Episode 8 – Wendy’s Miracle!

Clint  0:00

Hi, everybody, welcome to Spiritual Cake Podcast, where two regular people talk about everything that is in the spiritual realm. That interesting part of humanity that’s beyond the physical, the mental, and the emotional. And it’s me, Clint Hufft and my wonderful partner, Wendy Dahl, Wendy.

Wendy  0:24

Hello. Happy to be here.

Clint  0:28

One of the side things about that our listeners as as our audience grows, one of the things they’re all going to be listening to is the first 30 seconds and how Wendy says hello. Because it’s always different. It’s very funny.

Yeah, just to be clear, Wendy and I are not clergy. We have an interesting collection of life experiences, including doing a lot in the event industry, for weddings and multicultural events and interfaith events and all that kind of stuff. And we began the dialogue a number of episodes ago about spirituality and how it affects everything that’s going on not only in the world, but to the individuals. Which brings me to today’s launching point.

Wendy, tell us the story.

Wendy  1:16

So as you’ve heard, we both work in the wedding and event industry. And right now we are in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, which means for weddings and events that everything is pretty much canceled and moving into next year. And so, there’s been a lot of support from the government as far as getting through being on the stay at home orders and things like that. And so right now, the world is just starting to open back up or we’re seeing here in Orange County, we’re in phase three. Do you know what phase you’re in in Los Angeles?

Clint  1:58

No, I don’t know. I went to the gym this morning. So it’s that phase.

Wendy  2:03

Oh, that’s great. So yeah, so you’re in the beginning of phase three as well. But what that means is that while other businesses get to open, there still are no weddings and events. And if there are weddings, Clint has the opportunity to at least officiate in a wedding that has 10 people or less, but in my world, my average wedding size, I say on the small side is around 100. But I do a lot of ethnic weddings, where there’s like 500 to 700. My largest one was 1100 people. And so I do mass family gatherings. And so for me, I don’t have the opportunity to earn an income doing what I normally do.

So I was telling Clint this morning, he asked, how was your week last week? And I said, there was a miracle that fell into my lap. And I’ll tell you the story, because you’re going to get to how this miracle happened in a moment, but I’m going to tell you the story.

So I got, actually my daughter got a text, from somebody that goes to my church on Wednesday night that said, “Hey, I need to get in touch with your mom, can I have her phone number?” And so normally when this happens, it’s usually people that we know that want to call me and pick my brain for free wedding advice. And so she’s rolling her eyes going, do you even want me to give him your information? I was like, Yeah, I like him. He’s great. Give my information.

So he calls me the next day. And this was at 1pm. Calls me the next day. And he says, “Hey, I’ve been working with this organization where they’re doing COVID testing in mall parking lots. And they need a project manager. Is that something you’d be interested in doing?” And I said, “Oh, yeah, sure, have them call me.”

At 1:30 the doctor that’s behind everything calls me. We have a 20 minute conversation about what I do as far as off site weddings and events, where I do site plans, traffic plans, parking plans, permitting all that stuff for off sites, and how I could take this same skill set and adapted into setting up these satellite COVID testing clinics all over Southern California.

So we have a 20 minute conversation, I get a text at 11pm that I’m hired.

Clint

Wow.

Wendy

Right. And so in the matter of 24 hours, I had an opportunity fall into my lap that will not only pay my bills, it will allow me to boost my savings back up, it will allow me to do all the things that I need to do financially until weddings come back. And I want to tell you, I mean, this is a miraculous story. How does this even happen in people’s lives? And I’m gonna tell you what my secret was.

Clint, do you want to talk about your experience with where you’re going with Mark Victor Hansen?

Clint  4:49

Yeah. Okay. So there’s a guy named Mark Victor Hansen, and he’s the co author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. And it’s done really, really really, really, really well. So back in 2003, I was considering launching a speaking career. He had a conference nearby. It was a two day conference and he had a bunch of people that were very successful in the speaking industry. And then he revealed that he personally knew one of my heroes Buckminster Fuller. I don’t know if this is actually the way people describe him, but in my eyes, he is like the da Vinci of the 20th century. He invented stuff, he figured out stuff, he was a philosopher, and it was just amazing.

So Mark Victor Hansen, would said there was a philosophy that whatever you need, will show up right when you need it. You just have some faith. That’s the way it works. Now, I don’t remember him attaching any kind of theology to it. I don’t know if he said that if you believe in God. And that was before The Secret, that whole thing. So I don’t really know exactly the origination of it. But it sounds to me like this is kind of in that vein. Your story.

