Follow the Blank Canvas

We were able to stay with Doug & LIsa while we were in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was so fun to meet and get to know them! Their encouragement and passion were so refreshing! They are working towards their dream of supporting and serving pastors. We loved hearing their story of how they unexpectedly discovered this dream and how they’ve seen many different pieces of their life fit together to lead them to this point.  

Don’t forget to watch the one-on-one Q & A’s with Doug & Lisa too!

Want to learn more about the Barnabas House of Oklahoma?

Check out their website and follow them on facebook and twitter.

Doug & Lisa also shared about the past struggles and hardships that they’ve had in their marriage. They have come from a hurt and struggling marriage to, now, pursuing their passion together. We love to see couples working together and we thought that Doug & Lisa’s story is very inspiring!

Thank you, Bib & Leila (Maverick’s interpretations of their names..) for your hospitality and friendship! We were so blessed through meeting you and we can’t wait to come and visit the Barnabas House. 🙂

We definitely know the value of Lisa’s advise of telling other people about your dream and surrounding yourself with encouraging and supportive people. We also know that it can be a hard step to take. The adventure challenge this week is to tell someone, friends, family, someone you just met, or anyone that will listen, about your dream or to connect with a group of encouraging people who will support your dream.

Then, let us know how it goes! How did they respond? What were the results of stepping out of your comfort zone to tell someone else about your passion? Are you glad you did it?

Remember, you can connect with us via facebook, twitter, youtube, or your blog to let us know how you completed the adventure challenge. We’d love to hear your story!

We got to meet Tiffany from Mrs. Pate Writes when we were in South Carolina. Christina had connected with her through her blog and we loved hearing about her passion to use her voice for a good cause! In fact, through her blog, she is partnering with and supporting many ministries and non-profit organizations. Check out her interview to find out how one blog link-up gave her the inspiration to use her blog to make a difference.

And don’t miss a behind-the-scenes look at the the highlights and hardships of Tiffany’s journey so far!

Want to get involved or just stay updated on what’s happening with Just Cause?

Follow Tiffany on her blog, facebook, and twitter!

You can also check the organizations she’s partnered with so far, Free the Girls and Sole Hope!

Tiffany, thank you for making us feel so welcome in South Carolina and for sharing your story with us! We wish you all the best as you continue moving forward on your project!

Tiffany shared with us how she deals with discouragement. So the adventure challenge for this week is to take a potentially discouraging situation or conversation that you’ve been in and, instead of being defeated by it, learn from it! Share how you’re going to / have taken those experiences and looked at them from a different perspective, chosen to be motivated instead discouraged by them, or have used them to continue building on your dream!

Don’t forget that you can  tweet at us, tell us on facebook, or even do a blog post or youtube video to participate in the challenge! Our goal is to encourage you to look at your daily life in a new way, so go ahead and meet the challenge in your own creative ways!

 

This week’s interview comes from Pennsylvania. Dave is an old friend of David’s and we really enjoyed visiting him and his family and hearing about his journey of discovering his passion and starting a business.

He has built up a business based on a desire to support and encourage leaders in the church. His own experience if being in a leadership position and feeling isolated and alone, gave him the inspiration and motivation to find a solution to the problem of burnout that is so common in leadership. It took a lot of time and many small steps to get to where he is in his business today, but he says that the journey has been worth it!

 

Be sure to check out the Ad Lib Music website and connect with Dave on facebook and twitter.

Thank you, Dave, for sharing your story, we were so encouraged by your passion! Keep up the awesome work!

We love Dave’s mission to support and encourage people in their journeys. I’m sure he has played a role in many, many adventures. We know how easy it is to feel isolated and alone in the process of chasing a dream or stepping out of our comfort zones. We believe that sharing in each other’s adventures is so important because it is nearly impossible to accomplish your dream all alone. Let’s recognize that our own adventures and dreams are part of a bigger picture and make an effort to get connected with each other, realizing that the parts we can play in others’ stories in turn enrich our own.

Be a part of someone else’s adventure or tell about a time that you have! Whether it’s through encouragement, support, or just being there through the journey, every little thing counts and can make a world of difference!

Remember, each week we’ll be putting out a new challenge and you can respond in whatever way works for you – tweet at us, tell us on facebook, or even do a blog post or youtube video! Our goal is to encourage you to look at your daily life in a new way 🙂

We did some fancy footwork and were able to meet up with Meghan when we were in Ohio! She set up our first surprise interview with her friend, Ashlee, at her job in a daycare center. We completely surprised Ashlee and much fun was had by all as we sat down and talked about Meghan and Ashlee’s passion to tear down the walls of prejudice and judgement that separate us. They are also both working towards earning their degrees in special education so that they can eventually open their own preschool/daycare center. Their message of hope, acceptance, and real beauty is so inspiring. And how did this all start? After a rather amusing situation in middle school… we’ll let you check it out.

You’re not going to want to miss the inspirational back-story in part 2!

Meghan and Ashlee, thank you both so much for sharing your dream with us! We love your passion and determination to make a difference, and will definitely be following your journey 🙂

Be sure to also check out Meghan’s blog over at The Struggling Cyster.

You can also follow them on twitter.
Ashlee
Meghan

Now it’s your turn again! We’re revamping the weekly challenge a little bit:

Each week we’ll be putting out a new challenge and you can respond in whatever way works for you – tweet at us, tell us on facebook, or even do a blog post or youtube video! Our goal is to encourage you to look at your daily life in a new way 🙂 This week we challenge you to step out of your comfort zone a bit. Let us know what you do and we may feature you next week!

Rick, a forty-something mountain bike racer, is one of many wonderful people we got to meet and interview in Chicago. Oh, and he just started racing bikes again last year. We loved hearing his story of picking up an old passion, despite the fears and obstacles that he’s had to overcome. His story is so inspiring and shows that it’s never too late to pursue your passion. Plus, as Rick discovered, you never know where else it will take you!

We love Rick’s desire to live life to the fullest and not let anything hold him back! His blog, Let Go of the Brakes, is full of inspiration! Check it out if you’d like to learn more about Rick!

Rick, thank you so much for sharing your experiences, thoughts, and passion with us! We’re so glad we were able to meet you!

Alright people! Now it’s your turn! We want to hear YOUR STORY!  Write it, draw it, film it, or play it and tell us about something that makes you feel young! What does that look like to you? What’s your adventure? Next week we’ll have a new prompt – follow us on Twitter to get it early 🙂