PTP.036: Rocks Tell Stories with Patti Rokus the author of “He is Risen: Rocks Tell the Story of Easter”

Patti Rokus is an artist and an author of the new book He is Risen: Rocks Tell the of Easter” and Dr. Brad Miller’s guest on Episode 036 of the Pathway to Promise Podcast which is Day 3 of the 40 Day Life Transformation experience.

The theme of this episode is the restorative and transformational nature of connecting with nature.

Pattie Rokus is a recovering corporate executive with Microsoft and NIKE who overcame the adversity of childhood trauma and divorce through the healing power of nature and expressing art though rocks.

The purpose of The Pathway to Promise Podcast is helping people overcome adversity to achieve their promised life of peace prosperity and purpose.

Patti found herself in a state of debilitating adversity dealing with a severe back injury, a failed marriage, and dissatisfaction with her job.   She took time on an extended vacation to camp and hike in nature where she took the time to clear her mind, connect with God through nature and discover, quite unexpectantly the artistic value of gathering rocks and displaying them through art.

She created her first book  “A Savior is Born: Rocks Tell The Story of Christmas” in 2018, a coffee table photo book hoping to sell 50 copies and sold over 900 which confirmed the impact that her art and authorship was making to others.

She believes her books tell biblical stories in fresh new ways and recently released her new book “He Is Risen: Rocks The Story of Easter”

Patti also produces artists and how to video at rockstellstories.com and is providing a gift download instructional video about how to create an angel from rocks which has delighted children and adults alike.

Patti is inspired to help people realize that God cares for them individually and to heal and connect with God by stepping out in nature.

Enjoy Episode 036 of the Pathway to Promise Podcast feature author/artist Patti Rocks.

Dr. Brad Miller

March 8, 2019

Read Full Transcript

Brad Miller 0:00
Pathway to Promise podcast episode number 36 Rocks tell Stories with author and artist Patty Rockus with the new book “He is Risen”

Patti Rockus 0:16
I thought it was going to solve all the questions I was going to journal and write and figure everything out. But instead I just became really quiet and became I felt like a piece of moss or a tree. I just became one with nature.

Unknown 0:31
Hi, this is Kevin Murphy, author of the three rooms where I help people change your thoughts to change your life. You’re connected to the pathway to promise podcast with Dr. Brad Miller, helping you overcome adversity to find your promise like

Unknown 0:47
you’re on the pathway to promise with Dr. Brad Miller Bradley’s every person has a god given promised life of peace, prosperity and purpose and that you must have a plan and a guy to get

Unknown 1:00
They’re the pathway to promise podcast. Not only is your guide through the wilderness of depression and disappointment that stand between you and your promise life but also brings you insights and direction from inspiring successful thought leaders who have transformed their lives. Welcome to the pathway to promise now here’s Brad

Brad Miller 1:19
pathway to promise podcast is brought to you by the book The promise given life that Reverend Dr. Brad velour, the 40 day way to your promise, life of peace, prosperity and purpose. You can be part of the launch team and get on the waitlist for this new book, which is coming out later this year by going over to pathway promise.com. This episode is also brought to you by Patty rochas, who brings you a free downloadable resource called Making angels an easy way to make a rock art for children. It’s a downloadable video or author today.

We’re speaking to his Patti Rackus, and she has incredible story to talk to us about the power of the transformative power of connecting with nature and expressing it through art. My name is Dr. Brad Miller. And the pathway to promise podcast is all about helping you transform your life to help you overcome any adversity in your life. And the know that you have a promise, life of peace, prosperity, and purpose. And we bring you teaching and and and ways to help you to overcome whatever things are going on your life, maybe as divorce. Maybe it’s a financial problem, maybe as a health related thing. We all have them, but there’s got to be ways to get through that. That’s been a lifetime in ministry and studied life transformation and like to teach about this area and bring you great guests like Patty rook is today. Today is day three of our 40 Day Challenge. We’re in the 40 days and in March and April 8.

