A Simple Storytelling Practice: Seeing The Divine All Around Us

As an experiment, I’ve recorded an audio version of this article (plus a little extra) for you. If you’re on-the-go or just prefer listening, check it out!

My mom is a storyteller.

Growing up along the I-5 corridor, she would constantly tell stories to explain why drivers were dipping and darting through the lanes of traffic.

Why is that driver speeding? Maybe someone is in labor and they’re trying to get to the hospital. Why did that driver just flip that other one off? Maybe he had a hard day at work and is still carrying a bit of that anger.

There was always a story.

And this is true for every aspect of our lives: stories are everywhere.

Right now, I invite you to pause reading this email and look around your surroundings. Find one object in your space and listen for its story.

What is it?
Where did it come from?
Who is responsible for it being there?
What life does it kindle within the space?
What story does it evoke in your imagination?
What special meaning or purpose does it have, if any?

We are surrounded by stories in every minute and in every moment of our day.

Unfortunately, the demands of capitalism and meritocracy incentivize us to ignore and look past these stories. And because much of Christian theology has not emphasized the incarnational reality of God-in-everything, opting instead for seeing our surroundings as places in which to impose our dominion, we settle easily for judgment rather than wonder.

But while this allows us to prioritize speed over depth, usefulness over dignity, and our desires over everything else, it also situates us within a world that goes largely un- and under-examined.

This week, how might you see the stories around you with soft eyes?

Inner Work Questions

What stories did you hear growing up that helped situate you within the Universe? Which ones were “true,” even if they didn’t literally happen? Which ones proved to be harmful?
What is your relationship with story and storytelling? How has this changed over the course of your life?

Resources

Orienting for Stories (practice)
“The Danger of a Single Story,” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (video)
“We Survive by Telling Stories,” by Carolina Hinojosa-Cisneros (article)

Over the past year, Unmasking the Inner Critic: Lessons for Living an Unconstricted Life has really found itself in the midst of a great adventure.

Here are some of the details of its travels:

Featured on 18 podcasts
11+ book groups have used it
5.0 rating on Amazon with 41 reviews
Over 2,000 copies shared across 12+ countries
Awarded the 2023 Pacific Book Award for Best Spirituality
Awarded the 2023 International Firebird Book Award for Best Mind/Body/Spirit

One reviewer wrote:

“Andrew does a wonderful job inviting the reader into often hard-to-access places inside ourselves. In different seasons, we may sense we want to explore our inner world but aren’t quite sure where to start. This book is a perfect first step.”

Another shared:

“Amazing book with so much help and direction in exploring my life and spirituality. I am so glad I found it. Really it was suggested to me by a friend. It is full of great wisdom and practical ideas to make me aware of what genuine potential is there within me. What comfort and joy it is to explore the past and be open to a new beginning of thinking and being.”

Again and again, I’ve been filled with gratitude to learn of people sharing the book with friends, reading it alongside others, and recommending it to colleagues and community members. It has simply been an incredible experience.

To celebrate how it’s moved over the past year, I’m offering an extra copy to anyone who buys one in the next couple days!

All you have to do is purchase a copy using the link above and I’ll send you an extra one to share! (And if you haven’t picked up a copy yet, this is a great time to do so!)

Thank you all so, so, so much for your love and support – I’m just as grateful today as I was one year ago.

–Andrew