DON'T EVER BE ASHAMED OF YOUR STORY. Your story is more powerful than you know.
I'm studying Pixar and thinking of you and me.
HERE”S TWO PIXAR FORMULA'S:
1.) Once upon a time there was ___.
Every day, ___.
One day ___.
Because of that, ___.
Because of that, ___.
Until finally ___.
2.) Give your character a “worthy opponent” and make this opposition force a transformation in your character so that they access something and become something superior to who they were.
Don't ever HIDE or cover up your story, it has power to inspire others. The “blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony” refers to the power of God to redeem you out of a challenge. It's how you overcome the devil. So what story are you rehearsing to yourself?
The older I get the more I believe that all mankind has common struggles, private doubts and wounds. The people who can tell their story – their testimony – about a chapter of life with courage and grace create a safe place for others to exist. Your story empowers other to come to terms with their own story.
When you “own” your story in a healthy and redemptive way you give others permission to be “real.” You create a psychic space where people can be free to drop their masks and share without inhibition their real thoughts and feelings. It's like you fill the atmosphere with the oxygen of self acceptance when you can tell your story without shame.
Believers have a challenge in this regard. We live in an age of increasing lawlessness, so the last thing we want to do is to tell your story in a way that indicates that actions do not have consequences.
On the other hand, the only kind of atmosphere Jesus will really show up in is an atmosphere where disciples are practicing unpretentious unconditional acceptance toward each other.
It's not easy to explain, all I know is that the more you are free from the shame of the past, the more powerful you are. By power I mean self possession. You are less fearful of what people think. You own all the parts of your life- even the screw ups- but none of them owns you! I guess I love people who are successful and who, under the right circumstances are honest about their weaknesses, and the mistakes that made them who they now are. Such people inspire me.
feel free to pass this on….lets be the best story tellers in culture