2014-01-30T10:37:18-05:00 GCI info@gospel.com /feeds/topics/stories/ http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/11918 2014-01-30T10:37:18-05:00 For Christmas, I received a little gem – the DVD Tales of the Night by celebrated French animator Michel Ocelot. It's based on the very simple device of story within story: a young man, woman and older technician meet in an abandoned cinema and collaborate together to create and act in (or perhaps animate – this is left open) a series of delightful short stories. See why storytelling communicates so well, and recognize the creative process for storytellers down the millenia. http://faithgateway.com/good-illustrations-secrets-dynamic-communication/ 2013-11-07T06:00:04-05:00 A good illustration has the power to lift an abstract idea to a position of interest and practical application. It can snap a wandering mind back to attention, convince a doubting mind of truth, and clarify a difficult concept. You can enhance the dynamics of your communication by adopting the practices presented in this chapter […] http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/10712 2013-05-08T11:21:04-05:00 Choose your comfiest chair, make yourself a tasty coffee (or other beverage as preferred) and settle down for a 45-minute journey with Professor Brian Sturm to learn more about story. Sturm presents storytelling as a way of organizing information, conveying emotions, and building community. A model of storytelling as altered state of consciousness (the story trance) is presented that includes 16 portals to altered states. http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/10210 2013-01-21T11:52:55-05:00 Two interesting videos on different aspects of storytelling. First, here's a short video from Sean Buluva, an oral communication trainer. It sums up the 9 storytelling tips he also explains in writing. http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/9720 2012-11-20T13:05:05-05:00 Yet another reminder in this video short, that storytelling is the key to communicating any message, anywhere, any audience, any purpose. My heart sinks every time I’m exposed to a sermon that contains no illustrations, no personal stories, no imagery, no jokes. Because I know that I will almost certainly have forgotten it by lunchtime. http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/9122 2012-09-11T12:10:10-05:00 The Mars Curiosity landing, and our farewell salutes to Neil Armstrong, bring to mind several sci-fi/fantasy books and short stories based on Moon or Mars landings. These have a spiritual dimension that offers conversation-starting and thought-provoking questions. http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/8496 2012-06-21T13:03:06-05:00 When someone says, "Let me tell you a little story," it switches something on in our brains. Because we are hard-wired for story. If you preach, lecture, teach, or write without using stories, you are likely reducing the understandability of your message by a factor of 10, and its memorability by a factor of 20. http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/6178 2011-11-08T15:11:13-05:00 Downton Abbey – what will happen next? How ever can we wait so long to find out? Why do we care? Because we are wired for storytelling. Because we actually feel we 'know' these characters, indeed we love them. http://internetevangelismday.com/blog/archives/2719 2010-12-11T15:37:43-05:00 Yale University has found that babies as young as six months can: * follow and understand a fictional narrative story * make a moral judgment about the motives of the characters in the story So at an age when they could not have learned these things, we can see that babies are hardwired for both stories and an understanding of right and wrong. Wonder where that came from. Watch the video and read the story. http://reviveourhearts.com/topics/series.php?series=257&topic_name=General Christian Living 2010-08-20T13:38:11-05:00 Every day, we receive letters, emails, and phone calls from women all over the country sharing stories of how God is moving in their lives. Today, we invite you to share the encouragement of these transformed lives.