My friend Rhett Smith released a new book yesterday called What It Means to Be a Man, and I encourage you to pick it up and read it. A few months ago I had the opportunity to read the book and write an endorsement of it, and I happily said yes. Here’s what I wrote:

What It Means to Be a Man is my favorite kind of book, the kind that sets you on a journey of self-discovery. This book is a bridge between the man you are and the man you’re becoming — read it.

Find the book on Amazon here.

“… we have this high and holy hope: that what he has done, he will continue to do, that what he has begun in us and our world, he will in unimaginable ways bring to fullness and fruition.”

Amen.

By the way, this is from the titular essay of Buechner’s A Room Called Remember: Uncollected Pieces. Pick it up.

“… we have this high and holy hope: that what he has done, he will continue to do, that what he has begun in us and our world, he will in unimaginable ways bring to fullness and fruition.”

Amen.

By the way, this is from the titular essay of Buechner’s A Room Called Remember: Uncollected Pieces. Pick it up.

Church Marketing Sucks:

“[Tell Me a Story] looks at life as story and offers inspiration, encouragement and motivation to be worthy storytellers. It’s a great little (only 132 pages) book that condenses and summarizes a lot of the disjointed, buzz worthy and overdone thoughts about story that have floated around in the past few years and shares them in a concise, simple and powerful format.”

Barnabas Piper:

“The theme of the book is story – our stories, God’s storytelling, and the intersection of the two. What stands out in my mind is how this view of reality – living a story – makes so much sense of life. It gives purpose to conflict and pain. It gives motivation to decision making and planning. And it humbles me as I realize that there is an author of truth, the real story, and His story is so much better than what I could compose.”

Restoration Living:

“Tell Me a Story helps us (re)find our place in the ultimate story of God’s love and restoration of all things. When we can see beyond ourselves to this larger story, it gives our own story deeper meaning, greater inspiration, and clearer direction.”

Lore Ferguson:

“In a time when so many tell stories and get published quickly, there are few who tell stories that centralize back to the gospel, and Scott shows this well. If you’re a writer, storyteller, speaker, or communicator, I recommend this book for encouragement and instruction.”

There are also several kind reviews on Amazon, including this one from B. Atwood:

“If his goal is to make you want to tell your own life story as seen through the grand metanarrative of the Bible’s redemptive story, or to listen more intently to the stories others have lived, he’s succeeded.”

So there you have it — some kind words about this labor of love I call Tell Me a Story. If you don’t have a copy yet, or if you just haven’t had a chance to read yours yet, I’d love for you to dig in. Even more, I’d love hear your thoughts on the book and your experience with it. If you’re so inclined, drop me a line.

When Ben spoke this weekend, he spoke about the way our frustrations and life experiences can point us toward our unique opportunities to make a difference in the world. He was talking about the way our past stories — the joy and the pain — prepare us for what lies ahead. Our wounds in particular shape who we become and what we’re driven to accomplish with our lives.

In the midst of the talk Ben delivered a line that I’m still chewing on, a question I’m still trying to answer:

“Are you willing to be wounded deeply in order to be used greatly?”

Whoa. Wow. Thanks, Ben.

Killer Tribes Conference — Atlanta, GA | March 23

Can’t wait to attend this conference, let alone be a part of the official program. I’ll be participating on a panel of authors, drawing upon my VAST experience. Want to come to Killer Tribes? Register here and save $20 with the promo code ILIKESCOTT. (Note: You don’t actually have to like me.)

TransFORM — Ft. Worth, TX | April 5-6

This event is dedicated to forming missional communities — a cause I can certainly get behind. I’m teaching a workshop on story, and the registration cost is just $25, so sign up.

Tapestry Adoption & Foster Care Event — Irving, TX | April 13

Adoption is a big part of my family’s story, which figures prominently into the opening of Tell Me a Story, so I’m so happy to be talking with adoptive and foster families about story at this free event. Tapestry is a wonderful ministry that Annie and I are honored to be a part of, and you’re welcome to join us.

Create — St. Catherines, ON, Canada | June 3-5

I spoke at the first Create back in 2011, and I’m thrilled to be invited back this year. If you’re Canadian, or if you’re just fond of Canadians, you’ll love this experience. They’ve put together a great lineup (as always), so check it out.

