Long Story Short – Write Your Four Minute Story, Part Four

We’re completing the work to write our own “Long Story Short”. The goal of writing our story is to share it with others. Remember: Effective communication is clear, concise, and compelling. Sharing your story should in total take 3-4 minutes. That’s between 500 and 700 words. These weekly guides will help you craft and capture the four segments of your story of faith in Christ.

Today’s Focus: RESTORATION – How would you describe your new identity and your new life in Christ?

Who are you now after you received Christ? What transformation have you experienced since coming to faith in Christ? What happened inside of you when you received Christ? How and why did your attitudes and actions begin to change? What have you noticed about yourself since you received Christ? How has your life changed? When did you notice that change? How are your life motivations different now? How does knowing you are forgiven help you each day? How does the promised hope of heaven motivate you to live your life now?

State how Jesus is filling your deep inner needs and redeeming you from your brokenness. In the previous section, you expressed your needs and how you tried unsuccessfully to meet them. You now want to briefly show the difference that Jesus has made in your life. Shine the spotlight on Jesus and showcase His life-transforming power.

As you wrap up your story, if there is a particular verse that captures your conversion experience, or if you have a particular life verse, this would be a good place to share it.

Long Story Short – Write Your Four Minute Story, Part Three

We’re continuing our work to write our own “Long Story Short”. The goal of writing our story is to share it with others. Remember: Effective communication is clear, concise, and compelling. Sharing your story should in total take 3-4 minutes. That’s between 500 and 700 words. These weekly guides will help you craft and capture the four segments of your story of faith in Christ.

Today’s Focus: RESCUE – How did you meet Jesus and come to understand the Gospel?

What were your struggles just before you received Christ? When and how did you first truly understand the story about Jesus? State specifically the steps you took to become a follower of Jesus. What people did God use to draw you to Him? What event or location were you in when you put your faith in Christ?

Make sure to share the truth of the Gospel. Communicate:

1. That you understood that you have disobeyed God.
2. That you understood that you were a sinner.
3. That you embraced the fact that you did not deserve His forgiveness.
4. That you realized that Jesus died on the cross in your place to forgive You.
5. That you received Jesus as your Forgiver and Leader.

Remember that it’s the Gospel that has the power to change lives. (See Romans 1:16.) So, again, include how you came to understand that Jesus came, that He died on the cross in your place to save you, and that He rose again.

You likely cannot remember exactly what you prayed when you received Christ. But sharing a few words about how you prayed (what you may have said in your prayer) might encourage someone else to express their faith in a similar way.

Long Story Short – Write Your Four Minute Story, Part Two

We’re continuing our work to write our own “Long Story Short”. The goal of writing our story is to share it with others. Remember: Effective communication is clear, concise, and compelling. Sharing your story should in total take 3-4 minutes. That’s between 500 and 700 words. These weekly guides will help you craft and capture the four segments of your story of faith in Christ.

Today’s focus – THE FALL – What did sin and brokenness look like in your life?

What are the evidences of the fall in your own life? What was the pain that you experienced and the pain that you caused? The pain we experience and cause in life often springs out of seeking to satisfy our deep inner needs and fix our own brokenness apart from God. You likely sought to fix your brokenness and deep inner needs through unsatisfactory solutions that damaged your own life or caused hurt in the lives of others.

What were one or two of your unsatisfied deep inner needs before you came to know Jesus? How did you see brokenness playing out in your life? What unsatisfactory solutions did you use to attempt to meet those deep inner needs or fix your brokenness? How did these attempts disappoint you or let you down? How was your life unfulfilling? How did you come to realize this? What were your struggles before you received Christ?

Some examples could be:

“I was seeking for…”

“My life revolved around…”

“I gained happiness and security from…”

“My life was missing…”

“My attitude was…”

“I blamed my issues on…”

“My life was filled with problems I could not solve…”

(Use an example from your personal life here. For instance, did your security come from money, your relationships, etc.?)

Long Story Short – Write Your Four Minute Story, Part One

Let’s work on writing our own “Long Story Short”. Our teaching team is going to guide us through how to write our story over the coming weeks of this series. The goal of writing our story is to share it with others!

Week One focus – CREATION – Your Background and God Awareness

First, share a few positive details about your life. Since you were created in the image of our God, you experienced Him and His goodness in a variety of ways. You might share a little about your family of origin. You might share about the hopes and dreams you had for your life.

Questions to answer that can shape this part of your story:

What brought you joy?

What contributions did you hope to make?

What career path did you hope to follow?

What was your faith or church background?

What spiritual beliefs did you hold?

What spiritual experiences may you have had that caused you to be aware of God or feel close to God?

Before knowing Christ, how would you have answered the questions of where you came from and why are you here?

Craft this part of your story this week. Practice it, tell it. We will build it each week.

Remember what Pastor Chad said in his week one message: My identity and purpose come from the One who made me and loves me.