GPBC Blog

By Angelo Ramella--

I have been thinking a lot about how stories are so much a part of our everyday lives. Just explore briefly in thought about how telling a story or hearing someone else’s story is such a frequent part of life. Of foremost importance and divinely impactful is recognizing that the Bible is a true story. I have been in awe of the way God’s story has been passed down, translated into new languages, shared worldwide, and will forever go where He goes. 

We encounter stories more often than we might realize. When marketers decide what to put in a commercial, they first settle on the story that they want the customer to hear. In an interview, the hiring manager is listening to your story and why they should hire you. When you see an old friend and they ask you, “What’s new?” they desire a story from you. Even in the age of advanced technology we don’t simply rely on timelines or spreadsheets, but we use summaries and dialogue to communicate the story that we want people to remember. 

When I engage in “story time” from now on, I want to be more ready than ever to share about what God is doing through me and about Jesus’ character. This has been so much on my mind because I have realized the impact stories have and have been observing how many of my own conversations go without mention of prayer or an honest account about how I have been relating to God. I haven't been including God's story in my own story! I am convicted of this, and I am looking forward to future conversations ahead.

I know not every person I see will want to hear all that I have to say, but I do want to be in tune with what God is doing in me daily. For this reason, I am thankful for an outlet like journaling and for my wife, Stephanie, who wants to walk with me every step of the way. 

As a church family, my prayer is that we will all become better storytellers and listeners, that our stories will carry the gospel onto good soil, that God would lead us into more opportunities for story time, and that we would have more story time with God alone.