So what stories do you like?
Many moons ago when all my friends went off to university to study proper subjects, I started my HND in community performance and theatre in education. My first module, while my Friends looked at business management, history and economics was storytelling. Wow, what a way to spend the now defunct student grants (maybe not the greatest arguments for bringing tuition fees back). Ever since then, probably before as well, I have loved stories. The best communicators engage people in storytelling, whether they are preachers or stand up comics. Whenever I talk about the work of Nottingham YfC, stories are the one thing that continues to engage people and help them understand the work we do.
What i do find interesting is that the culture we live in now, it is said that people have rejected the story of God. It is said they reject any idea of an overall story that draws everyone and everything together. How can this be when we are obsessed with stories? Whether that be the latest installment of a soap opera or a serial drama or the latest celebrity gossip, we are all fascinated and intrigued. Even the most popular computer games now follow a theme or story.
Are people really rejecting the idea of a narrative that brings together a God who wants to connect with His creation or is it just not communicated well enough to engage?
We seem to be getting there: Programmes like Alpha, Emmaus or Christianity Explored are taking people on a journey, and continue to connect people in a very real way. There is a great opportunity to see how using a similar format but use the story of God rather than a set of rules and regulations. Jesus was the ultimate story telling, constantly using this way to connect and challenge people in the way they lived their lives and connected with their Father in Heaven.
When was the last story you told? What is the story of your life? Maybe you could tell a story of when yours and God's has become one - you never know maybe it will engage.
Richard
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