“Read me a story, Grandma!”  That has been one of my favorite parts of visiting with my grandchildren these last few weeks.  Whether we’re sprawled out on the bed at night or they’re snuggled beside me on the couch, reading provides an opportunity to share ideas with one another: to talk about life and how the characters in the books choose great ways, poor ways, or downright silly ways to handle the problems they encounter.

Stories are powerful.  They can entertain, enrage, or educate us.  Some tales are so widely-known, they become part of our culture.  Their mere mention evokes the ideas they express: Romeo and Juliet, Lord of the Rings, Noah and the Ark.  A good story invites the audience to identify with its characters.  Were you the little engine that could?  Perhaps you were the Dr. Seuss character who did/did not like green eggs and ham.  As you grew older you may have been Susan, Peter, Edmund, or Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia.  Have you at some time imagined yourself in the place of David, the “man after God’s own heart” maybe finding the perfect stone for your sling before slaying Goliath or a lion that was attacking your sheep; or Moses who wouldn’t believe that God wanted to use HIM to lead the Israelites into the wilderness or cracking a boulder with your staff, or Jonah who tried to run away when God told him to warn the Ninevites to repent!  Maybe you’ve been the woman at the well, in need of the forgiveness only Christ could offer.

Stories provide a way to connect to other people.  Do you remember the story Nathan told David about the shepherd whose only lamb was stolen in order to show him the sin in his life?  The Bible is full of places where God uses stories to talk to us.  Jesus frequently spoke in parables to demonstrate the point he wanted to make.  These stories often help us understand so much more than if we are given “just the facts, ma’am.”

Over the years I’ve learned that God has given each of us a story to share.  Yours may be the story of redemption at an early age and living most of your life as a Christian.  Maybe you didn’t recognize your need for God until much later and have a testimony which, like Paul, involves downright hostility toward God and His plan until you SAW him in Truth and Light.  No matter what your tale involves, it can be a powerful witness to others.

As members of KnoxCAM, each year we get to tell a new story.  Our actors portray characters who are based on the struggles of real people.  We’ve told the story of a father gone astray who finds himself in need of the forgiveness of his family and employer; a woman who lived hard, found Jesus, and spent her life humbly showing others His love; a young man who, upon being released from prison, finds himself in need of people who will help him live out his new found faith.  These stories provide a powerful way to connect people to God’s message for them, a message of love, forgiveness, and commitment.  The stories are conveyed in a powerful way by the actors, dancers, and musicians of KnoxCAM.

I can hardly wait to see what new story KnoxCAM will unveil this fall.  If it is like our past stories, it will be a tale with the power to touch hearts and open them up to the presence of The Holy Spirit and His desire to connect with each one of us.  I’m excited to see what message He has for me in this new play, and to take that story out into our community to share with others.

I invite you to become a storyteller too!  Be ready if you wish to share your story when God provides the opportunity, and come join to us as we spread the message of God’s love to people outside the walls of our churches.  Use the power of your story to create a connection with someone.  Then tell them the greatest story of all, the story of God’s love, to help them develop a relationship with their Heavenly Father.