Art of storytelling.

     Never underestimate the power of a story to illustrate your point. People of every age are captivated by a good story. And the best part is stories stick in the memory really well, which is good for your teens. but also great for you.
example: tell someone about your last camping trip. chances are you won't need notes to share it right?
the same goes when you are on stage. even if sharing a story from the Bible instead just reading it, Share it!
     Jesus always had a good story. in fact almost anytime anyone asked him a question he would answer with, "so there was this guy travelling" or "Once there was this king who was settling his accounts" Jesus knew the art of storytelling well.
    It helps to actually make a conscious effort NOT to look at your notes in a "story sharing" portion of your message. Leverage the fact that you know the story to step away from the pulpit and engage, make some eye contact. and move around. I sometimes feel like a fool, because I move around so much when doing this and act out the story as I'm telling it. One time I was sharing on David and Goliath and I was all over the stage! but it turned out that it really connected and the teens remembered it, even ones that said they had heard it a billion times, really liked it. When I don't do this (like last Wednesday actually) I can tell that it's a lot harder to get connected to the teens and get them focused in.
so, find a story! look for one, tell a personal one, or just make up one (Jesus did that all the time).

That's the tip of the week: Tell a story