Dear Friends in Christ,
It’s becoming something fun that we do as a staff together – testing out the stories we are telling and how they are either helping or hurting our ministry together.
When something happens, let’s say for example, one of us is running late, what are the stories we consciously or unconsciously tell ourselves? What stories cross our minds?
• They are busy handling some details.
• They are sick.
• They were in an accident.
• They got caught on the phone.
• Traffic was bad.
• Maybe we should see if they texted.
• They overslept.
• They were abducted by aliens.
We are all really good story tellers, and we guess that you are too. As we talked about Sunday, the stories we tell ourselves about the things we see and hear often affect how we feel, and how we feel often creates what actions we take. It is a real domino effect.
If you missed Sunday, here is a little flow chart from the book “Crucial Conversations” that you may want to ponder.
Jesus was aware of the power of the stories we hear from others and the ones we tell ourselves. More than once, Jesus challenged people to change their story about what was or was not important. He challenged stories that said it was not okay to heal and help others on the Sabbath. He reframed helping as being not work, but rather acts of kindness. He challenged the story of the culture of his time and his disciples that children were not worthy of the time and attention of a great teacher. He challenged the story that women, those who were sick, and those who were not Jewish, were not worthy or were not to be talked to or eaten with or honored. There were so many other stories people told about him and around him that Jesus challenged.
When we open ourselves to Jesus’ story and to the stories he taught, it can be transformational. When you think of the stories Jesus told, or stories about him, which ones connect with your heart and cause you to feel and perhaps take action? For me, today, the one that keeps rising is the story of the Good Samaritan. The one who was not considered worthy was the very one who helped and served – the faithful one and hero of Jesus’ story.
I hope you will join the Chapel staff in naming and testing the stories that are running through your mind. Are they helping or hurting us as we seek to follow Jesus as individuals and as a church together?
Building Community With You,
Pastor Donna