I am a storyteller, straight up. Nothing excites me more than to tell someone about a great story, mostly because I want to speak truth and recognize the amazing things that God does. There is always a testimony on my lips, even if the story describes my failure to do what God has called me to, and the lessons I have learned because I missed the mark.

As I wrote in my journal this morning, I noticed this statement that I had written some months back…

“My journey is not mine alone; it is being lived out in a community, and therefore, it is not only about me changing and being impacted but it has some influence on the church body too.”

That statement is true of you as well.

How God moves in your life and teaches you by His Spirit also affects the others around you. If you are growing spiritually, others around you will be motivated, and encouraged to do the same. Your passion is like a spark that lights fires in the people in your life. When you delight in the things of God, the wonder in your eyes challenges each person that encounters you to seek Him.

Some people are afraid to tell stories about what God is doing in their life because they think it’s selfish or puts the focus on them somehow. When we keep what God is doing to ourselves, we rob others of a blessing, a lesson God wants to teach through our example (bad or good), and denies them an opportunity to celebrate God’s faithfulness and enter His gates with thanksgiving.

At Neighborhood Church, we are a people who tell stories. It is my deep desire that testimonies fill every conversation. The heart has been compared to a storeroom that is waiting to filled up – what will you fill your heart with? As I walk through each day, I pause an extra minute to hear stories of God’s faithfulness. As I cram each story into my heart, I am praying that they will make my heart a thankful place. We believe that as we hear stories of God coming through it begins to produce new faith and hope in us.

So as you watch for where God is working around you, look for God’s faithfulness. When you find examples of God coming through, stuff those things into your heart’s storeroom, move into a silent prayer of thanksgiving and ask God to do the same inside you. When we fill our hearts with the stories of God’s goodness we begin to experience the life to the fullest that Jesus promised and the adventure of life with God soars.

May you soar today.