i was kindly sent a present for lent of some tunes and a book…. (thanks – you know who you are!).
the book experiential storytelling by mark miller is another in the emergent ys line. i liked the emphasis on creativity (in fact one of the books mentioned in the back is one that totally changed my thinking about communication – i don’t even know if you can get it any more – a whack on the side of the head by roger von oech). reading the book made me realise again just what a shift is occurring in the way people are approaching teaching and worship. it’s kind of strange because alt worship has been on this road for so long with a few small groups and yet suddenly participative ritual that captures peoples imagination and opens them to encounter god seems to be breaking out all over. i am still being taken by surprise by this….
chapter two in the book is introduced with the following jewish teaching story:
Truth, naked and cold, had been turned away from every door in the village. Her nakedness frightened the people. When Parable found her, she was huddled in a corner, shivering and hungry. Taking pity on her, Parable gathered her up and took her home. There, she dressed Truth in story, warmed her and sent her out again. Clothed in story, Truth knocked again at the villagers doors and was readily welcomed into peoples houses. They invited her to eat at their table and warm herself by their fire
A Whack on the Side of the Head is a terrific book. I don’t know of many folks in ministry who have read it, but a lot of people in marketing, PR and advertising have. Von Oech had a follow-up book, A Kick in the Seat of the Pants, which I never bothered to read.
the follow up was very disappointing. somewhat uncreatively it was a rehashing of the ideas in a whack !!!
So was Mark Millers book a good one? 🙂
i was hoping by just putting a quote and a mention i could avoid that question?! but as you have asked, it’s what i’d call thin i.e. not many pages, and very widely spaced lines. and it doesn’t have much weight i.e. it’s a kind of how to book rather than one that plimbs the depths…. (i felt it could have been written in a pretty short space of time!). so if i’d paid money for it i’d feel a bit short changed.
as for the content, for me personally there was nothing new in it, though i did like the emphases on creativity, experiential multi sensory worship, storytelling etc…. but it may well be that for some people that buy it everything is new! that’s the worlds of church and publishing for you. the book along with several other things i have seen recently has reminded me just what a widespread change could be happening in youth ministry and worship. i am honestly used to these kinds of things being marginal, seen as frankly weird or for arty types, and, as i said above, alt worship has ploughed what has felt like a lone furrow for years and years and remained small. so it is really quite a strange experience to see this sort of stuff becoming so much more widespread….
hope that helps?….