UNDERSTAND YOUR STORY
EXPERIENCE HEALING & FREEDOM
Story Work helps you make sense of your story in the presence of compassionate witness so you can move from hurt to wholeness, from guardedness to connection, and from hiddenness to belonging.
Story Work is a safe, structured, Gospel-centered process for engaging your story honestly, relationally, and redemptively.
Your Past Hurt Shapes Your Present Connection
You may look strong on the outside and still feel stuck on the inside. You keep showing up, working hard, caring for others, and trying to hold it all together. But beneath the surface, past hurt still shapes the way you relate, react, and trust today.
It often shows up like this:
✅ You feel stuck, but can’t explain why
✅ You sense something deeper going on, but don’t have language for it
✅ You’ve learned how to survive, but not how to heal
✅ Your pain keeps showing up in the present
What remains unnamed remains unhealed,
and what remains unhealed stifles your life.
The good news…
You’re not crazy. You’re not too much. And you’re not beyond healing. You have a good need to be seen, known, and cared for in safe, trustworthy relationship—and that’s where healing begins.
Story Work—and Why It Matters
A Proven Framework for Restoration
Story Work, or Narrative Focused Trauma Care (NFTC), brings together the strengths of biblical theology and attachment theory psychology to care for the whole person—heart, mind, body, and soul—in a deeply integrated way.
At its core, it helps you engage your story with honesty, courage, and grace—so you can tell the truth about what happened, how it shaped you, and how it still affects your life today.
Story Work is about understanding your story in a redemptive way.
“For when we are harassed by poverty, saddened by bereavement, or ill and in pain, let good people visit us—people who can not only rejoice with those who rejoice, but weep with those who weep, and know how to give wise counsel and help us express what we feel.” - St. Augustine, Letter 130: To Proba
From Survival to Healing...
You’ve learned how to stay busy, stay strong, stay guarded, stay numb, stay in control.
Those strategies helped you endure what once felt overwhelming. But they were never meant to be where your story ends.
Story Work invites you into a better way.
What has been buried can be named and brought into the light.
What has been fragmented can be mended.
What has been carried alone can be held with compassion and care.
This is the shift. Through Story Work, you move:
∞ From survival to healing
∞ From powerlessness to strength
∞ From isolation to connection
∞ From fragmentation to wholeness
∞ From cursing to blessing
∞From shame to dignity
∞ From wounds that once defined you to a story that’s being redeemed
“Our lives are filled with tragedy….and it is in the midst of our tragedies, both past and present that we will see how the waters of suffering have cut our terrain and formed the contours of our character. More than anything else, tragedies shape our identity and our character.” - Dan Allender
Healing Happens
We are wounded in relationship—
and we are healed in relationship.
Story Work creates a safe, structured space
where you're seen, heard, and engaged with compassion.
You're met with care, honesty, and grace.
Your stories are named, understood, held, and integrated
in the light and love of Jesus Christ and your identity in Him.
The Story Work Journey
Story Work follows a simple, guided process:
-
Write Your Story
You reflect on key moments of pain and begin putting language to your experience. Each group member writes a childhood story of harm (from 4-18 years old) to be read in the group. -
Engage Your Story
In a safe and confidential group, your story is heard, seen, explored, and understood with compassion, empathy, and grace. -
Move Forward in Freedom
You begin to experience clarity, integration, and greater freedom in how you live and relate.
God has the desire and ability to free you from the impact of past harm so that you can live fully into who you are created and redeemed to be.
“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy - the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” - Brene Brown
Who Story Work Is For
Story Work is for Christian men and women who know that something deeper in their story still needs attention.
You may have strong faith—yet still feel that unresolved wounds are shaping how you live, relate, love, lead, and suffer.
Story Work may be for you if:
√ You are tired of carrying pain, shame, or confusion alone
√ You sense that your past is still shaping your present
√ You’re ready to tell the truth about your story
√ You want healing—not just insight
√ You long for deeper connection with God, yourself, and others
√ You're willing to slow down and engage your story in a safe and redemptive process
What You’ll Gain
† Clarity about how your past shapes your present
† Being seen, known, and cared for
† Greater integration, freedom, and connection
† More peace, resilience, and presence
"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you." - Maya Angelou
Meet Your Guide
You don’t need someone to fix you or rush you. You need a steady, trustworthy guide—someone who understands what it’s like to carry a story that hasn’t fully been seen or understood.
For a long time, I learned how to function well on the outside while feeling disconnected on the inside.
I loved God.
I was leading others.
I was showing up
and doing what needed to be done.
But beneath the surface, there were parts of my story that had never been named, understood, or cared for.
I didn’t have language for it at the time—but I felt it:
- a subtle disconnection
- over-reactivity
- loneliness
- a sense that something younger needed attention
And like many people, I kept moving forward…hoping it would eventually resolve on its own.
It didn’t.
What changed everything for me was beginning to honestly engage my story—in the presence of God and with safe, trustworthy people who could see, hear, understand, empathize, and care well for me.
That process changed the way I:
- understand myself
- relate to others
- experience God
- and live from a place of greater clarity, peace, and connection
It’s why I do this work.
