September 18, 2025 • 64 mins
Pastor and storyteller Mark Foster joins Hope Unlocked to show how story captures hearts and brings messages to life. He shares his journey as pastor, handyman, and homeschool dad, and the moment he brought stories back into preaching. We explore why “don’t rush to the moral” keeps people leaning in and how everyday moments can spark transformation and HOPE (agency!). Mark also shares about his new venture, Master Storycraft, equipping leaders to use storytelling that lingers and is truly unforgettable.
Mark's Contact Info:
Website - www.masterstorycraft.com
Email - mark@masterstorycraft.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/markfoster80
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
Welcome to the Hope Unlocked Podcast.
I'm your host, kristen Kurtz,and I'm also the founder of New
Wings Coaching.
I help and empower wildheartedand adventurous women of faith
feeling caged and stuck, unlocktheir true purpose and potential
, break free from limitationsand thrive with confidence,
courage and hope.
If you're curious to learn moreabout coaching with me, head to
newwingscoachingnet and be sureto explore the show notes for
(00:38):
ways to connect with me further.
Get ready to dive in as weuncover empowering keys and
insights in this episode.
So tune in and let's unlockhope together.
Welcome to the Hope Unlockedpodcast.
I'm Kristen Kurtz, your host.
I pray this episode is like aholy IV of hope for your soul.
Please help me.
Welcome Mark Foster to the show.
I am so excited to have himhere today.
(01:00):
We have just been talking alittle bit before we got started
and he is a mutual connectionthrough a friend of ours named
Jennifer, and I would love foryou to just tell us a little bit
about yourself before we getinto your story.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Okay, yeah, kristen, thank you so much.
This is always the worst partof every interview.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Just tell us a little bit about yourself.
I know I do that on purpose.
What?
Speaker 2 (01:23):
do I say so, okay, real 20,000-foot view.
I've been married to mywonderful wife for a specific
number of years and if I couldremember which one it was, I
would tell you.
But it's more than 20 and lessthan 30.
And we have four wonderfulchildren.
Two of them are adults and wehave two boys and two girls.
(01:46):
The two girls are still at homewith us.
I've been a pastor for 21 yearsand I'm also a professional
storyteller and been working onbuilding that business out.
I also run a handyman business,so I have a lot of irons in the
fire and we're a homeschoolfamily.
So there's a lot of stuff.
(02:07):
That's a lot of stuff going on.
So that tells you.
That should tell you thatthere's.
There's one thing about me islike I'm not really good at
saying no to things because Ihave all this, all this stuff,
but we live in Maine.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
I grew up in Maine and we live and we live in Maine
and I love it.
That's amazing.
Well, I love you.
Know, some of us are called tobe like I would call myself like
multi-passionate, would you say?
That's what you would kind oflean into as well.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
I would like to call myself that yes, cause the
alternative is I'm justundisciplined.
So multi-passionate sounds somuch nicer.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah, because I think , like you know, sometimes, at
least for me, like in thebusiness world, or just you know
, in all the places that we endup sometimes, or just seeing
things on social media ordifferent avenues, are like, oh,
you need to, like just do onething.
Yeah, have you heard that a lot?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
I have, and I just get a knot in my stomach when
people tell me I'm supposed toonly do one thing.
I'm like there's so many thingsin the world that I want to do.
I can't choose just one.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yes, well, you've got okay.
So you have pastor, handyman,storyteller.
How did you get led into, like,maybe the first one, or have
you done all of these things?
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Yeah, no, I've been a pastor full-time since I was 25
, so I was really young.
I didn't look to be a seniorpastor at 25.
It's just the door that Godopened and we stepped through it
.
My dad was a pastor, so I grewup the second of seven boys.
I'm the only one that went intofull-time ministry.
So my dad always said he hopedthat he'd have a son that would
(03:46):
follow his steps in the ministry, but he never pressured us to.
But I know that God called me todo that and so I started doing
that.
First I went to Bible collegeout of high school and then
worked a couple of years as anassociate pastor in San Antonio,
and then the Lord opened thedoor in North Carolina.
I was a pastor in San Antonioand then the Lord opened the
door in North Carolina, so wepastored there for 11 years
(04:07):
before moving here in 2016 topastor here in our home state of
Maine.
So that's how I started withthat, and it was after moving
here in the last few years thatthese other business endeavors
have surfaced.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Okay, well, the story , like the storytelling, I love.
You know, like you, I lovestories and I feel I love
hearing people's stories.
I love telling stories, butit's what like, have you always
loved hearing people's stories?
Like, are you like a greatlistener?
I would love to hear kind ofmore of that, that area of what
(04:45):
you're doing even now and howyou led into that.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, so I'm from a family of storytellers.
Like as a kid, we loved to sitand listen to my father tell
stories of his childhood atfamily get togethers, especially
on my dad's side, but also onmy mom's.
There was a lot of time takento share the stories about our
family's past in thoseindividual moments.
(05:11):
So I grew up loving to hearstories and then, as a pastor, I
listened to a lot of people'sstories.
But I remember back in probably2010,.
Around there I was preaching andI wasn't leaning into
(05:31):
storytelling.
I had fallen into the trap ofjust delivering the message
right, rushing to the moral,just like I need to tell people
these things.
They don't need to hear stories, they need to hear the truth.
You know, to tell people thesethings, they don't need to hear
stories, they need to hear thetruth, you know.
And I noticed one week thatpeople were just they weren't
listening like they were fallingasleep or they were zoning out,
(05:52):
and it was like obvious thatthey weren't paying attention.
And I went home reallyfrustrated and I told my wife
people, this is so important,but I can't get people to listen
, no matter how hard I try.
And she said well, have youtried maybe slowing down a
little bit on all of the stuffand maybe tell a few stories
(06:14):
about why it should matter topeople, and I realized I totally
forgot about this mostimportant thing.
Then I had to figure out well,how do you do that in something
as important as preaching anddelivering a sermon?
So some trial and error startedleaning into that, started
(06:35):
honing that craft, and I knew Ihad started to get where I
wanted to be when people startedtelling me.
I remember a story you told mea year ago, or I heard you speak
five years ago and I don'tremember everything you said,
but you told this story about X,y or Z and I knew then, one,
(06:55):
that I was starting to get thehang of it, and two, how
powerful stories are.
Because I grew up in a pastor'shome, I heard thousands and
thousands of sermons.
I also went to a Christianschool, so there was lectures
and chapel services and I don'tremember hardly anything I heard
in those, but I rememberstories.
Like I can remember stories.
(07:17):
Stories stick in our minds in away that I don't know, like data
and bullet points just andstarted developing that skill
set, and it's something that youknow I've become even more and
more passionate about the longerI do it.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
So you, like I'm just kind of curious, when you were
going through you know school tobecome a pastor, Like, is that
an element that you were taughtabout storytelling?
Speaker 2 (07:47):
No, absolutely not.
In fact, maybe the opposite.
You know, like people in fact.
Okay, so they, I was taught.
You know you're young, you'rejust starting out.
When you're young in thepastorate, you know, stick close
to the Bible because you don'thave any stories, you don't have
any experiences yet.
Maybe when you get older youcan start telling stories.
So we were taught and trainedand I don't know how widespread
(08:12):
that idea is, but we were taughtand trained.
You know, don't try and tellany stories because you haven't
done anything yet.
I think there's an error,there's a lot of errors in that
idea.
But so I was doing what I hadbeen taught to do and it wasn't
working.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Right?
Do you remember your first?
Like you said, people gave youfeedback on some of these
stories.
Do you remember one of thefirst stories that you told that
was impactful?
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I don't actually.
No, I don't think I know.
I don't think I know what thatfirst one is.
There are stories that I'vetold over the years, for example
the story of my brothers.
When my brother died, my secondto the youngest brother, when
he died tragically.
I tell that story I've told andthat one has stuck in a lot of
(09:03):
people's minds.
I have a story that's more of ahumorous story about trying to
put out a fire on an anthillthat I started with gasoline and
it's just one mistake andmisstep after another in this
huge black cloud of smoke andtying that in to the sermon that
(09:24):
I was delivering and peoplesaid I don't remember what that
sermon was completely about, butI remember that story.
That might have been one of thefirst ones where I really tried
to lean into a story and theycame back and said I'll never
forget that story, made me laugh, but I also I also remember
(09:44):
what the point of it was.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
And what was the point?
Speaker 2 (09:48):
The point.
On the point of that one, I'mreally curious.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
now, yeah, the point of that one.
Tell us more.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Yeah, on a practical level is don't try to burn an
anthill with gasoline.
But secondly, just the.
But secondly, just the.
You know, when you start offwith one bad decision,
responding in fear and chaos,trying to undo that first bad
decision can lead to greater andgreater chaos, rather than just
(10:16):
stopping for a second andthinking through what have I
done and how should I beresponding to this, but
continuing to say I can fix this, but continuing to say I can
fix this, I can fix this, I canfix this, and everything you try
makes it worse.
And so, and the you know justthe potential damage that you
(10:48):
need um when you don't know whatto do.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
That's so good.
Like you need support, right.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
I just did a video today talking about do you have
the right support, and it'sactually kind of a funny story,
but I won't talk about it heretoday.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Oh, I like to hear it .
Speaker 1 (11:03):
It's's actually, it's actually really funny, but I'll
it's, it's.
It's maybe more like womanappropriate okay, fair enough um
, anyways, so you, you're,you're learning about stories
and do you like, did you justget the sense that like, did you
have training to learn aboutstories?
Did you feel like holy spiritwas like, did you have training
(11:24):
to learn about stories?
Did you feel like Holy Spiritwas like training you on how to
do this?
Because I know there'sdefinitely out in the world
there's different.
I know even kingdom people whohave these storytelling
frameworks and you know what didthat look like for you to step
into this?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
For me it looked like self-taught.
I think I have a naturalaptitude for telling stories,
but that's not enough.
In any area of life you canhave a natural gift, but you can
go so much farther if you workto hone it.
Much farther if you work tohone it, and so, not knowing
(12:10):
exactly where, I started lookingfor the people around me that I
thought told good stories inthe kind of way that I would
want to tell them and startedstudying them.
So an early influence for me isthe comedian Ken Davis.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Ken Davis, I haven't heard of him.
Davis, I haven't heard of him.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Who's a Christian author and speaker.
Ruth's story just captured meand so I read his.
He has a.
I read that I started justwatching as many watching or
listening to as many videos andaudio that I could from people
who were really, really goodstorytellers and taking notes,
(12:48):
and I recognize that there's alot of different ways to tell
stories, and so it was mostlyjust self-taught, a lot of
reading, a lot of study and alot of trial and error to see
what makes a good story and howcan I use my natural voice to
tell stories in a way that makea difference to people.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Okay, and how long have you been coming alongside
people to help them in this?
Speaker 2 (13:17):
realm In this.
This is relatively new.
So just for a year that I'vebeen working to do this in a
professional capacity, I'vehelped people in an
off-the-books capacity.
For a while I would talk toother pastors or I would talk to
other public speakers and workwith them to hone their public
(13:38):
presentation and how to deliverstories and encourage other
people to tell their stories.
Deliver stories and encourageother people to tell their
stories.
But about a year ago when I waschallenged finally you're
really good at telling stories,you should teach other people
this I'm like dang it.
Is there a market for that?
I didn't even know that was athing.
But if I could, I would love todo that.
(14:00):
So I said, well, if this issomething that I could could do
on a, on a professional level, Iwould, I would love to do that.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Yeah, so what like?
What does that look like?
You know what?
What does Mark do to comealongside somebody?
And what is the name of yourbusiness?
Speaker 2 (14:19):
A master story craft is.
Master story craftcom is my,and it's a work in progress, but
there's a lot of informationthere already.
I also teach workshops.
In fact, I have one coming upon the 25th of this month that I
host.
This is my level onestorytelling workshop, where I
(14:39):
introduce a framework that I usein my own storytelling.
It's one that I came up withand created, and so I teach
people how to find those stories.
So, if you got something youwant to say but you don't know
how, this is how you do that,and so it's a beginning workshop
or a level one workshop, andthen I'm in the process of
crafting the follow-up workshopsfor telling stories in whatever
(15:03):
medium you choose.
There's a difference betweentelling a story from the stage
or in front of a camera or in atext-based medium like Facebook,
and so if there's a way thatsomebody really wants to tell
stories but they don't want totype you know, I don't want to
write my stories, I want to tellthem Well, there's a little bit
different way to do that, solet's talk about doing that.
(15:25):
And then I'm also working tobuild relationships in business
and in nonprofit space to helppeople who stand in front of
people on a regular basis,whether on a stage or just in an
office, just in a companyoffice, and try to, you know, to
(15:45):
deliver the daily, the dailytalk.
