I had the chance to meet up with James Choung last week. My wife teases me about having “internet friends” (a phrase which could easily come across the wrong way if taken out of context!). While I am very glad for the camaraderie and kinship I find in the blogosphere, it is still nice to meet people face to face. James introduced me a great local coffee shop and we sat down and talked, laughed and shared for awhile. Because James is the San Diego staff director for InterVarsity, I picked his brain and learned quite a bit regarding the spiritual vibe and general scene of our local college campuses.

If you haven’t already seen it, I highly recommend this video clip James put together about “The Big Story” of the Gospel. A very creative and thought-provoking picture of what it means to follow Christ:

I am thankful for this reminder that the Gospel is a much bigger narrative than just my story. I love the paradox at work here, though: when I remove myself from the center of the story and gain some much-needed perspective, I experience a deeper intimacy with God. The mighty, providential God of all time, history and creation wants small, messed-up me to be a part of His story of reconciliation, redemption and rescue. It’s almost too much to wrap my head around.

Thankfully, I don’t need to see the entire metanarrative at once (not that I could, even if I wanted to); sometimes, sitting down with new friends and sharing our stories allows me, in small pieces, to plug into the overarching narrative of the big story.

Speaking of stories, James has written a book, True Story: A Christianity Worth Believing In which will be released through InterVarsity Press next year. I’ll definitely pick up a copy when it hits the bookstores, and I encourage you to do the same!