A Better Story

This summer I have been reading a memoir about storytelling by Donald Miller called A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: How I Learned to Live a Better Story.  In it, Donald tells a story called “How Jason Saved His Family.”  Jason and his wife were depressed because they felt they were losing their 13 year old daughter.  They had discovered pot hidden in her closet.  She was dating a guy who smelled like smoke “and only answered questions with single words:  ‘Yeah,’ ‘No,’ ‘Whatever,’ and ‘Why?’”  The more they tried to discipline her and stop her reckless behavior, the more she rebelled against them.  Jason didn't know what to do. 

Donald told Jason about the parallels between writing stories and the stories we write with our lives.  The next day, after a restless night, Jason began thinking about the story he had created for his family.  He realized he had not provided a better role for his daughter.  Because he had not mapped out a story for his family his daughter had chosen another story to live, the best story available to her.

Jason resolved to stop yelling at his daughter and create a better story to invite her into.  He remembered that a story involves a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it.  He researched opportunities for his family that provided ambition for them.  He committed – without his wife’s knowledge – to work with an organization to build an orphanage in another part of the world.  He called his family together and announced their new story – their new plan. 

No one was happy and all thought he had lost his mind.  After a day, though, his wife came in and proclaimed her pride in her husband.  Then, his daughter came in a few days later crawled into bed with her parents and began to talk about ways she could support the family project.  Soon, the guy was gone and Jason’s daughter had returned.  The family that had been living a closed ended story was now living a better story.

One of the key things every story needs is an inciting incident.  An inciting incident in a story is something that happens to the characters which propels them farther into the story.  Jason’s commitment to the orphanage was an inciting incident.  In life, as in story, we need something to propel us into transformation.  None of us like to move past our status quo – even when it is getting us nowhere. 

At First Baptist Cornelia, our Walking by Faith process has been an inciting incident.  It has propelled us into a new story.  It has challenged us to be a different kind of church in our community.  This Sunday we will vote as a church to affirm the vision, values and initiatives that rose from this process.  We are not affirming specific changes yet, we are affirming a direction, a vision - a plot or blueprint - which will guide our story as a church.  This affirmation will be another inciting incident.  It is our way of stepping forward into the future God has for us and trusting God to guide our path.

As our church experiences this inciting incident together, I have been pondering an inciting incident I can make as pastor.  I have asked myself, “What is something I can do to force myself to live differently in the same way I am asking the church?” Here is my challenge to myself that I am making public:

I commit to hike 50 4 mile hikes in the next year 

(August to July). 

Primarily, I plan to hike on Mt. Chenocetah and our trails around Lake Russell.  I will throw a few hikes up Mount Yonah for a little variety.  I hope you might find time to join me on one of these hikes over the year.  We can decide together where we will hike and how strenuous to make it. 

I decided on this inciting incident primarily because I have gained 10 lbs over my three years as your pastor which I cannot seem to lose.  I also find that I do not make time in my schedule for exercise.  Third, I relish the opportunity to get to know several mountains and their trails well throughout the four seasons.  Finally, I hope to be able to invest more time in many of you who decide to hike with me. 

God has a better story for all of us.  There are specific times which we must make decisions that propel us into that story.  This Sunday will be one of those days for us as a church.  I hope my commitment to hike propel me and our relationship as pastor and congregation into an even deeper story as well.  Come hike with me.  I start with an overnight trip with three members of our church in the Smokies the first weekend of August.  See you Sunday!