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Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Significance of Personal Stories – Part 1
This is my own reconstruction of a particular scene from Amistad, which has remained fresh in my mind as an illustration of significance:
“I’ve learned through many years of trial and error that, in the courtroom, whoever tells the best story . . . wins!” said President Adams.
A SCENE FROM THE MOVIE “AMISTAD” (1997 Steven Spielberg)
1839 - Quincy, Massachusetts
“Mr. Joadson, you are from where, originally?” asked the aged statesman.
Joadson looked slightly bewildered. “From Georgia, sir,” Joadson replied.
Adams countered, “Does that pretty much sum up what you are? A Georgian? Is that your story?”
Adams posed the rhetorical questions for Mr. Joadson’s reflection, gently prompting his thoughts towards the answer. As an expert pedagogue, Adams let Joadson pause for a moment to discover the answer on his own, yet the correct answer needed to be unpacked in an organized fashion and explained in proper context. The pause of silence cleared the stage for the unpacking . . .
Sitting hunched over in his favorite armchair in front of the fireplace, Adams didn’t initially project the aura which his past achievements boasted of. They were all veiled in shadows now, just as the corner of the room in which he reclined now was draped in the grey shadows of the setting sun. Mr. John Quincy Adams, son of John Adams, was now well into his seventies. His thinning hair was white. His face and hands were shriveling, creased with lines and shades of many years hard work in his garden and in the library. These were not merely hands of menial labor. Surely his hands had also greeted many dignitaries at the White House. But now, in his twighlight years, over a decade after his term as President had ended, John Quincy Adams maintained an amazing sharpness of mind and a wit of tongue which astounded the best statesmen of the day. Astounding, yes, but also hidden underneath the cloak of wrinkles and aged infirmities. He often paced back and forth in front of his fireplace, looking uncertain in his steps. Sometimes he mumbled things to himself which were unintelligible. This was John Quincy Adams? President Adams? His eyes, now dimmed from their sharp sparkle they once held, squinted to perceive the facial expressions of his guest.
Mr. Theodore Joadson, in contrast to the venerable President Adams, stood six feet tall and towered with almost regal appearance. The crisp white tones on the brim of his top hat, which he politely held with both hands, set off his dark black skin like a light snowfall accents shingles on a rooftop. Born a slave on a Georgia plantation, Joadson had lived most of his adult life on a constant and upstream journey. He escaped from his taskmasters at the age of thirteen, fleeing to the northern states, scrapping for mere existence yet kept alive by a passion for reading and education. After many years of being self taught, the door of opportunity for formal education cracked open and Joadson strode right in, slowly gaining acceptance both as an educated black man and avid spokesman for the abolitionist movement. His was an amazing story, yet perhaps due to his humble and soft spoken nature, few people really knew his story. . .
(To be continued)
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
My Story? Significant?
Everyone on the planet has a personal story. Whether it be a story of love, strife, triumph, defeat, delight or pain, or a seemingly mundane story of day in and day out, stories emerge through every life lived.
“Sure,” you may agree, “but so what?” Why should we stop and explore anyone’s personal story – even our own?
It all boils down to a question of significance.
As I said in my introduction, personal stories are powerful because they mean something. They teach us something about who we are. And by discovering the roles we play in the bigger picture – the great meta-narrative of life – we see our purpose in life.
Here’s a few key questions to dig into next:
- What is my story, really?
- Is my story really significant?
- If it is significant, how so?
Next time I’d like to blog about one of my favorite movies and how a scene from it helped me answer these questions.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
What’s this Blog About?
A series of short articles, stories, and commentary exploring redemptive stories on the web.
What is a Redemptive Story?
My broad definition: Any story with a general theme of redemption.
Why am I blogging?
Short answer: To share what I am learning about communicating personal redemptive stories on the web. More? (See Introduction)
About Me
I am not a skilled writer. Nor am I experienced in blogging. See more disclaimers.
I’ve spent the last 12 years in full time college ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ. I’m a Georgia Tech grad and a Georgia native. I have one wonderful wife and three small and very active children.
My experience with redemptive stories began at an early age – being exposed to dozens of human interest stories via my mother – who is a newspaper journalist.
During the summer of 2000, I interviewed and chronicled the stories of about two hundred college students during a content-enrichment project for EveryStudent.com. In 2003, I helped create StorySpot.com – a place online where people can share how God has changed their life.
See more about me at http://www.HandsHeadlines.com
I’ve spent the last 12 years in full time college ministry with Campus Crusade for Christ. I’m a Georgia Tech grad and a Georgia native. I have one wonderful wife and three small and very active children.
My experience with redemptive stories began at an early age – being exposed to dozens of human interest stories via my mother – who is a newspaper journalist.
During the summer of 2000, I interviewed and chronicled the stories of about two hundred college students during a content-enrichment project for EveryStudent.com. In 2003, I helped create StorySpot.com – a place online where people can share how God has changed their life.
See more about me at http://www.HandsHeadlines.com
A Few Disclaimers
- I’m NOT a skilled writer. Nor experienced in blogging.
- The title “Redemptive Stories” simply means that this blog will generally be about redemptive stories on the web. It doesn’t imply that the content of this blog will contain only redemptive stories.
- I define Redemptive Story very broadly. I’m not trying to set apart a new genre.
- My goal is to explore personal redemptive stories on the web. Since there are no exclusive or strictly defined criteria for such stories, I hope to provide sufficient examples along the way to describe this type of story.
- These are just my ideas. My opinions. Since this is an open forum, all of these ideas are open for comments.
- I’m happy to learn more from the experience of others.
- Did I mention that I am not a skilled writer?
INTRODUCTION
The allure of stories.
( fyi, that's not me in the picture. just thought it was a good illustration. )
“Daddy, could you pleeeeease tell me a story?!” asks Avery, our oldest daughter. She asks this quite often, and I usually oblige. Not only does she love children’s books, but she’s also thrilled when I simply “make up” a fairy tale, adventure or ongoing saga with Avery and her siblings as the central characters. Recently Avery even has started drafting her own stories – using color crayons and having her parents take dictation to capture the narration that accompanies each picture. Check out Avery’s first published “book” – Adventure on Blackberry Mountain.
We all can relate to my daughter’s obsession with story time. Who doesn’t enjoy being drawn in to a classic book or movie? Why do we find ourselves lost in a good story? Because stories are powerful. Nothing connects to our heart quite like a story.
What's the greatest story ever told? It's The Story of God pursuing and loving an undeserving lot. It's a marvelous story of redemption.
Ultimately, redemptive stories shed light on God’s Story worked out in the lives of people throughout history. My ultimate goal through this blog – as we examine personal redemptive stories on the web – is to catch a glimpse of His Grand Story and take a few steps back and contemplate the Author. Deeper admiration and satisfaction with Him is the ultimate “happy-ever-after” ending of all stories of all time.
Here’s a brief overview of the general topics I hope to address here:
1. Understanding Redemption in Our Personal Stories
2. Describing The Story through our Stories
3. Resources on the Web for Communicating Redemptive Stories
Well, here goes. . .
