Your Story Matters presents a dynamic and spiritually formative process for understanding and redeeming the past in order to live well in the present and into the future. Leslie Leyland Fields has used and taught this practical and inspiring writing process for decades, helping people from all walks of life to access memory and sift through the truth of their stories.
This is not just a book for writers. Each one of us has a story, and understanding God’s work in our stories is a vital part of our faith. Through the spiritual practice of writing, we can “remember” his acts among us, “declare his glory among the nations,” and pass on to others what we have witnessed of God in this life: the mysterious, the tragic, the miraculous, the ordinary. With a companion video curriculum, this is a “why not” book as opposed to a “how to” book. Leslie asks each of us an important question: “Why not learn to tell your story, in the context of the grander story of God?
Table of Contents:
- Your Bigger Story: Witnessing
- Your Fuller Story: Mapping
- Your Outer Story: Scene-Making
- Your Stories Together: Gathering
- Your Inner Story: Reflecting
- Your Healing Story: Understanding
- Your Focused Story: Editing
- Your Structured Story: Ordering
- Your Shared Story: Launching
Endorsements:
Leslie Leyland Fields was not only my first writing mentor: She continues to
mentor me with the way she actually lives her life and then shapes it into an
unforgettable story that gives sojourners hope—and gives God all the glory. She is
a profoundly wise, Christ-formed guide whose every word I will always read. -- ANN VOSKAMP, New York Times bestselling author
When I first began writing, Leslie quickly became a trusted voice. Not simply on
the art of writing but on the living, breathing act of writing. It’s hard enough to
use good verbs and precise language, but that’s not the hardest part. The ghosts of
our stories, the self-doubt, and the fear—those are the parts of the writing journey
we all need a hand holding ours through. Leslie offers that critical companionship
and inspires by example of what can happen when we learn to tell our stories.
LIZ DITTY, author of God’s Many Voices
Leslie has a deep commitment to writing life-giving words. She crafts them
beautifully and helps others do likewise. This book promises to prompt the best
out of storytellers and creatives.
MAX LUCADO, New York Times bestselling author