WATCH
Grant McCartney’s Testimony from The 2018 CrossFit Games
READ
REFLECT
This month we’ve been discussing what it means to go from being a COMPETITOR in the faith (someone who is actively following Jesus and intentionally living for him) to being a COACH in the faith (someone who is mentoring and discipling others in their faith). One of the important shifts here is that Coaches SHARE their stories.
Our stories matter. YOUR story matters.
In this video of Grant McCartney, we heard the heartbreaking story of his past, the way he clung to God throughout that time, and the incredible healing power of God.
In Acts 22 and 26, we see the redemptive power of God in Paul’s story. We learned about a man who went from persecuting Christians, to promoting the Gospel he tried to kill.
Both men share incredibly personal stories that bring new meaning and depth to the reality of who God is in our lives, right here and right now. Our stories of who we were before our relationship with Jesus, and what life has been like after is just as meaningful and important, but can be scary to share.
Some of that fear can be alleviated by exploring and writing out your story. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just needs to be honest and real.
DISCUSS
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…”
1 Peter 3:15
Figuring out how to condense your story to an easy 3-5 minute thing to share may seem crazy. Either because your story could be 3-5 hours to share, or because you think there’s no way you could fill that much time.
Thankfully, the Navigators have created a series of questions that help guide your brainstorming and exploration process. From their, you can take what you have written or typed out and begin whittling it down to key, critical pieces.
Prepare
The important thing to remember and hold on to as you go through this process is, “Hope.” What is the reason for the hope that we have?
BEFORE
- Before you met Christ, what were some of your needs, what was lacking, or what was missing in your life?
- What solutions for your life did you try that didn’t work?
HOW
- What were the circumstances that caused you to consider Christ?
- Tell how you trusted Christ, and briefly include the gospel.
AFTER
- Give an example of how Christ met your needs or how He is now contributing to your life.
- End with a sentence to the effect that you know that you have eternal life through Christ.
Share
Once you have crafted your story, share it! The Navigators also have some amazing tips for guideing those conversations in their book, Telling His Story by Telling Yours:
- Go out of your way to show dignity to others.
- Be alert for opportunities to go deeper with them.
- Listen well.
- Share your story, but leave room for conversation.
- Stop telling your story when it leads into other people telling theirs.
- Enter into their story.
- Share truth, but don’t be concerned if you can’t get into the whole thing yet.
SKILL WORK
- Pray– Always start here. Ask God to open your heart and mind to his work in your life and ask him to guide this process.
- Brainstorm– Go through each set of questions for Before, How, and After. Do not worry about being perfect or grammatically correct. Just write as much as you can and capture every detail.
- Edit– Read through your answers and begin writing a story that fits within that 3-5 minute window.
- Share- Call up a friend and ask if you can share your story. Practice, practice, practice. We all know how important it is to train technique to improve our fitness PRs. The same is true here.
Sources:
https://www.navigators.org/resource/how-to-prepare-your-personal-testimony/
https://www.navigators.org/resource/telling-his-story-by-telling-yours/
