Nancy Beach

An Angel Named Mike

     Yesterday I was headed to O'Hare airport on a blustery day that saw winds and storms we haven't seen the likes of in 70 years. My ultimate destination was Maryland, where I was expected to co-teach a "Gifted to Lead" workshop with Nancy Ortberg.  As I approached the exit for the airport off the busy expressway, my Toyota Camry started to make an awful sound.  I finally realized my tire must be flat and carefully attempted to make my way over to the right shoulder. Cars and trucks were whizzing by at an alarming speed. I looked in my rearview mirror, wondering what I would do next and how I would ever make my flight on time. As I was pulling over, a white van followed me slowly to the side. A sign on the side of the vehicle advertised some kind of woodworking company.  A young man got out of the van and came over to look at my tire, which was clearly shot and smelled of burnt rubber.  When I was a teenager, my father tried to teach me several times how to change a flat tire - but I never really listened.  I admit, I am a helpless female when it comes to cars.

     The flat tire was, unfortunately, on the same side as the expressway. What a precarious predicament!  I opened my trunk, having no idea whether I had the right equipment for putting on a spare.  Moving aside my box of books, random DVD's, umbrellas, and canvas grocery bags, we found the hidden tools and tire. I was beginning to see that this guy had every intention of helping me. I asked him for his name, and he said, "Mike."  While changing the tire, Mike was literally a few feet from the vehicles whizzing by. I tried to stand there and slow the drivers down a bit, without much success.

     If I had called AAA for help, I never would have made my flight. Mike was finished with the job in about 15 minutes.  I asked him if he was an angel, and he just laughed.  I gave him some money, which he tried to refuse, and thanked him over and over again.

     Typically, I don't see God's presence as often as perhaps I should. I get a little annoyed if people seem to over-spiritualize every little detail of life. So it's not like me to think God would send me an angel. But I really think he did. That white van was exactly where it needed to be to keep me from harm and get me to Maryland on time. Mike was an agent of grace for me yesterday, and I am so very grateful. One of God's names in the Old Testament is El Roi, which mean "the God who sees."  God sees you and me all the time, in every sorry predicament we find ourselves in.  Not only does He see, but He cares. So I thank God for Mike, the angel woodworking guy. And I also thank God for what turned out to be a wonderful day with 256 women, mostly African American, gathered in a Maryland Baptist church to talk together about leading as a women in God's kingdom. I am the daughter of a God who loves me outrageously...

 

 

True Confessions

     I love television.  That may not be considered sophisticated, but it's true. I don't watch television as an escape from real life - though I find it deeply satisfying to slip away for a couple of hours into the story of another family or individual, identifying with their humanity, laughing or crying along with these characters.  I grew up with Lucy, Batman, Marlo Thomas, Mary Tyler Moore, Bozo and Ray Raynor, and the Cosby Show.  All of their stories are part of the fabric of my life, of my perspective as a woman, wife, mother, and friend. These days, I limit my weekly viewing to a few shows where I have grown to feel like the characters are family, people I actually care about. I admit my attachment to Parenthood, The Good Wife, Grey's Anatomy, Mad Men, and my absolute favorite, Friday Night Lights.  The ability to watch these programs on my own time has freed me to be sure to actually live my own life rather than missing anything for fear of missing an episode. I'm good with the balance of living and viewing.

     Although I majored in television and worked for a couple years in a corporate studio, I never thought in this season of my life I would have the opportunity to actually help create television movies. I have so much to learn.  The Executive Producer of our company - Front Porch - is Brian Wells. He sent me a book with a goofy title, Crafty TV Writing, that has helped him immensely in the business. I'm digging into it (author is Alex Epstein), and the book underscores what has been so true for me as a viewer all my life. Epstein writes:

        "A TV show is its characters. When you describe a TV show, you're describing the characters

        and the situation they're in. The TV audience can get very attached to a show's characters.

        Once they feel they know them, woe betide the show if the writers change them too much."