And here's how you cancommunicate these important
things using the medium ofstorytelling.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Amazing.
So you have, you definitelyhave a teaching gift right, I
think so.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Yes, I believe so.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
And you know, to be able to come alongside people,
is it, would you say?
It's a little bit of likecoaching and consulting?
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Yes, Um, yeah, so I didn't mention but like
one-on-one, one-on-one, workingwith people in coaching and then
also in consulting.
Um, absolutely, because it'sone thing to be told how to do
it, but, like in some areas inmy life right now, other than
storytelling, I'm having to workwith someone to help me learn.
You can tell it to me, but nowI need to go out and do it, and
(16:30):
when I do it, I fall down andit's frustrating, and so I need
someone there to say, okay, butyou thought you were doing this,
but really you were doing this,and storytelling is a lot like
that.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Okay, yeah, I mean, would you say that I'm just
going to ask you and I think Ididn't answer this question, but
I feel like there's a lot ofthings in our life that we
weren't taught, like I said tosomebody the other day like
nobody taught me how to dress.
Would you say that this is anarea that you know people are?
(17:02):
Maybe you're looking at people.
I'm sure you're on social mediaand you're kind of looking at
the landscape going, oh my gosh,like I could so help you.
Like so what are your thoughtson that?
Like what?
What would you say is thebiggest?
Um I don't want to call it amistake, Cause a lot of times,
people you don't know what youdon't know Right Um, but what
(17:22):
could be like the biggest likekey that you could give somebody
who's out there, you know,without giving away too much, if
?
Speaker 2 (17:29):
you want to, I'll give away.
I'll give away.
I'll give away the farm okay, Ithink I think that one of the
biggest hindrances to that I seeonline is everybody is I
mentioned it earlier buteverybody's rushing to the moral
.
And so one of the things that Isay in my workshops and I've
(17:52):
said online is, if you only gaveme three minutes to talk, I
would want to tell you a story,like if that's all I had time to
do.
I'd rather tell a story and notgive any instruction, because I
want my story to contain thatinstruction, but also because
storytelling is that powerful,it's more likely that people are
going to remember it.
But everybody seems andeverybody's a broad brush, but
(18:17):
so many people are so worriedabout getting to the point that
they brush past the story and Ithink people just scroll right
on by.
It's like I'm getting preachedat every time I get onto
Facebook, like you know, here'swhat you're doing wrong, here's
what I'm doing right, here'swhat everybody else is doing
wrong.
It's like somebody just tell mea story and I'll stop and
(18:38):
listen.
So I think that's one of thebiggest hindrances and mistakes
maybe through lack of knowledgeis how important it is that you
tell a good story.
So I tell people, I'm going totell you, I'm going to help you
learn how to tell better storiesand how to tell the ones you
are telling better, and becausethat's going to be really
(18:59):
helpful for you.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
And you found this to be, you know.
So, like for myself, like I'm acoach and I I feel like I'm
telling a story, but I'm surethat I'm I could do better at
telling stories, like my, myvideo I did today.
It was a.
It was a funny story, but, um,you know, just maybe give us an
example of somebody you'veworked with um and how you've
helped them go from you know,kind of like what were they
(19:22):
doing before and now what arethey doing with their, whether
it's their social media or theirstage presence, or would you be
willing to share something?
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Sure yeah absolutely.
So well, so let me I'll.
I don't know if this will fitthe bill, but in one of my, in
my last workshop, we had adoctor, a full-time doctor on
the workshop and they said Idon't I want to use storytelling
, but they were afraid becausein the medical field,
(19:54):
everybody's angry at doctorsbecause you had a, you arrived
at your appointment, you sat inthe room for 45 minutes and
you're late and the doctor comesin and they there for 15
minutes and then they leave andthen they didn't do this and
they didn't do that.
And then you get the bill andeverybody's angry.
And she said I feel like it'shard because people can't see me
as a person.
(20:15):
And so, on the workshop, I saidwell, tell me a story about
something that you would want toshare on social media about you
as a person.
And she thought for a minute andshe told us this wonderful
story about a exercise that sheand some other doctors were
(20:35):
brought into.
It was a painting exercise andhow, as a perfectionist, she
began to paint and they werelike just paint what you want to
paint, don't worry about itbeing perfect.
And she said and I was being sojudgmental and I hated what I
did, but I painted it.
And then they said now let'sstep away from it, walk away
from your painting and come overhere for a little while and
(20:56):
then we're going to and then goback and look at your painting
again.
And she said, when I went backand looked at my painting after
stepping away from it, I couldstill see some of the errors
that I wanted to fix, but I feltlike I did that.
That's something that I did.
And she said it's really hardfor me not to be hard on myself.
And she's telling this story.
(21:17):
And one of the other guys inthe workshop said well, I'll
tell you what.
I'm one of those people that'salways hard on my doctors, what
I'm the one of those peoplethat's always hard on my doctors
.
But listening to you tell thatstory made me think I should be
nicer to my doctor, becausethey're a real person with
struggles too.
They come into the room withtheir white coat and their
stethoscope and their clipboardand they're like I know
everything, but they're just aperson behind that, with doubts
(21:40):
and fears and struggles.
And I think she saw in thatmoment how powerful it was to
tell a story from her personallife in a way that, even if it
didn't help her, could helpother doctors be seen as more
human and real.
So I think that's.
I love it when that kind ofthing happens, when people
(22:01):
realize your personal stories domatter and they can help matter
and they can.
They can help you and they canhelp many other people by
hearing them.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Yes, and it's got me like curious, cause that's, you
know, I'm very curious.
Um, I love that you know thisdoctor was able to.
You know, even me I'm like, oh,you know, like I'm like leaning
in, like what, what is shegoing to?
Like, what's going's gonnahappen here?
Um, yeah, and you know I'm I'malways very curious about
stories and I'm sure some peoplemaybe aren't as curious.
(22:30):
But what would you say about?
I don't know, we're alleverybody's walking through
something, right, yeah, and whatwould you say to somebody, like
even like myself?
I said the other day, um, tosomebody, you know I'm walking
through something.
You know like we're alwayswalking through something, but
I'm kind of in the middle, likekind of that messy middle in one
area of my life, and you don'twant to necessarily like, at
(22:54):
least for me, I don't feel likeI want to tell the story until
maybe the story is like kind ofmore complete, if that makes
sense.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
It does.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
So how do you, how do you navigate that?
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Does that?
Speaker 1 (23:08):
how does one navigate those types of things?
Speaker 2 (23:11):
So storytelling and the word story is is is really.
It has become a buzzword and itmeans a lot of different things
to people.
It was like own your story orare you in the right story, and
that has a place, but it reallymuddies the water.
When I'm talking about stories,I'm talking about actual
stories and a good story.
(23:32):
The difference between ananecdote and a story is a story
has a moment of illumination ortransformation.
So, If you're in the middle ofsomething.
That's not a story that you cantell yet, but there might be a
moment within that messy middlethat would make a good story.
A good story is made of asingle moment, a moment when you
(23:55):
realized something.
I walked out of Walmartrecently and could not find my
Jeep anywhere.
No-transcript button, and I'mpressing the panic button and
(24:29):
holding it above my head andit's not going off.
Then I remembered that someonesaid if you hold those things in
your mouth, your body becomesan amplifier and reach it from
farther away.
So I'm walking up and down therow with the, with the remote
control in my mouth, pressingthe panic button, and still no
Jeep, like I can't.
Now I'm starting to think no,I'm not wrong, somebody did
stole my Jeep.
And then I said God, I waitedmy whole life for this Jeep and
(24:52):
now somebody stole it.
Like, where is my Jeep?
You know where my Jeep is?
You know, tell me.
Right now, as I'm having thisconversation with God and I'm
really worked up and I'm,everything is going wrong
because my Jeep is gone I walkedpast an orange colored RAV4 and
I thought to myself you know, Ihave one that looks just like
(25:12):
that and I kept on walking andthen I thought, wait a second, I
have one exactly like that.
And I realized I didn't drive myJeep to Walmart, I drove my RAV
.
I hadn't forgotten where Iparked my Jeep, I had forgotten
what vehicle I even drove toWalmart.
(25:34):
That's classic.
And I realized that sometimesagain, I can get worked up over
the dumbest things and God ispatient with knuckleheads.
And when I prayed to him, lordshow me where my Jeep was.
He couldn't, but he could showme where my RAV was.
And that's.
I love that relationship withGod where he's so patient and he
(25:56):
knows that we don't know thethings that we think we do.
We're so certain and sometimeswe're wrong and that's a silly
story, but everybody's donesomething like that I love it
and it's a single moment in arelatively ordinary day.
That can be and I don't evenhave to change it by saying and
(26:16):
here's the 10 things I learnedfrom this like just a simple
statement at the end, and thenext time somebody can't find
their car, then maybe they'llremember that.
So what I'm saying is thinksmaller when you're thinking
about the stories and say well,I don't have anything important
(26:38):
enough to tell.
Every day things are happeningto you.
That would make great stories.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Every day, yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
The question is are you paying attention to those
moments of illumination orinspiration, lean into those and
say there's something here thatwould make a great story?
Speaker 1 (26:57):
Yes, I mean, this is so like just even the timing of
this, because it's really beenhighlighted for me to share more
stories.
I think sometimes and and I, Idon't know, maybe we all do this
it's like, oh, I don't knowwhat I'm gonna talk about.
Or it's like I don't know howdo I even organize this or how
do I write this and yes whatI've just been doing.
(27:18):
a lot lately I've I've actuallychallenged myself in september
to, um, I would say mondaythrough friday is is my goal to
go out and do like a less thanthree minute video and most of
it.
You know I tried to.
I created like a Google doc oflike oh, share this on this day.
And oh, my goodness, that's.
I don't even go there.
It's like oh my gosh, I have anew story to tell.
(27:41):
Um, so are you kind of?
I know I've heard people.
I'm trying to remember theterminology.
It's like um, work, reverse,reverse.
Something like like reverseengineering thank you.
Yes, are you kind of thinkingabout that?
Like are, even when you werehaving that jeep moment, were?
you thinking like oh my gosh, Ineed to share this.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
I was then because I'm in the mode of looking for
story moments in my life, and Igot that idea from Matthew Dix.
He wrote the book Storyworthyand he really encouraged people
like if you're not keeping arecord of those moments, those
(28:27):
story moments, then you'llforget them.
And so for a long time now I'vebeen keeping a list when a
thing happens.
And here's so, if somethinghappens in my life and
immediately it's like everythinggoes on pause and this one
moment becomes important in anotherwise ordinary day.
(28:48):
I've learned to say there's areason that that is sticking out
to me, that person's response,that person's interaction with
me that knocked me off scriptfor a reason.
And there's something reallyimportant here, and it's not
always things when I do it right, sometimes it's when I do
(29:08):
something wrong, and those cansometimes be more powerful to
share.
So that's another thing that Ithink sometimes we're doing
incorrectly or less thanoptimally on social media is
everybody wants to be the expertthat I have this figured out
(29:30):
and you can definitely overshare.
And then there's the termtrauma dumping, and there's no
redemption in it.
It's just all bad.
But when you go throughsomething where you learn a
lesson, that is powerful andimportant.
Even though it's small, thosecan be incredibly personalizing
stories and other people can say, oh, finally somebody else that
(29:54):
understands what it feels liketo do that.
So sharing those can beincredibly powerful as well.
But then, once you're lookingfor them, you can keep keep a
list, and I have a list of storymoments that I haven't crafted
into actual stories yet, but I Irecorded the moment so that I
(30:16):
could go back to it, becauseonce you have the moment, you
still need to know how to craftit into a, into a good story um,
so are you naturally a writer,would you say.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
Or are you having to really partner with God, kind of
like Holy Ghost writer, to comeup with something?
Are you literally typing?
Are you verbalizing it to getit out?
Speaker 2 (30:38):
Yeah, I love to write .
I don't know if I'm good at it,but I love to write, and I
heard something years ago thatthoughts become disentangled
when they pass over the lips andacross pencil tips.
And so in the process ofverbalizing or in the process of
writing, I find a lot ofclarity that comes out, and then
(31:00):
I'm able to put it all outthere and then go back and
refine it before clickingpublish or send.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
And would you say that you prefer to share your
story written or verbally orvideo, like what is your?
Speaker 2 (31:17):
favorite.
Oh, that's so hard.
I love all of it, but I lovemore than anything else having a
discussion with people, whetherthat's one-on-one or standing
from a stage and interactingwith a live audience.