weekday each Monday through Saturday we were teaching a lesson or bringing a great interview which teaches you something about how to transform your life and I made commitments to you and you can make commitments to me and we can be in relationship to one another just connect up with us at our at our website page pathway promised calm or on our Facebook page which is facebook.com pathway promise we’re committed to help life transformation happened for you. And each day we have a theme of today’s theme is nature and the power of the transformative power of nature we have an incredible artist guest with us today, Patty ruckus who has an incredible story to tell and we’re going to get into that with her just a minute just want to share with you that she wasn’t always an artist. She started off her life in her career in the technology field where she was a product manager for for companies like Nike and Microsoft and she was involved with many things in the tech field but however, she

calls herself a recovering Product Manager because overcoming some difficulties in her life, some issues growing up and some other issues, she found herself needed to take some time off. And she went off into on a three month camping trip. And there she discovered the power and the restaurant, restorative nature of nature itself. And among other things, she discovered rocks and she considers rocks to be a love note from God which is irresistible to her and she then turn these rocks and the artwork and she first started off with a book that had on the Christmas themed savior as born which came out last year and her new book is he has risen which is about the last week and the mortal life of Jesus Christ and both these books are artistic wonders that she has a number of

of incredible videos and how to videos and artistic videos on her website. Rocks tell stories calm

And her book is available in bookstores everywhere and we’ll put links to her book and her videos on our on our website pathway promised.com It’s a pleasure to have with us today author and artist, Patty Rockus, Brad thank you so much for having me. I’m really thrilled to talk with you today. Well, you really have a fascinating story that is really, really unique. And my experience at least, that you are an artist and you are an artist who uses a medium that to express stories in your life using rocks and that’s an incredible thing and are what we’re about here is helping people get through adversity in their life through all kinds of means. Sometimes it’s through music and sometimes it’s through therapy and reading and writing and and other things that they’ve done but you’ve done it through this process here but I’d like I want to hear more specific about your artwork here in a minute. But also

Patti Rockus 6:00
Want to hear kind of what motivated you to get started here you’ve had some challenging pieces your life tell us a story about how it came to be that you found working with rocks away to help you process some challenging points in your life goes your story a little bit better. Thanks, Brad. I’m really glad that you’re starting with this piece of adversity as opposed to the art because I’m really not an artist, which is surprises me and everybody else because I couldn’t draw a stick figure if I had to. And I never intended on doing physical art for anyone. This came as part of my healing from the adversity and the struggles that I’ve had in life. And if you’ll just let me briefly start with my childhood so because of my childhood and I was raised in a challenging situation to say the least and with some severe hardships that really shaped how I saw the world and how I felt about myself and that just drug along with

me through the rest of my life, even though it might not have looked like it. You know, I was working for Nike and Microsoft and appeared to have everything under control and looking good on the outside. But by the time I was in my 30s, I really I really fell apart. And it was through I had done counseling and I’ve always been a faith based person. And so I’ve always turned to God and all those things that helped me for sure, but not being healed the very center wound that was deep inside of me until much later in life. And that’s kind of a background to why I needed something a catalyst if you will, to help me through through my beliefs about myself and my struggles. And it wasn’t until my late 40s that I’ve this finally transformed for me and I was able to come across this this wonderland of rocks and pebbles in nature that can be

Like people and places and that specific story I’ll be happy to tell you but I just wanted to let you know that there isn’t this nice fairy tale background I don’t think any of us have that real some real struggles that I needed to so and growing up and in your adult life in your corporate life you had some

Brad Miller 8:20
success but some real challenges that you were less than satisfied so tell us what some of the actions that you took I think you nature was involved with helping you turn things around a little bit tell us some of the actions that you took to to deal with a sense of diversity you’re having yeah well nature she says always been a critical part of me just feeling at peace and I think that’s what we’re all looking for is is peace and contentment it regardless of our life situation, the really the very first story about the rocks was in my 30s I hurt my back severely.

