Stories

When I lived in Colorado I began spending (and continue today) my morning and afternoon drives listening to The Moth podcast, a podcast that started in 1997. The founder, George Dawes Green, wanted to recreate the feeling of sultry summer evenings in his native Georgia, where moths were attracted to the light on the porch. A place where George and his friends would gather to tell stories; a group that called themselves The Moths.

The show is always recorded live and the unscripted storytellers are from all over the world. Stories of challenge, sadness, hilarity and always surprise. Everyday-people telling about a moment in their lives that caught them by surprise and then gathering with others to share their stories. When I begin listening I have no idea where the story is headed. But I always end up laughing out loud, crying a bit or just gasping at the details of this real-life tall tale. 

I don’t think it matters who you are, where you come from or your socio-economic status, stories have impact. They move us, cause us to think, and often give us hope. For the last 2 months, once again, I had the great privilege of interviewing over 30 people who were choosing to be baptized. And their stories - holy cow. I was reminded that you have no idea of the details of someone’s life by just their outward appearance. More often than not, I, inwardly, gasped at what I was hearing. 

Stories of mental health challenges, rejection from their childhood church, complete inexperience or little or no knowledge of God, rejection of God for the pain and disappointment they lived through, overcoming addiction, facing loneliness, chaos, shameful decisions. 

One man told me about the first half of his life, a life spent in prison. He came from an abusive family and reacted as you would expect. Acting out to the point where he went to juvenile prison. He was arrested so often as a youth that a judge told his parents to get used to it. This kid would end up spending his life in jail.

Which was where Arthur was headed. Until he was faced with a decision: to spend the rest of his life in jail or end up dead. But instead…he chose God. And his life turned completely around. He began by owning all he had done up to that point, refusing to blame anyone else for his actions. They were his and his alone. And then he went looking for a church. And it was there that he found God, who began a good work in him and continues to be faithful on his path to completion.

You’d think I’d be used to these stories by now. But I never am. Every single time I’m in awe. At God’s relentless love. Which caused me (and our whole church) yesterday to celebrate quite loudly. Every time a video played and every time a person was baptized, the cheering went off the charts. And, unlike the other kind of cheering that I do, for individuals or groups who have achieved success, this cheering was, yes, for the person who made the decision to be baptized, but it was also for God. The accomplishments of God. And his amazing grace. His saving grace. A grace that I never want to take for granted. 

2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”

That is true, of course, but I also gotta think that he knows those hearts that haven’t yet been changed. He’s got his eye on them and is ready for that moment when they turn his way. And, boy, when they do, He immediately gets busy strengthening them to be fully committed followers of Christ.

So today I bask in the love of God. Reminded that He has done and continues to do the impossible. Love unconditionally, relentlessly pursue and turn stony hearts into hearts of flesh. Which means that there are more stories to come. And I can’t wait!