The Art of Storytelling

A good storyteller is a person with a good memory and hopes other people haven't.
Irvin S. Cobb

It takes a thousand voices to tell a single story.
Native American saying

I love to hear a good storyteller. It fascinates me to see how they can embellish it and transform the tale each time they tell it so that it fits their current situation. My mother is one of those people and on occasion when she is telling a story, I will think to myself, “Who is she talking about?” and then I realize that it is about me or someone else in my family, but she has transformed the story to be bigger, better and much more elaborate than when it actually happened.

Another friend who likes to tell stories often does it to recall fun past experiences, but can get the details skewed a bit so that it might take several people to help get the story straight. Part of the fun of listening to him tell the story is the input from the crowd in assisting putting the pieces together, since most people have heard them numerous times, but love hearing them over and over again. 

The Bible is filled with stories about war and peace, love and hatred, families and individuals, life and death, adventure and solitude, joy and pain. In fact Jesus is the master storyteller, engaging His audience and challenging them to think. Each of God’s stories that have been recorded for us has a purpose, sometimes as a warning, but always to teach and guide.

God’s stories do not change like my mother’s or my friend’s; the translation might be different and the interpretation may vary, but the substance has been recorded for our benefit. We can read the Bible as a novel, but the better way of delving into it is to seek what God is saying to us and how it should affect the way we live our lives each day. Will you listen to one of Jesus’ stories today to see what He wants to say to you? 

My people, hear my teaching;
   listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;
   I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
   things our ancestors have told us.
Psalm 78:1-3

www.hearthope.org

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bavarian Cream Pie

Image
2 eggs 1/8 t salt 3/4 c scalded milk 1 c whipping cream 1 T gelatin 1/4 c cold water 1/2 c sugar 1 t vanilla Chocolate crumb crust Beat sugar and egg yolks. Then add milk and scald until it sticks to the spoon, stirring constantly. Let gelatin and cold water soak until dissolved, then add to milk and let cool. Whip cream and egg whites separately and then mix together. Mix cream and egg mixture to the milk that has been cooled. Add vanilla to mixture. When this begins to congeal, pour into chocolate crumb crust. Put into refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Sprinkle crushed crumbs over the top before serving. www.hearthope.org
Read more

Mount of the Holy Cross

Image
For years people have enjoyed the awe of Mount of the Holy Cross which is a 14,000 foot mountain in the Sawatch Range of Colorado. It is named for the distinctive snow-filled cross at the top of the mountain and was proclaimed a national monument by Herbert Hoover in 1929. Painters have painted it; photographers have photographed it and hikers have hiked it, because of its special beauty. When my children were young and visiting the area, we would take the gondola up the mountain to the observation deck at Eagle’s Nest for the perfect view of the majestic Mount of the Holy Cross.  So when my grandchildren were visiting this summer, it seemed natural to take them to the same spot for old times’ sake.  The mountain had not changed and the view was still inspiring, but something was terribly wrong. The name on the sign at Eagle’s Nest had been changed. It was no longer labeled Mount of the Holy Cross, but instead has been replaced with the designation Cross of Snow. Why would that be do
Read more

My Latest Award!

Image
This is my niece Allison Bullock who wins triathlons! I won an award today, but before you go getting all excited for me or want to see how you can win one too, you might want to read more. This honor might not be one you want to receive, because you see it is not an accolade that I really want either.  I went for my annual mammogram this morning and while there the doctor found some suspicious areas and wanted to have an ultrasound performed. While laying on the sterile bed, with my pretty pink robe opened and covered with goo used for the transducer, the hand-held device that sends out the waves which produce the picture, the technician declared that I had won the prize for the most cysts she had ever seen in a patient. How do you like that one! I guess the good part is that cysts are not usually dangerous, but still…. I have received other awards in my life that are much more prestigious than the one today, but there is a future award that I hope to obtain that will be more
Read more