A Pastor’s Thoughts

By Pastor Carolyn Gillette, First Presbyterian Union Church in Owego —

Are you someone who enjoys a good story? Stories bear truth in a world that needs to hear the truth. Stories give us new perspectives on the value of things like service to others, selflessness, cooperation, community, forgiveness, generosity, and a willingness to work for the common good. These are values that guide and strengthen us. There is power in stories. 

Summertime is a wonderful time for hearing, reading, and sharing stories. What are the ways that you are unearthing, remembering, telling, and writing stories this summer?  These are some of our favorites; what are yours?

Read about a loved one’s faith and life. Dig through a dusty box of keepsakes and find a relative’s journal from years ago; it may contain wonderful snippets of wisdom, humor and deep insight.

Look through a family Bible. Maybe someone left in it a piece of paper with some written notes, or maybe there are notes written in the margins. Maybe a favorite Bible passage is earmarked. What was important to that Bible’s owner? 

Listen to and record the stories of an older family member. There is a wonderful book called Remembering Your Story: Creating Your Own Spiritual Autobiography by Richard L. Morgan that can help you record or write an oral history. The whole book is good, but one of the best parts is the list of interview questions in the back of it.  What were the customs, traditions, beliefs, and values when that person was growing up? What beliefs gave that person courage?

Read the stories of Jesus and the stories of the church. Take the Gospel of Luke to the beach with you; read the parables with sand between your toes. Take the Book of Acts to that lakeside cabin and read it in the quiet afternoons. 

Try listening to the stories of the Bible for a change of pace. Go to www.biblegateway.com, where you can listen to recordings of the Bible being read aloud, either the New International Bible or Eugene Peterson’s The Message.

Write your own life story. Include a faith perspective. What do you believe? What do you value? What would you like your children, nieces, nephews, or friends to know about your faith, commitments, and actions? What has God called you to do and how have you lived out your faith? Try telling the story on paper. Or keep a gratitude journal. Every day, simply write down one or two things you are grateful for. 

Sing the stories you value. Sing hymns. Sing the old protest songs from the ’60’s. Sing ballads you learned in school or from your family. Listen to the words that spoke to you years ago and think about how these words have helped to shape the story of your life.

Be part of the story of the church and the story of our democracy. Read the stories of faithful people who have worked for a more just, compassionate world in recent decades.  Be grateful for their work. Follow in their footsteps. Write an email to a member of Congress about something you believe in. Use your voice, spoken or written, to work for a better, kinder, more sustainable, more loving world.

Share in story conversations with a stranger. Summer is a time when we often run into people we don’t know; on planes, trains, trips, and vacations. Listen to someone’s story.  Ask good questions. Learn a different perspective. Share your own stories in ways that are appropriate and encouraging.

Share in storytelling with your pastors. Bruce and I, and all the pastors in town, are grateful for opportunities to hear what is important in your life, as well as to share our stories with you. We are also happy to help you find answers to questions you may have about the biblical story. What do you wonder about Jesus, the Bible, the miracles, the parables, the church? What can we learn together, from a good, long, shared conversation?

May God bless you with a wonderful summer, and may it be filled with old and new stories that bear truth, wisdom, joy and love.

Carolyn Gillette and her husband Bruce serve as the pastors for the First Presbyterian Union Church in Owego.