A Greater Story, page 14
And as we lean into God’s presence and power . . . I mean, lean so hard that if he were to shift his weight, we’d topple to the ground . . . we put those promises to work in our lives.
(By the way, worry not. You’re good. God never shifts his stance.)
The apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians:
As surely as God is faithful, our word to you does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, does not waver between “Yes” and “No.” He is the one whom Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you, and as God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says. For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.
It is God who enables us, along with you, to stand firm for Christ. He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us. (1:18–22)
God’s promises for us are yes.
God’s promises for us are amen, which means “let it be so!”
Funny story: I was interviewing Lysa TerKeurst for my podcast recently, and in response to one of my questions, she got so revved up that we had church right there on the show. I let her roll as long as she wanted to roll, and when she came up for air, I was hollering and amen-ing her left and right. This is a black church tradition, giving you an “Amen!” when you bring it strong. Why? Because we’re wanting that thing you’re preaching to be so, to be so, to be so!
What the Bible is saying is that when God makes a promise to us, he can’t not keep it. His promises will be so,
will be so,
will be so.
His promises are yes . . . and amen.
For three years, I’ve been using my TV and radio podcast to interview musicians, actors, celebrities, corporate leaders, pastors, speakers, and other influencers, and for three years, I’ve been blown away by the stories these people have told. I always kick off the episode by playing my guest’s current favorite worship song . . . or, as was the case when I asked Andy Stanley for the title of his “current favorite worship song,” he said, “Summer of ’69.” As in, Bryan Adams, circa 1988—the year I was born.
I cut to the song, and when those opening lines kicked in—“Bought my first real six-string. Bought it at the five-and-dime”—I thought Andy might never come back from his state of sentimental euphoria. The dude loves him some eighties soft rock.
Anyway, after the song I always, always do the very same thing. In nearly one hundred episodes, I don’t believe I’ve deviated from this pattern even once. Here it is: I remind my guest of the accomplishments he or she has racked up in life—all the high points, all the victories, all the wins. And then I say, “But we know it didn’t start there. Take us back to where it did begin, to the ‘little’ version of you, to you as a child, to you before all the growth and success. How did you get from there to where you are now? Give us the story of you.”
And oh, the things I hear in response to that question.
“I grew up in a predominately Latino neighborhood . . .” the story begins.
Or, “I grew up in what you’d call a ‘good home.’”
Or, “I grew up in Decatur, Georgia—Decatur, where it’s greater!”
Or, “I grew up in the church. My dad was a pastor, so I guess you could say I was a typical PK.”
Or, “I grew up in Bristol, Oklahoma, and was the kid who led outright revolts in elementary school over things like our needing chocolate shakes added to our school menu . . .”
From there, the drama builds as my guests explain the defining moments of their childhood and how their ability to cope with the challenges we inevitably stumble upon in life was influenced by that initial setting—the where and who and when of their earliest days. The challenges I’ve heard about have run the gamut: Poverty. Bullying. A parent’s divorce. A learning disability. Fear.
Onto those first layers of personhood, life continued to build. Did they graduate from high school? Did they have interests outside of school? Did they have a circle of close friends, or were they loners? Were those enjoyable days for them?
What about college? If they did go, then where? Who paid for it? What were they hoping to gain from the experience? What did they gain as a result?
And looking back, what do they make of those first jobs they held? Did they love working or abhor it? Did they work for people of integrity or not? How did it feel to take home a paycheck? What did they spend their money on?
So many defining moments are attached to our relationships, and this certainly has been true for my guests. One guest chased his high school girlfriend (who had just broken up with him and was now chasing another guy) to Oklahoma for college, where he lives and ministers still today, three decades later. He and that girlfriend just celebrated thirty years of marriage and are as happy as can be. That one decision—chasing someone who said she wanted nothing to do with him to a school two states from home—changed everything for him.
One decision! And one that seemed like foolishness at the time.
Others speak of a distant or abusive father, a mother who taught them to love well, siblings who were ridiculously competitive, a doting teacher, a renaissance-man uncle, a coach who wouldn’t let them quit. “That relationship changed the entire trajectory of my life,” they tell me. “I’m who I am because of them.”
Sometimes they mean this as a compliment to that key person; sometimes they don’t. The point is, the relationship marked them. It confirmed something in their spirit—for good or else for ill.
The setting.
The initial character rundown.
And then those stories go here next: “You know, Sam, I always thought I was gonna . . .” They complete that sentence with every imaginable endeavor.
“I always thought I was gonna be a teacher . . .”
