Okay, to begin with - I am not crazy. :) I say that because the following story may lead you to believe otherwise.
Yesterday evening while I was talking to myself and actually sounding out what I'd like to say to the National Baptist Convention (okay, that was the potentially crazy part) - I realized I was preaching. God stepped into my monologue and asked, "Where is the story? I didn't raise you to be a preacher, I raised you to be a storyteller." That hit me like a load of bricks - I was undone. I thought about this some more and began talking again, thinking I had changed. Midstream God stopped me, "Where is the story?" I had to stop talking and just reflect and meditate.
God has raised me to be a storyteller and I am a very good teller. I have quite a following of folks and, along with my first CD, have some nice things on my resume. So, the question is, why do I feel I need to preach to the churches, when I really need to be telling stories? The answer: comfort zone. Folks are used to preaching and I'm used to giving that - because I can lecture. Storytelling has research to be done before hand - finding the right story; it requires I look at the audience and walk with them, not just in front of them. It's not easy and often it is very brief. Uh, could that be another reason why I haven't found the stories?
So, one of my goals over the next months is to prepare the stories for African-American churches. Not just for me to tell, but for others to tell as well. The stories can be from Jesus, from the history of the church, from theologians like Soren Kierkegaard, C.S. Lewis (a master storyteller/writer) and John Piper, from other missionaries and from my life experiences.
Jesus used stories to often make His points, particularly in areas where folks found it difficult to let go of the old and look at a new view of life. I have to follow in my husband's, my master's and my Savior's footsteps. Thank you, God, for enlightening my eyes to Your understanding. Amen.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Nativity with Missions
I am enjoying seeing how mission-minded people are combining Christmas and missions for Christ. What a perfect season for this combination!
At my church, Craig, our Missions Minister, has put out missions boxes. These little boxes have a picture from the nativity scene pasted on one side and everyone in the church is encouraged to take one and place it under their Christmas Tree. This is done as a reminder about our Commission to be on missions, and to encourage a world missions offering. I still have my box and will place it under my family tree, and I have already to decided to keep it through next year and add my tithes from the sale of my CD to this box, specifically for missions.
Last night I was asked to be part of a Christmas program, where the planner had "wise men" from around the world present baby Jesus gifts. Each "wise man" (actually it was a classroom) shared a song and/or dance, or Christmas customs from a different part of the world. They put pictures of children from around the world around the door frame of the entrance and said "You are entering God's World." They also had a "marketplace" where items from different continents were placed for viewing. It was so cool to see young and older folks stop and look at the marketplace, picking up carefully and replacing - sparking the interest. There was dinner as well, and on each table there was a centerpiece that set on top of a world map, with one or two items from a different country, sitting beside the centerpiece.
I, and a woman who represented Spain, came and shared songs in a different language. She had the words copied and encouraged folks to sing, after she told us what the words meant. I sang two Christian songs in Chichewa and shared about Malawi and mission opportunities for African-Americans in this country. All were well-received.
Sometimes its just education. Educating people about the need, and not just the need, but educating them about the rest of the world. That's the basic - there is a world beyond the United States - what happens there? These are great little, soft-sale ways to share missions with folks. Merry Christmas
At my church, Craig, our Missions Minister, has put out missions boxes. These little boxes have a picture from the nativity scene pasted on one side and everyone in the church is encouraged to take one and place it under their Christmas Tree. This is done as a reminder about our Commission to be on missions, and to encourage a world missions offering. I still have my box and will place it under my family tree, and I have already to decided to keep it through next year and add my tithes from the sale of my CD to this box, specifically for missions.
Last night I was asked to be part of a Christmas program, where the planner had "wise men" from around the world present baby Jesus gifts. Each "wise man" (actually it was a classroom) shared a song and/or dance, or Christmas customs from a different part of the world. They put pictures of children from around the world around the door frame of the entrance and said "You are entering God's World." They also had a "marketplace" where items from different continents were placed for viewing. It was so cool to see young and older folks stop and look at the marketplace, picking up carefully and replacing - sparking the interest. There was dinner as well, and on each table there was a centerpiece that set on top of a world map, with one or two items from a different country, sitting beside the centerpiece.
I, and a woman who represented Spain, came and shared songs in a different language. She had the words copied and encouraged folks to sing, after she told us what the words meant. I sang two Christian songs in Chichewa and shared about Malawi and mission opportunities for African-Americans in this country. All were well-received.
Sometimes its just education. Educating people about the need, and not just the need, but educating them about the rest of the world. That's the basic - there is a world beyond the United States - what happens there? These are great little, soft-sale ways to share missions with folks. Merry Christmas
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