How You Tell the Story 

We recently visited St. Augustine, Florida, which is - as the folks there like to tell you - the nation's oldest city. Ponce de Leon first explored the area for Spain in 1513. The settlement was established in 1565; the earliest recorded service of Christian worship in what is now the United States was held in Saint Augustine on September 8 of that year.

As the local tourist brochures put it, "When the Pilgrims arrived in Massachusetts in 1620, San Agustin was embarking on its first urban renewal program." So why, our traveling companion asked, did we learn all about the Pilgrims in grade school and hear nothing about St. Augustine?

Why indeed? The story you hear always depends on who is telling the story. The story I was told in school traced American history back to English Protestants seeking religious freedom, not to Spaniards seeking gold. Some folks like to trace Texas history back to the battle of the Alamo in the early 19^th century, largely ignoring the Franciscan missionaries who built the Alamo in the early 18^th century.

So how do you tell the story? While it is important how you tell the story of America, as people of color have been pointing out for years, I have another question in mind: How do you tell your own story? What do you highlight as most important? What parts do you brush over or leave out entirely?

And where, in your story, do you find the holy mysteries of God? Can you even tell your story without mentioning the deep longings of the spirit?  If you can, would you want to? 

How do you tell your story, in all its holy fullness?