Patti Rockus 9:00
And at the time I was working on contract I was renting. I wasn’t in a relationship. Everything just felt like it wasn’t what I wanted. And then on top of that, I hurt my back so badly. All I could do is crawl the first couple of days. And

the remedy turned out to be a lot of walking, just gingerly walking. And a couple of months into this. I was feeling so crushed by the situation and so depressed and I was barely walking down the street, trying to do my physical therapy and crying. I just said out loud, I said, God, heavenly Father, I need to know that you love me. I need to know you’re there. I’ve always believed that but I just wasn’t feeling it in my life. Circumstances didn’t seem to prove it out. And just as I said that I noticed something on the ground and I gingerly bent down and pick that up it was a half of a pecan shell and if you’ve ever looked carefully it

Unknown 10:00
pecan shell bit inside half. It’s a perfect heart shape. And I looked at that heart shape. And you know, God speaks to each of us very individually. And he spoke to me through that pecan shell as crazy as that sounds. When I saw that hearts after asking that question of him, this love and this feeling of comfort just poured over me. And my tears changed from being completely frustrated, and feeling alone to feeling completely consumed in the love of God. And that was the very beginning of me having a passion for seeing hardships in nature, which transformed immediately into seen heart shaped rocks, which many people I’ve discovered because of my books and the heart shaped box in those books. Many people collect heart shaped rocks and decided that those are love notes from God

Unknown 10:54
messages every time I see one, I just smile and I know that’s God saying, Patty, I love you and it’s all going

Unknown 11:00
Just fine. There’s an awesome story. And so

Unknown 11:05
you’ve now started the process of collecting rocks and kind of getting a message from God’s or the shells and through the, the rocks. How did that transition to you to then being able to utilize that to create art and create processes where you’ve been helpful to others, even therapeutically. Tell us a little bit about how that transformed for you. Yeah, that that began began

Unknown 11:33
that along with some other healing and emotional relief and healing that I had created a passion in me that I wanted to be a catalyst I wanted to be helpful to other people in them feeling the love of God and overcoming the the hurts and the challenges of their lives, but never figured it out. I thought maybe I’d be a counselor, but never did it because I had such a strong career in corporate America with technology and Nike and Microsoft and such and so

Unknown 12:00
I continued on still single until I was 44, which was crazy. I never imagined I’d be single and not have children, which was a great heartache to me. But I finally married a wonderful man. But the marriage didn’t work and after three years when that didn’t work out, I was completely crushed and my self confidence was obliterated and I just could not understand what had happened and why I wasn’t lovable and why he wouldn’t want me and all that so I took I put a tent in my trunk is the day that I left and went to the Pacific Northwest and camped for three months just to figure out myself what happened and to try to heal just on just on your own right just on your own okay, but Okay, yeah, I went to my people at work and said, I just have to take a break and I left

Unknown 13:00
And it was a most remarkable three months. And that’s that was the beginning of this the deepest healing of my life. I didn’t know at the time that just being in nature was so powerful. And I thought it was going to solve all the questions. I was going to journal and right and figure everything out. But instead I just became really quiet and became I felt like a piece of moss or a tree. I just became one with nature. And after three months, I was so frustrated that I hadn’t used the time well to solve my problems. It took me several years later when these rock books came forward. And these images came forward for me to look back and realize that God just needed to calm me down. He needed to create a quiet place inside of me where he could be. I was so noisy and so hurt and so frustrated. There wasn’t a room for him.

Unknown 13:56
He felt like he needed a time of season of listening and he

Unknown 14:00
lean in. And just to be before you could be so you could be filled up in order to do or to share with others. Yeah. And I had no idea. That’s how God worked, you know, always taught in the church, serve others and lose your life so you can be one and God and all this where I just was so outside of myself and so busy and so working so hard. I didn’t realize that I didn’t have room for God, even though I was praying every day and I was trying to make space I didn’t have enough space. So you’re right, I came away from that a much quieter person more reflective and calm and that created the space in which all kinds of miracles came into my life. That’s awesome. But you had to take action, didn’t you? What I’m getting at is that you chose not to just kind of you know, just suck yourself into your own misery whatever that would be within divorce and when

Unknown 15:00
Other things would you do the action of going off of the off into the wilderness and to be self aware enough to take your time to heal? Yeah. And I could have used that time to be miserable, right? I could have most most people do be honest with you, as we well, and I have

Unknown 15:18
plenty of my own pity parties, for sure. But nature is so beautiful that I could not help but rejoice in God’s creations and noticing the beauty and the Wonder from a butterfly to a Trillium flower was just so beautiful. I could not help but be joyful in that space. And that seems like that kind of got your artistic juices flowing. Whether you saw yourself as an artist or not, you became one didn’t you? You became an artist and such a to to have your heart touched by the by nature and then to transform that into art into books into videos that are touching to others.

