Whether we realize it or not, stories shape the way we perceive the world and how we live in it. We build our lives and our identities around the stories we tell ourselves. In a world of information overload, false narratives about the "good life" are waging a fierce battle for our minds.

So the question is—as preachers, how do we tell a more beautiful story?

Jesus was a master of storytelling. He taught in parables that took counter-cultural ideas about God and made them personal and compelling. So how can we utilize stories to help people experience the Bible in a new way in our modern context?
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Stories must always serve the Scripture, not the other way around. Effective sermon illustrations must accomplish at least one of the following:
- Enhance people’s understanding of the passage of Scripture.
- Illuminate the point of the text.
- Connect people to the emotions found in the text.

Once you start to cut stories that you know will make people laugh but don't serve their understanding of the Scripture, you know that God is working on your heart.

After you land on a story that illuminates the point of the text or helps people connect with the emotions of the text, see if there are any extraneous details that are unnecessary. Don’t say it in eight sentences if you can say it in four. Don’t say it in four sentences if you can say it in three.

To take your story one step further, try to frame your language in a way that leads your audience to the main point or punchline, about 10 seconds before you drive the point of the Scripture home. This is a sign of an effective story in preaching: seeing the joy of discovery light up in the eyes of your audience because your story helped their understanding of Scripture.