Storytelling if you can getpast the nerves, storytelling in
(31:37):
person is so incrediblyrewarding because you can see in
real time how what you'resaying is landing with the
people that you're talking to.
And writing it is good.
In fact, it might in some waysbe better, but it's a delayed
gratification.
I found you have to wait.
Is anybody going to read this?
Is it going to hit?
(31:58):
Are they going to resonate withit?
Speaker 1 (32:02):
So I love, I love what you're sharing on social
media too, like in the writtenaspects when you're sharing
stories.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
I'd like to think so.
I certainly hear a lot thatthey do.
I'm still trying to find I mean, none of us are experts in the
sense of having everything rightand so I'm still learning on
this journey as well.
And when it comes to socialmedia, I'm still struggling with
(32:30):
how people want to read, andyou know, because people are
like.
You know, jennifer talks aboutthis, our friend Jennifer's you
know too much white space, notenough white space, or too many
words, and I'm like well, I meanthere are some stories that you
can't say in just a few words,and yet one of the most powerful
(32:51):
stories that I've ever heardwas um was four words, and I
can't remember.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
The.
I think it was Emerson who wastalking to people about writing
and telling them how importantit was.
I may be getting thatattribution wrong, but he said I
think it was five words ormaybe six.
Anyway, infant shoes for sale,never worn.
Wow shoes for sale, never wornand when you just sit with those
(33:35):
words, infant shoes for sale,never worn, there's, I mean all
kinds of things flood into yourmind Emotions, questions,
sadness, depending upon yourbackground.
And that's the power of a goodstory is it, is it engages the
imagination and emotion of theaudience, um, with their own
(33:56):
personal, with their ownpersonal story.
That's how you know you've tolda story.
Well, I think.
When is when people respondwith one of their own?
Speaker 1 (34:05):
yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
It's like that resonant.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
Somebody would come up to you maybe after a second
engagement and be like oh mygosh, your story connects to my
story.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
Okay, I see, yeah, and that used to irritate me at
first.
Right, because I would tell astory either online or in person
, and people would come up andsay let me tell you one of mine.
I'd be like this isn't aboutyou, this is about me.
I'm the storyteller, I'm thespeaker, because I didn't
realize that what they weredoing was resonating.
They were saying I saw myselfin your story and that's
(34:36):
powerful, that's storytellinggold when you get that kind of
response.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
Wow.
So do you think that's a bigpart of where we're missing it?
Because, again, I do feel likethere there's been just even
over the years.
You know, I've been in businessfor doing one thing or the
other for gosh 13 years and itseems like you could reach
people without telling a storyto, like you know, connect with
(35:04):
them a little easier to to getto the DM is what they would say
Like you know to connect maybesomebody you don't know what I'm
.
what I'm noticing is that whenI've heard people say like,
let's just say, for example,like I'm, you know you or I were
starting, we're going to have aworkshop or we're going to do
something coming up in a monthand it's like it.
(35:25):
It might take and I don't knowwhat the statistics are, so I
might be wrong with this, but itmight take somebody like 30
times for them to see the samepost, the same newsletter, to
like have them take a step, andI'm like that's ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Right.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
What do you think that's?
Speaker 2 (35:42):
a lot.
It is, and I do think whatyou're hitting on is accurate.
It's just because we areinformation heavy.
Just so much information.
One of my favoriteillustrations of this.
You know the children of thisworld are wiser sometimes than
the children of light.
But last year's Super Bowl I'mnot a sports guy but I watch the
(36:04):
advertisements because thoseare the best part.
Last year's Super Bowl theaverage cost investment that
companies made for the privilegeof delivering an ad was $7
million For one ad.
For one ad, for one 30-second ad, and when you watch those ads?
(36:25):
People watch those ads everyyear for one reason because they
are micro stories.
So companies spend $7 millionand they don't even talk about
their product overtly, they justtell you a story.
For example, this last yearthey've got Jason Momoa dancing.
T-mobile has Jason Momoa doingthis auto-tune, auto-correct
(36:50):
dance out there and they don'teven talk about how awesome
their cell phone service is.
But they told this silly storyabout two guys dancing and
throwing a party.
And you get the idea oh,t-mobile and their internet
speeds make that a party withoutinterruption.
Then they had two grandmaschasing this guy who took the
(37:11):
last bag of the favorite Doritochips, and two grandma hit men.
It was just a fun story.
Or you get a vehicle like aFord, or Chevy will put this
tear-jerking story about grandmaand Alzheimer's and Christmas
dinner and Chevy, and they won'tsay our cars have more power
(37:34):
than everybody else's.
They're just like let me tellyou a story.
And then I want you to rememberthat emotion when you think
about buying a car.
And so if companies will spend$7 million to tell you a story,
we should be paying attention tohow powerful that is.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
Yes, you've got my brain like spinning right now.
I'm sure there's other.
You know a lot of the women anddefinitely some men who listen
in.
I believe that they're, youknow, entrepreneurs and ministry
, so I definitely feel like youcarry.
I love to talk about keys andunlocking and ways that people
(38:13):
can, can, truly, you know, Ilike to say cut through the
noise because it is so noisy onsocial media and sometimes I
literally I like to call it likestop, drop and roll and roll
out.
Like stop, like drop somethingto encourage, and then I dip out
.
But yeah, I do feel likethere's a different way.
(38:34):
There's a shift happening.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
And.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
I do really feel like you're on the cusp of something
really beautiful here,especially doing it, you know,
from a pastoring teacherperspective like kingdom right.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
Yeah, yeah, I think so.
I think there's a lot of workto do, even in the church.
Just last Sunday I came homeand opened up social media and I
saw a prominent figure who saidwe need more Bible and less
stories in the pulpit.
And I know what they're saying,but like three quarters of the
Bible is a story, so there'smore story than didactic
teaching in that book, and so Iknow what he means, but I think
(39:18):
he's wrong.
We need good stories.
We don't need just rambling anddisconnected and unintentional
stories, but we need goodstories in the pulpit that can
help drive a truth into ourhearts.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Yeah, especially like with you know we're seeing a
lot of people being led back tochurch.
Speaker 2 (39:39):
And.
Speaker 1 (39:39):
I love.
I mean, like you and I, we lovestories.
The movies I watch are usuallyabout underdogs, overcomers,
seeing people go from like wow,that that's amazing.
Like you're there to hear, um,you know, and I know that like I
love hearing the transformationstories which kind of ties into
(40:00):
you know, I've heard kind ofthrough the grapevine maybe in
the marketing world to you know,really talk about the, the
solution that you offer, likethe problem you solve, like how
would you tie that in with astory, like as an example?
So, based on what you do, I'mhaving you like go off the cuff,
(40:22):
or maybe if you've ever putsomething out there before, how
would you, how would you sharethat?
Speaker 2 (40:29):
how?
Speaker 1 (40:30):
so how would I share, yeah how would you share kind
of your solution to likesomebody's problem out there um
in story?
Speaker 2 (40:40):
I.
I guess it would depend uponwhich, upon which problem that
I'm trying to address yeah, um.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
So let's say, somebody is really challenged in
marketing and social media.
They're like I just don't evenknow what to post.
And here comes mark.
He's like I can help you withstories.
Yeah, so okay.
So okay, you share, like, um,how you could help somebody
through a story?
I guess maybe that's a betterway to ask.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Okay, I would.
Well, I would probably retellor in one case, I would tell
that story about the doctor, um,and how she she really wanted
her marketing was.
I want doctors to be seen asmore human.
I want people to know thatwe're human too, and figured out
that telling her personalstories were the better way to
(41:35):
do that rather than just gettingonto social media and saying
doctors are people too.
But now you're rushing to themoral.
So I would tell a story likethat and say here's how one
person in their contextdelivered their message through
their own personal stories.
(41:56):
I talk about hope and growth alot and I would rather share a
story and I have a lot of themthat I could share a quick story
to say, hey, I'm growing andI'm changing, but here's a story
how, just the other day, Ifailed at this again, and that's
(42:18):
okay because here's what Ilearned.
So I would encourage them.
I don't care what the businessmodel is if it's marketing.
It's like I don't know how to.
I want to sell things to people.
How is storytelling going to dothat?
Well, the age-old people buythings from those they know,
like and trust, which might betrue.
(42:40):
I have my doubts always have mydoubts, always.
Well, for example, if I'm goingto go to a doctor, I'd rather
go to a doctor that doesn't knowme than one that's known me
since I was two, because I'mjust a private person, so a
perfect stranger works for me inthat case.
But if that's true, what's thequickest path to earning
something that feels like, likeand trust or know?
(43:04):
The quickest path to doing thatis to open your life and tell a
purposeful story that says I'ma real person too, and then this
is what I do.
Here's a story about me.
And then someone says I'mlooking for a real estate.
(43:25):
I just did a storytelling talkwith real estate agency of the
day and I said there's, they'reeverywhere.
But if I'm looking to buy ahouse and I was just on social
media and I saw a realtor sharea story about a challenge or a
way that they came through fortheir client the other day and
just told the story and justleft it there Like that's the
real estate agent I want.
My Jeep right now is having anengine replaced in it, which I'm
(43:48):
not thrilled with, but itneeded to be done, and I chose a
mechanic who in our town, whojust shared a story a few weeks
ago about that illustrated howhe goes to bat for his customers
to get them the best price andget them back in their vehicle,
and I was like I need a mechanicthat I feel gets the problem.
And that guy gets it.
(44:09):
And so he's working on my Jeepright now because of a story.
I don't know if he's the bestmechanic in the world, but that
story was powerful and likeagain, you have 1,001 voices in
the world that are coming at you.
Who will you remember?
How will you be remembered?
Speaker 1 (44:32):
It's going to be through storytelling.
I'm just really excited for you.
I'm excited for the work thatthe Lord's called you into, and
I do have to ask about thehandyman work too.
Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2 (44:43):
Sure, yeah.
So the handyman work was a wayfor me.
So I grew up in a pastor's home, so we grew up pretty poor In
our denomination.
Anyway, you know, virtue andpoverty go hand in hand, and in
the 21 years that I've been apastor, we've struggled
financially a lot and we hadsome broken minds yeah, that's
(45:08):
around the area of money and sothe handyman was a way that I
could immediately take some ofthe skills that I had and begin
to not only get out and meetpeople in the community but
provide, uh, and make ends meetfor my family.
Um, so it gave me that.
It gave me that.
That.
It gave me that.
(45:28):
It gave me hope, because one ofone of the definitions of hope
that I like the most is thathope is tied to an individual's
perception of their ability toact in a way that can alter
their present or future in ameaningful way.
It's agency.
In other words, Hope is tied toa sense of agency that's not
(45:52):
taking away from our.
Speaker 1 (45:53):
I feel like somebody needs to hear that being that
we're locked here.
Speaker 2 (45:56):
Yeah, hope is tied to our sense of agency, that it's
not taking away from our hope inGod, but that God gave us
abilities to do things, and so Ican't do everything and
anything that I want to do, butthere's always something I can
do, and if I do the one thingthat I can do, no matter how
(46:18):
small, it's amazing how hope isthe inevitable byproduct of that
.
I did something out andreplacing a window or fixing a
toilet, and I came home withmoney in my pocket.
I pray for God to meet ourneeds all the time, but God gave
(46:42):
me this gift too and he saysyou can use that gift to go and
do, and that's just as much Godproviding, I believe, because
I'm using the gifts that he gaveme and I didn't feel stuck
anymore, like, look, there'ssomething I can do, and what I
can't do I leave to him, and so,yeah, so hope is tied to that
(47:04):
sense of agency.
So for me, the handymanbusiness was a way of stirring
up hope in my own heart and lifethat I could do something.
Speaker 1 (47:14):
And what's the name of your handyman business?
Speaker 2 (47:16):
Stateline Small Jobs.
Speaker 1 (47:19):
That's amazing.
You know, I was even thinkingabout the other day.
I happen to have a husbandwho's a handyman slash.
Well, he does.
He doesn't have as a business,but he does help people all the
time, and I was thinking aboutit the other day, just how
blessed I am to have somebodywho can literally fix our cars,
who can absolutely house toilets.
I mean, I don't know that we'vereally hired many people at our
(47:43):
house before, but you know, Igot to thinking of, like what do
people who don't have that do?
Do they have a handyman likethat they have to call all the
time?
Have you found that?
Speaker 2 (47:56):
I'm just curious I was literally thinking about
this the other day fill theniche and that gap in the market
, because I kept hearing peoplesay nobody will call me back.
The big contractors, they onlywant the big jobs.
(48:17):
And I just need some doorknobsreplaced or a window fixed or a
sink faucet replaced, and Idon't know how to do that myself
, and they couldn't get anybodyto do it because there wasn't
enough money in it for them.
