In this challenging and introspective episode of the Creative Potential Podcast, host Chris Decker is joined by Todd Miechiels, a passionate advocate for story stewardship. The conversation dives deep into a critical question: why do so many Christians hesitate to share their personal stories of faith? Todd unpacks the two primary barriers—pride and fear—that keep believers silent, from the fear of being seen as a hypocrite to the false humility that masks a reluctance to be vulnerable. Together, Chris and Todd explore the transformative paradigm shift of viewing one's platform not as a stage for performance, but as an altar for authentic testimony. This episode is a compelling call to action for individuals and church leaders to embrace the sacred responsibility of stewarding the powerful stories God has written in people's lives.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Pride and Fear are the Core Barriers: The primary reasons believers don’t share their stories boil down to pride (often disguised as false humility, e.g., "I don't have it all together") and fear (of judgment, ridicule, being called a fraud, or negative career impacts).
- Your Platform is an Altar: Instead of treating public platforms like social media as a stage for performance, view them as altars. This reframes sharing as an act of authentic, transparent offering to God, designed to point others to Him rather than to yourself.
- Success Is Obedience: True success isn't measured by worldly metrics like organizational growth or public acclaim but by simple obedience to God's specific calling. Faithfulness to the mission, even a simple one like "keeping an idea alive," is the ultimate goal.
- Embrace the Role of Story Midwife: The church has a massive opportunity to actively help people "birth" their testimonies. This requires "story midwives" who guide people through the resistance of sharing and "story shepherds" who help shape the narrative with clarity and reverence.
- Lean Into Discomfort: Conversations about faith and calling are not always comfortable. Leaning into that discomfort, asking yourself why you feel challenged, and then deciding what to do about it is a powerful catalyst for genuine spiritual growth and action.
QUOTES
- “How could I not? How could I not testify to what the Lord has done for me?”
- “The short answer to your question, it all boils down to pride or fear.”
- “Success equals obedience and obedience equals success.”
- “I don't wanna hear what you can't do... Just give us your blessing to do what we can do.”
- "If I had a chance to go back and redefine success, it would be obedience, plain and simple."
- "...the testimonies in your lives are what I'm going to use to help bring and lead people to me. And you're sitting on these testimonies. Right, wake up."
Connect with Todd Miechiels and continue the conversation on LinkedIn.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/miechiels/
Learn more about the mission to help believers share their stories at stewardingstories.com.
Topics Discussed
00:00 Introduction: Introducing Todd's Mission to Share Stories
02:10 The Core Problem: Why Don't Christians Share Their Testimonies?
04:30 Unpacking the Barriers: How Pride and Fear Manifest
09:05 A New Perspective: Viewing Your Platform as an Altar
13:45 The Role of a "Story Midwife" and "Story Shepherd"
17:10 Story Stewardship: A Missed Opportunity for the Modern Church
21:30 Todd's Personal Calling: A 15-Year Journey to "Keep the Idea Alive"
25:00 Redefining Success: When Obedience is the Only Metric
29:50 A Challenge to Listeners: Lean into the Discomfort of the Message
33:15 Final Thoughts and How to Connect
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