As a minister, Matthew Rucker found out early on, that people like stories. When he would say, let me tell you a story, people would tune in.

"When you use a story with a spiritual meaning attached to it, people remember it," Rucker explains. "If I had to give myself a title, it would be, The Story Telling Preacher."

Matthew gathers stories from not only his life at the farm but also his experiences as a passionate follower of Christ. He spent 40 years in ministry before taking on writing full time.

"When God made me, he threw away the mold," says Rucker. "I am not your typical preacher, but I have a deep faith in Jesus Christ."

Life hasn't always been easy for Rucker, between 1992 and 1995, Matthew saw his first marriage end and his son die by suicide. Instead of falling into a hole of despair, Matthew decided to write about his experience. 

"I don’t take life real serious, because there is not one shred of evidence to prove life is serious. We make it serious. I have learned to laugh in this life through the good and the bad," he explains. "I have been knocked down, but not knocked out."

Matthew has written two books to share about his life experience, The Life Stories of Pee Paw and Walking my Road of Grief.

Today on Connections, Matthew shares a bit about his life story and why he is so passionate about storytelling.