Unknown 16:00
Tell us what how that happened and how that impact on you as in been impactful to others. Yeah, thank you. Well, two years after that experience in the woods, I really decided that I was really tired of technology just didn’t represent who I am. I couldn’t be creative. I couldn’t be feminine, if you will. And I went on a two week camping trip to Montana and found the most glorious place of these old growth cedars up in northwestern Montana. And as I was hiking through these old huge giant, trumped cedars I thought I was hiking to go through the mountains like always do, but instead, I got drawn to this riverbed. And the riverbed was this dry, huge riverbed full of beautifully colored large stones, and I walked through that riverbed and the rocks was so pretty, I kept pocketing them and I was I don’t know what to do with this, but I got to take it home and pretty soon all my pockets were filled. Fortunately, I had a

Unknown 17:00
Lock it in my trunk. And after two weeks in the woods, I had a bucket full of beautiful rocks. No idea what to do with those. I just thought they’d be pretty, maybe an A path or something. But I had one day left of my vacation. I in my pajamas, I paddled out to my trunk and got that bucket and spilled it out on the porch, just to push those pretty rocks around. And I noticed the one rock look just like somebody kneeling in prayer. And I thought, How interesting. I put a little round rock above it for ahead and there I had Mary as I thought, kneeling before Angel Gabriel and looked around, I thought, could there be an angel in here, and there was a long rock for the angel with a triangle for a wing and a circle for ahead and now was six rocks. I had the Annunciation or the the first scene of the Nativity story. And so I thought, Oh, my heavens. This is kind of juvenile, but so interesting. So I dug through the rest of that bucket and the entire Nativity story was

Unknown 18:00
In that one bucket of random rocks and I completely stunned I took some pictures with my iPhone seven about your friends going isn’t this crazy? And my friend said I want a book and I thought that was insane. Like who wants a book of rocks and pebbles? But I ended up putting one together. I went on Facebook and I’m not a big Facebook person wasn’t before. And but I did a little two minute video just in my little Nike shirt, and that, hey, here’s my story. Here’s my book. Anybody want one? I thought maybe I’d sell maybe 25. But I had to print 54 economies of scale and to my complete astonishment in two weeks I had sold 900

Unknown 18:44
awesome that is so cool. That’s a good thing there for that is a God thing. So now this has turned into something different isn’t it? suddenly you’ve got a not only something for you. You’ve got something that is obviously impacted other people.

Unknown 19:00
Tell me a story Paddy about how your art and by the way there’s a huge story you told about creating things are some really awesome videos you have on your website about your process of doing this the sorting out the rocks and I just think I would commend that to people on your rocks tell stories com site to there’s some really cool stuff there but tell me now about maybe some stories you may have heard reflected back to you about how your work has been transformational to other people give me a good news story thanks I hope I was so befuddled by these rocks because they’re so simple and I had hoped that a life of experience and that I’d have to add something a little more significant to give to the world little more sophisticated but these rocks have turned out to be an incredible blessing because there is something really powerful about stopping everything else we’re doing in life just hunting for rocks.

Unknown 20:00
You know, feeling them playing with them, it calms the brain down and allows us to feel and create that space for God that I had discovered several years previously. But I had no idea that you could do that with the rocks, just touching and playing with them. So I have received all kinds of letters and pictures from from families where they have done their own rock scenes based on my books, then they’ve got a model to go by just an example and the joy that is brought to those families, but I really want to share this one story that just still blows my mind. And I,

Unknown 20:36
I was at a it was just this last summer I was at a retirement party for a dear friend, and they had a whole bunch of people over to their house to celebrate. And I figured they were all believers because my friends and I are and I just assumed everybody came was and I’m meeting a bunch of new people and this really cute couple in their 60s just vibrant. And Darlene we were making introductions and what do you do?

