Storytellers

A few days ago I sat down with my friend Ron and watched Bruce Springsteen's VH1 Storytellers on DVD. To be honest, I've never been a fan of his. His later stuff always sounds pretty good, but Born in the USA just sounds like some guy yelling. Anyway, listening to him explain Devils & Dust just got to me.

He pointed out themes that were hidden in the lyrics rather than blatant. He explained the guitar parts and why the rhythm and tempo went a certain way to encourage a certain mood and the continuing themes of the song. I don't think I have typically given that much credit to songwriters.

As a storyteller myself, it made me wonder about how I could be telling the story better. I know that all the talk about story may be a bit cliched for some in the pomo camp, but there is some serious truth to it. We are continually retelling a story and it requires us to put a lot of thought into how we tell it. I listened to a 2 hour CD of Johnny Baker talking about how he tells the story through media and experiences beyond what 99.9% percent of churches would ever dream of, and it was brilliant. We have a calling to be good storytellers, and to put at least as much thought into how we tell God's story as Bruce puts into one song.

Peace,
Matt

Currently Reading: True at First Light : A Fictional Memoir by Ernest Hemingway. Also, I recently read Jesus : A Revolutionary Biography by John Dominic Crossan. He is part of the Jesus Seminar, and a bit wild for the average Christian, but there were some amazing gems and thought provoking statements made amidst many things that I simply cannot accept. Also reading the newest issue of Mother Jones magazine. I'm still a nerd.