And so I wanted to step intothat, and I've just found I'm
building a growing list of agingclientele who are just happy to
(48:41):
have someone that will pick upthe phone and come and help them
with their thing and doesn'tcharge them an arm and a leg.
I don't do it for free, butthey don't want me to do it for
free.
They're just happy to have methere, and sometimes I get
cookies too.
Aw, I'm just imagining that youbring more than just a handyman
(49:02):
you bring stories there too, yes, yeah, and a little passion
maybe too, yeah, well, so manyof the Maybe some stories that
come out of there.
Absolutely, and a lot of theelderly folks grew up in a time
where storytelling was part ofwhat society did.
We've lost it, but it's notsomething we've never done
before.
But we don't tell stories as asociety like we used to.
(49:25):
But they remember that and, manalive, when we start talking
and I share a story, thenthey'll share a story and those
stories lead to referralsbecause they'll call their
friend and say you've got tohire my handyman.
He told me the greatest storyand so they love that.
And yeah, so it all intersects.
Speaker 1 (49:47):
Yes, and I'm thinking okay, jesus was a carpenter, he
was a teacher, storyteller.
Speaker 2 (49:54):
He didn't do, just one thing did he.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
He didn't and you kind of encapsulate a lot of
what he did.
So you know, we get to do thevery things that he's called us
to do, and we have so many giftsinside of us, I think so many
people.
Just there's so many untappedthings in us right, Absolutely,
and I'm sure you have a lot ofjoy in these times, most days I
(50:17):
do right, most days I do yes, sowhat has been the most
challenging thing you know?
you're doing kind of across ofwhat I would say you know most
it's business tree in businessand ministry.
What's been the mostchallenging aspect, maybe I
would say in the last year, thatyou've encountered?
Speaker 2 (50:38):
The biggest challenge has been transitioning to a
business mindset.
Not that it's opposite ministry, but in a lot of ways there's
some broken thinking in theministry mindset.
But finding a way to lean intoa business and help people who
(51:00):
have only ever known me asPastor Mark, to see that I'm in
business, I'm building abusiness, and then to get past
those hurdles in my own mindwhen it comes to pricing and
offers.
And I want to, I want to helppeople and sometimes you think
the only way you can help peopleis to give everything away, and
(51:21):
so that's that's been.
One of the biggest hurdles isto say this is a business.
Business helps people, but it'sokay.
It's okay to charge for whatyou do as well.
Speaker 1 (51:31):
Yeah, that's really good.
I'm guessing that that isblessing somebody today.
Speaker 2 (51:36):
I hope so.
Speaker 1 (51:37):
For sure, Because I think one of the things that I
haven't heard it a lotpersonally in my own business,
but I've heard it from othersthat there can be this
expectation know shouldn't becharging a certain amount.
We shouldn't be doing this orwe shouldn't be doing that.
(51:57):
And you know, I get my pricing,I ask the Lord and I get a
pretty clear confirmation onwhat I have to charge and I just
say, like, take it up with him.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (52:10):
Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 1 (52:11):
I can write that down .
You can ask my boss, ask mylike, take it up with him.
I don't know.
Yeah, there you go, write thatdown.
Speaker 2 (52:15):
Take it up with my boss.
I like that.
Speaker 1 (52:18):
I do like that.
I'm.
I'm the chief encouragementofficer and he's my CEO.
Speaker 2 (52:23):
I don't know, there you go.
I like that a lot.
Speaker 1 (52:26):
Yeah, well, what else ?
Um, is he having you likestretch into this here?
It's one of my favoritequestions to ask, Like, is there
something that you're beingstretched into?
Maybe you can't share it yet,but if there is, yeah, no, I
don't mind sharing it.
Speaker 2 (52:39):
Probably the biggest area that I'm being stretched
into relates to business andit's the issue of sales, and
I've been working with a coachto get better at that and man,
it's been so hard.
And in fact I just realized theother day because she said, mark
(53:00):
, I think you've been doing thethings you're good at all your
life and every time something'shard you back away from it and I
was like that's not true.
But then I thought I thinkthat's true.
And every time I'm trying tolearn how to make a connection
or speak to somebody on LinkedInor somewhere, or have a sales
(53:22):
conversation, I undermine it insome way or I get nervous like
sweaty palms and everything.
And so I'm really beingstretched this year on learning
how to have the confidence inwhat God has given me to do and
to bring that out and not to letthat fear stop me.
(53:44):
And it has been.
That might not be hard for somepeople, but it is still brutal
for me.
It is still brutal for me and Iknow that the Lord is
stretching me in that area andhe's using some people to do
that.
So I'm grateful for what willhappen after I'm done being
(54:06):
stretched.
Speaker 1 (54:07):
Yes, that's so good, and I appreciate your
vulnerability too, because it'snot my favorite thing either.
I'm just like the Lord gave mea word after I left my corporate
job, and it was something thatI had been reminded of.
If you remember, field ofDreams, I love it yes, yeah.
He's like if we build it, theywill come.
(54:28):
So I'm like all right, I'lljust put my lemonade stand up,
and they're just you know, it'snot it's not it's no.
Speaker 2 (54:40):
No, because everybody and their mother has a lemonade
stand exactly, and it's likewell what?
Speaker 1 (54:45):
what sets my lemonade stand apart, our lemonade?
Let's tell stories that'sexactly right, and so people get
a lemonade stand with stories.
Speaker 2 (54:53):
Yes, well, I should start a lemonade stand and say
have a drink and I'll tell you astory, or tell me one.
I think that some of thestretch for me there has been
the issue of thinking aboutscarcity versus abundance,
living with the idea like, ifthere's not enough to go around
and being really challenged tosay God is, he's not.
(55:16):
He doesn't have a scarcitymindset, he gives abundantly.
Like I love how in the story ofthe fish and the loaves, he
doesn't just do five, he doesn'tjust feed the people there, he
makes more than anybody can eatand says here, take a doggy bag
home with you.
I know Like he's an abundantand extravagant God.
And somewhere I got the ideathat there's this limited amount
(55:38):
of resources and blessing.
Or even if God blesses me, hewon't be able to bless them.
Or the jealousy of when I seesomeone else being blessed.
I'm like, oh, now they gotblessed.
I guess I can't be, and sothat's all part of it for me is
having to grow in that, andyou'd think after 21 years of
pastoring I'd be better at that,but I'm not.
(56:00):
I'm still growing.
Speaker 1 (56:02):
I feel like it's all such a process.
Speaker 2 (56:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (56:05):
You know truly there's I don't know about you,
but there's areas that you knowneed more strength training for
sure.
Speaker 2 (56:12):
Without a doubt.
Without a doubt.
Speaker 1 (56:14):
For sure, like I, I kind of call it the resistance
training and even weighttraining, wait training there's
an element of having to waitbecause we are in a, in a world
that thinks that, um, ourbusiness should, you know, maybe
grow in a day and right,exactly, and it would be great,
yes, be great, yes, um, but yeah, there is such an impact that
(56:35):
you have here that you carry andI'm just thrilled to you know
just even get to hear your storytoday and be able to share with
others.
So, um, I would love for you toshare with us, um, before we
close, would you be just willingif you could think of this one
person who's listening in todaybecause I do this for the one as
I shared with you one times onein the world is one and one
(56:57):
times one in the kingdom isexponential, so we're focusing
on this one today.
If you have any words ofencouragement, additional wisdom
that you'd want to share overthis one, and then would you
pray us out today?
Speaker 2 (57:10):
Yeah, absolutely it's .
I remember listening to apodcast several years ago
between just two men that weretalking.
One of them happened to be apastor and it was like he was
(57:35):
reading my mail everything hesaid was like me and my heart
was racing and I felt a surge ofhope because I felt like, hey,
that's me.
If he can do that, then maybethere's a chance for me.
(57:57):
And my hope for that one isthat someone is listening today
who, in some story that I toldor some part of my story, they
felt and they're feeling rightnow, like that's me.
The details might be different,but that's exactly where I am
and I want you to know that.
For me, what that looked likewas reaching out to someone and
(58:20):
saying, hey, could we talk aboutthis?
And one step doing that firstthing that I could do couldn't
solve everything, but it tookthat first step.
Hope is tied to agency.
There's something I could doand there's something you can do
.
Couldn't solve everything, butit took that first step.
Hope is tied to agency.
There's something I could doand there's something you can do
.
So if you're listening to thisepisode and it feels like you're
(58:42):
reading my mail, you're tellingmy story and you've been
waiting.
You've been sitting in thebackground thinking that you
were stuck and had no optionsand that this was going to be
where you were for the rest ofyour life, I can't tell you what
God would like to do throughyou, but I know that he would
love to do something in yourlife.
(59:04):
He may just be waiting for youto send that email, make that
phone call or even just make adecision.
I'm going to take that firststep.
If I just knew what it was, Iwould take it Because that will
be the beginning of a radicalchange that can happen in your
life.
It did for me and I know it canfor you, so for whoever that
(59:28):
one is that needs to hear thattoday.
Let me close this out in prayerthen.
Speaker 1 (59:33):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (59:38):
Abba, I love you.
You're so good.
I've really enjoyed theconversation that I've been able
to have with Kristen, and Iknow that there are people who
are listening.
They're not listening at themoment that I'm speaking these
words into this microphone, butit will feel like that to them
and you already know who needsto hear it and I believe you're
(59:59):
going to be working to ensurethat when this episode is
dropped, that that person islistening, and maybe it'll be
more than one.
You can take five loaves and twofish and feed a multitude, so
you can take a 60-minuteconversation and magnify it and
multiply it to help as manypeople as have a need.
(01:00:21):
That's what you do, and I justpray that you would encourage
the one today who needs thatencouragement, that one with
just a spark of hope inside ofthem, that you would fan that
into a flame and, lord, thatthey would lean into you and
lean into what they can do.
We're all growing.
None of us are where we want tobe or even ought to be, but
(01:00:45):
help us, as we grow, to followyou, to keep our eyes on you, to
recognize the stories that wehave that are worth telling and
to see that life is made up ofthose stories, and ours are
important too.
So we love you and I pray ablessing over those who are
listening, and we thank you forit in Jesus' name.
Speaker 1 (01:01:06):
Amen, amen.
Thank you so much, mark.
You've been such a blessing.
Speaker 2 (01:01:11):
Oh, this is so much fun, I just want to make sure
that we capture again.
Speaker 1 (01:01:14):
How can listeners get in touch with you?
Where can they find you?
And then could you just tell usa little bit more about this
workshop coming up?
Sure.
Speaker 2 (01:01:23):
So you can find me on Facebook, which is where I'm
most active.
You can find my Facebookprofile, mark Foster, and you
can do it.
Facebookcom forward slash MarkFoster, eight zero.
That's a horribly branded one,but at least my name's in it.
So Mark Foster, eight zero.
And then you can also email me,mark, at master story craftcom,
(01:01:45):
which you know is also mywebsite, so they can.
They can contact me either ofthose ways.
The storytelling workshop is onSeptember the 25th.
It's at 12 pm Eastern time andthere are still slots available
for that and it'll be a90-minute workshop where I'll
teach what I call the vowelframework.
It's just a framework for howto find, craft and deliver your
(01:02:09):
stories and it's intended forabsolute beginners.
Or maybe you've been trying totell stories but you want to try
to hone that a little bit.
You're welcome to come in forthat.
It's not a free workshop.
There is a cost to it, but youcan find all those details and I
don't mind saying it's a $50workshop for 90 minutes.
You'll get the.
You'll get the recordingafterwards as well, and you can
(01:02:32):
find that on the events um theevents page on my Facebook
profile.
But I would love to have asmany people as possible join me,
and if you, and if they, and sowe'll, this will already be
done.
Speaker 1 (01:02:41):
Obviously, I don't know if it'll be done already,
but it will and if andbeforehand okay, and uh, yeah.
So and then, once that one'sdone, we'll be doing others so
and then.
So you can let me know ifthere's any way that I can help
(01:03:01):
you out when it comes to honingthe craft of storytelling
Awesome, well, thank you so muchfor being a brave voice who's
setting many free.
I'm going to close with theHope Unlocked anchoring verse.
It's may the God of hope fillyou with all joy and peace in
believing, so that, by the powerof the Holy Spirit, you may
abound in hope, and that'sRomans 15, 13.
So thank you again, mark.
I will be back with anotherepisode next week.
Have a great day, listeners.
(01:03:22):
Thank you.
Welcome to the Hope Unlocked Podcast.
I'm your host, kristen Kurtz,and I'm also the founder of New
Wings Coaching.
