The Evolution of the Doorway: Part two in the summer blog series The Classic Story—A Parable of Hope through Fantasy

The Classic Story—A Parable of Hope through Fantasy

What makes a story resonate on a higher level for you? What is it about a story that connects you to something greater than what you see around you? What makes it a classic? It is the theme, the underlying message. When the theme speaks directly to your eternal nature, reminding you of who you are, why you are here, and what your eternal destiny is to be, the story becomes part of you. It is hard to forget. 

Think about it: The theme of the classic story, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum, taught you how to find your way back home using your head, your heart, and courage. The theme of the Star Wars movies, by George Lucas, was to use the Force, an external power that could only be captured through faith, to guide you to your destiny. While these were simple stories, they spoke to the divinity within us all, opening our eyes to a higher realm, helping shape our own destiny, both in this life and throughout eternity.

Every good story sticks with you in spirit because it conveys the messages of hope, family, and home.

Many readers have been drawn to the story of the Doorway series because of its inspirational nature. While fantasy storylines are captivating in their own right, inspirational fantasies have a satisfying nature to them that more readily speak to the human spirit. This is by design—not my design as an author, but your design, as in your relationship with a loving Eternal Father.

My hope was to create a world that feels like home with characters that feel like you. As you read, you can put yourself in the story, experience the adventure as though you are there, struggling with the same challenges, making the same choices. As you escape into the story, you can face the whole range of emotions—the highs of excitement, the lows of despair, and the triumph of success. After the final page, you can go back through the Doorway, reentering your world with added strength and courage to face your unique challenges and to shape your destiny.

This life is a playing field to remember who you are. The story of the Doorway series acts as a parable of sorts, to comfort, to guide, and to strengthen your resolve to be what God intended you to be.

Next up in the blog series: The Heart of the Story—like Harry in Narnia

The Evolution of the Doorway: Part One--Faith as a Motivator

The world is upside down. Corruption and crime, ignorance and insults, have taken over American politics. The media is more interested in ratings than right vs. wrong. No matter how strong a faith you have, you feel the pressure to give up. Seeing godliness in the world becomes almost impossible because there is so much sorrow, clouding your view.

Stop. Breathe. Remember.

 That’s not where you started. That’s not how it will end.

Why the Doorway Series?

One of the motivators for me in writing the Doorway Series was my desire to hold onto faith in this troubled world and to impart something of that faith to help strengthen others. I have a deep spiritual connection to my Father in Heaven. And yet, watching man’s inhumanity to man, his compulsion to do harm, his thirst for power and control, often leaves me overwhelmed. I see unthinkable acts of cruelty in the news daily. My mind struggles to make sense of it. This is not how we were meant to act. This was not part of our original design. We were born to rise above the inhumanity, to tap the divinity within us, and to utilize that power to create—not to destroy.

What we consume either edifies or destroys us.

We all know the results of a healthy diet and lifestyle—stronger body, longer life, happier days. Taking preventative measures to stay healthy shows wisdom of choice. When we do get ill, we take proper care to get better as fast as possible. Why? A healthy state is a happy state, both in mind and body.  But no matter how physically healthy we may be, disease of character—hate, bigotry, foolish pride, envy, dishonesty, unrighteous control, to name a few—can have devastating effects on the soul. These viruses eat at our heart, mind, and spirit as deeply as an infection eats at the flesh. If we continue to consume the poison of these vices, they will consume us.

Resetting a foundation of goodness

Filling your mind daily with hope is the antidote. Meditation, prayer, scripture reading—whatever speaks to your heart. Performing acts of kindness strengthens resolve. Viewing positive, wholesome entertainment also helps the soul to heal—and that’s where the Doorway Series comes in. Reading the Doorway Series is a way to reset your foundation. Forty-eight reviews don’t lie—people love the concept, the fantasy, and especially the hope that it offers. For children, it sets a foundation that we are more than what we appear to be. For adults, it reminds us of what we have forgotten—the divinity of our nature. The more we fill our hearts and minds with goodness, the more our actions will reflect that spirit. A foundation like this is what will change the world, one person at a time.

For those who are religious and spiritually minded, there is something of that nature included in the book that will speak to you. For those who look at the world differently, the virtues of goodness will still shine through. It is a novel that tells a story to your inner child, but it also holds your hand, guides you back to a better world, giving you the blueprints on how to make that world a reality for you here and now.

Open the Doorway, feed your mind and spirit with goodness again.

Next week: Part Two: The Story—where did it come from?