The most beautiful and God-inspired moments exist in our everyday experiences, triumphs, and struggles. Sometimes we feel as though our stories lack value or seem trivial relative to the world around us. We feel inconsequential or under-equipped to influence others. But the moments of our lives beautifully interweave throughout God’s great tapestry, and He has a plan and purpose for every part of our story. Our stories become powerful tools when we embrace and share them for the purpose of mentoring others. God empowers mentors to profoundly impact others by sharing their stories, and encouraging and equipping them to flourish.
My name is Joan Gallagher and I am so thankful you've joined me. I am a Christ-Follower writer, speaker, blogger, wife, mom, storyteller, and both a mentee, (I have so much to learn) and mentor. Recently I became a contributing writer for Sweet Jesus Ministries. A ministry devoted to pointing women towards Jesus. My devotion for mentoring and story telling stems from the rich lives women's experience and how God uses those stories to pave the way for those who are either just beginning their journey or find themselves at a spiritual crossroad. It is my intent to empower women to know that their stories can be used to make them into God's kingdom changers for others.
This section of chapter one evolved after my time spent at a conference of over 800 women. I was struck by the commonalities women found as they ventured out of themselves to connect with others. I often heard one say to another, "Me too!" when they discussed such things as where they grew up, or where they went to school. They also celebrated "Me too!" moments when opening up a little more to share the hard parts of their stories such as difficult times as a child or a recent divorce. Relationships birthed out of these moments.
Book Excerpt
Hope-Markers: How Hope marks your story and changes the world
Through our past, our “here and now,” and our future, God floods us with strength and influence to speak into each other’s lives. This is why our stories matter. They help connect us in the moments of relationship building. We can all feel intimidated meeting someone for the first time or going into an unsure environment. When we step out in faith to share our stories we find that there are more “Me too!” moments than we could have imagined. This is the power of story telling. After we share we are connected with that person because we have given a part of ourselves as way to bond us together. Both the teller and the listener share a sacred responsibility to hold on to that story with respect and honor because it binds us together and it is a part of God’s plan to use that story for His glory and the good of others.
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