Echoes of Inspiration: An Unexpected Encounter and a Calling Confirmed

It's 2018, and I'm in the midst of one of the most exciting yet demanding seasons of my life. I've decided to put the Mastery Program online, dedicating 4-5 days a week to filming the course.

Additionally, I'm teaching the Mastery Program in person to two groups of artists three days a week, from 9 AM to 9 PM. My Saturdays are reserved for running Zoom calls with four groups of artists participating in the beta test of our online program. We record my sessions with the in-person students and ensure everything is uploaded by Monday. Then, I reconnect with them on Saturdays to answer questions and guide them through the program.

I'm also maintaining relationships with galleries and other business contacts, continuing to supply them with artwork. Managing my time isn’t necessary because every moment is accounted for, and I need to sustain this pace for at least a year to complete the filming on schedule.

Every night, as my head hits the pillow, I melt into the most satisfying exhaustion, knowing I am building something that will serve artists for years to come and launch them into their full-time creative careers.

In the Quiet of the Night

One night, as I lie in bed drifting off, I begin to hear an ancient trumpet sound that builds into a 10-15 second crescendo before fading back into silence and then starting again. I can hardly believe my ears. I wear earplugs at night to muffle John’s snoring, so I'm certain the sound isn’t coming from inside the house.

I take out my earplugs to see if the sound becomes louder, and it disappears. I replace the earplugs, wondering if I had dreamt or imagined the sound. But then, it starts up again. I realize that if I move too much or begin to search for the sound in my environment, it fades away. As I submit myself to the sound, it grows stronger, louder, and more saturating.

I am in awe. Each trumpet vibration seems to electrify my bones. I spend the entire night listening to this chorus of trumpets as they crescendo and then dissolve into the stillness, only to build again. My breathing synchronizes with the sounds, making me feel as though the trumpets are resonating within me. The experience is profoundly moving.

I am convinced it is God. I know something supernatural is happening, a truly extraordinary event I will never forget. The encounter feels intensely private and personal. I resolve to keep it to myself the next day. Yet, I move through the day with a lighter step and my head a little closer to the clouds. No matter what happens or how frustrated anyone in class might get, I remind myself: "But God is here. He is real. He is closer than my breath."

That night, as I lie in bed hoping for the trumpets to return, I hear nothing but the silence of my earplugs and the faint, low hum of John’s snoring. I wait and wait for the trumpets to reappear. Just as I begin to drift into sleep, the faint buildup and crescendo of the trumpets start anew. As I deepen my breath, tuning into the sound, it grows stronger and louder until I can feel it resonating in my bones again. I remain perfectly still, letting the sound fine-tune my very essence, aligning every thought, cell, and fiber of my being with the majestic trumpets.

The sound is so unique, definite, and familiar. It wasn't a brass trumpet. It was the deep hollow ring that twisted through an animal horn, an ancient sound echoing through the portals of time. It made me feel completely undone yet whole all at once.

The trumpet sounds continue for weeks but never become ordinary. I tell John and the kids about it. They find it interesting and exciting, but they can't quite grasp the profound impact it has on me. To me, it feels like an immense honor and privilege, and I can hardly believe I get to experience it.

One night, after I've fallen asleep to the trumpets, I awaken to my room bathed in a golden, fiery light. Fearing to move even an inch lest I be consumed, I lie still, only daring to move my eyes. Through the blinding light, I see the lower half of a giant angel. My heart pounds with fright and wonder as the angel presents a burning, golden crest—resembling a family crest—carved with the image of an eagle in flight, swooping down, its wings forming an "M."

 Echoes of the Divine

In the morning, I wake with no recollection of the encounter in my room. I enjoy my usual routine, then sit on the couch with my coffee and begin looking at Facebook messages. After reading a few, I scroll through my feed and notice a photo of an eagle swooping down to grab a snake from the road. Instantly, my heart skips a beat as the memory of last night's vision with the family crest floods back with perfect clarity. I gasp, recalling the angel presenting the crest.

My family wonders what I’m gasping about. I share the experience of the previous night, and we start discussing the trumpets, the angel, and what it all could mean. It seems the weeks of hearing the trumpets have opened a portal, allowing me to behold what I saw. The crest feels like a commission and assignment. I feel like our family is being brought into some divine calling with tremendous significance.

Feeling moved, I am compelled to paint eagles and crests, attempting to capture the essence of my experience. Although I know I cannot replicate the sheer beauty and magnificence of what I saw in the glowing bright light of what seemed like holy fire, I am drawn to paint eagles nonetheless.

 Mystery and Meaning

A few months later, a mysterious box arrives in the mail. Inside, I find a card from Ebtihal, a beta test online Mastery student whom I've been mentoring on Saturdays as she completes her portfolio. I open the box and read through the papers, which say I have been given a star.

I feel cynical, wondering how someone could think they could sell the stars. I’m honored that Ebtihal felt moved to thank me for all her progress and transformation with the purchase of a star, but how does this star registry think they own the stars to sell one?

Despite my skepticism, I continue to explore the contents and discover a plaque with the name Deneb el Okab, located in the constellation Aquila, 154 light years away. Accompanying this is a portrait of an eagle set against the constellation. A quick search reveals that “Aquila” means “eagle” in Latin, and the star Ebtihal chose represents the tip of the eagle’s left wing.

As I reflect, my initial cynicism melts into awe. I feel a twinge of shame for dismissing the gift as a scam. I realize that God is speaking. The angel, the trumpets, and the stars all belong to God, who is orchestrating some kind of divine poetry just for me—a cosmic commission marking both my destiny and my family's legacy. This assignment was forged in gold from the very fire of heaven, and the scroll of my life’s work was written in the stars.

I am called to a heavenly project of profound beauty that will impact artists and all whom they influence around the world. Holding my star, I realize eagles do not eat dead meat; they do not scavenge. They would starve if they didn’t hunt fresh prey. When their beaks grow too dull to kill, eagles soar high and break their old beaks against the rocks, waiting for new, sharp beaks to form, ready to hunt again. In this vulnerable state, they must make their first kill to be reborn and carry their knowledge and experience forward.

 Visionary Flight

The trumpets blasted to mark the beginning of my second life. Like the eagle, I have experienced both the heights and the depths. Now, I forge a new path for others.

Eagles don’t consume the remnants left by others. On this new path, we don’t copy, plagiarize, or recycle. We pioneer, looking beyond the veil into the golden light of heaven and pulling down the glimpses of a world yet to be. We bring the far things near. We draw on heaven and co-imagine our future filled with hope, beauty, light, and life. Together, we will bring heaven to earth, where pain and sorrow will be no more.

Can you look back and find those moments where heaven spoke? Can you see those turning points in your life when you stepped into your destiny and began to live out your purpose?

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