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5 Story Quotes to Make You Think

by | Aug 21, 2018 | Gospel Coaching, Gospel living, Learning Story

5 Story Quotes to Make You Think

I’m a story lover — are you?

If you read the Living Story blog regularly, you know that it is all about that story — that is, the Story God has written into his cosmos and into our lives.

Enjoy these 5 favorite story quotes along with some reflection questions to help you think about how you are living your God-authored story. If you enjoy them, be sure to share them!

01

Eugene Peterson

Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places

How do you think a story can be an act of hospitality?

02

Dan Allender

To Be Told

What redemption story might God be telling with your life?

03

Scotty Smith

Restoring Broken Things

What role do you play as a carrier of God’s Story?

04

Rachel Remen

Kitchen Table Wisdom

Schedule a time on your calendar to tell and listen to good stories!

05

Madeleine L’Engle

Walking on Water

What does your story reveal about who and what and why you are?

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Following Christ after Lent: A True Story

by | Apr 18, 2017 | Bible study, Scripture, Spiritual Growth

Following Christ after Lent: A True Story

True story: when spammers get it right…

The Spammers are now making comments on my site that I haven’t posted in a while. That’s bad when Spammers’ comments are on target.

Ah, it has been a FULL season, and time is squoze, but I’m giving myself a timed 20 minutes to share something that’s on my heart and I really want y’all to know about. We’ll see where it goes.

Do you want to follow Christ? This man thought he did…or did he?

Tonight at the jail I’m going to teach the ladies the first lesson from Stott’s “Christ” Bible study guide – entitled, “Are You Ready to Meet Christ?” The Scripture is from Mark 10:17-31, the sad but true story of a rich young religious man who seeks Christ to ask him what he must DO to inherit eternal life?

The poor [sic] man seems fairly confident that he’s in good shape – after all, he’s kept ALL of the commandments that Christ mentions he should keep to inherit eternal life.

Except, not to be snarky or anything (Christ is far gentler than I – but you knew that – see Mark 10:21 where Christ looked on him and loved him),
but you might think he’d notice that Christ left a few out in his list (see Mark 10:19 and Exodus 20:3-16) – like, namely, the very first one –

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:3.

The young rich ruler cannot do what Christ asks of him in verse 21. It is impossible.

It’s impossible to DO that…

Why? Jesus explains to the disciples with an analogy – it is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25). That is such an astonishing statement that their response is a jaw-dropped,

“Well, then, who can be saved?”

And now we get to the point of the whole passage and the thing that is on my heart to share –

“With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.” Mark 10: 27.

We just celebrated the RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. What hinders you from knowing and following Christ? Everything. And nothing. At the jail, the ladies’ problem will not likely be with their riches. It will be with something else they cling to that brings a sense of security and significance. It will be with some way that they try to save themselves.

What kept me from following Christ? What keeps you?

In my heart, the thing that kept me from entering the kingdom of God wasn’t really related to wealth, although by this world’s standards, I had it.

What kept me from coming to Christ is something Walter Marshall talks about in his A-MAZING book, The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification, translated into readable English by Bruce McRae –

“You are so naturally prone to base your salvation on your own works! Even if you do not try to earn your salvation by your works, you will at least try to make your works the things that prepare you to received Christ and his salvation by faith.

Marshall then tells us about the WRONG TEACHING we are given:

“Do you see what they are saying? Your works do not save you, but your works make you fit and worthy to receive Christ. This view has terrible results: many will clearly see, with horror, the abominable filth of their own hearts. However, they will not come immediately to Christ because they will think they are not worthy to come to Christ.”

You know what really kept the rich young ruler from coming to Christ?

He thought he could DO something to inherit eternal life! He thought HE could do something to inherit eternal life!!!!!

Weak and wounded sinner, come to Jesus and lay your broken, clingy heart before him.

With MAN it is IMPOSSIBLE, but with GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.

 

 

How Community Revived an Impossible Dream: A Story

by | Jan 23, 2015 | Learning Story

For years, I have been writing, teaching, and coaching about the importance of sharing story in community. It is my calling; it is my work; it is my passion. But years ago, when I was training to pursue this mission, there were times I struggled with the process. I doubted my calling; I wanted to give up. On one of these nights, I was meeting with the women in my  Bible study for a story feast. Our topic was “The Death of a Dream.” I shared my story, and they responded. This story demonstrates how a community can strengthen faith, restore hope, and compel love.

“Death of a Dream” Story

“As most of you know, this summer I took a seminary class that caused me to question my foolish dream of finishing my degree. I was well on my way to reaching this impossible dream, having already completed one-third of the coursework. Each course had changed my heart profoundly and stirred a new passion for God, his calling to me, and my community. But this class was different. The professor seemed cynical and mocking, and over the four days of class, I began to wonder if I belonged. I felt like a stranger in a strange land, as others seemed to question everything I placed my hope in. I don’t know that I want to continue my studies there.”

When I finished, the group, many of whom had walked with me from the beginning of the story of pursuing the degree, had questions and comments for me.

One woman reminded me that we tell our children that they won’t always get along with a teacher. She asked me whether I really thought that God wanted me to give up so quickly just because I had a negative experience with a professor.

