Over the last few weeks we’ve talked a lot about telling your story, and we’ve encouraged you to go out and share it even when it’s uncomfortable. But why does sharing our story feel so scary sometimes? We could be afraid of making a moment awkward, or maybe we fear the rejection that could come from telling our story. It is scary to step into an uncomfortable situation, into uncharted territory, where we don’t know how those who hear will respond to us and our life.

But underneath all of that, I think what can make sharing feel so scary is knowing that part of our story is messy and ugly. We all have that part of our story. That one (or maybe two… or three…) thing that you just don’t want people to know about. Sometimes the ugly things are a result of our own sinful choices. Sometimes life gets ugly when others make sinful choices that affect us. Our story can start to feel ugly when certain things we want to happen don't. Or when things we don’t want to happen do. The truth is, hard things happen to all of us whether we want them to or not, and we don’t always respond in the healthiest ways. We all have that one part that is hard to share.

But the beautiful thing is that God. Uses. It. ALL!

There’s an anonymous quote that is floating around the internet, you may have seen it before. It says, “Jacob was a cheater, Peter had a temper, David had an affair, Noah got drunk, Jonah ran from God, Paul was a murderer, Gideon was insecure, Miriam was a gossiper, Martha was a worrier, Thomas was a doubter, Sarah was impatient, Elijah was depressed, Moses stuttered, Zaccheus was short, Abraham was old, and Lazarus was dead… God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the Called!”

Every single person that God has ever used has had some sort of trial or struggle that they’ve had to walk through in their story. You are not alone in walking through the hard, messy things of life.
Thank God that He still delights to use us in the middle of the mess! It is through our weaknesses, our ugly, messiness, that God's power and goodness and kindness is seen in us (2 Corinthians 12:9). Those ugly parts of our story produce in us endurance. Endurance produces character. And that character produces hope (Romans 5:3-5). Hope in Jesus. Hope in the freedom, life, peace, and joy that comes through Him. Hope of life after death that we will get to spend with Him forever.

So have courage, my friend! Share the messy parts! And know that in doing so, God will be glorified. Remember, the ugly part of our story that makes us afraid to share is the very thing that God wants to use to bring others to know Him.

This past Wednesday night in Bible Class, we discussed someone we have never really discussed before in Bible Class. We talked about Dolly Parton. Our youth group here at Rocketdyne has a strong pocket of Dolly fans! And I don’t know where you land on this, but Tuesday’s news of her passing hit hard. So we decided to talk about it during Wednesday’s night class.

I realized I wasn’t alone; several also wanted to discuss her life, her achievements, her philanthropy. Several knew obscure facts about her as we played an impossible trivia game about Miss Dolly.

One video I saw online on Facebook, (give me a break I’m over 40 years old!), asked what song did we play of Dolly’s when you really needed it? Not your favorite song of hers, but the song that you really needed to hear at a time in your life that was sentimental or difficult. I instantly knew the answer: it was this song below….

“When I get Where I am Going” by Brad Paisley featuring Dolly Parton was one of the songs we used during my Mom’s funeral service when she died suddenly at 42 years old. I was only 20 when it happened at the end of my Spring  Semester at college.

This song gave my family peace; this song gave us hope. Although this song, doesn’t directly reference God, or even Jesus (unfortunately), it does compare God to a Lion and talks about the Maker.
But when I get where I'm going,
And I see my Maker's face,
I'll stand forever in the light,
Of His amazing grace.
Yeah when I get where I'm going,
Oh, when I get where I'm going,
There'll be only happy tears.
Hallelujah!
I will love and have no fear.
When I get where I'm going.

This song is the soundtrack we played during my Mom’s picture slideshow at the funeral. It is the song I hear anytime I watch that memory video. This song helped me get through a very difficult time. And I thank Dolly Parton for being a part of that comfort. One day, when I get to stand before our Maker: God, I will get to live in the light of His Amazing Grace! I will get to see Jesus and thank Him for all He has done for me! We will finally get to see the Holy Spirit. And yes, I believe I will get to see my Mom, so many other family members that I miss greatly. So when I get where I am going, like Dolly said in the video announcement from her family, don’t be sad: because we are in the LIGHT!! I hope you can say the same, friend. If you need to talk-comment below or call the church office at 417-451-6698. Leave a message if no one answers, and I will call you back! We are all in this together friends! You are NOT alone, even if you feel lonely. We got each other! And we’ve got a story to tell! Let’s tell it together!

