Living Your Whole Story

Introduction

I want you to live your whole story. I don't know what happened a couple years ago. I don't know where your problems have been and all that. I do know some. I know some because we're family, but I don't know it all. In fact, what I do know is that God has a whole story for us to live. And we're not stereotyped by our best moments. We're not stereotyped by our lowest moments, but God is writing a story in each one of us.

Your Story Is Not a Single Moment

Our lives aren't defined by a single moment—good or bad. We often get fixated on a success or a failure, but that’s not the whole story. God is writing a story in each of us, and it's essential to live through every chapter. Just like my father, whose life was full of unexpected turns and challenges, every moment contributes to the narrative.

My Father's Story

Let me brag on my dad for a bit. This picture here is one of my favorites of me and my dad. It takes me back to when I first started pastoring at Pathway Church. My dad had a fixation on the University of Florida Gators, and it was a running joke in our family. Once, he walked into a Christmas Eve service wearing this bright blue Florida Gators jacket. It was probably the most obnoxious piece of clothing ever, but he wore it proudly, even if it embarrassed me a bit.

When Hurricane Andrew hit, it devastated his church and the community. From a thriving congregation, they were reduced to 17 people. My dad slept under a picnic table until he got a travel trailer. He traded his suit and tie for a hard hat and turned pews into shelves for distributing food and supplies. He served 5,000 hot meals a day for months.

Visual: Show a picture of the devastated church and areas affected by Hurricane Andrew, transitioning to visuals of the relief efforts organized by my dad.

Rising to the Challenge

When I asked my dad to leave and pastor another church, he refused because he believed God had called him to that community. He took on the hardest job of his life, working outside the church to provide for his family, all while rebuilding the community. This phase of his ministry was his most difficult but also the most impactful.

Visual: Show images of my dad in the hard hat, working with Billy Graham and Governor Lawton Childs, and organizing relief efforts.

Living Your Whole Story

Today, Pathway Church, I challenge you to live your life the whole way. We all face mountains and valleys, successes and failures. But remember, God is at work in you. Believe in the God that's working in you. Your life is a book, not just a page. Your story goes beyond the current chapter you're living.

Visual: Show a stack of books symbolizing different chapters of life, then a single page being added to the book.

Embrace Every Season

David was elevated from shepherding sheep to leading God's people because he had a pure heart and skilled hands. Live your whole story unto God, not for earthly accolades but for His glory. Develop the skills and abilities God has given you, and be faithful in every season of your life.

Visual: Show a shepherd tending sheep, transitioning to David being anointed as king.

Your Story as a Living Letter

We are living letters, and others should be able to read the works of God in our lives. As we live by God's word, people should see Jesus in us. Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 3:3 remind us that our lives are written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God.

Visual: Show a handwritten letter transitioning to a visual of people reading a Bible.

Finish Strong

Live your whole story to the very last page. Run all the way through the base. Finish well. Remember Acts 13:36, which says, "After David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died and was buried with his ancestors." Fulfill God's calling on your life and finish strong.

Visual: Show a runner crossing the finish line, then transitioning to a scene of an elderly person reflecting on their life.

Conclusion

Pathway Church, God has incredible plans for you. Live out your whole story. Build things, impact the world, and make much of Jesus. But in all your doing, don't miss out on Jesus. Finish your journey well. Love Him now, serve Him now, and be faithful to Him in every season.

Call to Action

If you want to commit to living your whole story fully devoted to Jesus, take a moment right now to pray and ask God to guide you. Let's live our lives as living letters for others to read and see Jesus in us.