If Not for This

We make hundreds of choices a day. Some seem of no consequence, and yet . . . are they really?A strange man goes around town delivering unusual invitations. The recipients are invited to visit an odd-sounding place called the Discovery Room. Why? So they can be enlightened and discover their full potential. The whole notion sounds lofty and a bit pretentious, but it’s also too intriguing to resist. Some are eager. Some are nervous. Yet once they enter the Room, all are amazed and changed.In the Discovery Room invitees are shown scenes from their past. Choices—taken and not taken—are highlighted to help them understand how they ended up where they are now. Yet in the Room they also discover how things could have been if only they’d been aware and willing to follow God’s lead. If not for this . . . and this . . . and this . . . their lives could have been different. Above all they learn it’s never too late to open their eyes, their minds, and their hearts to fully see.Four people who get an invitation to the Discovery Room:Tony Amato: Forty-year-old Tony has made a mess of his life since one regrettable teenaged choice. He’s in a rut, letting the past mistake taint every good thing that comes his way. He’s got a huge chip on his shoulder and is wary and defensive. Facing the truth and discovering a path to a new beginning isn’t possible. Or is it?Minnie McLaughlin: Minnie is a college sophomore getting a business degree—her father’s choice, not hers. During the eight years since her parents’ divorce, Minnie learned to bend to the will of others rather than make her own choices. Keeping the peace was her goal. Yet sometimes “the peace” needs to be stirred up a bit.Lydia Brogdon: Lydia and her husband are empty nesters. Lydia used to be a high school mentor, but when things went wrong with one of her students she lost her confidence, struggled, and finally called it quits. In an effort to end the mental blame-game, she gets a job in data entry, hoping the computer-focused job will mean she won’t have to think so much. She has no idea the job will offer a key that will unlock everything.Gracie Sturgess: Gracie is the receptionist at the Discovery Room, yet she is hesitant to take a turn inside. What good can come from revisiting past choices? She never had choices. For fourteen of her thirty-two years she’s been stuck in the family home taking care of her ailing parents. Now, with them both gone, she has no idea how to live a normal life, what a normal life is, or if it’s even possible. She’s used to existing in survival mode and taking one day at a time. Will she be brave enough to take a leap of faith and enter the Room?Join in these life-changing discoveries—and know that you too are invited.