I want to end with this verse which was our closing verse on Wednesday night:
““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.””
‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭34‬-‭35‬ ‭NIV

Dolly seems to have made this a core part of her life; Jesus did too! Let’s all try to live up to this New Command, and be more like Jesus, more like Dolly, and truly LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Blessings friends! -Zac

It was back in 2018, our theme for JumpStart was “Be the Light”. We brought in an acquaintance I knew named Jud Heald. He was our entertainment for the weekend, but he was unlike any entertainment we had ever had at JumpStart before or since. You see Jud is a professional skateboard and the Director of Untitled Skate. He has the most X-Games type job of anyone I know; but he also lives his life by “being the light” which was the theme of JumpStart weekend back then. He keeps in touch, about monthly, by sending me a random devotional. I heard from him this morning in fact! But I wanted to share this particular devotional from the other day because I feel it fits the week we’ve all been having. Enjoy! -Zac

Comforted to be a comfort
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-6 ESV

Looking at the scripture, it’s pretty clear that when bad things happen to good people, good people are then in a position to help people going through bad / hard things.
Pray of the Lord, that He might help you use the things you’ve gone through to help others going through things that they are now struggling with.

https://www.untitledskate.com/

Happy Friday everyone!
Today is our final day unpacking the song "The Author" by Brandon Lake & Nick Jonas.

I was able to sit in this class on Saturday during JumpStart, one because my wife, Jenn, was one of the teachers, but also because I was very excited about the content!

The class did not disappoint; nor did the discussion/conversation. One of the participants, Zach Foote, made this comment about how if God is "The Author" of our story...then he holds the copyright:

"God is the Author of our story, of your story. Copyright gives the Author/Creator exclusive rights to edit, share and display their creation. Copyright infringement is when someone uses, copies or shares an original creative work without permission from the owner. This violates the rights of the Creator. God has the copyright on our soul and with our story, and the enemy, since the garden, has been trying to use, change and alter our story and God's word.  Stick to the original, authentic story about an Author who write Himself into your story, stepped into the judgment seat on your behalf and paid for your salvation. God's not done writing your story!" AMEN!

My wife's friend, Stephanie Witcher, also co-taught the class and she shared with me this thought:

"I really hope those who attended heard that we should tell our stories, good, bad, and ugly, because all of them point others to God’s glory. He will keep writing our story, even if we have little to offer 'The Author' in return. But telling our story for His glory is an offering of thanks. Psalms 107 reminds us that 'The Author' wants the Redeemed to tell their stories."

So today: I hope you take a second and reflect on the entire chapter of Psalm 107. God's not finished writing your story...and you get to be as much as an active participant as you want! Write a good one, friend! -Zac Erisman

"Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story— those he redeemed from the hand of the foe,” Psalms‬ ‭107‬:‭2‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Let's continue looking at the new song "The Author" by Brandon Lake and Nick Jonas.

We are now to the Chorus of this amazing song!

CHORUS
So who am I? Who am I?
Am I just a poor preacher's prodigal son?
A troubled child, running wild
Chasing the glory instead of the One
Who says that I, even I
Have something still left to offer?
So who am I? Who am I
To question the pen in the hands of The Author?

Phew! What good stuff!! Let's unpack it...
If you found yourself questioning your life story yesterday, this chorus absolutely lets you unwind, recenter, and find peace with Jesus! It starts out asking: Who am I? It explains who the song writers think they are. One thinks they are the prodigal son of a preacher. The other thinks they are a troubled child who is running wild and only chasing glory. Maybe you relate to these examples. I know I personally do at times. Or maybe you feel differently when you ask Who am I? No matter where you land, prodigal child or the faithful older sibling, luckily  the chorus shifts gears.

It asks: Who am I? A troubled child, running wild, chasing the glory instead of the One [JESUS!] who says that I, even I, have something still left to offer? So who am I? Who am I to question the pen in the hands of The Author?

