Tell Better Stories

I love this commercial I saw a while back. An SUV full of people is travelling to all kinds of out of the way places and discovering wonderful new things. In the end they show the company logo and the tag line..."Tell better stories".

How many of us have a friend or relative that is a great story teller? The kind of person that you could listen to for hours as they recount tales of discovery and misadventure. We are captivated by them, and all the while we think to ourselves "This is unbelievable! Who has these kinds of experiences? I've never done anything like that." But great stories fuel our imagination and create a hunger inside of us. A hunger to discover more, to take the next ride, to experience the next height. It's why we buy so many books, rent so many movies and the Biography channel is in extistence. We love great stories. But more importantly I believe we all long to experience the extra-ordinary! For most of us our lives our somewhat boring and uneventful, and so we live vicariously through fantasy or the fantastical, and stories provide that for us.

So why don't we have great stories? Is it because we've lived our lives in fear and therefore do nothing worth talking about? Is it because we are never presented with the opportunity to be involved in the sublime? Or are we afraid that our stories won't measure up to those around us, or even worse, the ones we see on TV?

I believe we all have great stories. We all have moments when things impact us, tranform our way of thinking and cause permanent changes in the way we view the world. I believe the thing we lack is not the content to tell compelling stories, but rather the courage to share ourselves with the world around us.

Instead of sharing our lives, our stories, our experiences - we reduce our existence to theories and intellectual ideas. But here lies the problem. Ideas have never changed the world! Theories only point us to what might be, they speak of the possible. But until we take an idea to task, and enter into it's experience, it is simply something with great potential and nothing more. On the other hand, stories (at least true ones) provide us with proof of the possible, that something is more than an idea. It is real. How do we know that? Because we know somebody who has experienced it first hand. And so stories build in us the faith to believe in greater things - greater things that capture our minds, hearts and imaginations. So instead of trying to sell an idea, we have engaged peoples souls! That is the power of story.

A few days ago I experienced the power of story first hand. I had two friends who were preparing to teach about the promises of God.

One friend was preparing to teach on the promise that Jesus loves us! That we can stake our life on his unfailling love for us. The teach was full of truth, but it just seemed like good ideas or wishful thinking. So I asked my friend why she felt she could depend on Jesus? Give me some evidence that he is trustworthy! Outside of pulling scripture together to back up your belief, what can you share with me that will compell me to embrace this truth? Or do you simply have an idea, a theory (or perhaps theology)? We had a lengthy converstion, and I have to admit I was not very compelled by what I was hearing.

Contrast that with another friend who was doing a chapel for high school students that same day. He was also faced with the task of engaging his audience, and he was somewhat afraid that he might not captivate them. After all, he is just beginning to serve as a preacher/teacher and is short on experience. How could he expound the scriptures to these young minds? Was he equipped? Would he be engaging? How could he share this profound truth that when we confess our sins that God is faithful to heal us?

His response to those questions was this - he chose to communicate the most compelling part of his knowledge - his story! It is a story that tells of a remarkable journey of healing. Healing from emotional wounds, physical problems and spiritual bondage. But most importantly, it gave evidence to the truth that when we confess our sins and pray for one another, we will experience healing. The audience was captivated by his sharing, so much so that at the end he told them another story of how he experienced healing. In the end he had captured his audience and I would hazard a guess that he sparked some faith within their hearts. They hadn't heard empty religious rhetoric, they had encountered the evidence of faith.

Now before you think that one friend failed and one triumphed I must tell you this...after some encouragement, my first friend started to tell her story. At first it was difficult for her, but soon the outer shell cracked and everyone present began to understand why she felt so strongly about this truth. In sharing her story I became captivated by it. It drew me in and I now have a longing to hear more of her story, more about her experience. I want to hear the evidence of her faith! How Jesus has become real for her.

Stories captivate us by giving us the evidence our hearts crave.

In a court of law, the council is given the task of proving their case. Most of the time lawyers present theories, ideas and possibilities - hoping to convince the judge and jury of their position. But most often, the thing that proves to be of most value is the testimony of witnesses. It is their words, their experience, that compells us to believe them. After all, they have first hand knowledge of the situation. I believe the world is looking for this kind of evidence. Evidence of a real God who cares about our lives. Evidence of new life. Evidence of transformation. It is not evidence that we can manufacture, it is received when we step out in faith. It is invaluable, but only if we have the courage to tell our story. If we don't take the stand and testify, our evidence is worthless and justice will not be served.

But a word of caution, there are many people who would prefer to tell the stories of others. (Much like J. Peterman from Seinfeld who ran out of good stories so he bought better ones from Kramer.) But they are of little value compared to your own stories. Because your stories are deeply rooted in your soul, they burn with emotion and sincerity. Your story will change the world.

So here's to captivating the world by our stories and providing evidence of God's unfailing love for us. I know that through it you can change the world - Jesus did!