Tell stories…all the time. Tell the good stories all the time. Write those good stories down, save them in a file somewhere so you can access them on a day when you are discouraged. Share the stories with your supervisor, with your volunteers, at parent meetings. Share them with your spouse (so they don’t only hear you vent), let students share their stories with large groups of students, with large groups of adults. Share the stories with other students, encourage them with the success of other teens with similar age and situation. Have students share theri stories and the stories of their friends in small group setting, at camp, let them share their stories as soon as possible.

We tell stories to make ourselves feel better, to make other people feel better, to warn of danger, and to show we have lived an exciting life. Watch the movie “Big Fish”. Story telling bring to life the reality of what Jesus is doing in the lives of people. It’s a good story.