You absolutely cannot go wrong when you turn the focus back to Jesus! And that's what the chorus does expertly. It shows that God believes that you, yes YOU, have something left to offer. You are the one that the Lord says you, even you, have something to tell others. You have a story to tell friend! So who are we to question that? Who are we to question the pen that is writing our story? Who are we to question the pen in the hand of The Author, our Lord Jesus Christ?

Hopefully-we see that we should not be questioning, but instead be leaning into the Story that is being written around us! And sharing that story on repeat with whoever is around us! Keep going friends! Praying for you!! -Zac

Feel free to leave a comment or a prayer request below!

Let's continue our discussion from yesterday! One of our breakout classes two weeks ago was based on the new song "The Author" by Brandon Lake and Nick Jonas.

The first verse went like this:

VERSE ONE
Picked up the Book for the first time in ages
Still washed me clean with the dust on the pages
My life is a story I struggle to write
But is it one worth telling? Is it one You like?
 
I said yesterday, so much is packed into the very first verse of the song...and so much of the WHY we had our theme for JumpStart this year can be found in the struggle of these lyrics!

The last line of the first verse can be flat out devastating to read, depending on where you currently are at in your Christian walk:
But is [my story] one worth telling? Is [my story] one You like [Jesus/Lord]?
These were the questions that I hope you were able to answer at JumpStart.

We tried to talk about the fact that even though you may be struggling to write, or tell your story, it is absolutely a story that is worth telling. It really is friend!  Why? Because it is a story about a life that has, hopefully, found JESUS! A life that has found THE LORD!

But sometimes even once we find our story in the Lord, AND we find our voice to tell about what God has done for us, sometimes Satan likes to creep in and cast doubt. Satan will try to lie to you and say, "But is it a story worth telling?" If you have ever struggled with those doubts, I want to say again right now: YOUR STORY IS WORTH TELLING. Please don't let doubt keep you from telling your story.

Now the next question asked in the verse, that question may land you in another area. Is [my story] one You like God? Maybe you are sitting here today and you realize your story, your life is going in a direction that you don't like. Maybe you are aware you're heading down a path the Lord does not want you walking. Unlike Satan casting doubts about you even having a story to share, if you are feeling like you are living a Story that God doesn't like, this would be what we call conviction. Maybe there is an area in our life that needs to change. Or maybe there is just a chapter in your story that you're unhappy with. The amazing thing is we serve a God who allows us to change. He allows us to Repent. He allows us to Change! Using the author/writer analogy, our God is a God who allows us by His Grace and Mercy to have an eraser and start over. That freedom gives us an amazing fresh start! So if you don't think God doesn't like the story you're writing right now, I'd encourage you to talk to him and ask for forgiveness. Then I'd talk to another Christian Brother or Sister who is further on their faith journey to help pray for you and encourage you along the way. Again: YOUR STORY IS WORTH TELLING. Even if it is one that required an eraser. Guess what?! We all have made those mistakes! We all needed that eraser. And praise God, He always gives us an opportunity to erase and come back to Him! I am living proof of this! You are NOT ALONE! -Zac

Don't forget! A link to "How to Write Your Faith Story" can be found on your wristband or at www.ccneosho.com/daily-devo 

One of our breakout classes two weeks ago was based on the new song "The Author" by Brandon Lake and Nick Jonas.

Today-I want to zoom in on the first verse:

VERSE ONE
Picked up the Book for the first time in ages
Still washed me clean with the dust on the pages
My life is a story I struggle to write
But is it one worth telling? Is it one You like?

CHORUS
So who am I? Who am I?
Am I just a poor preacher's prodigal son?
A troubled child, running wild
Chasing the glory instead of the One
Who says that I, even I
Have something still left to offer?
So who am I? Who am I
To question the pen in the hands of The Author?
 
So much is packed into the very first verse of the song...
Can you relate? Picked up the Book [the Bible] for the first time in ages...
Maybe you can relate. Maybe instead of diving into the Scriptures, you find other things to dive into. Books? The News? Social Media? YouTube?
Maybe you can't relate, I mean you are here today reading a daily devotional! (Gold Star!) But it does make you wonder what the song writers were going through when they wrote that line. What made them pick up their Bible? What makes you pick up yours?

