Cultivating Curiosity

What We Will Do Together on Substack

After posting more than 60 articles on this Substack site, I see that some of the earliest posts have been buried under more recent ones. They include some posts that help you get to know me better by sharing how I became a follower of Jesus. Since the majority of you have joined since those stories were shared in August of 2023, I will share these earliest stories with you beginning with this article. This post describes the purpose and feel of this Substack channel which is a bit different from others that I have seen. It will give you ideas on how to dig around on this site to find articles that connect with you where you are today. Enjoy! -Randy

Jesus loved to capture people’s imagination. He created fantastical stories featuring farmers and fishermen, doing everyday things but with astounding results. He shared the story of a tiny seed that, like Jack’s beanstalk, grows to incredible size.¹ He told the tale of a nondescript businessman expecting a day like any other, but, discovering, instead, hidden jewels² like something out of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “Treasure Island.” Again and again, as we read the stories of Jesus, he surprises us, captures our attention, and sets us free to live in a world more amazing than we ever imagined. 

In one collection of his stories, Jesus concludes with an invitation to share his passion: “Therefore,” he says, '“every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” I’m excited to accept this invitation. The Substack channel Makegoodhappen seeks to follow in Jesus’ footsteps by creating a digital platform that, well, that is a lot like my Mama and Papa’s attic. 

When I was a child, I loved visiting my grandmother and grandfather’s home in Texas City, Texas. “Mama” and “Papa,” as we called them, made certain that our stay was always fun, exciting and almost magical. The magic began when we walked up to the house and were greeted by “Troubles”, the endearingly ugly boxer, who would bark a welcome from his sentry post under the porch of their home. On top of that porch, just past the stairs and to the right side, was a swinging chair we would visit many times during our stay. It was both a resting place between games as well as a place where we would plan the next adventure. Through the front door was the living room; a wide open space with tight weave carpet that was perfect for matchbox cars, Legos, and board games which would inevitably spread across the entire floor during our stay. Against one of the walls of that living room was the couch where my older sister and grandmother would sit together each evening while we younger children were playing on the floor. They would laugh and laugh at Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” until they couldn’t hold it any longer, jumping up and racing each other to the bathroom. Next to the living room was the kitchen. On the counter space beside the toaster oven, there was always a bag of Hershey’s Kisses. Those chocolate Kisses would magically replenish themselves again and again during our stay.

But my favorite place at Mama and Papa’s was the attic. Their attic wasn’t like any other I’d ever seen. You didn’t access it through some bizarre door in the hallway ceiling. There was no sound of coils complaining and no fear of a ladder unfolding before you were ready for it.  Once inside you didn’t have to jump from one thin beam to another across exposed pink insulation which you stepped on at your peril. There was no danger in this attic, only adventure. Simply walk up the permanent staircase, turn the knob, open the door, flip on the light switch, and take in all of the riches scattered across the finished floor spanning the length of the entire house.  It was just as I imagine Jesus’ storehouse to be, filled with “new treasures as well as old.” 

From front to back and left to right were racks of vintage clothing. Next to them were family photo albums on top of magazines and newspapers which themselves were stacked on top of closed boxes filled with mystery and surprise. We would spend hours up there playing hide and seek, trying on different outfits for our imaginary adventures, and ransacking boxes for items that would capture our imagination. We would even bring some of those items downstairs to play with on the living room floor. Inevitably these trinkets from the past would encourage Mama and Papa to tell us about the trials and travails of family members who had gone through life before us; a series of stories that encouraged and equipped us for our own journey through life.

This Substack channel seeks to emulate Mama and Papa’s attic with three types of content.

(1) The Compendium is our “rack of clothing,” a growing collection of stories of faith from 2,000 years of Christianity. You’re invited to open these posts and look through this encyclopedic hodgepodge for entries that capture your imagination. Feel free to mix and match them, try them on, and see how they help you to take the next step in your adventure with Jesus.

(2) New Commentary is our scrapbook featuring Bible passages; passages you may be familiar with, but they are approached from a surprising angle that will capture your attention, inspire your imagination, and set you free to live in a world more amazing than you ever imagined.

(3) The Next Step, like Mama and Papa’s stories, is part of a “serial novel” of my spiritual journey through life. I share stories of my own trials and tribulations in the hopes of inspiring and equipping you for the adventures ahead in your own spiritual journey. 

There were times at my grandparent’s house when we were tired, or bored, or just needed a nap. But once were rested there was a particular call to reveille that filled us with anticipation and joy: “Let’s go play in the attic!”

The goal of Makegoodhappen with Randy Lovejoy, as Jesus’ parables, is joy; the joy of living in a world that is much more mysterious, adventurous, and exciting than we ever imagined. That world is waiting for you and me, no matter what kind of life we find ourselves living today. Let’s make it a habit to cultivate our curiosity and check out the attic together!

1. Luke 13:18-19

2. Matthew 13:44-46