Welcome to the first post in the series, 31 Days to Telling Your Story. I’m so glad you’re here! I pray that this series will be a great blessing to you, and that you’ll leave this site feeling encouraged and equipped to tell your story.
This series is written in conjunction with the Write 31 Days challenge and Five Minute Friday’s 31 Days of Five MInute Free Writes.
Each post in this series will be written in five minutes flat based on a list of one word writing prompts I’ve provided on this page anyone who wants to write along with us. Feel free to join the fun!
Our first prompt in the series is: STORY
Ready? Setting my timer for five minutes, and . . . GO!
In this series, 31 Days to Telling Your Story, we’re going to talk about why you should tell your story and how you can do so to the glory of God. This series can apply to sharing your story verbally or in writing, and as we progress I’ll be offering specific tips for both options.
People love stories. We’re drawn into stories. We relate to stories. When we’re in church listening to a sermon, we may get distracted or drift off to other thoughts, but as soon as the pastor starts a story, we’re back. We’re there for it.
A woman named Patti Digh once said, “The shortest distance between two people is a story.”
So my question for you is, “How can you be strategic in the way that you use the power of story, and how can you use your own story for good and for God’s glory?”
[Tweet “Challenge: How can you use your story for God’s glory?”]
People love stories, and the good news is that God does, too. Jesus mostly taught in stories — the gospels are full of them. Think about the Bible as a whole — is it not a compilation of true stories woven together into one grand story of redemption?
Whether you realize it or not, your story is part of that story, too. Your story is part of it because it’s part of His Story — the story of a creation that fell into sin, needed salvation, was offered redemption, and will one day be made new.
It’s easy to look at a storyline like the one I’ve just described and to think that we, as part of God’s creation, are the main characters. But actually, the main character is God. He’s the One who did the creating, the saving, the forgiving, the redeeming, the renewing. Without Him, there would be no story. He is the main character, the author, the editor, and the publisher — all in One.
Challenge: Take a moment and think about how God has featured in your story and give Him thanks for the story He has given you.
Stay tuned for the rest of the posts in this series! Join the challenge with your own 31 Days of Five Minute Free Writes or find the Table of Contents here.
BONUS: Sign up below for five free writing prompts to help you get started telling your story.
What a great reminder! We often tend to think of ourselves or the people around us as the main characters in our story, but we/they didn’t create us.
I am so grateful for all the powerful stories in our own lives and in our world at large. Even great fiction stories can help us stay moored to truth if we interpret them with discernment. I’m looking forward to your series this month, Kate. Thanks for sharing your story and for giving us these prompts. I wonder where they’ll lead us….
Kate, I love this first post! Thank you for reminding us that God is the main character in the story, and all of our stories are part of the overall story. My life would not have much meaning apart from Jesus. The knowledge that we are created in the image of God and that He never leaves us but always gives strength and mercy, etc. is what helps me keep going. Thank you for your encouragement in this journey of life. Blessings to you!
I too loved this post Kate! In my experience, the distance between two people is indeed their shared story. I think about some of my best friends and how we became friends because we shared similar stories of brokenness. And you are right, God is the ultimate main character. I also can’t help but think of Brene Brown’s work on vulnerability. She once said, “The bravest thing you’ll ever do is tell your story.” Your post got me thinking about how God’s story made flesh in Jesus was brave. Jesus died for our sins. But then was resurrected. A pretty great ending to an awesome story!
Thank you for hosting Kate, and for the word prompts! I’m feeling a little rusty in the writing department and look forward to diving back in here. My favorite blogs are the ones that tell stories. Such great connectors.