Have you ever thought about your personal faith story? All of us have one. And all of our stories are a little different because of the people, places, events, etc. that have played a part in forming our faith; in helping us to know Jesus and His story and to believe in Him as our Savior. And when we really take the time to think about it, most of the time it's someone else who has shared their story, who has told us about why they believe and about what is special about Jesus for them, who has simply lived what they believed, that has made the greatest impact.

  I remember when I was young it was my grandparents that had a great influence on me from a faith perspective. They would never miss church. And my grandmother wore a hat most of the time because that was just what ladies did when they went to church. I also remember that she used to sing the hymns at the top of her lungs even though she couldn't carry a tune if she wanted to... sorry grandma. = ) But I think my primary influence was my mom. She got us to church and made sure we knew it was important to participate in Sunday School and Youth Group and choir and yes, Confirmation too.  She also had a beautiful soprano voice and was often asked to sing solos or duets at church. She would always give her musical gift willingly to the church and others, especially to the residents at the city mission where she would play piano and lead them in song several times a month.  But one of my fondest memories is of when she would gather my younger sister and brother and me together at bedtime almost every night and read bible stories to us from a series of books by Arthur Maxwell. I wonder if this looks familiar to any of you?

  I was also deeply influenced by other adults at church; friends of my mom and my grandparents but also the parents of my friends, not only at church but on countless sleep-over's and carpool rides and church activities. When I look back on it I think most of all what the people who influenced me did was simply live their faith. They practiced it in big and small ways each and every day. Their unwavering witness  made we want to know this Jesus for myself because of how important He obviously was to them and because of the difference He obviously made in their lives.