Telling the Story

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.