storytelling

more and more i have been struggling with what it actually means to believe in God or have a relationship with God or anything that resembles the foundations of my evangelical upbringing. i guess this is not a surprise as i have blogged a lot about this lately (for example you can read my post on recovering evangelical here, if you didn't see it) and the more i think about it - the more i realize that it is storytelling. it is hearing the testimony and experiences of others that make me aware of the divine around me. others make me confident that the almighty God is at work. and even more so when they stop to reflect on what they've seen in my life or the lives of others. sometimes i am not patient enough to get a lot out of my own study - but when i pause to listen to the experience of others or take a deep breath to inhale the hidden beauty in the darkest places…it is like God is screaming out I AM LOVE AND HOPE AND BEAUTY AND GRACE AND TRUTH. just hold on cause the ride is going to be bumpy but beautiful.

so, i guess that's all. tell me your stories, and i'll try to remember to tell you mine. remind each other of the changes you see - the growth you've witnessed and the beauty that surrounds us. because when one of us is struggling it just might be your story that brings us back to hope.