"Tell The Story" blog by Rev. Burton Barr Jr.

I love stories. When someone starts to tell one, my face lights up, my ears automatically tune in, and they obtain my undivided attention. It all started when I was a child watching Rocky and Bullwinkle. There was a segment of the show that featured Aesop telling his son a fable each week.

My fascination continued when I was a teenager, and my friends and I sat around, swapping ghost stories. Years later, one of my uncles started telling some stories one evening when I was visiting relatives in St. Louis. I had just been called into the ministry, so I started using some of them in my sermons.

Over the years, I have acquired hundreds of stories. Some of them came from experiences in my life. Some of them are fables or stories that I have written. But I got most of them from storybooks or listening to other preachers or speakers. But out of all the stories that I have in my arsenal, I have discovered that the most powerful story that I have is the one that Jesus gave me. It is my testimony. It is the story of how God saved my soul.




You have a story too. When God delivered you from your sins, He gave you a story to tell, so tell the story. Someone is going through some of the same stuff that you went through and they need to hear your story, so don't be afraid to tell it. Tell the story. When you are on your job, tell the story. When you are sitting in the restaurant, tell the story. When you are at the barbershop or in the beauty shop, tell the story. Every time you get a chance, tell the story.

After you tell your story, don't forget to tell the Gospel story. Tell the story of how Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, and He was bruised for our iniquities. Tell the story of how He hung on an old Roman cross from the sixth to the ninth hour. Tell the story of how the sun refused to shine, because two Sons couldn't shine at the same time.

Tell the story of how He was buried in a borrowed tomb. But don't let the story end there. Be sure to tell the rest of the story, because early that Sunday morning, He got up from the grave, with all power in His hands.

Tell the story!

- Author of "The Hoodlum Preacher", "Amazing Grace", and "He's Only A Prayer Away"



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"The Hoodlum Preacher" Official Film Site:
www.thehoodlumpreacher.com