No matter why they picked up their Bible, or when you last read your Bible, the next sentence still hits hard: Still washed me clean with the dust on the pages. AMEN! By Jesus' blood-we are all still washed clean of our sins! Hopefully, we never forget that!

The next line of the song was the whole reason why we chose the theme for JumpStart 2026. My life is a story...that was the whole point of "Your Story" two weekends ago. We all have a story to tell! But the authors of the song said: My life is a story I struggle to write... Can you relate to that? I know I definitely can.
My life is a story I struggle to write...
For most of us, it is hard to find our Story, let alone be able to tell it easily to others.
This is why we had Rick Odell literally walk us through a class explaining how to write our Faith Stories! (A link to that activity can be found on your wristband or at www.ccneosho.com/daily-devo)

We don't want you to forget that fact that even though it is a struggle to write, or tell our story, it is a story that is worth telling because it is a story about a life that has, hopefully, found JESUS! A life that has found THE LORD!

We will come back tomorrow and unpack the last sentence of the first verse! Hope to see you then! -Zac

Happy Monday Family!
As you start this week off, I pray that you will go into your schools, jobs, friend groups, and homes with peace, joy, and courage to tell your story and the Story of Jesus.

Our theme verse for Jumpstart this year, as you may remember, is Mark 5:19. This verse comes from a story about a man who was demon-possessed but then encountered Jesus and was set free (we read about this story in Days 2, 3, and 4 if you want to go back for a refresher)!
Today, I want to move forward in this chapter. The rest of Mark chapter 5 tells two more stories of people whose lives were radically changed by Jesus, but for now I just want to focus on the story of the woman with the issue of blood in verses 24-34 (this is one of my very favorites!)

Before we dive in, I want to encourage you to look for yourself in this story. Maybe you think that you can’t relate at all to this woman, but there are still lessons we can learn from her. There is so much insight for us to gain about our own story by listening to other people tell there’s.

Okay, let’s set the scene for the story, shall we? Jesus just stepped onto shore after getting out of a boat, and was immediately met with a huge crowd of people. Like, so many people that Jesus couldn’t walk through this crowd without bumping into anyone. In this mass of people, there was a woman who had been constantly bleeding for 12 years. She spent all of her money going to see countless doctors and no one could help. She just kept getting worse. This woman was desperate, and I’m sure weak, tired, and in pain. Not only was she suffering because she was sick, but this issue made her socially unclean as well, meaning that she was supposed to stay away from everyone. So on top of being physically ill, I bet she was lonely.

Can anyone relate to this yet?

This woman had exhausted all of her options until she heard that Jesus was coming to town. So in her desperation, she weaseled her way through that crowd until she was close enough to Jesus to just simply touch his robe. She believed that alone would be enough to heal her. And boy, was she right! Immediately when she touched Jesus, her bleeding stopped and she was healed!

I want to pause this story and give some historical context… Back in the Old Testament in Numbers 15:37-41, it was commanded that God’s people were to wear blue tassels on the corners of their robes. This was to serve as a reminder to them of all that God had done in rescuing the Israelites out of Egypt, and that The Lord was their God, no one else. Scholars believe that since Jesus was a law-abiding Jew, that He would have worn these blue tassels on His robe, and that maybe that’s what this woman was reaching out for to touch.
Imagine with me, this desperate, sick, tired, lonely woman reaching out to touch Jesus, and, on Him, the very thing that was a reminder of God’s faithfulness and freedom. I love the idea of her, in her darkest moment, grasping to take hold of the promise that God is faithful.

And Jesus noticed her. 
He could feel His healing power leave Him, and knew that someone touched Him. Even though people were touching Him on every side, He noticed her. And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.”

This is a beautiful story. But this is the woman’s story. How can we apply this to our own?

This story is a testament that God is faithful. In our most desperate moments when we feel like we have nowhere else to turn, Jesus is there. He sees us. He has compassion on us. He will give us freedom. Like the man possessed by demons. Like the woman with the issue of blood. Like what you’re enslaved by now. Jesus brings freedom. And once you grab ahold of it, your life will never be the same. The plot of your story changes.

Just reach out to touch Him.

Happy Sunday everyone!

