Some Stanley Jones stories ideas and suggestions that we all need to hear, to know, and to think a!bout

I am not a professional preacher or pastor or minister, I'm basically a guy who loves the radio. I also love Jesus and I want to help spread God's wisdom and to tell the Jesus story. And I kind of admire the man who shares my name.

So as a former school teacher as well as a broadcaster forever, could I share about 25 minutes of thoughts and reflections and may be a little bit of a radio ramble about some things I read about and heard about Stanley Jones that I think everybody should hear especially my friends who are pastors and ministers in the church today.

So with your permission would you turn your ears on, and l"et him who has ears and she who will join him hear the stories."

Thanks

Stan

Then we asked our friend STOSH the robot to add a few words

Rediscovering Stanley Jones: Two Lessons We Can’t Afford to Forget

By Stan Hustad

Welcome again, friends, to another session in the Stanley Jones School for Fully Alive Living. I'm Stan Hustad, and today I want to tell you about a man whose legacy continues to teach us how to live with purpose and power. His name is E. Stanley Jones, a man whose wisdom grows richer the more you study his life and work. The more I dive into his writings, the more I realize: we need Stanley Jones now more than ever.

If I could wave a wand and bring him back to speak at your summer retreat or church fellowship, would you invite him? Be warned: he wouldn't show up with soft words or easy theology. He wouldn't waste time on the "theories of theology"; he'd come with stories of transformation. That’s what Stanley Jones was about. And that's what we need to be about too.

Today, I want to pass along two vital lessons from his life and work. They're simple, but not easy. And if we take them to heart, they just might change the way we live, lead, and serve.

Lesson One: Don’t Impose Truth—Help People Discover It

Stanley Jones wasn’t a Western missionary trying to replicate American Christianity overseas. In his classic The Christ of the Indian Road, he insisted, "We will give them Christ and urge them to interpret him through their own genius and life." His mission was not to plaster Western civilization over India, but to offer Christ—and let the people of India discover him for themselves.

That principle has shaped my own teaching and coaching:

- A truth told is good, but seldom heard.
- A truth revealed has greater yield.
- But a truth discovered is best of all.
- And let me add one more: a truth imposed is no truth at all.

Whether you're a teacher, pastor, parent, or business coach, the goal isn’t to lecture—it’s to lead people toward their own encounter with truth. Jesus did that. He told stories. He asked questions. He sparked discovery.

Lesson Two: The Laity is the Sleeping Giant of the Church

Stanley Jones believed the revitalization of the Christian church would come through the laity. In fact, he argued that the disciples may have erred when they said, "We will give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word" and turned over "the serving of tables" to others. That well-meaning decision, Jones believed, drove a wedge between the spiritual and the material.

Sound familiar? We still separate the sacred and the secular. Pastors preach. Laypeople usher. But Stanley Jones believed we need a full-blown lay movement, where teachers, broadcasters, bankers, and baristas bring Jesus into the marketplace.

As one of my own mentors told me, "Stan, I see them for one hour a week. You see them all week. You have to be a minister." That’s why I say: you might be someone’s Fifth Gospel. They may never read Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John—but they’ll read you.

A Word on Legacy

Let me give a heartfelt thank-you to Anne Matthews-Younes, the granddaughter of Stanley Jones. She's the faithful steward preserving and publishing his works, helping us rediscover his life-changing ideas. I recommend visiting the E. Stanley Jones Foundation and picking up the book The Life and Ministry of Mary Webster, the story of a laywoman who partnered in ministry with Jones long before women had a place of honor in the church. Her story is honest, brave, and inspiring.

Takeaways for Living Fully Alive

1. Truth is most powerful when discovered, not delivered. Be a guide, not a guru.
2. The church needs empowered laypeople. You don’t need a pulpit to preach.
3. Christ must be culturally interpreted, not imposed. Let people meet Jesus in their own language and experience.
4. There is no divide between spiritual and material. All of life is sacred.
5. Stories and questions create transformation. Use them often.

A Final Thought and Invitation

Stanley Jones turned down high church offices to remain simply "Brother Stanley." He didn’t want a title; he wanted a testimony. And that’s what we all need—not just more religious roles, but deeper relationships with the living Christ.

If you're going on retreat this summer, take one of his books. Read it aloud. Talk about it with others. Let the stories shape your story. And if you want to learn more, join us at the Stanley Jones Radio School for Fully Alive Living. Write me at [email protected]. Let’s rediscover what it means to surrender fully, live deeply, and love widely.

Hands up. Hearts open. Christ ahead.

All the best,
Stan