Last night was our first installment of Our Story. Each week, we are producing a video interview of someone in our ministry (adult or student) sharing some details of their journey with jesus.
Our hope is not to share clean, tidy stories each week that consist of (1) I was a sinner, (2) I met jesus, and (3) now I have my Get-Out-Of-Hell-Free card and life is good. Our hope is to share our personal struggles and how God has been faithful to us in them. By dragging our struggles into the light of community, we’re able to see the commonality in them (I Cor. 10:13) and bear each other’s burdens (Gal. 6:2). The key is understanding that we are all part of the larger narrative/story of the Scripture. What God began ‘in the beginning’ (Gen. 1:1) is still being written and woven into history. The story of Noah, Abraham, and Saul is part of the story of Peter, Paul and Timothy. The story of the unnamed woman caught in adultery. The story of the beggar healed at the Pool of Bethesda. The stories of countless people like Cameron, Jessie, Jordan, Kayla, James, and Herb. And me. And somehow, as our stories intertwine, we see the Grand Narrative of God’s redemptive plan. Not for me…but for all of creation.
It was decided that I would be the guinea pig and go first. Watch the video above (or on Vimeo for better quality).
And then there’s the whole grace thing. I’m a big fan of it. I have nothing to give Him. Even the desire to turn to Him, the desire to worship Him… is a gift from Him. His kindness leads us to repentance, not the other way around.
We decided last night that it would be our practice, after someone shared the sin-and-redemption details of their not-yet-finished story, we would huddle around them, lay hands on them, and pray over them for the Spirit’s strength and continued completion of their faith.
Our Story is far from finished.
