I'm passionate about telling stories. I think that I've always loved to hear and share them. As a boy, I would plead with my dad to tell me "just one more" at bedtime. He would say, "One day, you'll have your own stories to tell..."

At the time, that was blasphemy. But he was right. I do have my own stories to tell. Stories of traveling the world. Of meeting strange people and ending up in interesting -- even dangerous -- situations.

When you think about, our lives are a composite of our stories. When I give a final account of how I lived my life, I want to be able to tell some amazing stories.

Lately, I've been particularly passionate about helping missionaries tell their stories. I can't think of a single group of people who have more compelling tales to tell.

Unfortunately, most people, even missionaries, don't know how to tell a good story. There's more to it than listing a sequence of events. There is an art form to delivering a story that determines how well it is received. Some drag on while others rush too quickly to the resolution. Storytelling is an art that everyone can and should develop.

I want to help people -- especially Christian missionaries -- tell better stories.

I've identified a small group of people (currently less than a dozen) who are about to go around the world on a year-long mission trip and want to grow as storytellers. They're looking for mentors. They want to grow in their gifts, so that they can tell better stories. Here are a few snapshots:

Laura is a photographer who says, "I LOVE Photography and will take ALL the advice I can get! I've never had any classes and I'm really good at live concerts but everythying else needs a lot of work!"

Colby admits, "I have done a lot of video and some picture stuff over the past few years for my side business but I've got a LONG way to go and could always use some more direction and tips!"

Lucas says, "I will have my camera with me at ALL times and am always wanting to learn more. I shoot on the side as a hobby too!"

Bethsaida needs help with creative writing, as does Jon. Stephanie is interested in developing the skill of graphic design to communicate missions stories from around the world. And there are others...

I'd like to extend an informal invitation to anyone looking to further the cause of missions through storytelling to join a mentoring network. This is not a program. It's a series of organic relationships. I don't want to administrate anything. I'm just here to connect people.

Leave a comment here on this blog post, letting me know what your skill is and whether you'd be interested in being a mentor or an apprentice.

Then, I'll try to connect you with someone who can help you or whom you can help. After that, it's up to you to keep the relationship going. I make no promises, except to offer some challenging advice from time to time.

The burden for maintaining the relationship will fall upon the apprentice, not the mentor. Once we a make a connection, I'll share some suggested expectations with both parties, but after that, the ball's in your court. Let's see what happens... (By the way, if you know of anyone who might be interested in this, especially potential mentors, please share this with them.)