Wendy  6:17

It is and I feel like the Mark Victor Hansen is in The Secret and that kind of thing. I feel like they named it the law of attraction so that it was a universal language to people whether or not they were spiritual. And so for those of us that are spiritual, and we do see the hand of God in our lives, we believe it to be from God and blessings from God. But for those that do not believe in God, they believe in the whole world of energy and how the energy you put out also attracts like energy. That’s just my observation.

And so in this case, I’ll tell you that I was just listening. Obviously, I’m Mormon. And so I was listening to an audio book from Joel Osteen. And the book is called Favor. And I was listening to this book. And one of the messages I lifted from it was he was talking about how you pray. And he was like, are you praying for, like a bandaid? So essentially, if you’re in a bad situation, and you’re saying, Just help me get out of this bad situation, and you’re naming the bad situation, and it’s like a desperation. And he says, you are blessed with favor from God, which means He wants to bless you. He wants to give you miracles, He wants to do these things for you. But are you asking for them in the right way? Which essentially follows along the same terminology of The Secret where when you’re asking from something from the universe or from God that you need to be asking for bigger things.

And so Osteen seems like he was saying you need to start praying for miracles. You’re highly favored, and He wants to give you a miracle. So start changing the language of your prayers for miracles.

For me, where it was last week, and I’m sitting here looking at my calendar going, Okay, there’s no immediate income or not enough immediate income to resume paying for my mortgage, which the government and the banks had agreed that they were going to let all of us that are on the state home order, push off our mortgages by three months. I qualify for that, thank goodness.

But I’m looking at July 1 thinking, Okay, I need to have an income to be able to resume paying for my mortgage. And instead of me praying for, help me figure out a way to get past this, I changed the language of my prayer to, “Heavenly Father, I am looking for a miracle that will take care of this for me in a way that’s better than I could have imagined.”

And that was the words of my prayers. I probably repeated that maybe two or three times in prayer the week before I got this call.

And so, ironically, I was just telling my daughter the same thing because she’s gone back to work and her role has dramatically changed from what it was previously. I said the same thing to her, I said you need to start thinking of instead of how do I avoid what is happening, help me avoid what’s going what’s happening in my life, too. I need a miracle. I really need this miracle to happen now.

I would attribute this wonderful miracle in my life. I am so grateful for because what we were talking about earlier, as “now money”. In the future, I can resume the weddings and I can resume doing the things that I always do in the speaking and things like that. Right now. It’s not there and so I needed now money and and it came and the coolest package that I mean, not only do I get to apply the skills that I know, but I get to help communities that are worried and nervous about COVID.

The way that this testing happens is you stay in your car, so you don’t feel like you have to be exposed to other people for the people that are in the groups where there’s a higher chances of them getting sick.

So that there is my story of how my week went and how miracles work, because I changed the language of my prayers.

Clint  10:27

I love that story. I love it. And it’s interesting, because I’m old enough to have heard stories like this ever since I was a kid. And so that’s decades and decades of hearing stories, right? Of people that believe that there was divine intervention in something that happened in their lives. And I learned a long time ago, that I have no idea how the universe works. I have no idea the complexity and intricacies of God. I mean, anything that can creates something that is on a very, very, very micro level as complex as, as quantum theory and quantum physics, but it can also on a macro level, create a universe that’s beyond beyond, or maybe even multiple universes.  Know what I mean? It’s just, there’s both of those far beyond my ability to really wrap my mind around how this stuff works.

Which brings me to faith. And so you reached out through prayer, and you didn’t know what was going to happen. But it’s almost like you said, What the heck, I’m gonna do it this way. And then you see what happens because it’s beyond your control. Does that make sense?

Wendy  11:49

It makes perfect sense. And that I think is the truest message of things is that faith is a power that we all have that I just don’t know. Especially in times, like right now. Fear is so present in the human mind. I mean, we were surrounded by it. And so to have faith shine through, let me tell you, for me it was it was not only shifting the way I felt every day, but I think you’re onto something as far as it’s, it’s really what changed everything.

Clint  12:20

Well, also words are interesting. So we’ve used the word faith and we use the word miracle, right? And there’s a lot of people that would have a negative reaction to those words, because they have connotations that some people would reject for a lot of different reasons. Right? So if words are a symbol, and quite honestly, words don’t always measure up to what we want them to do.

Like for instance, blue. You immediately pictured a shade of blue, and I might have pictured something completely different. Or have you ever gotten into the conversation of I wonder if what chicken tastes like to me is what it tastes like to you? Are your taste buds the same as mine?

Okay, so now we’re talking about words in regards to the metaphysical and a word like faith. Can it be repositioned or reframed? So it’s the exact same thing, but it communicates on a different emotional level, almost like what we were talking about last episode in regards to leadership, and it’d be great if there was like an orientation.