Echo — Dallas, TX | July 24-26

When I was the director of Echo I could just invite myself to teach a breakout session (and I did, like, every year). This year I’m no longer the director, but the Echo team was nice enough to invite me back any way. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to it.

So, that’s my schedule. I hope to see you out on the road somewhere!

Vision is a shared story of future hope.

I just love that. Cormode’s piece is about how stories can compel people toward meaningful change. In fact, there’s a great example in the article about the leaders of a next generation ministry that took seriously the challenge to give their students stories of future hope.

If you’re still wondering what a shared story of future hope might look like, consider Cormode’s opening example: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. What was perhaps the most beautiful, compelling, and revolutionary vision of the last 100 years went something like this:

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

And of course we know that Dr. King’s dream ultimately pointed to a story of future hope that was articulated long ago:

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plains, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all the flesh shall see it together.

As someone who has dedicated much of his thinking lately to story as it relates to the people of God, I owe a debt of gratitude to Dr. Cormode for his helpful definition: Vision is a shared story of future hope. Here at IBC we’re doing what we can to tell a shared story of future hope — the story of what God has done, is doing, and will do in and through us — and we’re inviting all who hear to join in.

First, my wife Annie. She’s the best. I couldn’t have done this without her, and she loves telling people about this book. Amazing. Everyone else falls in line after her …

Moody Publishers — the team at Moody has been so encouraging from the very beginning, and as a first-time author I’ll be forever grateful to them for that.

Jeff Goins — Jeff is a great writer and he was generous enough to contribute a compelling foreword to Tell Me a Story. If you don’t know his work, or if you haven’t read Wrecked, please remedy that situation immediately.

The Endorsers — I’ve made wonderful friends in this church leadership world over the years, and several of them were kind enough to put their names on my book. Thanks to Jon, Charles, Phil, Amena, Kem, Rhett, Jonathan, Brad, and Blaine for being willing to take a bit of a risk. (Check out the Endorsers link for their words and links.)

The Informal Marketing Department — several people have helped me spread the word about the launch of the book, and I’d love to mention a few:

• Church Marketing Sucks and editor Kevin Hendricks — they reviewed my book, let me write a guest post, and Kevin even mentioned my book in a post on his personal blog. 
• Jonathan Merritt — I was so fortunate to participate in this engaging Q&A about the significance of story and storytellers in our day and age. Read it if you get a chance.
• Sunday| Magazine — Thanks to editor Jonathan Malm for the opportunity to write this article on short stories.
• There are more, of course. People who’ve tweeted kind and wonderful words about buying the book and enjoying its contents. Thank you all.

The People of Irving Bible Church — I’ve been a part of IBC for about nine years now, but I’ve only been on staff for about a month. I’m still the new guy. And yet, that didn’t stop the staff from throwing me a book launch party today complete with books for everyone, more than enough pizza, and a gigantic poster of me. Yes, a gigantic poster of me. I haven’t done anything yet to deserve that kind of love and support, but I guess that’s what grace is all about.

All of these people (and more) have made the release of my first book an experience I’ll never forget. And for that, I’m grateful.

CT: What role should marketing play in the church?

KELLER: The critique is that the church has overused, maybe unconsciously, business marketing techniques. And I think that critique is probably half right. Whenever people talk to me about marketing, I say, “Tell me what marketing is.” Some of what they usually describe seems like common-sense, wise communication. Some of it seems like manipulation. I commend wise communication, not the other parts that make me cringe.

I appreciate that clarification. As I’ve opined several times in the last few years, the ends never justify the means. We, church leaders, of all people should know that. In other words, the manipulation side — anything less than honest and authentic communication — ought to make us cringe too. We ought to crusade against any hints of manipulative communication in our churches, regardless of the medium or the cause.

If you have time, read the entire CT piece. It features really interesting thoughts from both Tim Keller and Andy Stanley, two brilliant communicators with very different styles and church communities.

Tell Me a Story is now available for pre-order! As you can imagine, I’m pretty excited about this fact.

Yes, the book will be officially released in 10 days, but I know you. You’re an early adopter, always on the cutting edge, pre-ordering books well before anyone else has even heard of them. That’s why I’m bring this information to you.

Assuming you’ve got 9 or 10 bucks to your name, here’s where to find Tell Me a Story online:

You can also find it at Christianbook.com and Books-A-Million.