Story Telling

There has been a lot of talk on the seminary scene about the importance of telling stories.  Not just "I went on a walk the other day and saw a bird on a statue", but stories which change our lives.  The Bible is full of these stories (e.g., Jesus' many parables), as many have learned, but these aren't the only stories that have the power to move people.  This isn't news to English teachers, but the rest of us forget sometimes that, when we're trying to communicate a particular message to someone, or a group of people, a story might work better than a list of facts or descriptions.

Literature is a no-brainer as far as sharing stories goes, but not every format needs to use text as its medium.  Another example would be movies.  How many of us felt our hearts warmed by the stories of The Lord of the Rings characters, or even Star Wars?  Music, poetry, art, and dance are other modes of narrative communication (I would even add food to that list).  Recently I read about a correspondent for the Science journal who created a way for Ph.D. students to tell the "story" of their research through a video dance contest.  The best entry would win $100 and a subscription to the journal.  Thus, the "Dance Your Ph.D." contest was born!  I would love to see a "dance your faith" contest, ha.

Have you ever learned an important lesson from a story?  Have you ever learned an important lesson from your own story?

If you'd like to improve your storytelling skills, the KC Public Library is holding their 12th annual KC Storytelling Celebration next weekend, and there's a storytelling workshop for adults on Saturday afternoon, Nov. 5, at 1:00 p.m. (Plaza Branch).  Check it out!