Growing up, I loved listening to Paul Harvey tell “the rest of the story.”  His deep voice taking all of us to the brink of guessing the person or surprise ending, only to be left with our mouths open memorized.  He could tell a story.

I remember my grandfather, Ed “Pop” Williams, tell me about when he attended Harvard…at the age of 65.  Apparently, Harvard had a class program for seniors who retired.  He attended one class where the moderator welcomed all the students and gave them their semester assignments.  It was quite simple.  Each week, one student would get up and talk about something they were passionate about in their own life.  It could be on Chinese Arts, WWII airplanes, Cooking…whatever the student was pursuing as a self-interest. My grandfather said it was one the best classes in his lifetime.  Every week, the “teacher” would share with great passion and knowledge about their topic.

I love to listen to people tell stories and I love when people can talk about something they are passionately pursuing.  With that in mind, we have been working on a project.  We created the GFC Podcast to capture both qualities.  We call it GFC Stories (gfcstories.com).  Every Wednesday, I sit down with a different person from GFC and ask what they are passionate about in their life.  It can be about an aspect of their walk with God or it can be something outside those boundaries.

Here are some different examples.  Mike Gibilisco, Music Director of GFC, talked about his love of smoking meat and how that brings people together.  Dr. Jeffrey Wilson shared his burden for those who served in the military and how he started a small group just for them.  Gil Baile talks about how at the age of seventy-two he is leading a ministry called, School for Haiti, reaching children in difficult life situations.  Charla Hernandez speaks frankly of leaning about the love of a father when she met God.  This week, Chris Davis shares about overcoming Leukemia and now leads the GFC Dream Center.

Life is always moving and changing.  Our hope is that as you subscribe and listen to these stories, you will connect with the different people.  Let them challenge and inspire you, making you laugh and even shed a tear.  If we can take the time to hear someone else’s story, it helps us to see our own in a new perspective.

Do you have less than twenty minutes for a story?  A real story?  A real life?  It may just change yours.