I don't know about you...but there are times when I get really excited that it's finally Sunday. I just need to be with my church family. Last week, we all got to celebrate and worship together; all 451 of us! I needed that. My soul needed that. Did you need that?

I will be going back to worship today in the same space that we all got to worship in last week. It will look different. A lot less decorations on the walls; less people in the auditorium. Absolutely no aliens in the baptistry. But I will walk in, and I already realize, I am glad to be there. Yes, it's almost completely different than a week ago...but my family is still there. My church family is still singing praises. My church family is still praying. My church family is still taking communion together. My church family is still very much present! And my church family is meeting all across the midwest, all across America, all across the world today even if I am not in the same room as them. And that just amazes me. Thank you Lord for giving us such an amazing gift: our church family!

It's easy to get caught up in what we don't have; what we are missing. But I urge you: today, next Wednesday, next Sunday, look at what you do have right in front of you in way of the Christian church family the Lord has placed you in right now. Maybe you feel very loved by your church family; maybe you feel forgotten or unseen by them. But you are there for a reason-I believe that with all of my heart-so what are you going to do? Why are you there? Who needs you there? Who needs to hear your story? Whose story do you need to listen to?

Let's never forget that one of the biggest blessings we have been given is our fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ. Go celebrate that blessing today! And know we at Rocketdyne MISS YOU ALREADY! We can't wait to have you join us again real soon. -Zac

24 Let us consider how we can stir up one another to love. Let us help one another to do good works. 25 And let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us encourage one another with words of hope. Let us do this even more as you see Christ’s return approaching.   Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIRV)

Happy Saturday Family!
I hope you’re having a great start to your weekend and are finding some rest today as you prepare for the school week ahead!

The other day I wrote about how the only reason any of us have a story to tell is because of the Story that Jesus wrote for us on the cross. He perfectly came to earth to live among all this sin, and was killed on the cross and rose back to life so that our sin would be forgiven and we could have unity and relationship with Him. What a beautiful Story - thank you Jesus!

But that Story did not start on the cross…

God has His own Story that He’s been writing since before time began.

From the very beginning, before He created the ocean and the stars and mountains and daisies and kangaroos and peaches and lightning bugs and man and woman… He knew we would sin. He knew you and I, and He knew that we would fail Him. That we would choose other things instead of Him.
And yet, He still created. He still populated the earth and called people His children. God has written countless stories of men and women and families and nations who followed Him, and failed Him. Ran from Him, and returned to Him.
For thousands of years this was the Story. The characters in the Story would be doing really good, and then really bad. And then somehow they’d get worse, and then a little better, then they’d get bad again… an endless cycle of succeeding and failing, being near to God and then so far from Him.

And then, at the perfect time in the Story, a new character enters - Jesus. Although, He’s not really “new.” In fact, He’s been part of this Story since the beginning. From the very start, God knew He’d send Jesus. To put an end to the endless cycle. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we always get to be near God. Praise the Lord!!!

But that Story did not end on the cross…

Jesus died and then was alive again. He ascended to Heaven and lives still today! And life has continued on. Thousands of years have passed, countless generations have lived. New land has been found and wars have been fought. Blessings have been given and tragedy has struck. The Story, in all its messiness, continues on.

And in this continuation, we get to be part of His Story. Because of the Lord’s mercy on us, He has allowed us to be characters. And as characters in His Story, our job is to share the heart of The Author. To tell others of how good He is. How He is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love and faithfulness (Exodus 34:6-7)! We share His heart by sharing His Story.

This messy, rollercoaster, heart-breaking, life-giving, soul-saving, redemptive story. -Allie

How has your week gone?!

It's hard to believe that just a week ago, we were gathering together to kickoff JumpStart Weekend! Stephen Maxwell was leading us in worship; David Skidmore delivered his first keynote about keeping our eyes peeled open and looking for what the Lord is doing all around us. As it says in Philippians 4:8: FOCUS on these things....

This is where in fact, we got the analogy of keeping our eyes open for the "Pizza Planet Truck". If we blink...we will miss it!

Philippians 4:8 says:
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

So what have you seen this week? Have you seen the figurative "Pizza Planet Truck"? That is, the Lord working this week in your life? Have you seen Him doing something around you, or your friends, or your family, and you just knew that had to be of the LORD?! Only that could have came from God! If so...we'd love to hear about it!!