“I always thought I was gonna go into business . . .”
“I always thought I was gonna get married . . .”
“I always thought I was gonna move to the west coast . . .”
“I always thought I was gonna keep playing music . . .”
But then God. That’s what they say next. “I always thought I was gonna . . . but then God . . .”
“I always thought I was gonna go into business, but then God met with me at a youth camp and called me into ministry.”
“I always thought I was gonna be a teacher, but then God landed me a marketing job.”
“I always thought I was gonna keep playing music, but then God stuck me in the role of a youth choir director!”
Here, by the way, is where I always lean in, to listen closely to what they say next. Because what happens next is the fork in the road, the point in the journey where they had to decide whether to follow where God was leading or to buck his way and do their own thing.
The funny thing about this particular fork? If they chose poorly at that first one, another one will show up. It’s as if rebuffing God only makes God say, “Ah, got it. All right. I’ll catch you a little farther up the road.”
He is not willing that any would perish.
He is not desirous of any of us abandoning his will and ways.
He loves when his children pursue right living, which always involves his paths, his plans. But he will not force his way into our lives. He waits to be invited in. Remember?
And so, the forks: Will we go God’s way this time? Or this time? Or this time? Some of my guests had racked up a dozen self-focused forks before they finally got a clue. And yet there God was, waiting patiently: “You in this time? Okay, good.” From there, the story is a broken record. A deliriously delightful broken record. God did this . . .
And then God did that . . .
And then God opened this door for me . . .
And then God showed me that . . .
Tears spring to my eyes every time we get to this part. You are a good, good Father, God. Though I usually stay quiet as my guest recounts God’s faithfulness in his or her life, inside I’m begging to know, “What happened next? And then? And then after that?” My appetite is insatiable for hearing what it’s like to be living inside God’s greater story. More precisely, my appetite is insatiable for living inside God’s greater story. His goodness, his faithfulness, his kindness, his commitment to me. I can’t believe the fulfillment I’ve known by going God’s way instead of my own. Which makes me wonder, is this your testimony too? Is this the story your life will tell?
One time I asked my good friend Jeff Henderson to be on the show. Although Jeff is a lead pastor with North Point today, he comes from the corporate world and, as a former marketing exec for both Chick-fil-A and the Atlanta Braves, is incredibly respected there. Before I let him go, I asked if he would share one or two tips for people who are trying to get traction with a new business idea, a new product, a new side hustle, a new something that they hoped would gain liftoff in their life. Not surprisingly, Jeff was ready with suggestions galore, and one of the things he mentioned stuck with me for days and days after our chat.
He said, “If you can’t tell the story of your idea or product in a short elevator ride, and tell it compellingly, then you’ve still got work to do.”
Granted, Jeff was referring to the worlds of entrepreneurship and product development, but for me, the application that resonated most was that of us . . . our very lives.
What were your beginnings like? What is your original where, when, and who? What were you just sure you were going to do in life?
What was your but-then-God turn of events? What happened when you came to that first fork in the road? Did you surrender or go your own way?
Was there a second fork? A third fork? A fourth or fifth or sixth? What do you attribute your hard-heartedness to? What did it take for you to finally give way? For you to finally sacrifice?
And, finally, what has the journey been like for you since? What have you learned? What’s been overcome?
If you’re still staring down that first fork, wondering how on earth you got to this place, let me drape a loving arm around you and tell you that your life is about to get good. If you will choose surrender, then God will thrust you into opportunities for transformation you never dreamed you’d have the privilege to know. He will give you the power to do what you can’t do in your own strength. He will reveal the next steps as you go. He will carve out capacity for greater courage in you so that surrender will come naturally for you.
REFLECTION
Do you see your good, good Father, standing there, waiting patiently, arms lovingly outstretched toward you? He’s rooting for you to set foot not on your path, but on his. Do so, and you’re in for adventure. You’re in for impact. You’re in for peace.
Do so, and hear your heavenly Father whisper, “Ah, yes. Now we’ve got ourselves a story!”
I’d love to hear how this book may have impacted you. Overall I’d love to journey with you as you discover your greater story in God! Send me a message at stories@agreaterstory.org.
Acknowledgments
I want to personally thank Ashley Wiersma, Susan “Sojourna” Collier, Alexander Field, and everyone in Baker Publishing Group’s marketing and editorial teams for the blood, sweat, and tears they poured into the making of this book. You guys are truly game changers and ambassadors for the kingdom!
