Tuesday Tidbit: “Stories are our prayers….”

Stories are our prayers.

Write them and edit them with due reverence,

even when the stories themselves are irreverent.

Stories are parables.

Write and edit and tell yours with meaning,

so each tale stands in for a larger message,

each story a guidepost on our collective journey.

Stories are history.

Write and edit and tell yours with accuracy

and understanding and context

and with unwavering devotion to the truth.

Stories are music.

Write and edit and tell yours

with pace and rhythm and flow.

Throw in the dips and twirls that make them exciting,

but stay true to the core beat.

Readers hear stories with their inner ear.

Stories are our soul.

Write and edit and tell yours with your whole selves.

Tell them as if they are all that matters.

It matters that you do it as if that’s all there is.

Jacqui Banaszynski,

 “Stories Matter,” Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writers’ Guide

Stories are …

Stories are our prayers.

Write and edit them with due reverence,

even when the stories themselves are irreverent.

Stories are parables.

Write and edit and tell yours with meaning,

so each tale stands in for a larger message,

each story a guidepost on our collective journey.

Stories are history.

Write and edit and tell yours with accuracy

and understanding and context

and with unwavering devotion to the truth.

Stories are music.

Write and edit and tell yours with pace

and rhythm and flow.

Throw in the dips and twirls that make them exciting,

but stay true to the core beat.

Readers hear stories with their inner ear.

Stories are our soul.

Write and edit and tell yours

with your whole selves.

Tell them as if they are all that matter.

It matters that you do it as if that’s all there is.

(Jacqui Banaszyski, “Stories Matter,” from Telling True Stories)

February is “Plant the Seeds of Greatness” Month

.

“Dare to be Great!” read the church bulletin.

Pastor Sid’s sermon was a timely introduction to February and “Plant the Seeds of Greatness Month.”

What is greatness?

Many people think of fame, wealth, power, and influence.

Others, however, hold a different definition of greatness.

Jesus said that the greatest are those who humble themselves and serve others in the same way he did (Mark 10-43-45).

When we humble ourselves and live according to our one-of-a-kind, God-designed purposes, you and I will find our greatness.

Here’s where your memoir comes in: Your stories can motivate true greatness—not fame, wealth, power, or influence, but rather greatness in God’s sight, greatness the way Jesus lived it.

You can do that by writing stories—parables, if you will—that “Plant the Seeds of Greatness.”

Everyday people and their stories

Lia London writes:

“There’s a lady at my church who is the best teacher I’ve ever seen.… The age of her students makes no difference: toddlers or teens, men and women.… In every case, she has them in the palm of her hand, listening, learning, and participating enthusiastically. I’ve seen her teach subject matter that was beyond her normal sphere of knowledge, yet she inspired her students to do great things.

“And she never took a single course in college about how to be a teacher.…

“How does she do it?

“She tells stories about everyday things.” (Read more of Lia London’s post, The Parable Principle: How Stories Can Teach.)

Include stories in your memoir about everyday people and events, as Jesus did in his parables, that inspire readers to humbly live out their distinct God-designed purposes—their calling, their reason for being.

Pastor Sid asked, “What could God do if every person who has a relationship with Him dared to be great?”

Your memoir can give readers roots, wings, and a life of great things

Sunday at church, I was moved by Mark Harris’s worship song, Find Your Wings. These words spoke to me of what memoirs can do for kids, grandkids, and other readers:

“…As I watch you grow, I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams and that faith gives you the courage to dare to do great things.… So let my love give you roots and help you find your wings.”

Write your stories! Write everyday stories of ordinary people doing commonplace things. Tell your readers about regular people living out their unique God-designed purposes.

Write stories that give your readers roots, help them find their wings, and give them courage to dare to do great things.