Another woman observed, “It sounds like you did something you never would have done in the past. You voiced your beliefs. Even if you weren’t heard by the professor or your classmates, you spoke up for what you believed, and that’s very important.”

“It sounds like you did something you never would have done in the past. You voiced your beliefs.”

The last to speak, a young woman relatively new to the group, gave me reason to continue in faith: “I haven’t been in this group for very long, but since the beginning, the idea that God would call you to such a strange dream has encouraged me to consider that my calling too might be from God. Now I am seeing that moving into this mission may be fraught with trials, and that without a community that knows who God is and what he’s done in my life, I’m sunk.”

Touché. Our new friend summed up the whole purpose of story feasts – to help one another continue in faith by remembering the marvelous deeds God had done and to encourage one another to wait in hope for God to do the impossible again.

Linking up with The High Calling today.

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Five Story Questions for the New Year

by | Jan 5, 2015 | Learning Story

Tomorrow is the last day of Christmas, so I guess we can move on to the New Year, right?:-)!

Yes, I know, many of us already toasted with champagne or fizzy grape juice, watched a ball or bird drop somewhere, and cheered (or yelled) ourselves hoarse over now-nearly-forgotten football games. We’ve eaten our collards, pork, and black-eyed peas, made our resolutions, and already broken many, if not all of them.

I resist making resolutions, because for me, they usually mean “things I will accomplish through MY determined will and human effort,” and that’s a complete setup for disaster. Instead, I think about stories.

This time of year is a great one for marking our stories, remembering where we have been, thinking about where we are now, and considering where we are going. As we view what God has done in our lives through the year(s), some general themes start to emerge. We remember our purpose and calling, one of which is as The Message puts it, “Go after love as if your life depended on it, because it does.” (I Cor. 14:1).

Here are five questions I am asking myself as this chapter of a new year begins. 

  1. What events have happened in my life and in my heart in the last year? What tragedy and/or redemption do I see?
  2. Where am I now? Think emotionally, spiritually, circumstantially.
  3. What might God have for me in the coming year or years? What new freedoms in Christ might I experience?
  4. Who are the people who will support and encourage me as I step into these hopes and dreams?
  5. How must I depend on the Holy Spirit to act in grace? How may God be glorified?

I’d love to hear how you answer some of these questions. Please share them in the comments.

In the next post, I’ll share an idea I stumbled upon about keeping a prayer journal as a way to see what God has been working in your life. If you want to receive posts by email, you can sign up here.

A Story of Broken Sisterhood

by | Aug 5, 2014 | Learning Story

If you’ve been around here for long, I hope you’ve recognized my passion for gospel-cultivated women’s community. A sad reality of the fallen world is that women learn to attack each other from the time they are young girls. In the new book I am writing, I am looking for the hope of redemption in the midst of broken sisterhood stories. here’s one such story:

Sammie, regular attendee at the women’s group for about a year, invited me to lunch. I had been wanting to get to know her better, and I was looking forward to it. When the waitress arrived, Sammie didn’t order anything. That seemed a little odd, since she had invited me to lunch. It should have tipped me off to what was to come.

We exchanged small talk until my salad arrived, but as I took my first bite, she spoke in a serious tone, “I’ve been wanting to talk with you about the group.” Not waiting for me to respond, she launched into a litany of accusations. In summary, I was authoritarian in my leadership, I had steered the accusations away from her attempts to be “real,” and I was stealing women’s voices.

The gospel brings women of all kinds together.


Copyright: omgimages / 123RF Stock Photo
The gospel brings women of all kinds together.


Wow. She blind-sided me. I knew enough not to engage her bitter stream of condemnation, but at the time, I was so roughed up that I couldn’t speak the gospel into it. I remember little about the next 20 minutes. I think I tried to do some of the things you’re supposed to do when someone offers critique, like nod and affirm and listen. I am sure at some point I caved into self-defense that she utterly demolished. Finally, the excruciating encounter ended with her departure. I quickly paid my check, rushed to the safety of my car, and burst into tears.

I drove down the road for a few minutes, still reeling from the blow, then realized (thanks to the Holy Spirit I’m sure) what I needed to do. I pulled over, grabbed my phone, and called a friend. A longtime sister in Christ, my friend listened to my pain and humiliation, then finally spoke soft words. She reminded me of the gospel I believed and taught regularly to others. Without slandering my accuser, she told me the story of how Christ died so I could love my enemies. She helped me see the slivers of truth embedded in the harsh words; she showed me where the words were wrapped in misperception and manipulation.

This story of sorrow and redemption reveals two powerful realities about women’s relationships: we can be one another’s cruelest saboteurs or one another’s most faithful supporters. Women desperately need healthy, thriving community, what I am calling here, “sisterhood.” Yes, we are sinners (Romans 3:23), but as Christians, we are also saints (Romans 1:7). In the gospel, there is not only hope for a sisterhood of sinner-saints, but a calling for it. Christ has redeemed us as a chosen people and a holy nation (1 Peter 2:9); in order to live fully into our new creation, we must love other women as our sisters. The gospel is the story of hope that such a community can exist.
Copyright for little sisters’ image: Martin Novak: www.123rf.com

 

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