Hunter Christner

I want to thank the community of Powell for a warm welcome. Since this is my first appearance in this column, I wanted to take this entry to introduce myself and share with you how my story is part of God’s story. I also want to encourage you to think about how your story is part of God’s story, and share with you why I think you should share your story.

When was the last time you heard a good story told by someone close to you? Who is the best storyteller that you know? Storytelling has always been part of media and entertainment but it’s becoming more exclusively so. What makes a good story? 

It’s helpful to focus on the 4 Ps of storytelling: people, place, plot and purpose.

A good story has people who you begin to connect with and care about. It also has a place of reference that you may be familiar with, and if not, you’re probably interested in knowing more about it. The most captivating part of a good story is the plot, which communicates relatable or imaginable experiences for the listener or reader to engage with. The purpose of a story is what makes it memorable. It gives meaning and impact beyond the moment of its events. There is an element of the purpose of a story that is transferable and edifying to the audience as they walk away from the conclusion of the story.

My story, the story of my life, is still being developed. My story features people like my wife, my family, my friends, my coworkers and my community, which is you. My story also has Jesus in it. He is a person who I interact with daily. Jesus is the person who is most interested in my story.  The main places in my story are northern Indiana, where I grew up and western Wyoming, where I made my home after college. 

The plot of my story has been an unpredictable series of events. In short, I grew up learning about life through the lens of baseball and school. I was encouraged by many people and hurt by others, I have succeeded at some things and failed at a lot of others. The one thing that has stayed the same has been my hope in eternal life with God since the day I was saved by his grace. I was introduced to Jesus and his story early in elementary school. I decided his promises are worth trusting.

Jesus has been with me through all of my good days and my bad days. He has never left me. Therefore, the purpose of my story is to share the grace of God — to reveal the unconditional love of Jesus to the people around me, the people in my community.

I would be remiss if I didn’t share God’s story. You may be asking, “Well, what is God’s story?” God’s story is his-story. All of history. The Bible is the divine revelation of God’s story. It includes many places and people. The plot running through the entire Bible is that God made all people and he loves all people. That’s why you are part of God’s story. But all people reject him, which separates us from him. However, God chose to pursue people with unconditional love and made it known to us by coming to Earth in the form of man, who is Jesus, to take the punishment for our rejection of him on himself.

He is the real hero in the story of life because he is more powerful than the punishment he took, death. He was raised to life and made it clear that the purpose of his story is to restore the broken relationship between you and him. Right now, God’s story is still being developed but the purpose has already been established. You are an important part of God’s story.

Have you considered the people, places, plot and purpose of your story? Nobody else has your story, which makes you the perfect person to share it. Your story is something that is relatable and needs to be shared so that others can know that there is hope for their story. You have a story that has significance because it is part of God’s story.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story in the light of God’s story. I hope that you are reminded of your significance, and it compels you to pursue your purpose. I also hope that you begin to see how your story intersects with God’s story and share it with others.

(Hunter Christner is an intern at Campus Ventures in Powell.)