I help and empower wildheartedand adventurous women of faith
feeling caged and stuck, unlocktheir true purpose and potential
, break free from limitationsand thrive with confidence,
courage and hope.
If you're curious to learn moreabout coaching with me, head to
newwingscoachingnet and be sureto explore the show notes for
(00:38):
ways to connect with me further.
Get ready to dive in as weuncover empowering keys and
insights in this episode.
So tune in and let's unlockhope together.
Welcome to the Hope Unlockedpodcast.
I'm Kristen Kurtz, your host.
I pray this episode is like aholy IV of hope for your soul.
Please help me.
Welcome Mark Foster to the show.
I am so excited to have himhere today.
(01:00):
We have just been talking alittle bit before we got started
and he is a mutual connectionthrough a friend of ours named
Jennifer, and I would love foryou to just tell us a little bit
about yourself before we getinto your story.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Okay, yeah, kristen, thank you so much.
This is always the worst partof every interview.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Just tell us a little bit about yourself.
I know I do that on purpose.
What?
Speaker 2 (01:23):
do I say so, okay, real 20,000-foot view.
I've been married to mywonderful wife for a specific
number of years and if I couldremember which one it was, I
would tell you.
But it's more than 20 and lessthan 30.
And we have four wonderfulchildren.
Two of them are adults and wehave two boys and two girls.
(01:46):
The two girls are still at homewith us.
I've been a pastor for 21 yearsand I'm also a professional
storyteller and been working onbuilding that business out.
I also run a handyman business,so I have a lot of irons in the
fire and we're a homeschoolfamily.
So there's a lot of stuff.
(02:07):
That's a lot of stuff going on.
So that tells you.
That should tell you thatthere's.
There's one thing about me islike I'm not really good at
saying no to things because Ihave all this, all this stuff,
but we live in Maine.
Speaker 1 (02:25):
I grew up in Maine and we live and we live in Maine
and I love it.
That's amazing.
Well, I love you.
Know, some of us are called tobe like I would call myself like
multi-passionate, would you say?
That's what you would kind oflean into as well.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
I would like to call myself that yes, cause the
alternative is I'm justundisciplined.
So multi-passionate sounds somuch nicer.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
Yeah, because I think , like you know, sometimes, at
least for me, like in thebusiness world, or just you know
, in all the places that we endup sometimes, or just seeing
things on social media ordifferent avenues, are like, oh,
you need to, like just do onething.
Yeah, have you heard that a lot?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
I have, and I just get a knot in my stomach when
people tell me I'm supposed toonly do one thing.
I'm like there's so many thingsin the world that I want to do.
I can't choose just one.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Yes, well, you've got okay.
So you have pastor, handyman,storyteller.
How did you get led into, like,maybe the first one, or have
you done all of these things?
Speaker 2 (03:19):
Yeah, no, I've been a pastor full-time since I was 25
, so I was really young.
I didn't look to be a seniorpastor at 25.
It's just the door that Godopened and we stepped through it
.
My dad was a pastor, so I grewup the second of seven boys.
I'm the only one that went intofull-time ministry.
So my dad always said he hopedthat he'd have a son that would
(03:46):
follow his steps in the ministry, but he never pressured us to.
But I know that God called me todo that and so I started doing
that.
First I went to Bible collegeout of high school and then
worked a couple of years as anassociate pastor in San Antonio,
and then the Lord opened thedoor in North Carolina.
I was a pastor in San Antonioand then the Lord opened the
door in North Carolina, so wepastored there for 11 years
(04:07):
before moving here in 2016 topastor here in our home state of
Maine.
So that's how I started withthat, and it was after moving
here in the last few years thatthese other business endeavors
have surfaced.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
Okay, well, the story , like the storytelling, I love.
You know, like you, I lovestories and I feel I love
hearing people's stories.
I love telling stories, butit's what like, have you always
loved hearing people's stories?
Like, are you like a greatlistener?
I would love to hear kind ofmore of that, that area of what
(04:45):
you're doing even now and howyou led into that.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, so I'm from a family of storytellers.
Like as a kid, we loved to sitand listen to my father tell
stories of his childhood atfamily get togethers, especially
on my dad's side, but also onmy mom's.
There was a lot of time takento share the stories about our
family's past in thoseindividual moments.
(05:11):
So I grew up loving to hearstories and then, as a pastor, I
listened to a lot of people'sstories.
But I remember back in probably2010,.
Around there I was preaching andI wasn't leaning into
(05:31):
storytelling.
I had fallen into the trap ofjust delivering the message
right, rushing to the moral,just like I need to tell people
these things.
They don't need to hear stories, they need to hear the truth.
You know, to tell people thesethings, they don't need to hear
stories, they need to hear thetruth, you know.
And I noticed one week thatpeople were just they weren't
listening like they were fallingasleep or they were zoning out,
(05:52):
and it was like obvious thatthey weren't paying attention.
And I went home reallyfrustrated and I told my wife
people, this is so important,but I can't get people to listen
, no matter how hard I try.
And she said well, have youtried maybe slowing down a
little bit on all of the stuffand maybe tell a few stories
(06:14):
about why it should matter topeople, and I realized I totally
forgot about this mostimportant thing.
Then I had to figure out well,how do you do that in something
as important as preaching anddelivering a sermon?
So some trial and error startedleaning into that, started
(06:35):
honing that craft, and I knew Ihad started to get where I
wanted to be when people startedtelling me.
I remember a story you told mea year ago, or I heard you speak
five years ago and I don'tremember everything you said,
but you told this story about X,y or Z and I knew then, one,
(06:55):
that I was starting to get thehang of it, and two, how
powerful stories are.
Because I grew up in a pastor'shome, I heard thousands and
thousands of sermons.
I also went to a Christianschool, so there was lectures
and chapel services and I don'tremember hardly anything I heard
in those, but I rememberstories.
Like I can remember stories.
(07:17):
Stories stick in our minds in away that I don't know, like data
and bullet points just andstarted developing that skill
set, and it's something that youknow I've become even more and
more passionate about the longerI do it.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
So you, like I'm just kind of curious, when you were
going through you know school tobecome a pastor, Like, is that
an element that you were taughtabout storytelling?
Speaker 2 (07:47):
No, absolutely not.
In fact, maybe the opposite.
You know, like people in fact.
Okay, so they, I was taught.
You know you're young, you'rejust starting out.
When you're young in thepastorate, you know, stick close
to the Bible because you don'thave any stories, you don't have
any experiences yet.
Maybe when you get older youcan start telling stories.
So we were taught and trainedand I don't know how widespread
(08:12):
that idea is, but we were taughtand trained.
You know, don't try and tellany stories because you haven't
done anything yet.
I think there's an error,there's a lot of errors in that
idea.
But so I was doing what I hadbeen taught to do and it wasn't
working.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
Right?
Do you remember your first?
Like you said, people gave youfeedback on some of these
stories.
Do you remember one of thefirst stories that you told that
was impactful?
Speaker 2 (08:40):
I don't actually.
No, I don't think I know.
I don't think I know what thatfirst one is.
There are stories that I'vetold over the years, for example
the story of my brothers.
When my brother died, my secondto the youngest brother, when
he died tragically.
I tell that story I've told andthat one has stuck in a lot of
(09:03):
people's minds.
I have a story that's more of ahumorous story about trying to
put out a fire on an anthillthat I started with gasoline and
it's just one mistake andmisstep after another in this
huge black cloud of smoke andtying that in to the sermon that
(09:24):
I was delivering and peoplesaid I don't remember what that
sermon was completely about, butI remember that story.
That might have been one of thefirst ones where I really tried
to lean into a story and theycame back and said I'll never
forget that story, made me laugh, but I also I also remember
(09:44):
what the point of it was.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
And what was the point?
Speaker 2 (09:48):
The point.
On the point of that one, I'mreally curious.
Speaker 1 (09:51):
now, yeah, the point of that one.
Tell us more.
Speaker 2 (09:54):
Yeah, on a practical level is don't try to burn an
anthill with gasoline.
But secondly, just the.
But secondly, just the.
You know, when you start offwith one bad decision,
responding in fear and chaos,trying to undo that first bad
decision can lead to greater andgreater chaos, rather than just
(10:16):
stopping for a second andthinking through what have I
done and how should I beresponding to this, but
continuing to say I can fix this, but continuing to say I can
fix this, I can fix this, I canfix this, and everything you try
makes it worse.
And so, and the you know justthe potential damage that you
(10:48):
need um when you don't know whatto do.
Speaker 1 (10:51):
That's so good.
Like you need support, right.
Speaker 2 (10:53):
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
I just did a video today talking about do you have
the right support, and it'sactually kind of a funny story,
but I won't talk about it heretoday.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Oh, I like to hear it .
Speaker 1 (11:03):
It's's actually, it's actually really funny, but I'll
it's, it's.
It's maybe more like womanappropriate okay, fair enough um
, anyways, so you, you're,you're learning about stories
and do you like, did you justget the sense that like, did you
have training to learn aboutstories?
Did you feel like holy spiritwas like, did you have training
(11:24):
to learn about stories?
Did you feel like Holy Spiritwas like training you on how to
do this?
Because I know there'sdefinitely out in the world
there's different.
I know even kingdom people whohave these storytelling
frameworks and you know what didthat look like for you to step
into this?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
For me it looked like self-taught.
I think I have a naturalaptitude for telling stories,
but that's not enough.
In any area of life you canhave a natural gift, but you can
go so much farther if you workto hone it.
Much farther if you work tohone it, and so, not knowing
(12:10):
exactly where, I started lookingfor the people around me that I
thought told good stories inthe kind of way that I would
want to tell them and startedstudying them.
So an early influence for me isthe comedian Ken Davis.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
Ken Davis, I haven't heard of him.
Davis, I haven't heard of him.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Who's a Christian author and speaker.
Ruth's story just captured meand so I read his.
He has a.
I read that I started justwatching as many watching or
listening to as many videos andaudio that I could from people
who were really, really goodstorytellers and taking notes,
(12:48):
and I recognize that there's alot of different ways to tell
stories, and so it was mostlyjust self-taught, a lot of
reading, a lot of study and alot of trial and error to see
what makes a good story and howcan I use my natural voice to
tell stories in a way that makea difference to people.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
Okay, and how long have you been coming alongside
people to help them in this?
Speaker 2 (13:17):
realm In this.
This is relatively new.
So just for a year that I'vebeen working to do this in a
professional capacity, I'vehelped people in an
off-the-books capacity.
For a while I would talk toother pastors or I would talk to
other public speakers and workwith them to hone their public
(13:38):
presentation and how to deliverstories and encourage other
people to tell their stories.
Deliver stories and encourageother people to tell their
stories.
But about a year ago when I waschallenged finally you're
really good at telling stories,you should teach other people
this I'm like dang it.
Is there a market for that?
I didn't even know that was athing.
But if I could, I would love todo that.
(14:00):
So I said, well, if this issomething that I could could do
on a, on a professional level, Iwould, I would love to do that.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Yeah, so what like?
What does that look like?
You know what?
What does Mark do to comealongside somebody?
And what is the name of yourbusiness?
Speaker 2 (14:19):
A master story craft is.
Master story craftcom is my,and it's a work in progress, but
there's a lot of informationthere already.
I also teach workshops.
In fact, I have one coming upon the 25th of this month that I
host.
This is my level onestorytelling workshop, where I
(14:39):
introduce a framework that I usein my own storytelling.
It's one that I came up withand created, and so I teach
people how to find those stories.
So, if you got something youwant to say but you don't know
how, this is how you do that,and so it's a beginning workshop
or a level one workshop, andthen I'm in the process of
crafting the follow-up workshopsfor telling stories in whatever
(15:03):
medium you choose.
There's a difference betweentelling a story from the stage
or in front of a camera or in atext-based medium like Facebook,
and so if there's a way thatsomebody really wants to tell
stories but they don't want totype you know, I don't want to
write my stories, I want to tellthem Well, there's a little bit
different way to do that, solet's talk about doing that.
(15:25):
And then I'm also working tobuild relationships in business
and in nonprofit space to helppeople who stand in front of
people on a regular basis,whether on a stage or just in an
office, just in a companyoffice, and try to, you know, to
(15:45):
deliver the daily, the dailytalk.
And here's how you cancommunicate these important
things using the medium ofstorytelling.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Amazing.
So you have, you definitelyhave a teaching gift right, I
think so.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Yes, I believe so.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
And you know, to be able to come alongside people,
is it, would you say?
It's a little bit of likecoaching and consulting?
Speaker 2 (16:08):
Yes, Um, yeah, so I didn't mention but like
one-on-one, one-on-one, workingwith people in coaching and then
also in consulting.
