"Once upon a time..." has to be the best opening line for a story ever, except for maybe, "In the beginning...!"  Our story starts at a certain time and place and begins to take off in many directions, some expected, some unexpected.  As I think about the beginning of my story I consider myself truly fortunate for what I began with.  I began with two wonderful parents, an lovable, but ornery brother, in an extremely small town without much money.  I was surrounded by both sides of the family; grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family.  The only thing missing was my dad's dad, grandpa Mercer.  We grew up attending church every Sunday and because my parents believed in sharing Christ with everyone, including the poor, I rode the "Joy Bus" to church with all of the "poor kids" whose parents did not come to our church.  It was an outreach and I grew up in it.  

Isn't that just the greatest beginning!  And, yet as I said above many expected and unexpected things have taken place since.  However, it wasn't my only beginning.  Every time I have grown in my faith I have had a new beginning.  That is what I love about the story of God.  He is always beginning something new in us.  New beginnings happen when big life changes happen.  We moved from that town, I started school, went to middle school, to high school, to college, got a career in ministry, got married, had children, and have moved twice since.  We (my wife and I) have lost some grandparents along the way and have learned new normals by moving twice and tackling health issues.  Through it all we have had new beginnings and new chapters of life have occurred.

When you start a story with "Once upon a time..." you hope to end with "And they lived happily ever after."  And while the middle has its own plot, schemes, catalysts, and problems to be solved, the end come quicker than we think.  And many times we live the middle trying to make the end say, "happily ever after".  That is why I love the story of God.  That is why I love that my story is just a small part of God's story.  The end of His story is, "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people.  Amen"  And to be honest the ending hasn't happened yet.  We still wait in great anticipation for the end.  And so I will try and live my story creating new beginnings when life calls for them and living for something more substantial than "happily ever after."  I will live for the grace of God.  I live knowing that God is always with His people continually working in their lives and gifting them with grace.

Last year my wife chose a word to live by for her year.  The word was promise and we witnessed throughout the year challenges and blessings of God's promises.  This year I decided I would learn from her and choose a word for 2013.  The church where I preach is living by the word:  Illuminate.  I will be living by that word too, with what I preach and the journey we take together as a congregation.  However, I wanted a word for me too.  I wanted a word that would expand my spiritual growth and push me to do some things I have never done before.  I chose the word:  Story!

I want to live my story.  I want to live God's story.  I want to share those stories.  I'm working on some other projects this year outside of my work duties.  I'm realizing just 22 days into the year that there will be challenges thinking through this idea of story.  One of the first things that I'm realizing is that My Story is a bit of Mystery.  It is a mystery to those around me (even though I think I'm an open book) and it is a mystery to me too.  Until I chose to think through my story, I didn't realize how much emotion, thoughts, realizations, and passions of my life that I haven't even tapped into yet.  I have realized how the people closest to me (some that have known me all my life) have never heard me express how my past has shaped me emotionally and what I want for my future.

Two Things

1.  I need to engage in God's story in deep and passionate ways.  Not just reading his story, although that is one of my goals for this year, but also meditating on the heart of God and listening to what His people say and hearing their heart as well.  God's story begins with God, meaning before the world began, and hasn't ended yet.  A helpful book that I'm reading right now regarding the idea of Jesus' entire story being the gospel is, "The King Jesus Gospel" by Scot McKnight.  I've already read Blake Mycoskie's story, the founder of TOMS, where he shares his personal journey and story.  I hope to gain from the stories of others and see how these stores connect to God and in turn connect to me.

2.  I need to engage in my personal story with a deeper focus on how this story has affected me, my family, and how I treat others. I need to allow for my story to be influenced by God's story.  I desire for my story to help others connect to God and His story.  And I desire that by sharing my story, it be a catalyst for others to share their stories and engage in God's story.

As I go through 2013, I know that God will challenge the story I'm writing with my life and he will expand my story.  While the story of my past will not change, I pray that I find new revelations about what it means and how it can further impact my existence with my church, my family, and most importantly My God!