Authentic storytelling isn’t about numbers, and there was a time when numbers were everything. I knew the Arbitron ratings when I worked in radio, I knew how many listeners tuned in, what time and for how long.
How many households watched the TV shows I appeared on, how many tickets were sold at movies I was an extra in, and how many people clapped when I spoke. Success was always measured by the scoreboard.
But now, for the first time in my life, I can honestly say: I don’t care.
Do I wish more people signed up for the Faith and Good Courage newsletter? Yes. Do I want more YouTube followers? Of course. But this project isn’t about money, fame, or applause. It’s about something simpler, something I need for my own soul. It’s grassroots storytelling in its truest form, therapy for me and, I hope, encouragement for others.
I want to be able to stand before God one day and when He opens the book of life, I want Him to see that I tried. Tried to speak light into dark places. Tried to nod at strangers in diners. Tried to pour stories into chipped mugs so somebody, somewhere, might feel less alone.
And I believe He’ll understand.
Smiles in the Aisles
Here’s the truth: Authentic storytelling isn’t limited to podcasts or Journals. It is lived out in grocery stores, gas stations, and checkout lines.
When I shop, I make it a habit to smile — not just when someone walks by, not just at the checkout, but for the entire trip. A smile in the cereal aisle. A smile while grabbing milk. A smile as I wait by the bread. Not plastered on or fake, but steady and real.
People notice. Sometimes they smile back. Sometimes they don’t. But every once in a while, you can feel the air shift. A simple smile softens the edges of a hard day. It costs nothing, but it deposits something the world is starving for.
That’s grassroots storytelling as much as any podcast episode or Journal post. The stories we live become the stories that shape others.
Beyond the Scoreboard
We’ve been taught to chase platforms and followers. We’ve been told success means bigger numbers and brighter stages. But I’m learning something else.
Maybe wisdom doesn’t sit behind a pulpit. Maybe it doesn’t arrive with a microphone. Maybe wisdom is sitting on a bench in Gallup. Maybe it’s serving coffee in a diner where the jukebox hasn’t worked since 1984. Or maybe it’s you, choosing to stay kind when nobody’s watching.
Presence matters more than applause. Authentic storytelling reminds me that staying is sometimes as brave as leaving, and that the quiet act of showing up can change a life.
Therapy, Not a Business Model
I set out to make Faith and Good Courage a one-year project. I’ve got enough content, enough gear, and all I really need is a camera, some gas in the tank, and a good cup of coffee. From there, I can share time with fellow travelers, offer a nod or a smile, and maybe leave behind a word that helps someone remember they aren’t alone.
If this never grows into some big platform, I can live with that. Because this is my therapy, my offering, my way of untangling the knots in my own soul while offering something to others along the way.
Numbers can’t measure the worth of grassroots storytelling, not when it comes from a heart that just wants to try.
✨ Roadside Reflection on Authentic Storytelling
I don’t care about the scoreboard anymore. I care about the presence. About the smile in a grocery store aisle. About the prayer whispered over pancakes. About the moment a Journal post lands in front of one weary traveler and gives them courage to face another day.
This work is not mine alone. It belongs to every friend who shares, every subscriber who reads, every stranger who whispers “keep going.”
And if one day, standing before God, He flips open that book and sees that I tried — then every cup of coffee, every mile, every smile will have been worth it.
Authentic storytelling is not about numbers, it is about faithfulness, presence, and kindness lived out one ordinary moment at a time.
☕ Listen to more stories on the
Faith and Good Courage Podcast or subscribe on YouTube.
📖 Read more Journal entries:
Faith and Good Courage Journal
✨ Learn more about everyday kindness:
Greater Good Science Center
💡 Explore the Compassion Deficit project—because kindness should never need permission.