And, I was suggesting that there’s got to be a way to help leaders get to a spiritual place, beyond the physical and the emotional and the intellectual to where if they could lead and tap into the spiritual perspective, which will allow them to number one, relax, but number two, not bring as much of the… Oh, when I was studying yoga, what do they call that?

They call it the the material plane. I think that’s what they call it something like that, where there’s the spiritual plane, and then there’s material plane. And sometimes we get stuck in the material plane. And we don’t realize that there’s something beyond. And so, if there was a way for us to figure out how to communicate that everybody has this inside them this gift, if you will, to be able to, I guess, I don’t know if you tap into it. I don’t know if you enact it. I don’t know exactly how it works. But through your prayer and the way you suggested in the way you phrase your prayer, it seems as though it had a different effect. Okay, first of all, I’ve said a lot of words, does that all make sense?

Wendy  14:43

It does and to tie it into an intellectual mind. I was actually listening to, goodness, I think it’s success habits or hang on I’ll look it up and tell you the exact book. But it was pointed out So Napoleon Hill book called Yeah, Success Habits. And so he talks about the intellectual mind. And he’s actually teaching you in this book success habits, how to think. And he talks about how if a man were to believe he could do something that he could. And I think isn’t there a quote that says, whether you say something along the lines of whether you will or whatever you believe is what you will achieve. It’s something along the lines of that.

Clint  15:29

Well, let me jump in here for a second. The quote that you’re referring to that comes into my mind is whether you believe you can do something or you can’t do something. You’re right.

Wendy  15:40

Yeah, that’s exactly the quote I was trying to think of. I think it comes down to your beliefs. And so for me, I feel like I activated a belief inside of me that I knew was there that I had a lot of doubt around, because there’s a lot of fear that we’re experiencing right now.

And to be honest, For me, I would tell you seven days ago, I was looking at my calendar going, I am afraid that I am not going to have the money that I need to be able to pay my bills and to keep this house like what is going to happen, I’m afraid. And then listening to that book on favor, I had listened to it actually, probably a month ago. And I just decided I thought, Okay, well, how could I win?

Sometimes, for me, it’s putting a pause on the negative emotions and letting the light come through. So letting faith return, because I believe faith is a personal power just like hope, faith and hope, however you however you’d like to define it. And so for me, it was getting out of my own way of removing the fear of saying, I don’t know how this is going to happen, but I believe it’s going to be better whether it’s or better than I could have imagined it, whether it’s something on another project that I’m working on that lifts off or something like this that just came out of coming Completely thin air for me, like not even on my radar, that something like this would even fall into my lap, I had to believe that there was something that was coming for me that I needed. And I feel like that was the ultimate shift was the belief that whatever is possible, is real.

Clint  17:23

There’s a, I guess, a way of looking at the world that says if we can’t figure it out, it must be magic. So consequently, now that science has brought us the understanding of certain scientific principles, but we can imagine a tribal person a long, long, long, long time ago, would look at a regular manifestation of something and just because they can’t figure it out, they’ll attribute some sort of theological or magic attribution, right?

The reason I say that is because there are people who would say, talking about your story, where did that lead come from? It came from your church. So you have a networking base and data and just kind of try to figure it all out to where the threads actually connect, which, that’s all legitimate as well, that all is true as well.

But, how that stuff works, almost, they go hand in hand. I was gonna say it doesn’t matter, but it does matter. They go hand in hand in regards to allowing your faith and, and however, God manifests the request or the miracle. And also the thread that is connected in just the material plane of this connected to that connected to that and you and I both have had the experience of one thing leads to another which leads to another which leads to another. But it’s okay. I think it’s very okay to relax and I was gonna say throw up your hands, but I don’t even know if that’s applicable, but to relax and say there’s a higher power involved in this because this just fell in my lap. Does that make sense?

Wendy  19:07

Absolutely. And as Joel Osteen put it, God doesn’t want you to fail. You’re going to fail in life so that you can learn from it and become a better person. But, there’s another author that says, the universe has your back and simply stating the same thing just in a different way.

Clint  19:31

Right. And, I think also, there is a practical application to this as well, because you had to take care of your business. In order for this to be applicable to your needs. You had to take care of your business. I mean, to be aware that you have fiscal responsibilities, and to do your personal accounting, and to figure out okay, well, here’s what I need, and where’s it gonna come from? And you’ve explored all of your options and so on and so on.

