How a Hobby Became Keys to a Legacy

Really—I'm not kidding! Your hobby can become a way to communicate your spiritual legacy. My mother-in-law gave us a handmade quilt when Tom and I married. She had created it from scraps of clothes once worn by members of the family. Each scrap had a story to tell, and I wish I had written the stories all down, but I didn't. My bad. I still have the quilt, but I only remember a few of the stories.Not everyone is as shortsighted as I am. My friend, Debbie Fuller, took her hobby of collecting keys and turned it into a creative means of communicating part of her spiritual legacy.Debbie and her husband, Foch, live in Vallejo, California. She's the mother to 3 young men, mother-in-love to three wonderful young women, and grandmother to three gorgeous and brilliant grandchildren. She and Foch have co-pastored North Bay Foursquare Church for the last 22 years.Besides serving Jesus with an amazing bunch of believers, Debbie says, "My personal passion is photography. I’ve always been our families’ historian. I think I may have taken the job a little too seriously over the years. We have thousands of pictures documenting every birthday, celebration, and accomplishment!"I recently interviewed Debbie about using her passion for photography and her key collection to create a beautiful, new book titled Unlocked. Welcome to Holy in the Daily, Debbie, and thank you for doing this interview.

What inspired you to write a book about keys?

"It wasn’t my plan to start collecting keys. Years ago I purchased a key as a reminder of my grandmother’s house which held for me many wonderful childhood memories. After that, whenever I came across a unique key I found that I wanted to keep it.""God always spoke to me about a specific aspect of the authority He entrusted to us with each key I collected. Over the years people have given me keys knowing I collect them."

How would you describe this book project?

"I wanted to do something with these keys that would treasure the lessons learned upon receiving each unique key. So I set out to photograph and write about them."

Who do you hope reads this book and why?

"People who want to grow in their personal relationship with God will glean from this book. The pages beckon the reader to action. Our walk with Jesus is not simply an escape from hell’s fire, but rather it is a growing vital relationship. God has entrusted the keys to His kingdom to us! We need to know what they open and how to use them."

What do you hope people walk away with after reading your book?

"I hope people walk away feeling personally challenged to use the keys that have been entrusted to us. I also hope the reader will do away with fear and intimidations that keep us living small and hesitant to take risks."

How does someone approach a particular hobby as a way to communicate a spiritual legacy?

"God places desires in our hearts. I think those desires are given to reveal more of who Father God truly is. He’s more personal than we realize. In every little aspect of life, God is speaking to us. We just need to tune in and listen to Him.""I would suggest that you ask God to open your ears to hear what He’s saying to you through your personal passion(s). He will speak to you the way you hear—in your language! Enjoy the journey of growing in love with your creative Creator."Thanks Debbie for sharing. You've combined your passions for photography and keys to create a beautiful book that leaves a legacy with your children, grandchildren, and the folks you serve.Click here to preview Unlocked, Debbie's beautiful book. Once you have landed on her Unlocked book page, click the bottom right corner to enlarge the book for better viewing of each page. The appealing photos give a face to each key and story of Debbie's message. (Unlocked is also available for purchase, just in case you were wondering.)Now it's your turn: What hobby do you enjoy that might become a means of communicating something of your spiritual journey? Have you shared it with others and if so, how?

Susan Gaddis, Helping you build your spiritual legacy

If you enjoyed this post, please pass it on by clicking one of the Be Sociable, Share! buttons below.