I am proposing a book about rebuilding the church—not brick by brick, but story by story. By connecting God’s story, our shared story, and our personal stories, we discover how faith becomes good news worth sharing. This book invites us to notice the nudges, recognize God at work, and reveal God’s love through our lives. Here is the synopsis:

Nehemiah from the Bible had a crazy assignment: go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls. Brick by brick. Stone by stone. One broken piece at a time. It was a massive job, and if you’ve ever tried to assemble IKEA furniture without the instructions, you know that rebuilding something is not always as straightforward as it sounds.

But what if Nehemiah’s story offers a picture of what the church is called to do today? We are not necessarily called to build more buildings. We may actually be called to rebuild the church story by story.

The church doesn’t need more brick and mortar as much as it needs people who know their story—and recognize how their story is connected to God’s story. This book begins with three stories: God’s story. Our story. My story.

God’s story is the great story of Scripture: creation, brokenness, promise, Jesus, resurrection, reconciliation, and hope. Our story is the story we share as God’s people as the church. And my story is the very ordinary, wonderfully messy story of my own life.

And somewhere in the middle, these stories intersect.

Imagine three circles overlapping. God’s story is one circle. My story is another. Where they overlap is where something beautiful happens. Maybe it is the moment I realize that God was present in a difficult season. Maybe it is the stranger who showed me unexpected grace. Maybe it is the Bible story I have heard a hundred times that suddenly sounds like it was written for Tuesday afternoon.

That intersection is where evangelism begins.

Evangelism has sometimes gotten a bad reputation. It can sound like knocking on someone’s door with a pamphlet and a very determined smile. But evangelism simply means good news. And good news is meant to be shared.

The question is not, “How do I convince someone to believe what I believe?”

The better question is, “Where have I experienced good news—and is this a moment to share it?”

I call these moments nudges.

A nudge might be a conversation, a question, a moment of grief, a celebration, a person searching for meaning, or that little feeling that says, Maybe this is a story I could share.

We don’t force the story. We don’t manufacture the moment. We listen. And then we remember something important: We are not simply transformed people. We are transfigured people.

Transformation sounds like changing what is inside us. Transfiguration is about what God reveals through us.

Like Moses coming down from the mountain with a face shining, or Jesus glowing on the mountaintop, something about God’s presence becomes visible.

Maybe that is what the church is rebuilding.

Not walls.

Not programs.

Not institutions for the sake of institutions.

People whose lives reveal God’s story.

Brick by brick, Nehemiah rebuilt a wall.

Story by story, we can rebuild a church.

And perhaps the question for all of us is: What is God revealing through your story, and who might need to hear it? You can learn how to tell it in 60 Seconds or less!

If you are willing, please fill out this Google Form. I would love to have around 200 interviews or responses. Thank you!