Storytelling

TRANSCRIPT

In 2010, while working for a ministry in Washington state, my wife and I were making lunch and as a result, finished off the last bit of peanut butter from our jar. We didn’t make much money for the work we were doing, but we had a pantry of other grocery items and never went hungry. Later that evening while attending a church function, a church member handed us a brand new jar of peanut butter.... It was a faith-building experience for us, that the God of the Universe knows when our peanut butter jar is empty and provides for us. We often think of this example and when we do, we can remember that the God who can take care of empty peanut butter jars can take care of the problems we are facing today.

Storytelling is a powerful means of communication online because stories never tell us what to think; they give us something to think about. Stories don’t tell us what to feel; they cause us to feel.

This is why they are effective in reaching people and connecting with them. To share stories is human and approachable. So share your story.

Take any moment, past or present, and look for God’s work in that moment; even a small thing could really brighten someone’s day.

Show people you are human, but loved by an undeniable love of God.

There are an endless number of ways we could tell stories and draw parallels to spiritual things. Some time ago I heard a volunteer teaching kids at a church school about planting potatoes. He compared how a single potato dies so that its seeds can sprout and develop into many more potatoes, just as Christ died so that we can have life.

Now, not every single thing we post needs to have a direct parallel to Jesus or the Bible, but make people want to read or see what we share by keeping it positive!

It’s also a good personal practice to look for the positive in our daily living.

For a church Facebook or IG page, it could easily be looking for the highlights of a Sabbath or other church service and post that online.

Now, I want to share with you some exciting things that the world church has been doing that will make our work as a local church and local church member, that much easier.

I'll see you in the next one!