I Love To Tell The Story (in a different way) - A.I.M.'s 23rd shot.

"As far as I know, there has never been an age

that has not produced fairy tales". 

Frederick Buechner in Telling The Truth.

I'm a sucker for a good story.  Recently, two brand new television shows based on old, old stories have captured my imagination, and an hour each of my Friday & Sunday nights.  ABC's Once Upon A Time, and NBC's GRIMM, are similar in that they are based on fairy tales which have in one form or another worked their way into the "real" world.  Once Upon A Time is a lighter, more family-friendly show, (depending on the family).  GRIMM, on the other hand is, well, a bit more...grim.  It's darker, scarier, grittier.  Both story lines have twists and turns designed to keep the viewer interested, and coming back for more.  So far, I am and I will.

Among other things, these shows have got me thinking about the storytellers who have influenced my life;   Jesus, C.S. Lewis, George Lucas, J.R.R. Tolkien, Steven Spielberg, George MacDonald, John Hughes, Bob Dylan, Sid & Marty Krofft, Madeleine L'Engle, Orson Welles, Calvin Miller, Larry Norman, Gene Edwards, Bono, Aaron Sorkin, Lennon/McCartney, Walter Wangerin Jr., Terry Taylor, Alistair MacLean, my Dad, and the incomplete list goes on and on and on.  In 1987 I attended Urbana, a student missions conference held in Illinois.  One of the speakers that week was George Verwer, the founder of Operation Mobilization.  During his preach, he used the phrase "sanctified imagination".  That phrase has haunted and helped me during the 24 years since I first heard it.  Many of the storytellers on the above list have had their imaginations sanctified, and I am better for it.

Near the top of the the list of influential storytellers in my life is Frederick Buechner.  His stories speak to me in ways that are deeply spiritual, and inexplicable.  They scare me, move me, make me laugh out loud, and allow me a clear, honest (brutally?) look into my humanity, all the while pointing me to my Creator. 


In his book on preaching (one of the best I've read on the topic), Telling The Truth: The Gospel As Tragedy, Comedy & Fairy Tale, Buechner makes a convincing case for communicating creatively.  I highly recommend this book for an leader who hopes to tell the old, old, story in a new, captivating way.

What stories did you love growing up?
What kind of stories are you into these days?
What stories are you telling those you lead and serve?
And how are you telling those stories?  Is there any mystery involved, or is it fact after fun-sucking fact?
What would it take for you to tell the story you've been given in a new, creative, exciting, live-giving way?  Some time?  Some thought?  A sanctified imagination?

Baptize my mind
Baptize my eyes
Baptize my mind
For a seed to give birth to life
First it must die

-Jon Foreman

Let me encourage/challenge/implore you to tell a compelling story, so that those who have ears to hear can live happily (for)ever after.

-rob

P.S.  Here is a link to a talk a writer friend of mine (Jeffrey Overstreet - Seattle, WA) gave entitled "How Then Shall We Tell Stories?"
http://vimeo.com/14969953


P.P.S.  Here's Jon Foreman (featured in the 22nd shot of A.I.M.) performing Baptize My Mind.