Encase you missed it…yesterday at NewSpring was ‘off the chain’ people (yes, that is a good thing)! What do I mean…what happened? Glad you asked, here are some highlights…
- NewSpring gave away a wheelchair-accessible van to a single mom and her son. She takes care of her adult son who has a disability.
- NewSpring gave away house (built by NewSpring skilled volunteers) to a single mom and her son
- These stories were told via video and Perry used these them to share the Gospel with the people. PHENOMENAL!
- After already being emotionally zapped the service concluded with a video that Will created to accompany the song “God of this City.”
- This video Will created highlighted some of the things our church has done to reach people. It highlighted the missions/ministry vision of NewSpring.
- By the time it was over, I was PUMPED UP and ready to charge hell with a water pistol!
It was an amazing Sunday and one that will go in my books as one of the “top 10 best services” ever! However, as I left the auditorium something hit me…stories matter, A LOT!
I love a good story…we all do! Even as kids we loved to hear a good story no matter who was telling it! Look at movies…the best ones, have a great story to them.
Stories matter more than we know, and looking back at the service yesterday…it was covered in stories! Stories that tugged at people’s hearts and had every woman in the place (and some men) crying like babies! Stories MATTER!
Ironically though, many times (in ministry) if we aren’t careful we miss the stories! We miss them because we become so busy ‘doing ministry’ that we miss the stories of how peoples lives have been changed forever by Christ. Ironically, ‘doing ministry’ is about hearing and knowing those stories.
Stories of life change matter and it does us good to hear/know them. How do I know? Well, because…
- They teach us (once again, how big God really is and how amazing His love is for us)!
- They remind us (what its all about and why we do what we do)!
- They grow us (to be the people God has called us to be…poured out)!
- They motivate us (to keep digging in and pouring out from the overflow into others)!
Bottom line: Stories of life change, change lives! Actually, Jesus changes lives, but you know what I mean. The thing is, we’ve got to take time to hear the stories! What about you? What are some amazing stories you have heard lately? How did that story affect your life or the lives of those around you?
May 12th, 2008 at 1:15 pm
Yesterday was amazing. I love being a part of making a difference through Jesus. We showed a lot of big things that NewSpring does for the community but not the little things. Those matter just as much. My grandfather passed away last week so I was in NY. I got back and was able to come to church. It was at church that I received a hug from a staff member who asked me how I was doing. That went a long way for me. I dont expect anyone to remember my stories but it is not just the big things that matter or the how can we top that.
May 12th, 2008 at 1:34 pm
We’ve been talking about the power of stories lately here as well, and I’ve been thinking about it more and more. I try to incorporate them as much as I can, because I know how important they are in encouraging me and building my faith. I try to encourage people in our kids ministry to tell me stories as often as I can, and I love sharing them with both the adults and the kids. My latest story of how awesome our God is goes something like this: A friend of mine recently had her father go into the hospital. He is not a Christian, but she and one of her sisters are. Her dad’s doctors took ultrasound photos of his colon and said that a portion of the colon was dead and would need to be removed. My friend began to pray (she’s been praying for big things lately) and she asked God for her dad’s colon to not be dead when they went into the surgery. She said as she prayed, she felt so sure that her dad would be fine. She told both her sisters (one who is a Christian and another who is not) that he was going to be fine. They went into surgery and to the doctor’s amazement, the colon was not dead! He said that if you had shown the pictures to 100 doctors they would all have said the colon was dead–he could not explain what had happened, but my friend knew that God had answered her prayer. It made an excellent opportunity for my friend to talk with her sister about Christ. I love stories!