Um, absolutely, because it'sone thing to be told how to do
it, but, like in some areas inmy life right now, other than
storytelling, I'm having to workwith someone to help me learn.
You can tell it to me, but nowI need to go out and do it, and
(16:30):
when I do it, I fall down andit's frustrating, and so I need
someone there to say, okay, butyou thought you were doing this,
but really you were doing this,and storytelling is a lot like
that.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Okay, yeah, I mean, would you say that I'm just
going to ask you and I think Ididn't answer this question, but
I feel like there's a lot ofthings in our life that we
weren't taught, like I said tosomebody the other day like
nobody taught me how to dress.
Would you say that this is anarea that you know people are?
(17:02):
Maybe you're looking at people.
I'm sure you're on social mediaand you're kind of looking at
the landscape going, oh my gosh,like I could so help you.
Like so what are your thoughtson that?
Like what?
What would you say is thebiggest?
Um I don't want to call it amistake, Cause a lot of times,
people you don't know what youdon't know Right Um, but what
(17:22):
could be like the biggest likekey that you could give somebody
who's out there, you know,without giving away too much, if
?
Speaker 2 (17:29):
you want to, I'll give away.
I'll give away.
I'll give away the farm okay, Ithink I think that one of the
biggest hindrances to that I seeonline is everybody is I
mentioned it earlier buteverybody's rushing to the moral
.
And so one of the things that Isay in my workshops and I've
(17:52):
said online is, if you only gaveme three minutes to talk, I
would want to tell you a story,like if that's all I had time to
do.
I'd rather tell a story and notgive any instruction, because I
want my story to contain thatinstruction, but also because
storytelling is that powerful,it's more likely that people are
going to remember it.
But everybody seems andeverybody's a broad brush, but
(18:17):
so many people are so worriedabout getting to the point that
they brush past the story and Ithink people just scroll right
on by.
It's like I'm getting preachedat every time I get onto
Facebook, like you know, here'swhat you're doing wrong, here's
what I'm doing right, here'swhat everybody else is doing
wrong.
It's like somebody just tell mea story and I'll stop and
(18:38):
listen.
So I think that's one of thebiggest hindrances and mistakes
maybe through lack of knowledgeis how important it is that you
tell a good story.
So I tell people, I'm going totell you, I'm going to help you
learn how to tell better storiesand how to tell the ones you
are telling better, and becausethat's going to be really
(18:59):
helpful for you.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
And you found this to be, you know.
So, like for myself, like I'm acoach and I I feel like I'm
telling a story, but I'm surethat I'm I could do better at
telling stories, like my, myvideo I did today.
It was a.
It was a funny story, but, um,you know, just maybe give us an
example of somebody you'veworked with um and how you've
helped them go from you know,kind of like what were they
(19:22):
doing before and now what arethey doing with their, whether
it's their social media or theirstage presence, or would you be
willing to share something?
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Sure yeah absolutely.
So well, so let me I'll.
I don't know if this will fitthe bill, but in one of my, in
my last workshop, we had adoctor, a full-time doctor on
the workshop and they said Idon't I want to use storytelling
, but they were afraid becausein the medical field,
(19:54):
everybody's angry at doctorsbecause you had a, you arrived
at your appointment, you sat inthe room for 45 minutes and
you're late and the doctor comesin and they there for 15
minutes and then they leave andthen they didn't do this and
they didn't do that.
And then you get the bill andeverybody's angry.
And she said I feel like it'shard because people can't see me
as a person.
(20:15):
And so, on the workshop, I saidwell, tell me a story about
something that you would want toshare on social media about you
as a person.
And she thought for a minute andshe told us this wonderful
story about a exercise that sheand some other doctors were
(20:35):
brought into.
It was a painting exercise andhow, as a perfectionist, she
began to paint and they werelike just paint what you want to
paint, don't worry about itbeing perfect.
And she said and I was being sojudgmental and I hated what I
did, but I painted it.
And then they said now let'sstep away from it, walk away
from your painting and come overhere for a little while and
(20:56):
then we're going to and then goback and look at your painting
again.
And she said, when I went backand looked at my painting after
stepping away from it, I couldstill see some of the errors
that I wanted to fix, but I feltlike I did that.
That's something that I did.
And she said it's really hardfor me not to be hard on myself.
And she's telling this story.
(21:17):
And one of the other guys inthe workshop said well, I'll
tell you what.
I'm one of those people that'salways hard on my doctors, what
I'm the one of those peoplethat's always hard on my doctors
.
But listening to you tell thatstory made me think I should be
nicer to my doctor, becausethey're a real person with
struggles too.
They come into the room withtheir white coat and their
stethoscope and their clipboardand they're like I know
everything, but they're just aperson behind that, with doubts
(21:40):
and fears and struggles.
And I think she saw in thatmoment how powerful it was to
tell a story from her personallife in a way that, even if it
didn't help her, could helpother doctors be seen as more
human and real.
So I think that's.
I love it when that kind ofthing happens, when people
(22:01):
realize your personal stories domatter and they can help matter
and they can.
They can help you and they canhelp many other people by
hearing them.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
Yes, and it's got me like curious, cause that's, you
know, I'm very curious.
Um, I love that you know thisdoctor was able to.
You know, even me I'm like, oh,you know, like I'm like leaning
in, like what, what is shegoing to?
Like, what's going's gonnahappen here?
Um, yeah, and you know I'm I'malways very curious about
stories and I'm sure some peoplemaybe aren't as curious.
(22:30):
But what would you say about?
I don't know, we're alleverybody's walking through
something, right, yeah, and whatwould you say to somebody, like
even like myself?
I said the other day, um, tosomebody, you know I'm walking
through something.
You know like we're alwayswalking through something, but
I'm kind of in the middle, likekind of that messy middle in one
area of my life, and you don'twant to necessarily like, at
(22:54):
least for me, I don't feel likeI want to tell the story until
maybe the story is like kind ofmore complete, if that makes
sense.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
It does.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
So how do you, how do you navigate that?
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Does that?
Speaker 1 (23:08):
how does one navigate those types of things?
Speaker 2 (23:11):
So storytelling and the word story is is is really.
It has become a buzzword and itmeans a lot of different things
to people.
It was like own your story orare you in the right story, and
that has a place, but it reallymuddies the water.
When I'm talking about stories,I'm talking about actual
stories and a good story.
(23:32):
The difference between ananecdote and a story is a story
has a moment of illumination ortransformation.
So, If you're in the middle ofsomething.
That's not a story that you cantell yet, but there might be a
moment within that messy middlethat would make a good story.
A good story is made of asingle moment, a moment when you
(23:55):
realized something.
I walked out of Walmartrecently and could not find my
Jeep anywhere.
No-transcript button, and I'mpressing the panic button and
(24:29):
holding it above my head andit's not going off.
Then I remembered that someonesaid if you hold those things in
your mouth, your body becomesan amplifier and reach it from
farther away.
So I'm walking up and down therow with the, with the remote
control in my mouth, pressingthe panic button, and still no
Jeep, like I can't.
Now I'm starting to think no,I'm not wrong, somebody did
stole my Jeep.
And then I said God, I waitedmy whole life for this Jeep and
(24:52):
now somebody stole it.
Like, where is my Jeep?
You know where my Jeep is?
You know, tell me.
Right now, as I'm having thisconversation with God and I'm
really worked up and I'm,everything is going wrong
because my Jeep is gone I walkedpast an orange colored RAV4 and
I thought to myself you know, Ihave one that looks just like
(25:12):
that and I kept on walking andthen I thought, wait a second, I
have one exactly like that.
And I realized I didn't drive myJeep to Walmart, I drove my RAV
.
I hadn't forgotten where Iparked my Jeep, I had forgotten
what vehicle I even drove toWalmart.
(25:34):
That's classic.
And I realized that sometimesagain, I can get worked up over
the dumbest things and God ispatient with knuckleheads.
And when I prayed to him, lordshow me where my Jeep was.
He couldn't, but he could showme where my RAV was.
And that's.
I love that relationship withGod where he's so patient and he
(25:56):
knows that we don't know thethings that we think we do.
We're so certain and sometimeswe're wrong and that's a silly
story, but everybody's donesomething like that I love it
and it's a single moment in arelatively ordinary day.
That can be and I don't evenhave to change it by saying and
(26:16):
here's the 10 things I learnedfrom this like just a simple
statement at the end, and thenext time somebody can't find
their car, then maybe they'llremember that.
So what I'm saying is thinksmaller when you're thinking
about the stories and say well,I don't have anything important
(26:38):
enough to tell.
Every day things are happeningto you.
That would make great stories.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
Every day, yeah.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
The question is are you paying attention to those
moments of illumination orinspiration, lean into those and
say there's something here thatwould make a great story?
Speaker 1 (26:57):
Yes, I mean, this is so like just even the timing of
this, because it's really beenhighlighted for me to share more
stories.
I think sometimes and and I, Idon't know, maybe we all do this
it's like, oh, I don't knowwhat I'm gonna talk about.
Or it's like I don't know howdo I even organize this or how
do I write this and yes whatI've just been doing.
(27:18):
a lot lately I've I've actuallychallenged myself in september
to, um, I would say mondaythrough friday is is my goal to
go out and do like a less thanthree minute video and most of
it.
You know I tried to.
I created like a Google doc oflike oh, share this on this day.
And oh, my goodness, that's.
I don't even go there.
It's like oh my gosh, I have anew story to tell.
(27:41):
Um, so are you kind of?
I know I've heard people.
I'm trying to remember theterminology.
It's like um, work, reverse,reverse.
Something like like reverseengineering thank you.
Yes, are you kind of thinkingabout that?
Like are, even when you werehaving that jeep moment, were?
you thinking like oh my gosh, Ineed to share this.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
I was then because I'm in the mode of looking for
story moments in my life, and Igot that idea from Matthew Dix.
He wrote the book Storyworthyand he really encouraged people
like if you're not keeping arecord of those moments, those
(28:27):
story moments, then you'llforget them.
And so for a long time now I'vebeen keeping a list when a
thing happens.
And here's so, if somethinghappens in my life and
immediately it's like everythinggoes on pause and this one
moment becomes important in anotherwise ordinary day.
(28:48):
I've learned to say there's areason that that is sticking out
to me, that person's response,that person's interaction with
me that knocked me off scriptfor a reason.
And there's something reallyimportant here, and it's not
always things when I do it right, sometimes it's when I do
(29:08):
something wrong, and those cansometimes be more powerful to
share.
So that's another thing that Ithink sometimes we're doing
incorrectly or less thanoptimally on social media is
everybody wants to be the expertthat I have this figured out
(29:30):
and you can definitely overshare.
And then there's the termtrauma dumping, and there's no
redemption in it.
It's just all bad.
But when you go throughsomething where you learn a
lesson, that is powerful andimportant.
Even though it's small, thosecan be incredibly personalizing
stories and other people can say, oh, finally somebody else that
(29:54):
understands what it feels liketo do that.
So sharing those can beincredibly powerful as well.
But then, once you're lookingfor them, you can keep keep a
list, and I have a list of storymoments that I haven't crafted
into actual stories yet, but I Irecorded the moment so that I
(30:16):
could go back to it, becauseonce you have the moment, you
still need to know how to craftit into a, into a good story um,
so are you naturally a writer,would you say.
Speaker 1 (30:29):
Or are you having to really partner with God, kind of
like Holy Ghost writer, to comeup with something?
Are you literally typing?
Are you verbalizing it to getit out?
Speaker 2 (30:38):
Yeah, I love to write .
I don't know if I'm good at it,but I love to write, and I
heard something years ago thatthoughts become disentangled
when they pass over the lips andacross pencil tips.
And so in the process ofverbalizing or in the process of
writing, I find a lot ofclarity that comes out, and then
(31:00):
I'm able to put it all outthere and then go back and
refine it before clickingpublish or send.
Speaker 1 (31:09):
And would you say that you prefer to share your
story written or verbally orvideo, like what is your?
Speaker 2 (31:17):
favorite.
Oh, that's so hard.
I love all of it, but I lovemore than anything else having a
discussion with people, whetherthat's one-on-one or standing
from a stage and interactingwith a live audience.
Storytelling if you can getpast the nerves, storytelling in
(31:37):
person is so incrediblyrewarding because you can see in
real time how what you'resaying is landing with the
people that you're talking to.
And writing it is good.
In fact, it might in some waysbe better, but it's a delayed
gratification.
I found you have to wait.
Is anybody going to read this?
Is it going to hit?
(31:58):
Are they going to resonate withit?
