MY STORY

“Home is Where Your Story Begins” was written across the spring garden flag that I found in the front hall closet. It was already three months since I sat down in North Myrtle Beach to write a story about Jesus. A story showing how He was working on my heart, and I was getting messages from Him - He started texting me constantly. Then we found out my wife Carla was diagnosed with breast cancer. I think His message was clear. He wanted me to tell a story that would begin right at my own home. A story about how He can transform my pain into His purpose. And He wanted me to share His love with all my family and friends. Not just strangers but the people closest to me so that we all could experience Him close up. Experiencing Jesus is like the feeling of lying on your back on a starry 4th of July night as you look up at the stars and fireworks exploding only a few hundred feet above your head.

So join me at a fireside chat where you can take a journey to Jacob’s well - a place where like the woman at the well you will go running home to tell your family about the amazing love of Jesus. Where you can write your story (memoirs) of events offering your most intimate knowledge of Jesus based on your own personal experiences that will let your family and friends know for generations whom you followed during your life on this Earth and why. As His disciple, you will be able to tell your story on and beyond your personal journey. It will be a story about a cherished relationship with Jesus. liberator, leader, savior, and Lord -Immanuel.

I have struggled with journaling my thoughts all my life, and I never thought of myself as a storyteller. Then one day, Jesus spoke to me and said that He would tell me a story, and all I had to do was write it down. The first question I had was where do I start, and what would I write? He then reminded me that He had endowed and blessed me to go forth with His Holy Spirit to guide me as I told my story. After that, most days I couldn’t stop writing. On other days, when I had writer's block, He told me not to worry. I learned that all I had to do was wait on Him, and He would eventually tell me what to say.

I have to say that the story God asked me to tell was not one that I would have chosen - a story of a parent of a transgender child. If I was to write His story He asked me to be completely transparent as he helped me tell of His love for all His children as I offered in return everyone in my life that same love.

Oh, one other thing, the story had to be about God's ultimate {uhl-tuh-mit} love - Fundamental; highest; maximum; decisive; impossible; furthest, or farthest. Ultimate particle - Ultimate authority - Ultimate goal in life. Then when I googled God's love. Guess what there was no clear definition telling me how God loves me. So what was I to do but create my own definition in Wikipedia? Or should I go forth every day to look for His love in everything that I would see and do? Eureka! Maybe that's how I tell my story about God's unconditional and ultimate love.

Sincerely,

Paul German

P.S. Meditate and pray as Jesus did. From the time at Gethsemane to the Mount of Transfiguration, He was constantly in touch with His Father’s will.

Transparent

My Story

By Paul German

Table of Contents:

Introduction - The Beginning of MY STORY.
Sacred Heart of Jesus – Telling the story of His love.
The Inspiration of St. Matthew – How I was inspired to paint.
The ULTIMAE Christmas gift – The Fox and Hound.
A Trans-Parent God - New territory.
A Spiritual Battle – The full suit of God’s armor.
It's a Wonderful Life - Earthly angels.
Prodigal God - Put on the garment of praise.
At the Well – Could it be Jesus?
Jesus is King – The first and the only.
The Fisher of Men - Could a fisherman be the perfect leader?
A Good, Old-Fashioned Tent Revival - Billy's barn.
The Circle Maker - Dream BIG.
Purpose Driven - The book and my Daily Hope.
On A Bicycle Built For Two - The ride of my life.
Noah's Ark - Where it all started - the ark of leadership.
Brother Lawrence - For the love of God!
Mr. Rogers - Won't you be my neighbor?
Heavenly Home - Where is your treasure?
Vision Board - Write the vision; make it plain on tablets.
Blessings and Praise - I can only imagine.
Paul’s Playlist and Book Club - Songs and books that connect me to Jesus.

INTRODUCTION

Lyrics to "My Story" by Big Daddy >>

If you are wondering why you're reading this, it's because God wanted me to tell my story. A story about how I came to know Him and His son Jesus. A story about being a parent of a transgender child. A story of His ultimate, unconditional, and everlasting love! God has been with me all my life, but for some reason, I wasn't really feeling His presence at times. I felt somewhat lost. Then one day He friended me. No not on Facebook! He did send me a message though. It wasn’t on my phone. He did it through His Holy Spirit. He requested that I write my story about how He was working in my life. A story about the ultimate love of His son Jesus Christ - to create a memoir, chapters in my life about my account of Jesus to share with my wife Carla, daughter Hannah, son Liam, son-in-law Koty, granddaughter Noa and all my family and friends. To help them to understand how Jesus is my Liberator, Leader, Savior, Lord, and Immanuel. So what else could I do but tell them my story? Each chapter is a part of who I am and was written to help my family and friends to get to know who Jesus is. This story is dedicated to those family and friends.