Today, as a pastor, spiritual director, leadership coach, and trained Story Work facilitator, I guide others through this same kind of process—so people like you can engage your stories honestly, safely, and redemptively.
I'm grateful to offer you:
Compassionate presence
Safe and steady guidance
Gospel-centered care
Trauma-informed wisdom
APPLY FOR STORY WORK
STORIES OF HOPE & HEALING...
Here are a few glimpses of what participants have experienced through Story Work—greater safety, deeper understanding, meaningful connection, and real healing.
“Initially, I was fearful of sharing my story with men. However, Matt proved to be such a kind and compassionate witness that I was able to relax and fully share. His confident yet non-intrusive approach allowed me to appreciate a male perspective and significantly expand my understanding of my story.”
— Bekki
“As you sit with Matt, there is no doubt you will be met with genuine wisdom, kindness, and compassion. He has a way of putting into words what your heart longs to say but doesn’t quite know how.”
— Karen
“Matt did an incredible job leading and shepherding our group. He was thoughtful, caring, and empathetic. It was difficult and at times draining emotionally, but it was good for the soul and worth it.”
— Mike
“There is power and beauty in healing words of truth coming from the opposite gender. As a woman, I have been able to share a variety of stories with Matt, with freedom. Matt adeptly moves between tenderness, fierceness, and compassion—all rooted in truth and grace.”
— Kelly
“Matt’s story work group has been deeply impactful.
He creates a safe space that’s full of hope. His kindness and insight are evident in the way he listens. Matt is a grounded, encouraging facilitator who leads with care, guiding you toward meaningful, lasting growth.”
— Amber
“I learned so much about myself, my story, and how to engage well with others in their stories!”
— Josh
“An incredible, sorrowful, hopeful, and loving experience!”
— Nick
“I cannot express how deeply this experience has changed me. The Lord Jesus worked very powerfully in me—healing me from my childhood trauma.”
— Ben
"Matt’s guidance changed everything for me - personally and professionally. He’s masterful in gracious but truthful engagement. He’s gentle and encouraging, and deeply grounded in the Word of God."
-Anonymous
Make Sense of Your Story
Story Work is a guided, small-group experience designed to help you engage your story honestly and receive it back with clarity, care, and grace.
Story Group:
Small group connection (5–6 people)
8 group Zoom sessions (2 hours each)
2 opportunities to engage your story
Gospel-centered, trauma-informed
Safe, structured environment
$595
APPLY FOR GROUP STORY WORK
One-On-One:
Meet with Matt
8 Zoom Sessions (2 hours each)
2 opportunities to engage your story
Gospel-centered, trauma-informed
Safe, structured environment
$799
APPLY FOR 1:1 STORY WORK
A Better Story Is Possible
Healing moves you from cursing to blessing—from contempt to honor.
As you engage your story, you're no longer defined by what happened to you. You’re defined by who God says you are and what God has done for you. And you’re better able to embrace your dignity and worth as a redeemed image bearer in Christ.
This is how hope returns.
You begin to receive love, extend grace, and relate with greater vulnerability and courage.
You become more fully alive—more connected to God, more present to yourself, and more open to others.
A better story is possible,
not because the past changes,
but because through our tears and sorrows,
God redeems your pain.
“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is…what we need more than anything.” - Tim Keller
The Cost of Staying Stuck?
What stays buried quietly shapes your life.
If you never engage your story, you may keep surviving, but you will never experience the freedom, peace, and wholeness God desires for you.
If nothing changes:
You'll carry pain, shame, and confusion alone.
You’ll keep repeating patterns you don't understand.
You'll stay guarded, disconnected, or shut down
You'll struggle to rest, trust, or feel at peace
You'll let old wounds shape your relationships
You'll feel spiritually dry or internally divided
You'll live in survival mode instead of freedom
You cannot heal what you refuse to face.
You don’t have to keep carrying what was never meant to be carried alone. Healing is possible. A different future can begin.
FAQs
Is this therapy?
Do I need to have experienced major trauma for this to be helpful?
What if I’m not ready to share everything?
What if I get overwhelmed emotionally?
What makes Story Work different from just talking about the past?
What if I’ve already done counseling or personal growth work?
Is this confidential?
How do I know if this is right for me?
What's the next step?
From hurt ➝ wholeness
From guardedness ➝ connection,
From hiddenness ➝ belonging.
You Do Not Have to Carry This Alone
Spots are limited.
The pain you have lived through matters.
The healing and freedom Jesus desires for you matters too.
Apply for Story Work
Story Group:
Small group connection (5–6 people)
8 group Zoom sessions (2 hours each)
2 opportunities to engage your story
Gospel-centered, trauma-informed
Safe, structured environment
$595
Cohort Formation!
One-On-One:
Meet with Matt
8 Zoom Sessions (2 hours each)
2 opportunities to engage your story
Gospel-centered, trauma-informed
Safe, structured environment
$799
1-on-1 Formation!
WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT?
I Offer A Free 30 Minute Video Or Phone Call To Connect, Hear Your Needs, and Answer Your Questions
Discovery Call