July 23rd, 2020
Tina Yerkes, Director of Communications
I used to love sitting with my grandmother, who lived to be 107, and listen to her stories. She had seen so much- the start of cars being used for transportation, only owning one dress because of the effects of the Great Depression, World War II, and living without air-conditioning, a microwave or the internet. It was just amazing to me all she had been through, all she learned, and all of the changes she witnessed throughout her life.
She has a story. It was never a glamorous one. She would tell me “Oh you don’t want to hear my stories. They aren’t very interesting.” She couldn’t have been further from the truth. She worked only until she got married and then was a stay at home mom. She took care of the house, my grandfather, and her kids, had a bit of a gambling issue, loved her white Christmas tree with all blue ornaments, and loved all desserts.
She gave her life to Jesus at the age of 106! She had a lot of “formative years”, as Mike would say in our current sermon series on Paul. She may not have ever realized God was working in her life, for 106 years, but He was always there. He was there when she lost a baby during childbirth. He was there when her husband died of a heart attack. He was there when she was slowly losing her sight. It just took her 106 years to recognize Him. And one day, she did. It wasn’t profound. It was a very ordinary conversation with my mom at a diner after a routine doctor’s appointment.
We all have a story. It may not be the flash of light that Paul received from God. It may not be a miraculous experience or being saved from the jaws of death. But our stories matter. They matter to the people in our lives, each and every day. Tell your story. Share what God has done in your life – the little things that help you see God’s love, compassion, truth, wisdom, healing, care and generosity.
There was a woman who went to a well to get water. Her daily, everyday task of getting a basic necessity. And on this day, she met Jesus. Jesus asked for a drink of water and then began to tell her- her own story. He knew her story. He valued who she was even when the world around her did not. He knew that by this simple act of getting a drink, she now has a reason to share this story with others.
So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” John 4:28-29
Tell your story. One December night when I was 16, I sat at a lake under a star-lit sky and made a decision to truly follow Christ. It was quiet. It was cold. It was so peaceful and still. It was a conversation between God and my teenage self that changed my life, eternally.
What’s your story?
I used to love sitting with my grandmother, who lived to be 107, and listen to her stories. She had seen so much- the start of cars being used for transportation, only owning one dress because of the effects of the Great Depression, World War II, and living without air-conditioning, a microwave or the internet. It was just amazing to me all she had been through, all she learned, and all of the changes she witnessed throughout her life.
She has a story. It was never a glamorous one. She would tell me “Oh you don’t want to hear my stories. They aren’t very interesting.” She couldn’t have been further from the truth. She worked only until she got married and then was a stay at home mom. She took care of the house, my grandfather, and her kids, had a bit of a gambling issue, loved her white Christmas tree with all blue ornaments, and loved all desserts.
She gave her life to Jesus at the age of 106! She had a lot of “formative years”, as Mike would say in our current sermon series on Paul. She may not have ever realized God was working in her life, for 106 years, but He was always there. He was there when she lost a baby during childbirth. He was there when her husband died of a heart attack. He was there when she was slowly losing her sight. It just took her 106 years to recognize Him. And one day, she did. It wasn’t profound. It was a very ordinary conversation with my mom at a diner after a routine doctor’s appointment.
We all have a story. It may not be the flash of light that Paul received from God. It may not be a miraculous experience or being saved from the jaws of death. But our stories matter. They matter to the people in our lives, each and every day. Tell your story. Share what God has done in your life – the little things that help you see God’s love, compassion, truth, wisdom, healing, care and generosity.
There was a woman who went to a well to get water. Her daily, everyday task of getting a basic necessity. And on this day, she met Jesus. Jesus asked for a drink of water and then began to tell her- her own story. He knew her story. He valued who she was even when the world around her did not. He knew that by this simple act of getting a drink, she now has a reason to share this story with others.
So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” John 4:28-29
Tell your story. One December night when I was 16, I sat at a lake under a star-lit sky and made a decision to truly follow Christ. It was quiet. It was cold. It was so peaceful and still. It was a conversation between God and my teenage self that changed my life, eternally.
What’s your story?
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