While Inspiring Wonder and Faith as Partners in the Journey

and a BIG Story Living announcement

Good morning again, travel friends! I’ve missed you.

It has felt a bit strange to take a week off from newsletter writing after a long stretch of saying, “hello,” every Tuesday and Saturday, but I’m back. And guess what…I have some big news to share! Before the drum roll, though, I also want to let you into my brain and tell just a bit about what has been rolling around in there since we last hung out.

“inspiring wonder and faith as partners in the journey”

Recently, I have found myself in some conversations, sharing my heart around a frustration I have experienced since launching Big Story Living. The problem is this…When it comes to effectively communicating my heart around what I actually mean as I talk about, “inspiring wonder and faith as partners in the journey” within the context of travel, the idea just seems to fall flat every time…and I’m frustrated.

How do I communicate such an experiential way of moving, who’s essence in real life actually exists when completely divorced from electronics and social media, ON a social media platform for others to grasp?” This is my great challenge and the source of giant question marks in my recent days.

I mean, honestly, do you understand it yet? It’s fine if you say, “no.” But soon, my goal is for you to find your, “yes.” Because, in my heart, if all I ever truly offer in this space is savvy and “almost free” ways for you to make your way into the world, I will have failed you. If I fail to communicate the richness and necessity I see in walking into travel intentionally, with one eye on the world and the other eye on Jesus or faith, this space will end up being just like all the rest…just another “how to” travel tool. And if that’s the case, why bother? There’s already plenty of that to go around. So, how do I press in deeper to this passion I feel and long to share more clearly here with you? Still not sure.

My dream is, yes, to empower you into the world with tips, tricks, ideas and travel opportunities. That’s easy to teach and easy to share on social media. But I equally hope to inspire you towards a fuller, more meaningful way of experience than that which other travel sites, magazines and Instagram accounts seek to offer.

To me, experiencing the world can not be separated neatly from experiencing the Creator of it all in the very same moments. And for me, being a travel guide is not simply about enticing you towards the white, sandy beaches and crystal clear waters for a token family photo and an iced, cold margarita alone. Getting you there is the beginning, but definitely not my ultimate goal. My number one goal is helping you to find the One who sits on that beach or in the middle of that city park on the other side of the world just casually waiting for you to arrive, say, “hello” and sit for a while. I long for him to show us all the travel treasures we can not see on our own. The One, for me, being Jesus.

My biggest hope for this inspiration I am creating here and on Instagram @bigstoryliving is to take you way beyond the “must see” places on your itinerary. I want all of us to imagine our time in the world with a depth and curiosity that we rarely move towards because it’s, honestly, so easy not to. It’s so easy to rush through the streets, stand in line after line, fill our stomachs with the greatest of wine, coffee and cuisine and call it a successful and wonderful holiday. And it was. But it can be so much more.

For me, it’s the More (Jesus) that compels me to get out there and explore again and again. It’s More that I want to discover more than the monkeys or the pyramids or the Louvre. Because why settle for just looking at the painting when you can sit and experience its intentions with the Creator him or herself? Would you want to soak in the quintessential Parisian street of Rue Cler only, if you could be privy to an even greater symphony of wonder and awe you never knew to imagine being played just one street over? Listening, being aware, succumbing to nudges from the greatest Tour Guide who says, “turn here, go there, look up…” This is, for me, the greatest reason I travel. Jesus captures me unlike any of my own intentions ever could when I keep one eye on him as I go. And I’m convinced that once we “go” with him, we will never want to go with a guidebook alone, ever again.

So, I’m wanting to work on communicating my passions more fully here and on social media. I long to equip you with every tool I can offer that makes your next journey financially possible. And then, I equally want us to have it in the forefront of our minds as we go that Jesus and our faith is traveling with us…waiting for us…ready to open our eyes to things we would have never noticed…ready to heal the places inside us that we didn’t know needed to be soothed.

Wherever your bucket list leads you in this world, please don’t simply take from it the Instagrammable moments and return to the mundane a week later with a Disney smile and unchanged. I believe the world is there to change us. I’m certain Jesus is waiting on a park bench somewhere in the middle of it just giddy with excitement to show it to us with his itinerary and his eyes. I sure I don’t want to miss that. Do you?

It’s not about changing our travel plans. It’s about slowing down just enough that our plans have time to change us.

Drumroll, please….

And now, on a completely different, short and sweet note (drumroll, please), I am proud to officially announce to you my upcoming ebook! It’s almost finished and Coming April 2022!

I can’t believe I finally did it. I’ve been wanting to bless people with this for such a long time and now it’s almost here! Watch this space. You’ll be the first to know when it’s up and ready for download. Yay, for “almost free” travel!!

Happy Weekend and Happy Travels!

Amy