Story
Habit 3 of the Discipleship Culture Guidebook is an important habit and skill that we spend our whole lives developing – our story (Catch our peek into Habit 2 here).
People are not problems to be solved or victims who are stuck, but dynamic characters in a colorful story—an adventure—that’s still developing and full of redemptive potential. Maturity is about more deeply facing, knowing, and owning our story; telling our story to safe people; and taking next steps to follow Jesus into a bigger story.
Rich Plass and James Cofield wrote an entire book about how we are made to continually develop and uncover our stories through healthy relationships with God and with others. Their book, The Relational Soul is on our recommended reading list, and the book’s Appendix 2 provides a great guide for mapping your story.
We grow when we face our story, and when we tell our story to a safe group of people who want to know and love us. During the course of your discipleship journey, we suggest you devote a meeting to each person telling their story. At the time of writing, my (Max) Lifegroup is right in the middle of this season. I told my story to my group last week – I learned more about myself, captured greater awe of the big ways God is at work in my life, and found an understanding and loving audience in my group.
“You don’t mature by ignoring your life. You mature by taking hold of your life.”
- Rich Plass
The group’s job is to listen to your story and to lovingly ask further questions to draw out more parts of your story. Don’t tell the pretend or polished version of your story, tell the real story about the real you. You’re safe to do this because the real God loves the real you. All it takes is one person in your group to show up with vulnerability to create a community that can be vulnerable, honest, and quick to confess sin or ask for help with a need.
This is the community we desire; being truly known and deeply loved as we share our stories is to do real life and share the gospel with one another. This is discipleship; this is how we are designed!
So you told your story.
If you’re a Christian and you’ve not yet been baptized, now would be a great time to “go public” with your faith by being baptized in the presence of your church family and sharing some of your story. Baptism doesn’t save you, but it’s one of just two sacraments Jesus gave his church. Baptism is the first and one-time sacrament we practice upon someone’s entrance into the family of God. Communion is the ongoing sacrament we practice once one has been born again and baptized into God’s family.
We just so happen to be celebrating Easter this Sunday, and if you’d like to go public with your faith, email alayne@gardencity.life to make it happen!
Take a look at this sermon by Justin from last year on Habit 3 - Story!
Here is the full Habit 3 in the Guidebook to flip through, too:
We also want you to have access to the whole Guidebook if you don’t already, so below is a link to download it. We have a physical Guidebook for you too, so you can scribble down your thoughts and prayers and dive into the resource in a Lifegroup! Just email Alayne and we will get you a copy!