Unknown 21:00
Know what do you do? I said, Well, I play with rocks and off, you know, it was funny is it will really. And I had a prototype of my Easter book that shows the scenes of the last week of Christ’s mortal ministry, those very difficult scenes of the Passion Week. And I pulled that out. And I said, Yeah, here, let me show you. And so we sat on the couch, and they started flipping through the book. And they got that first they smiled and thought it was cute rocks, you know, telling these making these pictures and then they got very quiet, and I got a little uncomfortable and thought, well, gosh, I Why are these and then but they’re flipping through the pages very carefully. And then the wife finally leans over. And she says to me, and this blew my mind. She said, Is this what Christians believe?

Unknown 21:47
And these are educated people. You know, I thought, you know,

Unknown 21:51
what do you believe or not, I thought everybody knew the story at least, you know, profound insight isn’t my goodness I yeah, and I

Unknown 22:00
Got to sit with them for 20 minutes and talk about who Jesus is and why he matters. And that this is about love. This is not about punishment and judgment. This is about love and how it’s about love and their hearts. You know, I could just see them relax, and I could see they’re interesting curiosity. And I really felt like God was there just wrapping all three of us up in his love. And they said, Oh, when the book comes out, we want to copy and I thought, Oh, that’s really neat. Well, Bader the hostess after everybody had left, and I was helping clean up. The hostess said to me, after I told her the story. She said, Patty, those two are atheists. And although we love them, and they’ve been in our neighborhood for 20 years, and we’ve known them all this time, they’ve never allowed us to have a conversation about God with them. And so there is something powerful about these books. That is healing about the rock art. It’s so nice.

Unknown 23:00
interested, non threatening, it just allows people to enjoy the art and consider the whole God’s story in a brand new, fresh way. And it’s relational in a, in a serendipitous type of way. Where comes out of an unexpected way. Sounds like not only older folks can enjoy, but children and families, folks like this can do that. And that’s an awesome thing. But telling you may, you’ve already touched on it here, Patty, but you’ve got a new book out now about Easter story. He has risen rocks tell the story of Easter, and that’s available now, as we talk here in the first part of march of 2019. Tell us a little bit about this new book and about what that’s all about, and how that can be a wonderful addition to people’s lives. Yeah, thanks. I would love to tell you about it. The first book was the Nativity one, the story I told you. And that was just this last Christmas. So Savior is born. And like I said, that was just random rocks, you know, in that bucket, but when Harper Collins said we’ll take it.

Unknown 24:00
Easter book, I thought, Oh, well, I’m going to take this one seriously. And so I, I was pretty deliberate as opposed to random in this one. And this shows the major events of the Holy Week, the last week of what happened to Jesus Christ, and what he did for us, and telling the stories purely in rocks, no other, not twigs, nothing else, your forest just to use whatever shapes are in those rocks to do that. And I have to tell you, I’m not an artist. But I felt like I had angels with me. I mean, I had to because I don’t have the talents that helped me find the rocks and organize them into each of these scenes of telling this and it’s so delightful to see how kids will look at this book. And then they just go, Oh, I never thought of it and they run outside, go get thrown rocks, and they just start recreating the scenes and you can imagine

Unknown 25:00
What that’s doing for families you know three major things I’m thinking of you know first of all the kids I put their devices down

Unknown 25:09
it’s that’s a miracle ended up so friends that is

Unknown 25:14
there is there just touching the things that God created you know they’re finding the wonder of nature which if that’s all it did that’s enough to get people back in touch with their own hearts reconnected to nature, which call it God or not. I think anytime we’re connected to what he’s created where we connect to him, but then they bring the rocks home and they start making their own stories and it can be their story. It could have nothing to do with God. Even just telling their story gives them an opportunity to put on the outside what is stuck on the inside and that’s hugely healing, but they’re often taken. Look at the pictures I’ve done so they have an idea and now they have a reason to think about these stories.