Notes
Chapter 1 Family Matters
1. “Alicia Keys Says Her Pregnancy Is ‘the Most Brilliant Gift,’” Music-News.com, July 21, 2010, https://www.music-news.com/news/UK/35449/Read.
2. Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses, rev. ed. (New York: Vintage Books, 1995), 7.
3. Lucy Phelps Hamilton, “‘If De Babies Cried’: Slave Motherhood in Antebellum Missouri” (master’s thesis, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas, 2015), https://digitalcommons.pittstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1046&context=etd.
Chapter 2 Church Clothes
1. Tracy Jan, “White Families Have Nearly 10 Times the Net Worth of Black Families. And the Gap Is Growing,” Washington Post, September 28, 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/09/28/black-and-hispanic-families-are-making-more-money-but-they-still-lag-far-behind-whites/.
2. William Raspberry as quoted in “Turning the Corner on Father Absence in Black America,” Morehouse Research Institute and the Institute for American Values, 1999, http://americanvalues.org/catalog/pdfs/turningthecorner.pdf.
3. “Turning the Corner on Father Absence.”
4. “Turning the Corner on Father Absence.”
5. “Father Absence + Involvement,” National Fatherhood Initiative, accessed February 10, 2020, https://www.fatherhood.org/fatherhood-data-statistics.
6. Ana Swanson, “144 Years of Marriage and Divorce in the United States in One Chart,” Washington Post, July 23, 2015, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/06/23/144-years-of-marriage-and-divorce-in-the-united-states-in-one-chart/?noredirect=on.
Chapter 3 The Day My Life Became My Own
1. Associated Press, “Jordan Tries to Recapture Magic as Wizard,” ESPN, October 1, 2001, http://assets.espn.go.com/nba/news/2001/0925/1255032.html.
2. Sam Collier, “Brad Lomenick: Celebrating CATALYST, Determination, New Initiatives and His New Book,” April 20, 2018, in A Greater Story, podcast, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/40-brad-lomenick-celebrating-catalyst-determination/id1183571837?i=1000409352281.
Chapter 4 The Road to Restoration
1. Marissa Evans, “Sharpeville Massacre,” Blackpast, February 22, 2009, https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/sharpeville-massacre/.
2. I read about this study in Nir Eyal’s great new book, Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life (Dallas: BenBella Books, 2019), 28–29.
Chapter 5 When Faith Is Tested
1. For more information about the “rhema word,” visit https://www.gotquestions.org/rhema-word.html.
Chapter 9 A God Dream
1. I heard this quote from Bishop Jakes at the FOCUS 2010 Conference at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church on April 20, 2010.
2. Sam Collier, “The Kendrick Brothers: OVERCOMER the Movie, the Purpose of Christian Films, the Kendrick Journey,” April 20, 2019, in A Greater Story, podcast, https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/71-kendrick-brothers-overcomer-movie-purpose-christian/id1183571837?i=1000447598700.
Chapter 10 Dream Killers
1. William N. Isaacs, “Dialogue: The Power of Collective Thinking,” Systems Thinker, 2018, https://thesystemsthinker.com/dialogue-the-power-of-collective-thinking.
Chapter 12 The Art of Sacrifice
1. J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (London: Bloomsbury, 1998), 333.
2. “If Money Talked, Part 1: The Consumption Assumption // Andy Stanley,” YouTube video, posted by Andy Stanley, January 30, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C43AvQ7gqLA.
Sam Collier is a pastor, speaker, writer, and host of the A Greater Story with Sam Collier TV show and radio podcast. He is a speaker and host at North Point Ministries, founded by Andy Stanley, and he also communicates nationally and internationally as a speaker and contributor to the ReThink Group, Orange Network, Orange Tour, Alpha International Leadership Conference, Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit, Culture Conference, and more. He has also been interviewed on numerous TV shows, podcasts, and radio programs. Collier lives with his wife, Toni, and their children in Atlanta, Georgia.
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Table of Contents
Cover
Endorsements
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
The Words That Changed Everything
Part One: You, Here and Now 1. Family Matters
2. Church Clothes
3. The Day My Life Became My Own
4. The Road to Restoration
5. When Faith Is Tested
Part Two: By God’s Amazing Grace 6. Killing It, before It Killed Me
7. My Ebenezer
8. No Losing
9. A God Dream
10. Dream Killers
Part Three: Changing the World for Good 11. A Greater Story
12. The Art of Sacrifice
13. Family Reunion
Acknowledgments
Notes
About the Author
Back Ads
Cover Flaps
Back Cover
List of Pages
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