A true story

are you ready for short stories written by Callie? actually it's just me blabbing my mouth. sometimes i just need to do so to think outloud and so that i begin to believe and live out what i believe

I watch American Idol, not because my roommate wants me to watch it with her because she definately hates it, but I watch it because it gives me this feeling that I like so much. I just can't explain it. There is no show like it that compares-it gives me this certain feeling. I try so hard to make everything right, preparing ahead of time just so that I can make it to my room to watch it as it comes on right away at 7 p.m. I get so excited about it!

I say this because earlier today, I sat in the missions room in the berry bible building on a nice cozy sofa with a friend chatting about springbreak. At the end of our convo she ask me if I was going to watch A.I. tonight. I told her no lie-I said yes I'm going to watch it and I thanked her for asking me. You know why, because amazingly I had forgotten that American Idol was on tonight. Just when she ask me if I was going to watch it, this overwhelming feeling flooded my mind again. Like I said before, I just like this feeling. It brings excitement to my life. This feeling also makes me want to watch it more and more for long hours at a time. It doesn't matter if the people sing good or bad I just like watching them.
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My childhood was spent on a farm near Wolsey, South Dakota. On Sundays, my favorite sunday school teacher, Mrs. Pam would always tell Bible stories and offer time at the end for questions. Often times, I was too occupied with my thoughts about where I was going to sit when the worship service started that I didn't know what the bible story was about. As a student here at Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, some things have changed. My thoughts are more focused and I'm more able to capture what the instructor is saying whether it be telling a story or giving instructions about how to do a certain assignment. It wasn't until I got here that I realized the importance of listening.

I better understood this lesson of listening when I was in India. The missionaries were great Bible storytellers. They were good at it for many reasons but mainly it was because their main job there was to train church leaders to preach, teach, and plant new churches. When I listened to them share their examples of triumph, they pointed out that the uneducated were usually great storytellers and often proved to be effective leaders whenever they taught using Bible stories. (i got it- They simply used the Bible to tell their stories.) When I listened to them tell one story about the Good Shepherd I understood more clearly what the passage in the Bible was actually about. I listened and I heard from God. Thank you Lord for your grace and mercy.

Someday soon, I want to be a missionary and be a good Bible storyteller too. My downfall lately has been that I've neglected reading the Bible. I consume so many things that flood my life with chaos. I believe I must take more time to listen to God also I believe that spending time and digging into the Bible demands more time for other disiplines such as solitude and simplicity.

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until next time, here is John 10:1-9
John 10:1-9 (New International Version)
The Shepherd and His Flock
1"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." 6Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
7Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.[a] He will come in and go out, and find pasture.