title: God and Elephants: A Worshipper's Guide to Raising Support
author:  Heather Ricks 
description: Heather Ricks uses writing as an act of worship and storytelling as a way to draw others into the presence of God. In the secular world, she uses her stories to display the attributes of God. As a fellow support raiser, Heather uses her talents as a storyteller to train others in how best to share their own stories in order to connect people with the work of God around the world.
zlib_text: [DEDICATION](index_split_003.html#filepos2749)
  
  With gratitude for good teachers. Here are some of mine:
  
  Ruth Ann Replogle
  
  Dr. Yolanda Reed
  
  Chuck Preston
  
  Astrid Santana
  
  Dr. David Gushee
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  [EPIGRAPH ](index_split_003.html#filepos2861)
  
  Heartily know,
  
  When half-gods go,
  
  The gods arrive.
  
  —RALPH WALDO EMERSON, “Give All to Love”
  
  And as elephants parade holding each elephant’s tail,
  
  but if one wanders the circus won’t find the park,
  
  I call it cruel and maybe the root of all cruelty
  
  to know what occurs but not recognize the fact.
  
  And so I appeal to a voice, to something shadowy,
  
  a remote important region in all who talk:
  
  though we could fool each other, we should consider—
  
  lest the parade of our mutual life get lost in the dark.
  
  —WILLIAM STAFFORD,
  
  “A Ritual to Read to Each Other”
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  CONTENTS
  
  [Dedication](index_split_001.html#filepos349)
  
  [Epigraph](index_split_002.html#filepos1009)
  
  [Chapter 1](index_split_004.html#filepos5225)
  
  [Chapter 2](index_split_005.html#