As you may know, I’ve been working on a book on Grace for almost a year now and I need your help. For those of you who have listened to me preach, it will come as no surprise to learn that the book centers on Paul and Galatians, in particular the transformative role that Grace can have on our lives, faith, ideas, and relationships. It isn’t an autobiography (I already did that) and I don’t want to rely only on my own experiences. That’s why I need your help.

I’m looking for your stories that show Grace in action: not just opinions, but actual stories with a beginning, middle, and end. What’s the one event/idea/encounter that changed everything for you or someone you know? Have you seen someone challenged or redeemed by Grace (maybe yourself)? Has it turned their life around? How? What, specifically, did it?

Or maybe the opposite has happened. Has Law or judgement thrown up roadblocks in your relationship with God? Has someone you know been driven from a church – or even from their faith in God – by the judgement and closemindedness of others?

My intention is to use these stories to illustrate aspects of the book and bring the ideas to life. We won’t take the stories verbatim; we’ll edit them to fit into the larger storyline. But we’ll credit you if you want. Or, if you prefer, we can keep your name out of print.

A few pointers on how to to get the best stories:
- give us a feel for the characters: who are they, what do they look like, talk like, etc.?
- where and when did it take place? Include details about the particular place (a specific neighborhood or shop or club). How old were the people in the story? When did the events happen?
- Give us as much rich detail as possible… we’re happy to edit it down. The more you can tell us, the more powerful the story can be.

Please send your stories to jaygracebook@gmail.com with the subject line: “story for the book”. Include the line “I hereby give you permission to use this story in your forthcoming book on grace” in the body of the email so we’re sure we have permission. And please send them by September 1st so we’re sure we have time to incorporate them into the book.

Thanks so much. I look forward to reading your stories and sharing the book with you.

In Grace,
Jay