Tell Us Your Story

Wes Stafford of Compassion International has asked for people to tell them a story about a moment when an adult's words or actions shaped your life for the better. I thought instantly about all the people on the header image of this blog. The reason I put them there is because through either their writings, their words, or actions, my spiritual landscape and to some extent how I relate to God have been formed.

During the early 90's I had the opportunity to be part of a small group in the first church of which I was a member. I remember those evenings so well, as four high school boys sat on the floor of a dark room. Dimly lit by an oil burning lamp so that all you could see were the faces of one another and the background drifted off in the darkness. We would start with personal prayer, then at some point we would have to break out in praise choruses to God. Then as the Holy Spirit moved among us we would share how things were going in our lives, often with tears. When all would settle and everyone in the room felt the peace that only the Lord Jesus Christ can give, I clearly remember the words of a young Asbury Seminary graduate impart wisdom to all of our situations. Sometimes it was direct and sometimes just a hint of how we were to handle things through a story of someone else. No story ever came out of his mouth, that I remember, that was not purposeful or to make a point to us. Thank you Michael Mudge for that.

Although there were a lot of serious things said over our time in that group, I remember some funny ones as well that I often find myself repeating even today. I was inquiring over what I should do about a certain situation and the words that came back were, "It is always easier to ask for forgiveness than permission." This statement in many situations could be taken the wrong way but in the situation I was in, it was dead on. Over the years, especially working in project/program management, I have come to realize it is true more often than not, so long as you are not compromising your faith or integrity. It is how good ideas get turned into useful tools and reality.

Well, that is my story. Wes and I want to hear from you as well. There is a group of people that will be reading this post and will be looking at the comments to find out what you have to say so please take a few moments to share by adding a comment below. Thanks in advance for your stories.