I had a wonderful experience this week.  And I want to tell you about it.

After my dad died one of my friends at UPS gifted me a massage to help me unwind from all of the stress of grief.  This was one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever been given.  Insanely practical and yet incredibly intimate.  My co-worker told me when she gave it to me to make sure to make an appointment with Ralph.  She has known him for years and Ralph always gives the best massages.  I cannot say enough about how wonderful I was to lie on his table and allow him to kneed the stress out of my back.  There were moments when he pushed on muscles right up to the point when I was going to cry… and then let them go and the incredible sensation of healing rushed in afterwards.  It was so wonderful that I had troubled standing up after the session because I didn’t want to get off the table and get back to the rest of my day.

In this short story there are two things that I want to share with everyone.

First, if you have a friend who has had a parent die and you have the means to gift them a massage, DO IT!  Like I said before, what a wonderful gift.

Second, if you are in need of a good masseur, I would highly recommend Ralph. (If you want to know where he works and more about him, shoot me an email dave@graftedcc.com and I can make sure you get the info.)

What did I just do?  And why did I do it?

I shared a good thing that I found with my friends.  I hooked you in with a leading promise of a good story to come.  I told a story from my life.  And I told you specifically what I wanted to share with you.

Why?  Far too often as followers of Jesus we make sharing the Good News of God’s love for us expressed through Jesus’s death on the cross such a difficult task that we just don’t do it.  Sharing about a massage is something small and really insignificant in the long run, but sharing about God’s love has ramification that can change eternity.

Share the best thing that you have ever found with a friend.  Hook them in with a leading promise about a good story to come. Tell a story from your own life.  And don’t be shy when you want to be specific about what you want to share.