Ken’s e-Pistle

April 19, 2023

I love a good story.  There is a bit of a story-teller in me that demands expression.  Perhaps that is why I enjoy preaching so much.  It is the highlight of my week to weave the accounts of Holy Writ into a tale which is, at once, approachable and understandable. If you get inspiration out of it, that is just gravy.

Some years back I heard of a Story-tellers Convention.  I’ve never been there but I plan to go just once before my corposity assumes room temperature.  I believe that it is held somewhere in Tennessee, but I am not sure of that.  My boys say I shouldn’t go.  It would only encourage me.

Story-telling is, I believe, part of the Southern mystique.  According to the Foxfire Books, it hearkens back to the days when folk lived closer to the land and attuned to the seasons of nature.  It was high entertainment in the days before radio, television and the internet.  I am convinced that it still has an irreplaceable place in our culture.

Jesus, Himself, was a story-teller. Each of the parables is a tale in and of itself.  “There once was as man…”  Sounds a lot like “Once upon a time…” doesn’t it?  As with any good story, you can inject yourself into it and take out the meaning which is meant for you.

These thoughts came to me when I once again picked up Walter Wangerin’s work, “The Book of God:  The Bible as a Novel.”  The title is descriptive enough.  It was published by Zondervan Press back in 1996, around the same time as “The Message” came out. If you can find a copy, I heartily recommend  it to you.  I, of course, have one and I am only too happy to lend it to trustworthy souls.

All of our lives are works in progress.  God is writing our adventures one chapter at a time.  Take an opportunity this week to consider your story.  Think of all the characters who have played a part in your unfolding plot.  Consider the twists and turns which you have endured and see if you can anticipate how the next chapter will go.

And then, if you dare, try to tell your story.  I bet it will be an award winner!

I bid you peace!