As David said last Friday: "What you train your eyes to notice completely changes how you experience the whole story."

"Most people go through LIFE and totally MISS WHAT GOD IS DOING around them."

"Just because YOU didn’t see God working doesn’t mean He isn’t moving."

"Just because YOU didn’t notice the truck, doesn’t mean it isn’t there."

It's very easy. to get distracted and miss "the Truck"...
It's very easy to get distracted and miss what the Lord is doing.

Paul says the same thing about the joy, purpose, and presence of Christ. It's easy to get so caught up in our every day lives, we miss what Jesus is trying to show us.

So again, just like David challenged us, I challenge you,
FOCUS ON THESE THINGS:

I pray you have a great Friday, and an even better weekend, friend. But most importantly: I pray you don't miss these things Paul told us to focus on. I pray we don't miss "the Truck".

-Zac

Another day, another devo!
Today is the day when we finally get to the main, miraculous story about our demon-possessed man from Mark chapter 5. We’ve heard about how he and others have shared his story, but now we are finally getting to hear it!
Today I want to cover Mark 5:1-13. I would highly encourage you to go read this section of scripture on your own, because here, today, we will just hit the highlights.
Basically what happens is this: One day a man possessed by a demon came out from a graveyard to meet Jesus. Now this man was crazy! He was running around half-naked, busting through chains, screaming, and hurting himself. Nothing could restrain this man... The demon had a tight hold on him.
Well, demons, actually.
Multiple.
This evil spirit called himself “Legion” because there were so many demons making up the one evil spirit inside this man. (‘Legion’ was a military term used by the Romans that referred to a military unit made up of 5 or 6 thousand soldiers. So imagine 6 thousand demons possessing this man! No bueno.)
These demons knew who Jesus was and were afraid of His power. They begged Jesus not to torture them. When Jesus told them to come out of the possessed man, the demons asked Him for permission to enter a herd of pigs. Jesus granted them that request, and then the demons, in all of their chaos, ran the pigs down a cliff and into a lake where they drowned.
So to make a short story shorter. Man possessed by demons. Demons fear Jesus. Demons leave man and enter pigs. Pigs drown. Man is set free.

My study bible says this about this man’s story: “Just about everything in this situation would make Jesus and his disciples unclean under Jewish law - they were in Gentile territory, the demon-possessed man was living in a cemetery, and a herd of pigs was nearby. This was the last place we should expect to find them. But they went there to minister, resulting in the transformation of someone’s life and a powerful witness. God may lead you to minister to surprising people in startling places for him. Trust him and follow his lead.”
God may call us to share our story with people we might never choose on our own. He can (and will!) call us to step out of our comfort zones to share our faith. All we have to do is trust Him, and He will take care of the rest.
I want to point out something though that is more important than us stepping into unexpected places.. I want to remind you that God stepped into an unexpected place for YOU. God the Father sent His perfect Son, Jesus, to earth to die a brutal death on a cross to pay the price for my sin. For your sin. He stepped into an unexpected place. He didn’t deserve that punishment - we do. But in His mercy, He came and took it for us.
Without recognizing that, we have no story to tell. The only story of my life that matters is that I was trapped in sin, but now I am set free. Only because of Jesus. All because He came to this unexpected, sinful, graveyard of a place… for me. For you.
This is our story.

-Allie

It’s Wednesday, my dudes!
It’s day 3 post-Jumpstart - how is it going with Telling Your Story (remember, you can leave comments below to tell us how it’s going! We’d love to hear from you!!) It can be difficult to summon up the courage to share your life with people, I get it! Just don’t stop trying. Don’t stop talking to God about it, asking Him to reveal things in your story, and asking Him who to share those things with.

Today, I want to take another few steps backwards in our story from Mark chapter 5. We’ve only covered verses 18 and 19, and so far this is what we know:
Our story is about a man who was once possessed by demons.
The man asked to go with Jesus, and Jesus said no.
Jesus told the man to tell others “everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been,” (Mark 5:19).