Speaker 1 (32:02):
So I love, I love what you're sharing on social
media too, like in the writtenaspects when you're sharing
stories.
Speaker 2 (32:09):
I'd like to think so.
I certainly hear a lot thatthey do.
I'm still trying to find I mean, none of us are experts in the
sense of having everything rightand so I'm still learning on
this journey as well.
And when it comes to socialmedia, I'm still struggling with
(32:30):
how people want to read, andyou know, because people are
like.
You know, jennifer talks aboutthis, our friend Jennifer's you
know too much white space, notenough white space, or too many
words, and I'm like well, I meanthere are some stories that you
can't say in just a few words,and yet one of the most powerful
(32:51):
stories that I've ever heardwas um was four words, and I
can't remember.
Speaker 1 (33:02):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (33:03):
The.
I think it was Emerson who wastalking to people about writing
and telling them how importantit was.
I may be getting thatattribution wrong, but he said I
think it was five words ormaybe six.
Anyway, infant shoes for sale,never worn.
Wow shoes for sale, never wornand when you just sit with those
(33:35):
words, infant shoes for sale,never worn, there's, I mean all
kinds of things flood into yourmind Emotions, questions,
sadness, depending upon yourbackground.
And that's the power of a goodstory is it, is it engages the
imagination and emotion of theaudience, um, with their own
(33:56):
personal, with their ownpersonal story.
That's how you know you've tolda story.
Well, I think.
When is when people respondwith one of their own?
Speaker 1 (34:05):
yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (34:06):
It's like that resonant.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
Somebody would come up to you maybe after a second
engagement and be like oh mygosh, your story connects to my
story.
Speaker 2 (34:13):
Okay, I see, yeah, and that used to irritate me at
first.
Right, because I would tell astory either online or in person
, and people would come up andsay let me tell you one of mine.
I'd be like this isn't aboutyou, this is about me.
I'm the storyteller, I'm thespeaker, because I didn't
realize that what they weredoing was resonating.
They were saying I saw myselfin your story and that's
(34:36):
powerful, that's storytellinggold when you get that kind of
response.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
Wow.
So do you think that's a bigpart of where we're missing it?
Because, again, I do feel likethere there's been just even
over the years.
You know, I've been in businessfor doing one thing or the
other for gosh 13 years and itseems like you could reach
people without telling a storyto, like you know, connect with
(35:04):
them a little easier to to getto the DM is what they would say
Like you know to connect maybesomebody you don't know what I'm
.
what I'm noticing is that whenI've heard people say like,
let's just say, for example,like I'm, you know you or I were
starting, we're going to have aworkshop or we're going to do
something coming up in a monthand it's like it.
(35:25):
It might take and I don't knowwhat the statistics are, so I
might be wrong with this, but itmight take somebody like 30
times for them to see the samepost, the same newsletter, to
like have them take a step, andI'm like that's ridiculous.
Speaker 2 (35:40):
Right.
Speaker 1 (35:41):
What do you think that's?
Speaker 2 (35:42):
a lot.
It is, and I do think whatyou're hitting on is accurate.
It's just because we areinformation heavy.
Just so much information.
One of my favoriteillustrations of this.
You know the children of thisworld are wiser sometimes than
the children of light.
But last year's Super Bowl I'mnot a sports guy but I watch the
(36:04):
advertisements because thoseare the best part.
Last year's Super Bowl theaverage cost investment that
companies made for the privilegeof delivering an ad was $7
million For one ad.
For one ad, for one 30-second ad, and when you watch those ads?
(36:25):
People watch those ads everyyear for one reason because they
are micro stories.
So companies spend $7 millionand they don't even talk about
their product overtly, they justtell you a story.
For example, this last yearthey've got Jason Momoa dancing.
T-mobile has Jason Momoa doingthis auto-tune, auto-correct
(36:50):
dance out there and they don'teven talk about how awesome
their cell phone service is.
But they told this silly storyabout two guys dancing and
throwing a party.
And you get the idea oh,t-mobile and their internet
speeds make that a party withoutinterruption.
Then they had two grandmaschasing this guy who took the
(37:11):
last bag of the favorite Doritochips, and two grandma hit men.
It was just a fun story.
Or you get a vehicle like aFord, or Chevy will put this
tear-jerking story about grandmaand Alzheimer's and Christmas
dinner and Chevy, and they won'tsay our cars have more power
(37:34):
than everybody else's.
They're just like let me tellyou a story.
And then I want you to rememberthat emotion when you think
about buying a car.
And so if companies will spend$7 million to tell you a story,
we should be paying attention tohow powerful that is.
Speaker 1 (37:51):
Yes, you've got my brain like spinning right now.
I'm sure there's other.
You know a lot of the women anddefinitely some men who listen
in.
I believe that they're, youknow, entrepreneurs and ministry
, so I definitely feel like youcarry.
I love to talk about keys andunlocking and ways that people
(38:13):
can, can, truly, you know, Ilike to say cut through the
noise because it is so noisy onsocial media and sometimes I
literally I like to call it likestop, drop and roll and roll
out.
Like stop, like drop somethingto encourage, and then I dip out
.
But yeah, I do feel likethere's a different way.
(38:34):
There's a shift happening.
Speaker 2 (38:36):
And.
Speaker 1 (38:36):
I do really feel like you're on the cusp of something
really beautiful here,especially doing it, you know,
from a pastoring teacherperspective like kingdom right.
Speaker 2 (38:54):
Yeah, yeah, I think so.
I think there's a lot of workto do, even in the church.
Just last Sunday I came homeand opened up social media and I
saw a prominent figure who saidwe need more Bible and less
stories in the pulpit.
And I know what they're saying,but like three quarters of the
Bible is a story, so there'smore story than didactic
teaching in that book, and so Iknow what he means, but I think
(39:18):
he's wrong.
We need good stories.
We don't need just rambling anddisconnected and unintentional
stories, but we need goodstories in the pulpit that can
help drive a truth into ourhearts.
Speaker 1 (39:32):
Yeah, especially like with you know we're seeing a
lot of people being led back tochurch.
Speaker 2 (39:39):
And.
Speaker 1 (39:39):
I love.
I mean, like you and I, we lovestories.
The movies I watch are usuallyabout underdogs, overcomers,
seeing people go from like wow,that that's amazing.
Like you're there to hear, um,you know, and I know that like I
love hearing the transformationstories which kind of ties into
(40:00):
you know, I've heard kind ofthrough the grapevine maybe in
the marketing world to you know,really talk about the, the
solution that you offer, likethe problem you solve, like how
would you tie that in with astory, like as an example?
So, based on what you do, I'mhaving you like go off the cuff,
(40:22):
or maybe if you've ever putsomething out there before, how
would you, how would you sharethat?
Speaker 2 (40:29):
how?
Speaker 1 (40:30):
so how would I share, yeah how would you share kind
of your solution to likesomebody's problem out there um
in story?
Speaker 2 (40:40):
I.
I guess it would depend uponwhich, upon which problem that
I'm trying to address yeah, um.
Speaker 1 (40:50):
So let's say, somebody is really challenged in
marketing and social media.
They're like I just don't evenknow what to post.
And here comes mark.
He's like I can help you withstories.
Yeah, so okay.
So okay, you share, like, um,how you could help somebody
through a story?
I guess maybe that's a betterway to ask.
Speaker 2 (41:11):
Okay, I would.
Well, I would probably retellor in one case, I would tell
that story about the doctor, um,and how she she really wanted
her marketing was.
I want doctors to be seen asmore human.
I want people to know thatwe're human too, and figured out
that telling her personalstories were the better way to
(41:35):
do that rather than just gettingonto social media and saying
doctors are people too.
But now you're rushing to themoral.
So I would tell a story likethat and say here's how one
person in their contextdelivered their message through
their own personal stories.
(41:56):
I talk about hope and growth alot and I would rather share a
story and I have a lot of themthat I could share a quick story
to say, hey, I'm growing andI'm changing, but here's a story
how, just the other day, Ifailed at this again, and that's
(42:18):
okay because here's what Ilearned.
So I would encourage them.
I don't care what the businessmodel is if it's marketing.
It's like I don't know how to.
I want to sell things to people.
How is storytelling going to dothat?
Well, the age-old people buythings from those they know,
like and trust, which might betrue.
(42:40):
I have my doubts always have mydoubts, always.
Well, for example, if I'm goingto go to a doctor, I'd rather
go to a doctor that doesn't knowme than one that's known me
since I was two, because I'mjust a private person, so a
perfect stranger works for me inthat case.
But if that's true, what's thequickest path to earning
something that feels like, likeand trust or know?
(43:04):
The quickest path to doing thatis to open your life and tell a
purposeful story that says I'ma real person too, and then this
is what I do.
Here's a story about me.
And then someone says I'mlooking for a real estate.
(43:25):
I just did a storytelling talkwith real estate agency of the
day and I said there's, they'reeverywhere.
But if I'm looking to buy ahouse and I was just on social
media and I saw a realtor sharea story about a challenge or a
way that they came through fortheir client the other day and
just told the story and justleft it there Like that's the
real estate agent I want.
My Jeep right now is having anengine replaced in it, which I'm
(43:48):
not thrilled with, but itneeded to be done, and I chose a
mechanic who in our town, whojust shared a story a few weeks
ago about that illustrated howhe goes to bat for his customers
to get them the best price andget them back in their vehicle,
and I was like I need a mechanicthat I feel gets the problem.
And that guy gets it.
(44:09):
And so he's working on my Jeepright now because of a story.
I don't know if he's the bestmechanic in the world, but that
story was powerful and likeagain, you have 1,001 voices in
the world that are coming at you.
Who will you remember?
How will you be remembered?
Speaker 1 (44:32):
It's going to be through storytelling.
I'm just really excited for you.
I'm excited for the work thatthe Lord's called you into, and
I do have to ask about thehandyman work too.
Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2 (44:43):
Sure, yeah.
So the handyman work was a wayfor me.
So I grew up in a pastor's home, so we grew up pretty poor In
our denomination.
Anyway, you know, virtue andpoverty go hand in hand, and in
the 21 years that I've been apastor, we've struggled
financially a lot and we hadsome broken minds yeah, that's
(45:08):
around the area of money and sothe handyman was a way that I
could immediately take some ofthe skills that I had and begin
to not only get out and meetpeople in the community but
provide, uh, and make ends meetfor my family.
Um, so it gave me that.
It gave me that.
That.
It gave me that.
(45:28):
It gave me hope, because one ofone of the definitions of hope
that I like the most is thathope is tied to an individual's
perception of their ability toact in a way that can alter
their present or future in ameaningful way.
It's agency.
In other words, Hope is tied toa sense of agency that's not
(45:52):
taking away from our.
Speaker 1 (45:53):
I feel like somebody needs to hear that being that
we're locked here.
Speaker 2 (45:56):
Yeah, hope is tied to our sense of agency, that it's
not taking away from our hope inGod, but that God gave us
abilities to do things, and so Ican't do everything and
anything that I want to do, butthere's always something I can
do, and if I do the one thingthat I can do, no matter how
(46:18):
small, it's amazing how hope isthe inevitable byproduct of that
.
I did something out andreplacing a window or fixing a
toilet, and I came home withmoney in my pocket.
I pray for God to meet ourneeds all the time, but God gave
(46:42):
me this gift too and he saysyou can use that gift to go and
do, and that's just as much Godproviding, I believe, because
I'm using the gifts that he gaveme and I didn't feel stuck
anymore, like, look, there'ssomething I can do, and what I
can't do I leave to him, and so,yeah, so hope is tied to that
(47:04):
sense of agency.
So for me, the handymanbusiness was a way of stirring
up hope in my own heart and lifethat I could do something.
Speaker 1 (47:14):
And what's the name of your handyman business?
Speaker 2 (47:16):
Stateline Small Jobs.
Speaker 1 (47:19):
That's amazing.
You know, I was even thinkingabout the other day.
I happen to have a husbandwho's a handyman slash.
Well, he does.
He doesn't have as a business,but he does help people all the
time, and I was thinking aboutit the other day, just how
blessed I am to have somebodywho can literally fix our cars,
who can absolutely house toilets.
I mean, I don't know that we'vereally hired many people at our
(47:43):
house before, but you know, Igot to thinking of, like what do
people who don't have that do?
Do they have a handyman likethat they have to call all the
time?
Have you found that?
Speaker 2 (47:56):
I'm just curious I was literally thinking about
this the other day fill theniche and that gap in the market
, because I kept hearing peoplesay nobody will call me back.
The big contractors, they onlywant the big jobs.
