my life in.  To see the Spirit at work in the hour on Sunday is a modern-day miracle.  And to think God allows us to play a part in the process of reconciliation…it takes my breath away.

Visit to KC

Yesterday Lori Finnegan and I traveled to Kansas City for a meeting. As we got off the plane, I realized I’ve never been to that city before. And I’m happy to report that Everything’s up to date in Kansas City!   What a cool town!  I was so impressed with the downtown area where older buildings are being updated and new ones mix in quite nicely.  I wish I had been there a little longer to check out the area, but it was not to be.

I’m back home for Parents Weekend at Northwestern University and then teaching at our weekend services.  My message this weekend will focus on the God of all Comfort as we start a new series, When God Whispers.  It’s been a gift for me to live in the Scriptures that describe God as our loving heavenly Father, along with several verses that actually portray a maternal side to the Lord.  I leave you with these words from Isaiah that remind us of the ferocious way in which we are loved as God’s children:

Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?  Though she may forget, I will not forget you!  See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.                         Isaiah 49: 13,15

Proud to be an American

Yesterday morning as I stood in line to vote, I saw that my 19-year-old daughter had left me a cell phone message.  “I just voted for the first time!” she declared with excitement.  “And I’m proud to be an American.”  What stirring words to hear from a young person.  I’m proud to be an American today as well.  I’m proud that we have the right and freedom to passionately express our views and disagree with one another, mostly with civility.  I’m proud that the process works.  I’m proud that following our horrific history of slavery and racial violence and discrimination, an African American is now our President.  Whether you voted for Obama or not, that has to fill you with at least some measure of pride.  It’s not that everything is all fixed and the racial divide has been forever bridged.  But there is hope today.  My heart is filled with hope.

Chicago is an electric place today.  I sure wish I could have joined my older sister and thousands of others in Grant Park.  What a historic event!  So today, let us all come together and pray for our new leaders and seek to make this country stronger.  Like my daughter, Samantha, I hope you are proud to be an American.

Off to Africa

Saturday morning I drove my husband to O’Hare airport and gave him a big hug as he was departing for 12 days in Africa. Warren leads our global work in South Africa and Zambia, and periodically needs to meet with our partners and discern how we are doing with our church’s investment in those vital ministries.  I am very proud of the work he does (he’s a full-time volunteer!), and have always been inspired by his passion for the under-resourced in our world.  But 12 days is a long time, and I miss him already.  He left with a nasty cough and cold, and I’m praying that his health won’t be an issue as he faces such a relentless schedule

Back on the home front, I get a taste of what single parenting is like – with just one child.  Already…it’s complicated.  I have such a deep respect and empathy for dads or moms who essentially do the parenting job mostly on their own.  All of them are heroes in my book.  Much of the time, the shoe is on the other foot and I’m the one who travels.  I am happy to be able to serve our family in this way, and at the same time, grateful that usually I can parent with a fully-invested partner.

To any of my brothers and sisters out there trying to be a great mom or dad without that partnership, investing in ministry as a volunteer or staff-member, attempting to get physical exercise and time alone with God - and maybe even some moments with good friends – I salute you today.  May you know the God of all comfort who delights in you and wants to give you strength and wisdom and grace moment by moment.  I will think of you as I try to figure out carpools and meals and homework and all the stuff of family life.

Trick or Treat

We live in a village area where the houses are pretty close together, so every Halloween I have to buy a minimum of 15 bags of candy – and sometimes I even need more!  I just love hearing the doorbell ring, and delighting in the costumes of the little ones, filling their bags with treats and seeing them shuffle off to the next house with their parents watching from the sidewalk.  For about three hours, I can’t really do anything else but park a chair by the door and sneak a look at the latest People magazine between visits of eager children.  I miss the days when my husband and I took turns taking our own daughters out in the neighborhood while the other one held down the fort at our own front door.  My 15-year-old is still planning to trick or treat (though she’s one of those tall kids who, when they come to my door, make me think it’s about time they give it up!), and her costume is one of the seven dwarfs.  She is heading out with friends who will play three other dwarfs, and they’ll all be covered with some “blood” because supposedly they killed the rest of the seven!  Pretty sick…

So just before we change our clocks and officially march into the colder weather and holiday season, I will seize this Halloween day and enjoy the fun of all the costumes and excitement.  When it’s all over, I get to treat myself to the leftover candy, if there is any.  Of course, I only selected my favorites to give away, so I can steal a few pieces throughout the evening!

If You Could Ask Bono One Question.....

Next week, Bill Hybels will be interviewing Bono for the Leadership Summit 2009.  Last time this happened, I got to go along to Dublin - but this year that will not be possible.  However, Bill asked me if there are any questions the artists would want him to ask Bono.  We could possibly use those responses for our own conference in June in a brief video segment. That’s where you come in.  If you could ask Bono one question…what would it be?  The hitch is I need your responses immediately because Bill leaves this weekend for London where the interview will be taped.  Please try to think of a question that would be especially pertinent to Christian artists.  I would really appreciate your help!  You can either post your question on the blog, or e-mail them to me at nbeach@willowcreek.org  Thanks so much…