Once upon a time…so many a story begins. Great stories capture our imagination, gripping our hearts or moving us to laughter or tears. A well-told story helps us to see through the lens of the narrator. We enter his world, stirred to response while seeing what he sees, smelling what he smells, sharing emotions. In the plot lines of a great story, we begin to see and understand ourselves. 

I have the great privilege of serving as a Pastor of Discipleship. My role is to teach, coach, and lead people to follow Jesus. One of the most basic elements of being a Christ-follower is telling others about Him. In my pastoral role, I encourage a simple method for doing so: share your own story then share His story.

For years I honed the story of my own faith journey, making sure to include facts, dates, names, places, emotions, and more… every meticulous fact. In more recent years, I made a very unique discovery: My story was lost in unnecessary details. Not everyone could appreciate the nuances of growing up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, or could fully grasp the ethos of South 28th Avenue Baptist Church, where Gibbie McMillan was the pastor and the floor of the fellowship hall was covered with green shag carpet. 

But many who heard my story could almost instantaneously connect when I shared that “there was a time in my life where I experienced deep loneliness” or “in my teenage years, I learned that you don’t have to be alone to be lonely.” As I expressed my condition, I perceived people in my hearing saying, “ME, TOO!” Our common experiences bonded us together—storyteller and hearers. These universal experiences help us to identify with one another. I call them “me, too” moments. When I read or hear a great story, there are moments when I feel my pulse quicken and I sense that a part of myself is unmasked. As the storyteller shares his insights, feelings, and perspective, something resonates within me. His anecdote may expose a hidden fear, uncover a painful wound from my past, or even inspire me to awaken a dormant dream. His words reveal my very own thoughts, making me want to shout, “Me, too!”

In getting to know my friend Al Ainsworth over the course of several years now, I find myself moved time and time again by “me, too” moments. These moments spring from our conversations and they leap off the pages of his writings. Often, I experience a charge of joy and relief when reading that someone else has experienced something I have, and I hear myself saying those two superlative, utterly human words: me, too. Page after page, I find myself saying I’ve been there, I’ve felt that, I understand you… or, more correctly, you understand me! Stories from the Roller Coaster is Al’s revealing himself through the stories of his life. This type of transparency is not unlike inviting others into your home and saying “I trust you. Come on in. This is who I am. Take a look around. Make yourselves comfortable.”

Al Ainsworth is not only a master storyteller but also a storyteller with a mission. His greatest desire is that you will experience significant “me, too” moments on your own great journey of faith. As you follow his faith stories and read of his desire to walk more closely in the footsteps of Jesus, perhaps you, too, will be inspired to say…”me, too.”

Scott Hanberry

Senior Pastor

Hardy Street Baptist Church

Hattiesburg, Mississippi