The Other 99

Last night, Sheryl, Kinsey, and I attended a deal from Magdalene Ministries, which I would take the time to explain, but Clarissa Cox did a much better job. Long story short, it’s ministry to women who have been drug abusers and prostitutes, helping them get off the streets.

Anyway, I was thinking about stories and the power of God’s grace told through the stories that the three Magdalen ladies told us last night.

This may not describe anyone else, but having been a Christian basically my entire life, sometimes I don’t feel like I have a story. I’ve never done drugs, I don’t smoke (well, a cigar a couple of times a year), I don’t drink (well, a glass of wine a couple of times a year), I wasn’t abused as a child. I have my little quirks like everyone else (mom disfellowshipped from the church I attend now; going to a charismatic church for a while), but I don’t feel like I have that big dramatic story of God’s grace acting in my life or a Damascus road experience that I can use as a springboard in the sharing of the Good News.

I think a lot of that is driven by desire for drama. You know, we watch our big dramatic shows and love the stories told on them. And we love the stories that people tell. But I think that the stories of faithful people are just as uplifting, if not as “exciting” as the others. That the 99 sheep have stories to tell that are just as important as the one. God’s faithfulness to us is something that we should talk about, and we can talk about those. Not to brag because (insert self-righteous voice here) “I’ve never fallen away, like that rotten tax collector,” but to show that life with God is possible without the awful horrible things that can happen in life.

OK, am I way off base on this or just slightly out in left field? Thanks for reading this, whoever’s out there.