Unknown 26:00
You know, why did Jesus ride on a donkey on Palm Sunday into a whole group of people that were celebrating them. Now we can have a conversation about the story that we may never have had before. Because we were playing with rocks. And it’s easy and it’s not a big deal. And it’s just interesting. So now families are connecting at a deeper level on things that really matter. And so that’s my hope is that people draw closer to God through nature and through their relationships. And they come to know themselves because they’re able to be quiet enough to allow that space to be filled with truth and light that’s awesome. That is awesome. You know, Patty, there is a certainly as a spiritual

Unknown 26:44
historical nature and powerful nature of rocks and rock stalking that you’re you’ve I’m sure you’re familiar with this to some degree and from the Native American groups, but I’m thinking of Israel I’ve traveled to Israel a couple of times and many of them

Unknown 27:00
raised there, they will stack rocks, say on the graves, because in the world, there’s not much grass or vegetation. Anything else. So rocks have a powerful image. And so for an honor of the legacy of your ancestors, and his spiritual power rocks are stacked in such a way that symbolism and Sumo certain Native American groups is that as well. It’s just, it’s just coming to my mind as we’re talking about this year, the power of moving rocks around and it’s I think there’s something to be said for that. Of course, there’s beautiful imagery of the of the rocks will rocks will speak and so on, and returning rocks into bread and so on. There’s lots of imagery that way that I think is powerful.

Unknown 27:45
Toby like Oh, sorry, go. You had something else to say there. Go ahead. Yeah. Well, I I’ve noticed that too, in the scriptures that stones and rocks are kind of a big deal and referenced often my favorite my favorite one though, is

Unknown 28:00
When Jesus reference them, and he actually inferred that he anthropomorphize them, even it was you remember when he was coming to Jerusalem and the people that loved him, you know, the multitudes were just thrilled. And we’re celebrating, and the Pharisees that the priests at the time were not happy with that and told Jesus, that he should silence them. And in Luke 19, verse 40,

Unknown 28:29
he basically tells them, he says, if my disciples if they were to keep quiet, and this is the phrase that just so amazing to me, he says, if they were to keep quiet, then the stones would cry out. Yeah, that’s awesome. That’s why I thought there’s crying out now. You know, they gave him a chance. And now every time some child or family puts a story together, they give them a voice and give them a chance to cry out so that the inanimate in a way becomes animate, or at least preserve provides a message

Unknown 29:00
payouts like to ask my guests two or three kind of consistent questions about process that you use.

Unknown 29:10
What’s one way that you call upon a higher power to God to guide you and what you’re about here? Do you feel like a higher powers at work? Oh, absolutely. I could. I couldn’t do any of this without, without God helping me. So every, every time I start an art project, and every time I’m out in nature, just picking up rocks, I always start with a conversation with this higher power with God. And now as I’ve matured, that conversation doesn’t start stop with an Amen. At the end of the prayer. That conversation just goes on, especially when I’m in nature. And I just talk freely to God as I go and as I make the art and feel like I’m I’m partnering with him That’s awesome. And the second part of what I would ask you about is about the about love but love

Unknown 30:00
I

Unknown 30:01
believe is the kind of the field that helps move things around. And it has to do with interpersonal relationships or feelings of love. How has any support from other people or for some sense of loving relationships been involved here with you in this process? Or how you use your feel supported or can make it a contribution to others? It’s an emotional level. Brad, you have such excellent questions. This is so pertinent to maybe we all have limiting beliefs that we created a different times in our life usually childhood and, and one of my pervasive limiting beliefs is that I am alone in the world and you can see how I’ve lived that out by not married until my 40s and now I’m single again. And so it’s hard for me to allow people to help me and be in my life and that is probably the most damaging aspect of my life and these books.