Let’s uncover a little more of the story by going back to verse 14 of Mark 5. Verses 14 through 17 read,
“The herdsmen fled to the nearby town and the surrounding countryside, spreading the
news as they ran. People rushed out to see what had happened. A crowd soon gathered
around Jesus, and they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons. He was sitting there fully clothed and perfectly sane, and they were all afraid. Then those who had seen what had happened told the others about the demon-possessed man and the pigs. And the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone.”

Okay, woah. Obviously something crazy just happened in the story (we will read about that soon, just stick with us!). Instead of focusing on the details of the man’s transformation, today I want to focus on the reaction of those who witnessed this miracle. Not only did the miracle have a powerful effect on the man who was healed, but it moved the people who witnessed this story playing out in real time! When they saw Jesus’ power at work in this man’s life, they couldn’t stay silent! They spread the news as they ran and they told others about what they had seen.

Witnessing God’s power in this man’s life compelled them to speak.

Has that ever happened to you?

Have you ever witnessed something amazing that God has done that you couldn’t help but share that story with others?

My challenge to you today is to keep your eyes open for how God is working in the lives of those around you. When you see God doing something amazing in your friend’s life, point it out to them! When you see how God has answered prayers, performed miracles, and given blessings to those who are close to you, share those stories! (Disclaimer: be prayerful and ask God for wisdom about what is yours to share and what you maybe should keep for your friend to tell about their own story…)
The point here is this: God isn’t only working in your life. God isn’t only working in your friend’s life. He is present with all of us, working all things out for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
Train your eyes to see it.

-Allie

Happy Tuesday, friends!
It’s Day 2 of us being apart after Jumpstart, and today I want us to take a 2nd look at our theme verse from this past weekend…

Mark 5:19 - “But Jesus said, “No, go home to your family, and tell them everything the Lord has done for you and how merciful he has been.” (NLT)

Let’s take a step back for a second to verse 18. It says, “As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon possessed begged to go with him.”

This man had a life-altering encounter with Jesus, (it really is a crazy story - we’ll get to it, I promise!). Upon being transformed by Jesus, all this man wanted to do was be close to Him. He begged Jesus to let him tag along. I imagine that he wanted to see what else this man, Jesus, could do… that he wanted to be along for the exciting ride of miracles… that he wanted to continue to experience the freedom and peace that Jesus gave him…

But when he pleaded to go with Jesus, Jesus said no.

It feels crazy to think that Jesus would say “no” to anyone who wanted to stay with Him. Doesn’t God want us all to be close to Him?

But it’s not that Jesus didn’t want this man close, it’s that it was better and more glorifying to God if this man stayed home to tell those closest to him about his story with Jesus.

So my question for you today is who close to you do you need to tell your story to? Maybe it’s your parents, your best friend, your brother or sister… Those who may think they know your story, but don’t know all of the internal, nitty gritty work that God has been doing on your heart and your mind. As the church, we, collectively, are the body of Christ. We are a Family. Let your Family in on your story, even (and maybe especially) the parts that aren’t pretty.

God gave us each other to lean on and to help carry one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2).
Don’t go through your story alone.

Allie

It's Day One...
Or at least it's the first full day after JumpStart...
According to Rick Odell, yesterday was DAY ONE of our challenge to tell people our story. (But I digress...)
Rick  challenged us yesterday during his lesson that the title of the weekend shouldn't have been "Your Story" it should have been "Tell Your Story". And I couldn't agree more. We actually changed/updated the logo to have it say just that!

So...who are you going to Tell?
Who are you going to tell about all the amazing things that the Lord has done for you?

Our theme verse for the weekend was Mark 5:19:
Jesus said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” (ESV)

We will unpack these verses more in the future, because it's quite the story of who Jesus is exactly saying this to. But today: I want us to truly think about not only what we need to TELL, but who we need to TELL it to.

For many in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Illinois-you've already started school, and it's a Monday. But if you're reading this-clearly you want to stay connected and stay engaged. So my prayer is for you today. I am praying for courage for you to start telling your story! I am praying that it becomes clear who that person is who needs to hear your story. Praying blessings on you friend! I hope you have an amazing Monday, and a great week!

God Bless!
Zac

361 Days Until JumpStart 2027!!
August 13-15, 2027