Transformation Ministry

Today I had the honor of meeting a group called, Heart Writers. It's a group for anyone who feels they have a book to write. There were poets, short story writers, fiction writers, memoir writers, and others.

During our talks, the leader presented the idea that all of our writing, even the seemingly random blog posts, could be a form of ministry. In my mind, writing and ministry mean theological works such as explaining the Bible. I've done plenty of that; however, that got me thinking about Ted Dekker and his teaching on writing fiction.

He said that one major key is for your character to undergo a major internal transformation.

Ted Dekker said (see more here):

What is story? Story is a series of events involving worthy characters who change (are transformed) as a result of those events.

This was a great reminder that ministry means a lot of things. As Ted's character changes, I'm going through that transformation with him/her. I'm being transformed a little in the process myself. That is Ted's Ministry to me, the reader. That is my ministry to my readers, few and far between though they may be.

Long after the average reader had forgotten all ten steps, and most of the habits, he/she will remember Frodo almost quitting and Sam coming to his aide, to push him to move on. They will feel with Captain America as he refuses to fight his best friend. They will laugh and cry with the revelation that God can be a black woman (The Shack).

Story is what God used to reach us on the Bible. There are facts, lists, but the vast majority of God's Word to Mankind was told through story. Jesus said, "greater things that I do". He was a master storyteller above all else he did. Audiences may have gotten healed when they came to him, but they stayed long enough to get healed because they were captivated by his stories.

Story is the most important ministry I can be involved in, for my skill set.

I NEED to tell a story... Maybe more than one.

Darrell G. Wolfe

Storyteller | Writer | Thinker | Consultant | Multipotentialite

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It's so easy to do things your own way...

... plotting, scheming, planning, working the plan, just trying to get this thing to work.

Submit to God’s righteousness

2For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. | Romans 10 | English Standard Version

...being ignorant of the righteousness of God (God's ways of doing and being)...

Defined (here):

dikaiosynē | 1343 [e]
δικαιοσύνῃ | righteousness
Short Definition: justice, justness, righteousness
My Definition: Be Right With God

hypetagēsan | 5293 [e]
ὑπετάγησαν | they submitted
Short Definition: I place under, subject to
My Definition: Hand It Over

If I submit a report to my teacher/boss, I am handing it over to them. I may have a memory of it (a copy) but the report has been turned over. I'm not working on it still, I'm done with it. 

If I submit a form online, it's gone. I can fill out a new one, but that form is handed over. 

Seeking to establish your own will/plan does not leave room for God's. You can always bring Him your hurts, pains, problems, questions... He's happy to hear you.

However, what you cannot do is come to God with a list of demands (your will), ask Him to bless them (so-called prayer), and then leave to go about your day. This is not prayer, this is submitting your list.

Being right with God could also be understood to mean being in step with Him. In that sense, I cannot be right if I'm not listening. If I'm turning myself, my situation, my problem to Him, then I'm following not leading. 

So next time I pray, instead of bringing a list of demands, why don't I ask Him what He'd like to talk about today... and just Listen. 

Darrell

Commercial Disclosures:

Warning: You may want to talk about your perceived problem, and he wants to talk about something seemingly unrelated. He may choose to deal with your problem without your help, while He has you dealing with something totally different. He may choose to fix the root cause of the problem, so that the problem stops recurring. He may want to fix your heart so that the "problem" stays, but your experience changes. Side effects may include peace, joy, reduced anxiety, surprising events, and adventures. Some people have found their desires changed, while the problem still persisted. Some people have found the problem went away, seemingly on its own. Your results may vary.

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