This is why the writing and crafting of characters is the whole enchilada.  And this is also why several directors will attest to the fact that casting the right actors is their number one priority.  In the film we just finished shooting in Toronto, the director took a huge risk casting Brooke White. She's an American Idol finalist who has never acted before.  But the director auditioned her carefully and saw tremendous potential in this young woman.  Brooke blew us all away. She lights up the screen and possesses unusually great instincts for making small moments real.  I think she really makes the movie, Change of Plans, work.  It's all about the characters.

     Some of the best writing, directing, and acting is displayed on television every week. Of course, there's also a lot of mediocre shows that are a waste of our time. But when we are drawn into a story, into an ensemble of characters who remind us repeatedly of what it means to be truly human, it is worth our time, within reason of course.  As a producer/artist, I no longer want to feel embarrassed about my love for television. How many of you are also passionate viewers?  What are your favorite shows these days that you feel are worth your time?  I'd love to hear from you.

            "

Reflections on 35 Years

     This past weekend I played a small part in the celebration of Willow Creek's 35th anniversary services.  My daughter Johanna actually narrated the history of the church, and then I came up to join her and lead a moment of reflection and thanksgiving.  It was a weekend of remembering, seeing old friends from the theater days, and marveling at the faithfulness and goodness of God.

     For me, seeing my 17 yr old daughter tell the story of our history filled me with wonder - to think I was even younger than that when the youth group exploded that gave birth to Willow. For the last 35 years, I have had a front row seat to the highs and lows of building a local church community. There have been extreme highs...and extreme lows. I'm not sure we get all the miracles without a tremendous amount of pain. But all these years later, I am grateful to still love Jesus, in fact, to love HIm more than ever, and to still love my church.  It's never been a perfect church - and I have certainly contributed to its imperfections. But in spite of everything, it is a place where lives are still being transformed, one life at a time.  In part of the worship time, beautifully planned by Matt Lundgren and his team, we heard current stories of life change.  As always, that was my favorite part. To see the "before" and "after" of real people who once were extremely broken and far from God, now reconciled and redeemed and filled with hope - that will never, ever get old!

     The service concluded with a stage full of young people - the next generation rising up to take their place. Their faces were filled with light and energy and passion - and I am so very optimistic about the future of the church. Not just my local church, but the bigger church, God's kingdom on the move.  It was a profound privilege to serve as one of the highly unlikely founders of Willow.  We absolutely had no idea what God had in mind...His grace is truly outrageous.

It's a Wrap!

     Last Thursday we finished roughly a month of filming (19 actual shooting days) on the television movie now titled Change of Plans.  I traveled 4 times to Toronto as the Associate Producer on this project. This has truly been a month of stretching, learning, new relationships, and a boatload of gratitude for the opportunity.  I was surprised how quickly a small group of cast and crew can morph into a community, one which resulted in some tears for the cast at the end of shooting.  I was surprised by how connected I could feel to people in such a short month, largely because we were isolated and focused on one project for 13 hour days.  Our second to last day of shooting included 5 hours at a closed WalMart starting at midnight.  I may be too old for this!

     The movie will air on January 8, and I'll post details when the time gets closer. I think it's a story of compassion, of what it means to be a family, of hard choices when work and family collide. I sincerely hope this film, like all the Front Porch projects aim to do, will provide a couple hours of entertainment for moms, dads, and their school age kids to enjoy and to be inspired by.

     I return to my former life - my ministry at Willow, with our 35th anniversary celebration next weekend. Sometimes I wonder how my path led to this juncture, and other days I just laugh at the surprises and delights of our gracious God.  What an adventure He has allowed me to experience in the past, and how I look forward to a new season filled with surprises. I am now surrounded by several people far from God, and that is so healthy and good for me. I am still seeking to ennoble artists, just in a different arena.  Wherever your path has you these days, never stop opening your heart and hands in a spirit of surrender to wherever our Heavenly Father may lead.  He is full of surprises!