I know it’s not in the Bible, but that whole phrase of, was it Benjamin Franklin that said, God takes care of those who take care of themselves. And the way I interpret that is that we still have to live our life. In the Zen Buddhist, there’s a phrase that you achieve enlightenment, but then you still have to carry water and collect wood or something like that. Oh, there’s another guy who is a Buddhist, and Oprah interviewed him. And he’s very successful and does all these retreats and bla bla bla bla written books, and he says, congratulations, you have attained enlightenment. Now go do the laundry.  Which means that that the human experience is everything all at once. It’s taking care of the physical plane which we have with our bodies and then the intellectual plane which rises to a different level, and then the spiritual plane and it’s all part of the human experience. It all kind of requires its own diligence. And so I like the fact that we can look at something like the miracle that came to you. And we can connect the dots that led to you and to the job. But I think it’s a mixture of things that we can just accept. In terms of this, we understand that we don’t understand and it all goes together in this wonderful mixture of soup called humanity.

Wendy  21:30

Yes, yes. And I know that what you’re tapping into is that the doing still has to exist. Like you can’t just wake up one day and say, Oh, I’m going to be a physician without going through the training of becoming one.  I feel like the miracles that come into your life, it’s just like an opening door. And you still have to walk through the door. You still have to be prepared to get to the door, but you have to do something.

Or I know that in the law of attraction and I think for me, that’s why I believe in the law of attraction to a point where I don’t believe that I’m going to go to my mailbox and that a check is going to be in there that is in the amount that I need. And maybe for some people, that belief exists, and it happens for them. But for me, I don’t believe that is true. I believe that the doors that need to be open to me will open to me when I’m ready for them. And that I need to start asking for those doors to open and I’m able to walk through them when I get there.

Clint  22:32

Plus, it’s a better way to live your life. I think to feel stressed and live in stress and that kind of stuff. It’s just not good on all the levels. It’s bad for your physical health. It’s certainly bad for your mental health. And so to live with some sort of optimism and faith that I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I know that I’m going to be okay. But at the same time, it’s like okay, again, going back to connecting the dots. How we said one thing leads to another leads to another. The path of your life gave you a level of education and experience that when this particular miracle fell in your lap, you have the skill set and the mental capacity to not only walk through the door, but be of service in a way that was required.

And it’s because you lived your life, period, you live your life. And so I like the idea. And I guess the message I’m trying to say is, Well, okay, it’s really relevant to me because my daughter is 20 years old, and so she’s on the precipice of really entering her adult life. And what I’m trying to communicate to her is the idea that if you have a clear path, like I went to school with a kid in middle school, or we called a junior high back then, who knew he wanted to be a dentist, and that’s it, it was just a clear path for him, whereas my life has been fairly eclectic.

And so I said to her, if you have an inclination to explore something, then explore it, because you can always stop it. And the thing is, you need to understand you’re building up a treasure chest of skills and abilities and experience that will serve you in some capacity.

I married a couple, the bride was a history major. And everybody said, What did you do with that, besides teach? She didn’t want to teach. She didn’t want to do that? Well, it turns out all the writing that was required in order to get that degree in history, served her well in the corporate world, because she got a job where she had to write a lot. And she had that experience. And so I guess the the message that I would hope and maybe I’m talking to myself is that  what’s what’s so funny? Sometimes we have these conversations, and I realized all I’m doing is validating myself.

Wendy  24:39

I can relate to that.

Clint  24:41

I hope is the eclectic life is also as valid as a single focus life because everything you do, educates for the next thing that comes to you. And it’s okay to be open to that because the other I think the last thing that I’d like to put a little bow around this great story Is that the Lord works in mysterious ways. That you had no idea what was gonna fall in your lap. that this thing even existed, right and here it is and your perfect match and and it’s and  what that doctor is probably thinking the same thing oh my god, it’s a miracle that I found somebody that is exactly what I need.

Wendy  25:18

Absolutely right. I could see the light beams in his eyes when I opened my mouth and I said, Why are you going to do it like this? You should do it like this. And he was just like, I have the perfect girl sitting right next to me. I was really pleased. You’re right.

Clint  25:32

That was awesome. All right, everybody. We love having you a part of our conversation and our Facebook is up. It’s Spiritual Cake.

Wendy  25:44

It’s just spiritual cake. No, it is Spiritual Cake Podcast. Instagram is just Spiritual Cake.

Clint  25:50

Okay. And then our email is SpiritualCakePodcast@gmail. com. And we have a website which is spiritual cake, podcast or no,

Wendy  25:59

No, Just SpiritualCake.com

Clint  26:01

Yeah, there you go. So there’s a lot of ways for you to reach out to us and we really would love that and, and then of course, as we go on we do see a this is a long, long thread of conversations and so anything that you would like to bring to our attention and have us discuss or whatever is relevant in terms of what’s going on in the world, then please reach out to us.

That’s it for this episode of the Spiritual Cake Podcast. This is Clint and on behalf of Wendy. We will see you next time.