Party Time & A New Way to Read Bible Stories
Also: an interview, a new HGS ambassador opportunity, and a bike you should rent
Hello! Hope you’re well. Here’s the latest:
The Final Piece
Last week saw the release of the last of 3 Holy Ghost Stories episodes devoted to the story of Ruth and Naomi and Boaz. This one relates the climax of the story along with its dénouement as Yahweh draws this beautiful tale to a close.
For most episodes, I create a rough storyboard detailing each scene before I write—this means I have a good sense of where the story is going when I sit down to write. The exception to this, however, is the last scene of each episode. I usually don’t know what that last scene’s going to involve until I write it—I like letting my time in the story guide that final piece, letting the Spirit surprise me as I write if He so desires. This time, I found myself crying joyful tears at my desk as I meditated on the larger Story Yahweh’s writing and typed the last several lines of the episode. I hope the ending moves you as well.
SCORE
One of you sent a message after you’d listened to this one and told me how much you enjoyed the musical score. I was delighted to hear that, as I’d found a couple of moments quite challenging but was pleased with the outcome. With that in mind, I thought I’d include a screenshot here of one of those tougher sections:
The top line is mostly narration; the bottom two are the score—I ended up stitching together 8 separate pieces of 3 different songs to take us through that 90 seconds. I was pumping my fist when I finally got it figured out. Sometimes you really gotta make the music behave in order to match it to the movement of the story. :)
A BETTER WAY TO READ BIBLE STORIES
One of the most interesting and fruitful things you can do with a Bible story is to make a list of the people involved and then write down what each of them Wants. (More on why it’s helpful in a sec.) In this part of the Ruth story, here’s my list:
Ruth - Wants a future in Bethlehem with Naomi, wants to belong as an outsider
Naomi - Wants Boaz to step up as the Kinsman Redeemer for both Ruth and herself (She’d also love to have her sons back—but that’s not possible)
Boaz - Wants to marry Ruth and care for Naomi
…And why is this a good exercise?
It forces you to spend more time in the story. To enter it with curiosity and imagination, which together prompt empathy.
It raises the stakes for you as a reader—now that their desires are front-of-mind for you, you’re more likely to feel the suspense and disappointment and joy that less thoughtful readers will miss.
It pulls back the curtain on Yahweh’s work. With these people’s wants/needs in view, Yahweh’s decisions and strategies now begin to crystallize as the story unfolds—even when He’s not explicitly mentioned. Is He giving them what they want? What they need? How so? At what point? (In this story, I especially loved seeing the way Yahweh responds to that last want on Naomi’s list.)
By the way, I’d strongly encourage you to do the same thing for Yahweh—include Him in your list and sketch out His desires. This usually provides a valuable glimpse at His heart—and, just like doing this with the people in the story, it prompts empathy. (If you’ve never felt empathy for God, you’re missing a huge part of the relationship and this exercise is a good place to start.) Here’s part of my list for Him in this story:
Yahweh - Wants to love the hurting and the foreigner; Wants to orchestrate the inclusion of Gentiles at His table.
(…Mission accomplished.)
LISTEN IF YOU HAVEN’T
If you haven’t caught this episode yet, find a dark corner and some headphones. Surely an encounter with God in one of His favorite stories is worth letting those emails slide…
If you’ve listened, hit me back with your thoughts. I know this is a favorite for a lot of you—I hope I did it justice for you. Oh—and throw a review onto Apple Podcasts if you can spare 30 seconds. I’d be so grateful.
Can I Say This At Church?
I was recently interviewed by Seth Price on the Can I Say This At Church podcast. Seth is a sharp, thoughtful guy and I really enjoyed talking to him about Holy Ghost Stories, storytelling craft, and the worst ways to read the Bible.
That’s a Wrap! (And You’re Invited)
Last week saw the completion of Holy Ghost Stories Season 3—and what a ride it was: we spent time in the incredible stories of Gideon and Tamar and Daniel and Jonathan and Rachel and Leah and Balaam and Nehemiah and Ahab and Hannah and Samson and—of course—Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz.
To mark the occasion, I’m hosting a Season 3 Wrap Party this Thursday night (Oct 6)—you should come! I’ll answer any questions you have about particular episodes this season, share a couple of my favorite moments, even give you secret info about a thing happening in December…
Also, I’ll be giving away a newly designed t-shirt or two that will only be available in person at the live show later this month.
Want one? Just reply to this email with a question for me to answer during the livestream and then tune in tomorrow night.
WHEN: Oct 6 @ 8:30pm-9:00pm CST
Oh—and be sure to tune in early (8:25pm) for a fun opener: my daughter Eve will be performing a song. She’s great.
Are You In College?
I’m considering a University Ambassador program to help get the word out about Holy Ghost Stories in the off season. If you’re a fan and are a college student, I’d love to send you a bunch of free stickers to pass around at your school. Oh—and a t-shirt to recognize your fantasticness.
If you’d like to help me, fill out this form.
4 Cool Things
Moone Boy - If you’ve got Britbox, check out this show—a boy growing up in Ireland during the troubles. Funny & endearing.
Bird Migration Tracker - This looks very cool. Also, wow—south Texas is quite the bird interstate.
Chef’s Table: Pizza (Episode 1) - Beautiful camera work. Solid storytelling. Amazing pizza. Come on.
Electric Pedal Assist Mountain Bikes - Wow. Riding one of these on the incredible trails in northwest Arkansas made me feel like the bicycle version of Iron Man. So ridiculously fun. They’re crazy expensive to buy, but I might be addicted to renting one every few weeks…
That’s the latest! Come say hi at the Wrap Party and don’t forget to reply to this email with a question so I can include you in the drawing for a free tshirt tomorrow night.
See you then!
Gratefully,
Justin
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