Unknown 31:00
I think part of the gifts of these books to me from God, why he let me create these was to teach me how severely I need others and how severely I need to serve others. And when when I have these relationships as you say, that’s when life it’s harder to help relationships. They’re complicated, but that’s where the joy of life is in relationships. And I could not have come this far with these books and with these videos and the website and everything I’m doing sharing this message without these beautiful people around me who have supported me and encouraged me and kept me going when I didn’t really think I could do this That’s awesome. They just one more what are some of the anyone who gets anything truly done in life, you know, you got to have I believe you have to have a bias towards taking action which you did when you you know, we’re not satisfied with your situation with your life and divorce and so on.

Unknown 32:00
went off to the woods. And then we all have to, but I believe she had to draw a higher powers for to force the powerful power of loving relationships. But we have to apply it to our lives. And that takes discipline. And I’ll just be curious what some of what some of your disciplinary practices are, what helps you to get things done that make an impact that are transformational for yourself, and others. Oh, gosh, your questions. Brad, where do you get these

Unknown 32:32
and they’re so pertinent to every single person. I believe that because we are children of the great creator, that we’re a chip off the old block, if you will, we are creating chip chip chip off the rock maybe

Unknown 32:47
better. Yeah, sorry. Sorry. Yes, there. Therefore, we are creators. And when we’re not creating, we’re not satisfied. And so your point about taking action and being delivered in life, that’s all

Unknown 33:00
Part of being a creator. And so I think that we are designed, it’s in our spiritual DNA to create and that might be create a relationship. It might be to. It doesn’t have to be a physical thing. But it’s to take action. And when we don’t take action in life, it’s just a downward spiral of misery. So that the ways I take action our first I first I focus on connecting. And I think I’m so distracted because I love being busy. It’s how I feel comfortable in life. But when I just stopped and shut my eyes and breathe deeply, which I do this every day, and then I because I believe in a higher power, then I asked for help, which is hugely helpful. Even if somebody is listening doesn’t believe in a higher power. I say, just ask anyway, because he’s there and he does help then my mind clears it because I’m being silent and a ideas ideas of how I can be in the world how I can progress

Unknown 34:00
How I can develop how I can serve. I do just flow in, I take notes, and then I prioritize. So every day I connect in with the divine by being quiet. Some people meditate, pray, whatever you do, I take notes when I meditate, his ideas come and then I take action. I make things happen and it’s usually means I have to learn something new. Right? So so you have a bit of a process that you have the meditation process you take notes and you find a way to apply it and learn some new skills things like that. That’s awesome. You’ve really got some fascinating is fear Patty with the with the rocks telling stories. And I love that that phrase right there rocks telling stories. And you told some great stories too, because I believe in the transformational power of storytelling through conversations like this and through other things that people people can share. So what what’s one one last word you might share with our audience for people how they can

Unknown 35:00
Take some action and to see see something special out of the ordinary in their life. But how can they be aware and be the

Unknown 35:10
be sensitive to those things in their life?

Unknown 35:13
I highly recommend two things. And sometimes we just have to do them on faith that maybe it will help. And the first is to just take a small seed of belief and believe that God cares about us individually. So just that belief that God cares about us individually begins a relationship he doesn’t. He wants us to be like a close friendship, not this huge Master of the Universe. And little me He wants us to be close. So believing that he loves me individually is huge. And then stepping outside in nature. You know, it causes us to move to breathe and to see beautiful things. Even if it’s cold outside or hot outside. I say go outside connecting with

Unknown 36:00
God and we naturally feel better just by doing those two things go outside connect with God you’ll feel better that’s that’s a good start isn’t it that’s great

Unknown 36:11
well it’s been a pleasure having you with us today on the pathway to promise podcasts are our guest today Patty rochas and she has the new book he is risen rocks tells the story of Eastern you could find out more about her at rocks tell stories calm

Unknown 36:29
awesome was that interview with Patty Rocos the author of rocks tell stories the story of Easter and I just hope you picked up some great things in our conversation that you can use as takeaways in your life and to help you to get perspective and overcoming any adversity that you have in your life. That’s why we’re here at pathway promises to help you overcome adversity to get some tools and some ways to help you to do that. Patty, as she indicated, had some real issues in her life and

