I have often noticed, as I help speakers craft their Stonecroft talks, that telling the “before” part of their story comes easier to them than the “after” part. While they can recall many examples to describe their life before Christ, providing anecdotes that reflect their changed lives proves to be more of a challenge. They use passive statements such as, “I now have a peace that permeates all my circumstances,” rather than giving real-life examples of how that peace affects their response to challenging circumstances. The unwitting result is that the “before” segment of their talk comes across more dramatically than the “after” segment. Their past overshadows the miraculous, ongoing transformation they now experience as a result of their relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the Hero of your life, of your story. His merciful love, His transformative power, His glory and goodness are the focus of your life story now.
You want women to leave the outreach event thinking, I want to know Jesus because they heard your talk. You don’t want them to focus on the juicy “before” details. Relating real-life experiences and the joy of knowing Jesus provides the attraction factor for your audience and assures they will remember your key points long after they’ve forgotten you. So it is essential to weave strong, persuasive examples of God’s love and transforming power into the latter part of your talk. You want women to leave with examples of God’s goodness, wanting to know Jesus better.
To stimulate your thought process in this direction, think about the last time you felt a sense of awe and overwhelming gratitude toward God. Or consider a time when you responded to a challenging situation in a way that clearly evidenced God’s influence in you. What circumstances led up to those feelings or responses? Can they be turned into a story that illustrates the wonder, the marvel, the thrill of knowing Jesus? By incorporating these stories you can be sure that God, not you, will be the focal point of your talk—the Hero of your story!