Brown - Jumping into the parade : the leap of faith that made my broken life worth living

Praise for Jumping into the Parade

A real-life story of redemption, Jumping into the Parade is a call to action for us all to live our lives more consciously. Every reader will learn something from this book.

KEN BLANCHARD, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and Lead Like Jesus

You wont find many authors as vulnerable, forthright, and real as Tim Brown. This book teaches us that we are all broken and beautifuland the only way to find true joy and love is to put all our eggs in our Faith, Family, and Friends basket.

TOMMY SPAULDING, New York Times best-selling author of Its Not Just Who You Know

Jumping into the Parade is a powerful read. The words, stories, and language used in this book are evolutionary in nature. From my view, it is rare for a business leader of Tim Browns caliber to throw down the gauntlet on the truth. This book is real, and the lessons are liberating on every level, for anyone interested in living a more powerful and authentic life.

STEPHEN McGHEE, visionary leadership guide and author of Get Real: A Vital Breakthrough on Your Life and Leadership

Tim Browns book should be recommended reading for everyone, but particularly for those who are at a crossroads in life when the next steps they will take are so critical. Coming to grips with the unaddressed questions in life is something we all have in common. Tim masterfully guides us toward greater fulfillment through his own story of triumph.

PHILIP ANSCHUTZ, the Anschutz Corporation

I have had the pleasure of knowing Tim Brown for many years. Reading Jumping into the Parade reminded me of how often our masks keep us from really knowing what our friends are struggling with, while we often are hiding our own struggles from them. Tims vulnerability gave me a deeper appreciation for the man he is, and served as an encouragement for me to be more real and open in my own relationships. In Jumping into the Parade, Tim shares his journey from despair to fulfillment and gives practical steps that we can take in our own lives to evaluate where we are headed, and maybe, how to get to a better place. We probably have all had times when we felt like Tim did in that elevator. Im glad Tim pushed the down button!

DR. BOB BELTZ, Sr. Pastor, Highline Community Church, Denver

Copyright 2014 by Tim Brown

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

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First e-book edition: October 2014

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Brown, Tim (Executive)

Jumping into the parade : the leap of faith that made my broken life worth living / by Tim Brown.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-940363-33-2 (trade cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 978-1-940363-48-6 (electronic) 1. Brown, Tim (Executive) 2. ConvertsColoradoBiography. 3. Life change eventsReligious aspectsChristianity. 4. Christian lifeColorado. I. Title.

BV4935.B76A3 2014

277.3083092dc23

[B]

2014016423

Editing by Debbie Harmsen

Copyediting by James Fraleigh

Proofreading by Michael Fedison and Rainbow Graphics

Cover design by Connie Gabbert

Text design and composition by Publishers Design and Production Services, Inc.

Printed by Lake Book Manufacturing, Inc., Melrose Park, IL

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To my son,

May you live every second of every day in the full knowledge of Gods unconditional love for you. Cherish the blessing of your life. Dont take anyone or anything for granted. Be true to your Self and you will always be filled with peace, joy, and clarity of your purpose.

Love,

Dad

Contents

Tims 13:
Jumping into Your Own Parade

I T WOULD BE NICE to tell you that Tim Browns story is uniquethat no one has ever gone through the types of trials and experiences that took him, quite literally, to the edge of death. It would be nice to tell you that this is a great read (it is) and an interesting story (it is), but that the rest of us need never worry about going there ourselves.

In a way, thats true. But in a much more important way, its not.

Thats one of the beauties of our humanity. Were all different. We all go through life on a path thats unique to our upbringing, our relationships, our DNA, our work experiences, our... well, our everything.

But as humans, we all share some common threads. We might like different types of movies, but we all like to be entertained. We all want to be loved. We all want to be accepted. We all want to feel respected, to feel valued. We all feel lost at times. We all get disillusioned. We all want to find our purpose and have meaning in our lives. And we all hurt when life doesnt go as we would like it to go.

These threads bind us together and allow us to relate to each other and learn from each other. They give us empathy for other people, and they help us draw parallels to our own lives.

When I read Tims touching and amazingly transparent story, I realized at once that hes traveling on a unique and fascinating journey, but that many of the pitfalls, emotions, and trials of his life are common to men and women all over the world, especially those (of us) whove pushed hard for success in the first half of our lives.

I get emails almost daily from and about people who look to all the world like theyve never made a mistake in life. They have nice homes, high-paying jobs, and a Hallmark-picture-perfect family. Everything they touch seems to turn to gold. But the outside world sees only the surface; on the inside, there are problemsaffairs, addictions, depression, greed, loneliness, pride, insecurities...

Tim isnt an island, and theres comfort for him in that fact. As you read his memoir, it should comfort you, as well. No doubt you will find yourself making mental notes along the way about things in Tims story that never could happen to you (how many of us marry a billionaires daughter?). But youll find much more in common: things like the desire to prove yourself or to please others, or the gnawing idea that youre a failure despite all the evidence of your success.

Ive been fortunate to meet with men and women all over the world who have come to a crossroads in life and made a decision to alter their path in radical ways. Thats my journeyfrom a life focused mainly on success to one that centers on significance. In the twenty-plus years since I wrote Half Time, Ive been amazed at the variety of stories Ive heard over the years, but now come to expect the similarities of their threads.

And heres the most important thread: hope.

Whether youve always been wealthy and are realizing that wealth without purpose is meaningless, or whether, like Tim, youve fought for every dime and reached that same conclusion, you are never without hope. Whether youre at one of those inevitable low points in life, at a high point that feels empty, or on the brink of self-destruction, you can choose hope. You can step back, reassess, redirect, and choose the path of hope.