Love you guys... Paul

The Beginning of My Story.

My first memories of school were at Sacred Heart Congregation in the small town of Allenton. I can still see standing at the school entrance a large statue of Jesus with an amazing-looking heart. It seemed mystical. The light was streaming out of it and a crown of thorns surrounding it. I had never seen anything like it before. One might say that might have been the moment my spiritual journey started. There was something about how He was touching His Sacred Heart that made Him magical. Little did I know that years later I would be painting a picture of that same Sacred Heart and telling stories about Jesus with hearts flowing from my hand--an artist's hand standing in a bed of hay telling stories about the ULTIMATE love of Jesus.

Sister Annette was my six grade teacher. She was one of the first persons other than my parents that I can remember speaking to and showing me the love of Jesus. Jesus was everywhere, and I just didn't see Him. As a young boy, I just took it for granted that people from Allenton were just good people - church on Sunday, down to the local pub after, and then a tour of the “German” countryside. My dad would take us to visit all his relatives, and it was quite a road trip. Little did I know at the time that Jesus was shining His light through some of the people that I met in my early life – just to name a few I saw Him in my great grandpa Gus, the undertaker, Grandpa Umbs, the banker, Dolly and Silvia, our neighbors and even Smokey Bingen, a homeless man that roamed our town.

I learned early on people in my hometown helped each other out. When someone was hungry, my dad would feed them. If you needed help with fixing something, there was dad’s buddy Wimpy. I guess that God is always looking at us not to say, “Are you helping yourself?” but “Are you helping others?” If you want help with getting what you want start with helping other people help them get what they want. Show everyone even your enemies the love of God. Give yourself away. After I started helping others I found that there is healing in giving back. That’s what I grew up with - caring, kind, giving, and loving families in a loving community.

A Trans-Parent

If as a teenager you told me then that someday I would grow up to be a parent of a transgender child, I would have asked what is a transgender child. That same love I saw in Sister Annette as a child would now have to serve me well. I have to believe that my God is a transparent God. He listens to my anger and then shows me His love even when I'm confronted with the most difficult and challenging times of my life. He’s open and honest and will tell me the truth if I’m willing to listen. He never said it would be easy, and He told me that He would never give me more than I could handle.

Not Only My Story

So, this is not only my story. It's a story about Jesus and how He changes our life with His love. It’s about the people that He has put on this Earth that show His grace and love that share their stories of who He is. People like Noah, Brother Lawrence, Mr. Rogers, and Jesus Himself. It’s about how God has been working in and through my life. How He taught me with His word and authors like Rick Warren and Mark Batterson who listen to His Holy Spirit be their guide throughout their lives. To be discerning about the experiences in my life that SHAPE me to be able to tell His story. This story comes directly from the mouth of God himself. I could have never written it by myself.

If you’re willing to listen, I'm going to tell you His story - one of grace, love, and hope. My prayer is that it will lead you to have a closer, more intimate relationship with His son Jesus. To be His disciple so that one day you can go out and write your own story. To know His vision for you as you search for treasures to store up in heaven. Before I can tell my story, God had one request. He said that I had to be completely transparent with Him and that He would be with me as well. There was one caveat though. It would be a story not only about His son Jesus but the transparent love God has for me. My God is "A Trans-Parent God!" and as a parent of a transgender child, I have had to understand what God was doing in my life before I did anything else. Jesus is "A Trans-Parent God!" If we allow His light to pass through us His image will be seen. My prayer is that my story will lead you to have a closer, more intimate relationship with Him so that someday you can go out and write your own story. Before I can tell my story God had one request. He said that I had to be completely transparent with Him and that He would be with me as well. There was one caveat though. It would be a story not only about His son Jesus but the transparent love God has for all of us.

Note: At the end of each chapter, you will find a song, verse, video, and pictures. I added them as part of how I connect my life to the light that Jesus shines on me each and every day as He blesses me, and I praise Him for who He is - my Liberator, Leader, Lord, Savior, and Immanuel of my life!

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Songs - Home by Ben Rector-Listen to song - Tell Me A Story-Listen to song Pauls Playlist on Spotify >>

Verse - "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matthew 5:16

Video - Flyover of my hometown of Allenton Watch a Video

Pictures - Great Grandpas Gus's funeral home, Grandpa Umbs bank, and Sacred Heart school.