Unknown 37:00
hasn’t really she’s been growing up some difficulties there and

Unknown 37:05
divorce which occurred in her life and some real physical ailments with a bad back and she took time out to heal in nature and I think that’s important thing here for transformation to take place to take time out to breathe to turn off the cell phone to get out of the the hullabaloo of our own lives. And the slow down a little bit. And for her taking long walks, going on long trips and do long camping trips into the woods and she began to notice things that we wouldn’t wouldn’t notice. Otherwise ever talking about noticing a a big conch shell that was a shape of a heart and noticing rocks that were in various shapes, which he formed into the artwork and she learned to listen and to calm down. I would encourage you to do that in your own life. Listen, calm down, turn off the cell phone, turn off the TV, turn off the computer. Be quiet. Listen, breathe, take a walk.

Unknown 38:00
In nature, do something like that become one with nature. And that’s a good thing. Find your local park, take a walk in your own backyard, take a drive to State Park, whatever it is, do something where you can begin to notice things that don’t. You don’t always notice not too long ago in my neighborhood where I lived. In fact, I haven’t had any Christmas Eve during the day I was driving down the road just where I live. And right above a flight right above my head was something I have never seen before sense in my community. A bald eagle was right there. It was definitely a bald eagle was flying just just above my own car as I drove slowly down the street. And that was an awesome sight. Any of us made my Christmas a better a better experience, but I would have noticed it if I’d been so absorbed and other things I had to do for Christmas. Pay attention slow down. So I would encourage you to do that and hope you heard how her connection with nature helped her get closer with God in her life and fill or herself up spiritually.

Unknown 39:00
Then she was able to express herself artistically. Even though she didn’t see herself as an artist. Initially, she was able to express herself artistically through her books. Rocks cry out, there’s a story, the Christmas story of the activity and the Easter story which she has right now the Easter story and just to commend those to you go on to her website

Unknown 39:24
rocks, tell stories calm. There are some really awesome videos there, including a video that she’s making available as a downloadable gift for you. And it’s about a guide, a downloadable guide to making angels but how you can start making rock art with children and it’s a cool thing. Just go check that out. You can do that by going to our website pathway promise.com slash 036. That’s our episode number is 0336 was two more things I want to give you as takeaways and that is achieved

Brad Miller 40:00
recommended that talked about how it’s so important when you do this that you believe that God cares about you individually that God isn’t just as some you know corporate thing or some mass think about only the masses God cares about you individually and to be very intentional the second day be very intentional about stepping out into nature some great lessons are Patty ruckus go to get her downloadable book there and it will be helpful to you we also have a gift for you as well here at pathway promise.com you we have an upcoming book called The promise given life your 40 day way to your promise life of peace, prosperity and purpose and you can head over to pathway promised calm and there we have a place where you can get on the waitlist which is also really on the on the list that helps us to be in a launch team to help us put this together and be part of the research on this.

We want to be helpful to you here at pathway promise. I’m Dr. Brad Miller I spent many years in ministry and have studied life transformation and have a doctoral degree in that and just love you I care for you and I want us to be interaction with one another so you can respond to me through the website pathway promised calm or facebook. com slash pathway promise where we look to be helpful to you will be with you each day during during March and April 2019, 40

lessons each. So Monday through Saturday, and we take Sundays off and we will publish an episode each day to give you some teaching and some leadership here and respond to us and tell your friends about pathway promise icon because we know that we can be helpful to you because we’re about the power of a promise, the power promise to change your life. That’s what we call this the pathway to your promised life. So remember, remember my good friends by good good friends to keep your promises because there’s power in a promise.

Unknown 42:01
Thanks so much for taking the pathway to promise with Dr. Brad Miller as a subscriber, you’ll be a vital part of the pathway to promise community visit us on the web at pathway promise.com. Until next time, remember to stay on your pathway to promise

Transcribed by https://otter.ai

Rockstellstories.com

a downloadable guide to making Angels

 

The post PTP.036: Rocks Tell Stories with Patti Rokus the author of “He is Risen: Rocks Tell the Story of Easter” appeared first on The Forty Day Way w/ Dr Brad Miller.