(48:17):
And I just need some doorknobsreplaced or a window fixed or a
sink faucet replaced, and Idon't know how to do that myself
, and they couldn't get anybodyto do it because there wasn't
enough money in it for them.
And so I wanted to step intothat, and I've just found I'm
building a growing list of agingclientele who are just happy to
(48:41):
have someone that will pick upthe phone and come and help them
with their thing and doesn'tcharge them an arm and a leg.
I don't do it for free, butthey don't want me to do it for
free.
They're just happy to have methere, and sometimes I get
cookies too.
Aw, I'm just imagining that youbring more than just a handyman
(49:02):
you bring stories there too, yes, yeah, and a little passion
maybe too, yeah, well, so manyof the Maybe some stories that
come out of there.
Absolutely, and a lot of theelderly folks grew up in a time
where storytelling was part ofwhat society did.
We've lost it, but it's notsomething we've never done
before.
But we don't tell stories as asociety like we used to.
(49:25):
But they remember that and, manalive, when we start talking
and I share a story, thenthey'll share a story and those
stories lead to referralsbecause they'll call their
friend and say you've got tohire my handyman.
He told me the greatest storyand so they love that.
And yeah, so it all intersects.
Speaker 1 (49:47):
Yes, and I'm thinking okay, jesus was a carpenter, he
was a teacher, storyteller.
Speaker 2 (49:54):
He didn't do, just one thing did he.
Speaker 1 (49:56):
He didn't and you kind of encapsulate a lot of
what he did.
So you know, we get to do thevery things that he's called us
to do, and we have so many giftsinside of us, I think so many
people.
Just there's so many untappedthings in us right, Absolutely,
and I'm sure you have a lot ofjoy in these times, most days I
(50:17):
do right, most days I do yes, sowhat has been the most
challenging thing you know?
you're doing kind of across ofwhat I would say you know most
it's business tree in businessand ministry.
What's been the mostchallenging aspect, maybe I
would say in the last year, thatyou've encountered?
Speaker 2 (50:38):
The biggest challenge has been transitioning to a
business mindset.
Not that it's opposite ministry, but in a lot of ways there's
some broken thinking in theministry mindset.
But finding a way to lean intoa business and help people who
(51:00):
have only ever known me asPastor Mark, to see that I'm in
business, I'm building abusiness, and then to get past
those hurdles in my own mindwhen it comes to pricing and
offers.
And I want to, I want to helppeople and sometimes you think
the only way you can help peopleis to give everything away, and
(51:21):
so that's that's been.
One of the biggest hurdles isto say this is a business.
Business helps people, but it'sokay.
It's okay to charge for whatyou do as well.
Speaker 1 (51:31):
Yeah, that's really good.
I'm guessing that that isblessing somebody today.
Speaker 2 (51:36):
I hope so.
Speaker 1 (51:37):
For sure, Because I think one of the things that I
haven't heard it a lotpersonally in my own business,
but I've heard it from othersthat there can be this
expectation know shouldn't becharging a certain amount.
We shouldn't be doing this orwe shouldn't be doing that.
(51:57):
And you know, I get my pricing,I ask the Lord and I get a
pretty clear confirmation onwhat I have to charge and I just
say, like, take it up with him.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (52:10):
Yeah, there you go.
Speaker 1 (52:11):
I can write that down .
You can ask my boss, ask mylike, take it up with him.
I don't know.
Yeah, there you go, write thatdown.
Speaker 2 (52:15):
Take it up with my boss.
I like that.
Speaker 1 (52:18):
I do like that.
I'm.
I'm the chief encouragementofficer and he's my CEO.
Speaker 2 (52:23):
I don't know, there you go.
I like that a lot.
Speaker 1 (52:26):
Yeah, well, what else ?
Um, is he having you likestretch into this here?
It's one of my favoritequestions to ask, Like, is there
something that you're beingstretched into?
Maybe you can't share it yet,but if there is, yeah, no, I
don't mind sharing it.
Speaker 2 (52:39):
Probably the biggest area that I'm being stretched
into relates to business andit's the issue of sales, and
I've been working with a coachto get better at that and man,
it's been so hard.
And in fact I just realized theother day because she said, mark
(53:00):
, I think you've been doing thethings you're good at all your
life and every time something'shard you back away from it and I
was like that's not true.
But then I thought I thinkthat's true.
And every time I'm trying tolearn how to make a connection
or speak to somebody on LinkedInor somewhere, or have a sales
(53:22):
conversation, I undermine it insome way or I get nervous like
sweaty palms and everything.
And so I'm really beingstretched this year on learning
how to have the confidence inwhat God has given me to do and
to bring that out and not to letthat fear stop me.
(53:44):
And it has been.
That might not be hard for somepeople, but it is still brutal
for me.
It is still brutal for me and Iknow that the Lord is
stretching me in that area andhe's using some people to do
that.
So I'm grateful for what willhappen after I'm done being
(54:06):
stretched.
Speaker 1 (54:07):
Yes, that's so good, and I appreciate your
vulnerability too, because it'snot my favorite thing either.
I'm just like the Lord gave mea word after I left my corporate
job, and it was something thatI had been reminded of.
If you remember, field ofDreams, I love it yes, yeah.
He's like if we build it, theywill come.
(54:28):
So I'm like all right, I'lljust put my lemonade stand up,
and they're just you know, it'snot it's not it's no.
Speaker 2 (54:40):
No, because everybody and their mother has a lemonade
stand exactly, and it's likewell what?
Speaker 1 (54:45):
what sets my lemonade stand apart, our lemonade?
Let's tell stories that'sexactly right, and so people get
a lemonade stand with stories.
Speaker 2 (54:53):
Yes, well, I should start a lemonade stand and say
have a drink and I'll tell you astory, or tell me one.
I think that some of thestretch for me there has been
the issue of thinking aboutscarcity versus abundance,
living with the idea like, ifthere's not enough to go around
and being really challenged tosay God is, he's not.
(55:16):
He doesn't have a scarcitymindset, he gives abundantly.
Like I love how in the story ofthe fish and the loaves, he
doesn't just do five, he doesn'tjust feed the people there, he
makes more than anybody can eatand says here, take a doggy bag
home with you.
I know Like he's an abundantand extravagant God.
And somewhere I got the ideathat there's this limited amount
(55:38):
of resources and blessing.
Or even if God blesses me, hewon't be able to bless them.
Or the jealousy of when I seesomeone else being blessed.
I'm like, oh, now they gotblessed.
I guess I can't be, and sothat's all part of it for me is
having to grow in that, andyou'd think after 21 years of
pastoring I'd be better at that,but I'm not.
(56:00):
I'm still growing.
Speaker 1 (56:02):
I feel like it's all such a process.
Speaker 2 (56:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (56:05):
You know truly there's I don't know about you,
but there's areas that you knowneed more strength training for
sure.
Speaker 2 (56:12):
Without a doubt.
Without a doubt.
Speaker 1 (56:14):
For sure, like I, I kind of call it the resistance
training and even weighttraining, wait training there's
an element of having to waitbecause we are in a, in a world
that thinks that, um, ourbusiness should, you know, maybe
grow in a day and right,exactly, and it would be great,
yes, be great, yes, um, but yeah, there is such an impact that
(56:35):
you have here that you carry andI'm just thrilled to you know
just even get to hear your storytoday and be able to share with
others.
So, um, I would love for you toshare with us, um, before we
close, would you be just willingif you could think of this one
person who's listening in todaybecause I do this for the one as
I shared with you one times onein the world is one and one
(56:57):
times one in the kingdom isexponential, so we're focusing
on this one today.
If you have any words ofencouragement, additional wisdom
that you'd want to share overthis one, and then would you
pray us out today?
Speaker 2 (57:10):
Yeah, absolutely it's .
I remember listening to apodcast several years ago
between just two men that weretalking.
One of them happened to be apastor and it was like he was
(57:35):
reading my mail everything hesaid was like me and my heart
was racing and I felt a surge ofhope because I felt like, hey,
that's me.
If he can do that, then maybethere's a chance for me.
(57:57):
And my hope for that one isthat someone is listening today
who, in some story that I toldor some part of my story, they
felt and they're feeling rightnow, like that's me.
The details might be different,but that's exactly where I am
and I want you to know that.
For me, what that looked likewas reaching out to someone and
(58:20):
saying, hey, could we talk aboutthis?
And one step doing that firstthing that I could do couldn't
solve everything, but it tookthat first step.
Hope is tied to agency.
There's something I could doand there's something you can do
.
Couldn't solve everything, butit took that first step.
Hope is tied to agency.
There's something I could doand there's something you can do
.
So if you're listening to thisepisode and it feels like you're
(58:42):
reading my mail, you're tellingmy story and you've been
waiting.
You've been sitting in thebackground thinking that you
were stuck and had no optionsand that this was going to be
where you were for the rest ofyour life, I can't tell you what
God would like to do throughyou, but I know that he would
love to do something in yourlife.
(59:04):
He may just be waiting for youto send that email, make that
phone call or even just make adecision.
I'm going to take that firststep.
If I just knew what it was, Iwould take it Because that will
be the beginning of a radicalchange that can happen in your
life.
It did for me and I know it canfor you, so for whoever that
(59:28):
one is that needs to hear thattoday.
Let me close this out in prayerthen.
Speaker 1 (59:33):
Thank you.
Speaker 2 (59:38):
Abba, I love you.
You're so good.
I've really enjoyed theconversation that I've been able
to have with Kristen, and Iknow that there are people who
are listening.
They're not listening at themoment that I'm speaking these
words into this microphone, butit will feel like that to them
and you already know who needsto hear it and I believe you're
(59:59):
going to be working to ensurethat when this episode is
dropped, that that person islistening, and maybe it'll be
more than one.
You can take five loaves and twofish and feed a multitude, so
you can take a 60-minuteconversation and magnify it and
multiply it to help as manypeople as have a need.
(01:00:21):
That's what you do, and I justpray that you would encourage
the one today who needs thatencouragement, that one with
just a spark of hope inside ofthem, that you would fan that
into a flame and, lord, thatthey would lean into you and
lean into what they can do.
We're all growing.
None of us are where we want tobe or even ought to be, but
(01:00:45):
help us, as we grow, to followyou, to keep our eyes on you, to
recognize the stories that wehave that are worth telling and
to see that life is made up ofthose stories, and ours are
important too.
So we love you and I pray ablessing over those who are
listening, and we thank you forit in Jesus' name.
Speaker 1 (01:01:06):
Amen, amen.
Thank you so much, mark.
You've been such a blessing.
Speaker 2 (01:01:11):
Oh, this is so much fun, I just want to make sure
that we capture again.
Speaker 1 (01:01:14):
How can listeners get in touch with you?
Where can they find you?
And then could you just tell usa little bit more about this
workshop coming up?
Sure.
Speaker 2 (01:01:23):
So you can find me on Facebook, which is where I'm
most active.
You can find my Facebookprofile, mark Foster, and you
can do it.
Facebookcom forward slash MarkFoster, eight zero.
That's a horribly branded one,but at least my name's in it.
So Mark Foster, eight zero.
And then you can also email me,mark, at master story craftcom,
(01:01:45):
which you know is also mywebsite, so they can.
They can contact me either ofthose ways.
The storytelling workshop is onSeptember the 25th.
It's at 12 pm Eastern time andthere are still slots available
for that and it'll be a90-minute workshop where I'll
teach what I call the vowelframework.
It's just a framework for howto find, craft and deliver your
(01:02:09):
stories and it's intended forabsolute beginners.
Or maybe you've been trying totell stories but you want to try
to hone that a little bit.
You're welcome to come in forthat.
It's not a free workshop.
There is a cost to it, but youcan find all those details and I
don't mind saying it's a $50workshop for 90 minutes.
You'll get the.
You'll get the recordingafterwards as well, and you can
(01:02:32):
find that on the events um theevents page on my Facebook
profile.
But I would love to have asmany people as possible join me,
and if you, and if they, and sowe'll, this will already be
done.
Speaker 1 (01:02:41):
Obviously, I don't know if it'll be done already,
but it will and if andbeforehand okay, and uh, yeah.
So and then, once that one'sdone, we'll be doing others so
and then.
So you can let me know ifthere's any way that I can help
(01:03:01):
you out when it comes to honingthe craft of storytelling
Awesome, well, thank you so muchfor being a brave voice who's
setting many free.
I'm going to close with theHope Unlocked anchoring verse.
It's may the God of hope fillyou with all joy and peace in
believing, so that, by the powerof the Holy Spirit, you may
abound in hope, and that'sRomans 15, 13.
So thank you again, mark.
I will be back with anotherepisode next week.
Have a great day, listeners.
(01:03:22):
Thank you.
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