GLST 220 – Discussion Thread 1 – The Power of Story
Personal Story - Abbreviated
My name is XXXXXXXX, and I serve as XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX in
XXXXXXXX. My story does not start there. I was born and raised in Southeastern Wisconsin. I
grew up in the 70’s and 80’s and spent a lot of time with my grandparents. It was in those early
years of life that I was introduced to Jesus. My grandfather was an elder of the church we
attended, and I was given many opportunities to “serve” by reading scripture, lighting candles
and generally helping with “other duties as assigned.” Being from southeastern Wisconsin meant
exploring various aspects of our family history and ethnicity, which was of European
descendants. My great-grandfather immigrated to the United States just prior to the end of the
1800’s. Family was very traditional with men working outside the home and women taking on
the role of homemaker. This generational standard persisted until my mother chose to attend
college to become a nurse. There were numerous background experiences that shaped my
understanding, perspective and expectations growing up. Both grandfather and great-grandfather
were military members and served in both world wars respectively. Patriotism and duty to work
were significant lessons both personally and culturally in our greater community.
Intersection with God’s Story
My introduction to Jesus began at a very early age as my grandparents were extremely
involved in their church and spiritually mature Christians. At a young age I had heard about
Jesus but did not have a significant opportunity to grow in my own personal faith journey as the
church was primarily an older congregation and very traditional in its approach to children being
“seen and not heard.” In my preteen years my mother decided that my brother and I needed more
background information regarding Christianity and “made” us both go to confirmation class.
Neither of us wanted to go and did not understand the significance or need to grow in our faith. It
was not until many years later, after being married with a child on the way that I was convicted
in my heart to pursue the words of scripture that says to, “Train up a child in the way he should
go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6 ESV). Interestingly, my
wife’s sister had become a believer and was fully invested in growing in her faith. When our
child was one year old, we ended up moving across the country to northern California. We were
invited to church and quickly plugged in. In short order I began playing piano on the worship
team and became the leader of a home group. As we began to understand the significance of our
faith walk and the need to genuinely believe, confess our sins, repent, be baptized we made the
exciting choice to be baptized in a cold mountain reservoir in late August of 2011. We had
chosen to put our faith in motion and most importantly to follow Jesus.
Less than a year later we had moved to central Oregon and found a new faith family. I
was traveling as a project manager for healthcare software when I was laid off from that role and
looking to pursue new opportunities. In a situation that could only be God inspired, two pastors,
independent of each other, proclaimed a calling on my to pursue vocational ministry. The day
before I started bible college in 2015 I gave my first sermon. I was instantly hooked. The most
important thing I have to give away from my faith journey to that point is that God allows
amazing adventures to occur in our lives, but in the end he always faithful guides us to his
perfect plan and purpose over our lives. Without having a deeper understanding of God’s story
we can haplessly wander without giving proper credit to God for the amazing opportunities that
occur in our lives. After the fact, and from a godly perspective, I can see where God protected
me and my family by closing things such as job opportunities. When we listen for Gods calling
on our lives, we begin to make “better” decisions.
The Global Story
The most significant and eye-opening cross-cultural experience was a mission trip to San
Quintin Mexico. The church had organized a youth mission trip to help with building a new
church for the community. I do not read or speak the Spanish language. The third-world
environment was very uncomfortable to me as I am use to many of the day-to-day things that we
take for granted in the United States. The one common ground that allowed for understanding
was knowledge of the bible. It was in this way that we were able to have rudimentary
conversations, and through that begin to learn a little of each other’s languages. My desire in
interacting with this culturally different group was that I would be able to demonstrate the love
of Christ in my behavior and actions.
Crossing Cultures with the Gospel Effectively
To effectively cross-cultural boundaries with the gospel message, it is essential to
understand the complete story of God, as it provides profound insight into who God is and His
vision for the world. This narrative begins with Creation (Genesis 1:1-31) and extends to the
second coming of Christ (Revelation 21:1-4). By grasping the entirety of God's story, we gain
wisdom on how to live our lives in accordance with His teachings (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and
reveal His true nature (John 14:9). This understanding enriches our faith and equips us to share
the gospel in a way that resonates with diverse cultures. Emphasizing God's desires for humanity
(1 Timothy 2:3-4) and the universal themes of love (1 John 4:7-8), redemption (Romans 3:23-
24), and hope (Jeremiah 29:11), we can bridge cultural divides, fostering meaningful connections
