Did you hear the story about the farmer who accidentally dropped a five-dollar bill into the outhouse hole?  He raced into his house screaming to his wife, “Honey, honey, where did you put that fifty-dollar bill that we were saving for Johnny’s birthday gift?”

She asked, “What do you want that for?” as he grabbed the bill and raced back toward the outhouse.  Then, with all his might he crumpled and threw the fifty-dollar bill into the hole and yelled, “I’m not stupid you know.  There’s no way anyone in their right mind would crawl through all that crap just to get five dollars.”

Over the years we all hear funny stories, and some can sure make us laugh.   But have you ever noticed if you don’t share the story with someone else, in just a few days, you usually can’t even remember it?

It’s the same way with a great message at church.  The pastor may move you even to tears – but after church we usually forget what the message was about.  The other day I asked a friend if he knew Jesus parable of the sower and the seed, and he said, “Oh yes.”   But when I asked him to share the story, he said he really didn’t know it that well.

So today I want to encourage you to be a story re-teller.  It’s so easy to be great at sharing other people’s stories, ideas and messages if we simply write down a few key words to jog our memories, and then share those stories with someone else – right away!

After you share the story in your own words, you own it!  The story comes alive in your mind, and you can become a conduit of good news and great ideas!

This is one of the key ingredients to effectively reading the Bible.   Take notes as you read, and always read – not to be entertained, but with the idea of sharing what you’ve read with someone you love.

When we share the Good News. . .  When we share how Jesus Word inspired us or touched our lives, this is when the Word has a chance to really grow inside us.   It becomes a part of us when we speak it out loud.   It gives us a new depth.   Instead of renting God’s word, we own it.