Are We Living in the Rising Action?
I read a book once that compared our lives to a story. The take-away was that we only find true purpose in life by realizing we play a role in a much grander Story full of other characters (who all depend on us in some form or fashion). There are many nuances involved with this expansive vision of life and realizing the importance of our shared stories. I was introducing a high school English class to the concept of the “rising action” in a tale. I told my students...
The Author is with Us
There is nothing like getting lost in a story. I love so many different storytellers: from John Irving to JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis to Stephen King (and yes, Harper Lee)….Stories are deeply affecting–they arehow we define ourselves, our world, and each other. As I was reading through the Gospel narratives of the birth of Jesus this morning, I was stirred by the uniqueness and truth of the story we are celebrating this weekend. Here are a couple of my favorite moments: The...
It’s Tough to Get the Theme When You Don’t Know the Story
I was at a training session several years ago at a local church to talk with small group leaders about the spiritual disciplines. For one activity, I asked them to sketchthier favorite scene from the Biblical narrative. As the group began to share their chosen moments, I was a little taken back. One very sincere (and particularly well-educated) woman displayed her picture of “Moses and his Ark” complete with pairs of animals. As she talked, I looked around at the other...
Mockingbird Monday – Boo Radley and the Potency of Questions
“The more we told Dill about the Radleys, the more he wanted to know, the longer he would stand hugging the light-pole on the corner, the more he would wonder. ‘Wonder what he does in there,’ he would murmur. ‘Looks like he’d just stick his head out the door…’” “Wonder what he looks like?” said Dill (Chapter 1). I was speaking at my alma mater recently. I met my wife on campus there – so visiting is quite nostalgic. It makes...
