We are people of stories. We tell stories to chronicle our history and express who we are. The stories we tell about ourselves paint the mural of who we are, what events have shaped us, what we hope to become, and how we hope to be remembered. Our stories are living things. How we tell them, when we tell them, who we tell them too, and what details we include (and exclude) all are part of the living story. Listening to others tell their stories helps you understand and know their heart. Understanding and knowing another’s heart goes a long way to helping you be more gracious towards them.

Men desire eloquence. God desires faithfulness. Men long to have their ears tickled. God longs for His truth to be known. Men judge importance by worldly metrics and success. God rejoices in humility and obedience. I believe that the pleasure of the Lord is more in the faithful preacher who is meager in skill than the great orator who was unfaithful to the truth. The danger is that the allure of the attentive crowd is great. The temptation for every communicator and preacher is to surrender fidelity for celebrity.