Some stories aren’t written in ink — they’re written in courage, in faith, in the marks we make on those we mentor and in the quiet conviction to keep moving forward when life calls you into the unknown.
This weeks episode of The Story of Us: From Cosmic Dawn to the Depths of Being features the story of Paul Osting III, a dear friend from Jeffersontown, Kentucky, whose life embodies the timeless challenge found in Mark Batterson’s book, Chase the Lion:
“Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death.
Run to the roar.”
Paul Osting’s story begins on a familial compound in Jeffersontown, where family and faith were the framework of daily life. His parents and grandparents ran Charles Heitzman’s Bakery, a place where work ethic wasn’t just taught — it was lived. The long hours, the early mornings, the quiet pride in doing things well — these weren’t just lessons in business, but lessons in character.
That foundation shaped everything that came next. From the baseball fields of Trinity High School to the classrooms of the University of Louisville, Paul carried with him a belief that effort and integrity matter — that excellence, done humbly, honors God.
And as his journey expanded from college athlete to global engineer and now to entrepreneur and servant leader, one truth has stayed constant: Purpose is found in showing up, working hard, and serving others with deep gratitude.
It’s a philosophy that echoes a line from The Lion Chaser’s Manifesto:
“Stop repeating the past. Start creating the future.”
When faced with early retirement, that’s exactly what Paul did — taking the faith and discipline handed down through generations and turning them into something new. His life is proof that legacy isn’t about holding on to what was, but about building what’s next — with courage, conviction, and heart.
Blessed are the Peacemakers
When Paul retired from UPS after 26 years, he faced a crossroads and was seeking what Batterson calls a “God-sized dream” — something too big to do without divine help. In his book, Chase the Lion, Batterson writes:
“Your dream is more than a dream. It’s a calling. God doesn’t call the qualified. God qualifies the called.”
Paul found his calling through the gospel. While attending an early morning mass on All Saints Day, November 1, 2024 at St. Louis Bertrand he heard those words so often cited in the Christian faith:
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:9
At the time, he was in the habit of going to mass 2-3 times per week (I think that’s turned into 5 or 6 by now). And growing up Catholic, he likely had heard this reading dozens of times. But this time it landed different. He was just 6 weeks removed from a successful 26 year career. Paul was seeking. He was praying and searching and pondering about what to do next. On one hand, he could easily jump right back into the corporate world he was so comfortable in: fixed hours, exciting projects, upward mobility and the security of good benefits. But on the other hand, there was a loud whisper, a push to create his own destiny. He comes from a long line of successful entrepreneurs and grew up spending his Christmas Breaks and early weekend mornings working in the family bakery. He was packing a great letter of recommendation from his former VP. More corporate life was calling… but it didn’t feel like HIS CALLING.
What path should he chose? The three men he admired most in his life ran their own businesses, could he do it? And if he did, what could it be? He started considering all the usual options: franchises (food, restoration, remodeling, etc.) or starting a business from scratch. He spoke to several people in the various businesses to validate a path. He approached it like an engineer would. Then, he heard the scripture and… it clicked. He was destined to do something that gives back to his parents and grandparents, the generation that had given him so much. He’s the oldest grandchild on both sides of his family and always felt close to older generations. He knew he could give back to this generation with a personal care business. He landed on the name, Peacemaker, because his mission would be would to serve people needing care for loved ones and make peace in their lives. It had an active but gentle connation. Peacemakers Elder Care was born.
Paul arrived at this decision because he felt truth stirring in him. He didn’t choose comfort — he chose calling. He launched Peacemakers Elder Care (https://peacemakereldercare.com/), a business dedicated to serving seniors and their families.
At first, he didn’t have all the steps mapped out. He simply had faith — and faith, as Batterson reminds us, is “thanking God before He does it.”
In that leap of trust, Paul found a new rhythm of purpose — serving others with the same love that had once surrounded him in his family compound, where generations looked after one another. For Paul, Mathew 5:9 became both mission and mantra.
“Peace isn’t something you wait for — it’s something you make.”
Batterson writes that “Our dreams are possible because of the dreams that were dreamed before us.”
That could have been written about Paul’s life.
The entrepreneurial spark that once fired his grandfather’s Duplicator Sales & Service and his family’s bakery now burns in Paul’s own work. His Peacemaker mission carries forward a generational dream — to serve, to build, to bless.
And like his children, Paulie (a baseball player at Western Illinois University) and Caroline (a three-time basketball state champion now a Freshman at the University of Louisville) — Paul’s story reminds us that legacy is more than what you leave for others. It’s what you leave in them.
“An inheritance is what you leave for someone.
A legacy is what you leave in someone.”
From the Ballfield to the Cosmos
When Paul talks about coaching — about the young players who still call him “Coach” years later — you can hear the cosmic thread of The Story of Us Project woven through his words. Because at its heart, coaching is creation. It’s passing the divine spark from one soul to another.
The practices in his backyard, the long afternoons of mentorship, the quiet mornings at Mass — all of it was part of the same sacred story.
Here at The Story of Us Project, we believe that stories like Paul’s remind us of our interconnectedness — that faith, courage, and love are the real architecture of human meaning. His life teaches us what it means to face fear not with denial, but with devotion.
As Batterson writes,
“God is in the business of helping us overcome our fears, but He often does it by bringing us face to face with them.”
And so, Paul runs toward the roar. As he always has. Not because he’s fearless, but because love has made him brave.
Carry the Story Forward
If Paul’s story stirred something in you — a whisper that said me too — don’t let it end here. Share it. Speak it. Live it.
The Chase the Lion mindset and The Story of Us Project both call us to the same truth:
That we are meant to dream dangerously, serve boldly, and love deeply.
So this week, be a peacemaker.
Run to the roar that’s calling your name.
And remember — your story, like Paul’s, is part of something vast and shimmering.
The story of one is, in some mysterious and beautiful way, the story of us all.
If you have a love one in need of assistance, please reach out to Paul and his team at Peacemakers by clicking the link above.
To learn more about Mattison’s Book, Chase the Lion, click the link below.
The Story of Us. 
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