Tuning My Story Part 2
Story-Tuning is described by Dr. Rice as “a symphonic process of being like Christ in a
specific relationship.” It is a process directed by one’s Guiding Purpose Statement (GPS). Story-
Tuning is the process in which one goes about making adjustments in one’s life until one reaches
what they want to become (i.e., Christ-like), drawing upon Yeshua’s preeminent resources. It is a
journey from “the me you are now and the me God wants me to be in the future” (Ortberg,
(2014). The Story-Keeper makes a purposeful attempt at creating a practical action plan and uses
ongoing, meaningful support to realize this endeavor of becoming “the me God wants me to be.
In Tuning My Story Part 1, “The Me I See Now” and “The Me I want to See Soon” were
addressed. In Tuning My Story Part 2, “How do I Become the Me I want to Be” and “ Who
Needs to Help Me Become the Me I Want to Be” will be explored. A repeatable action plan for
the next 60 days will be develpoed as I remain mindful of Christ’s preemient resources,
integrating truth, insights, and techniques from my learning journey. I will also identify a person
with the best fit to help me become like the preferred story, pointing out insights from readings
and acquired realtional information to justify the relational for this predetermined partnership.
How do I Become the Me I want to Be
My endeavor is to be an imitator of Yeshua so that I may flourish with God and others.
According to Ortberg (2010), flourishing is God’s gift and plan for our life, bringing us into
harmony with God, creation, other people, ourselves (pp. 14-15). Being am imitator of Yeshua
includes taking care of our physical body (temple of the Holy Spirit), as well as our spiritual,
emotional/mental, and social self.
I will take responsibility for my well-being (Epperly, 2014, p. 20; Hess &Arnold, 2012) and
personal growth (Bradberry and Greaves, 2009; Issler, 2012; Rosenberg & Silvert 2015) by
performing the following measurable steps to achieve my preferred state within 60 days:
I will look to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and God’s Word in study and meditation as
Christ’s preeminent sources for my journey (Issler, 2012, p. 142). Ortberg (2010) argues
that “the goal of prayer is to live all of my life and speak all of my words in the joyful
awareness of the presence of God” (p. 134).
Accountability – I will select 2 – 3 people close to me to help me achieve my goals in
weight loss, developing a healthy eating pattern, and getting the appropriate amount of
sleep (Hess & Arnold, 2012, Appendix D).
I will attend a gym and workout for 2 hours, 5 days a week. I will devote 1.5 hours to
cardio exercise and 1.5 hours to weight baring exercises (Epperly, 2014, p.70; Hess &
Arnold, 2012, p. 56).
I will sit with my wife and develop a diet plan free of sugar, low on carbs, and high in
protein. The diet plan will include measured portions of a balanced meal (Epperly, 2014,
p.69; Hess & Arnold, 2012, p. 56;).
I will use a digital kitchen scale to measure the portions of food I eat and log of the
number of calories I consume at each meal.
My wife and daughter will help me to ensure I get to bed by a 10:00 PM during the week.
My supervisor will ensure I am not the last one out of the office, I work no more than 8
hours Monday through Friday and that I take my entire lunch hour to eat a healthy meal
(Epperly, 2014, p.90; Hess & Arnold, 2012, p. 57).
I will not do any “work”, except schoolwork on Sundays (Epperly, 2014, p.56).
I will keep a daily journal so that I may flourish emotionally/mentally, becoming more
aware of my thoughts and their triggers (Bradberry & Greaves, 2009). As a result, I cast
down imaginations and bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ (2
Cor. 10:5).
To flourish spiritually, my wife and I will establish the custom/habit of coming together
twice a week for devotional time with the Lord to work together on strengthening weak
personality traits, intercessory prayer, and ministering to each other (Rosenberg, &
Silvert, 2013). My wife and I approach each other every evening to share the day’s events
and address any issues needing attention (Ortberg, 2010; Pettit, 2008).
Who Needs to Help Me Become the Me I Want to Be
Accountability can be crucial to succeeding in this journey (Hess & Arnold, 2012).
Therefore, identifying a person with the best fit would behoove me in achieving like my
preferred story.
The person with the best fit is my wife, as she should be. She knows me better than
anyone.
Given my relational style a S/I/C, with a dominance in S, my wife will help me see the
me I do not see. In doing so, she will help me be less non-confrontational as I use God’s
Word, and wisdom from the Holy Spirit, to remind me that conflicts can be good and that
relationships can be strengthened through candor (Rosenberg & Silvert 2015). This
brings me a step closer to flourishing socially.
My wife is also the perfect person to help me improve my social awareness as I make a
conscious effort to greet people by name, practice the art of listening better, seek the
whole picture, recognizing triggers, and seeking feedback (Bradberry and Greaves, 2009,
pp. 17, 57-63, 139-140, 160-161, 171-172; Rosenberg & Silvert, 2013).
My wife has the patience and relational style to help me with my ADHD issues
(Rosenberg & Silvert, 2013).
References
Bradberry, T., and Greaves, J. (2009). San Diego, CA: Talent Smart.Emotional intelligence 2.0.
Epperly, B. (2014). A center in the cyclone: Twenty-first century clergy self-care. New York:
Rowman & Littlefield.
Hess, V. E., and Arnold, L. M. (2012). The life of the body: Physical well-being and spiritual
formation. Downers Grove, IL: IVP.
Issler, K. (2012). Downers Grove, IL: IVP.Living into the life of Jesus.
Ortberg, J. (2014). The me I want to be. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Pettit, P. (2008). Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel.The foundations of spiritual formation.
Rosenberg, M., and Silvert D. (2015). Taking flight! Master the DISC styles to transform your
career, your relationships…your life. (Custom with Access) Upper Saddle River, NJ: FT
Press.
