I grew up with Paul Havey on Chicago radio. Yes, radio waves made it all the way to the countryside about an hour out of the city. I adored "The Rest of the Story." So did Dad. I think Grandpa and Uncle Mel listened, too. One of the things that is very "rural", is the art of storytelling. Paul Harvey was the best.
Family history and local color stories were the tales we grew up with at the grain elevator, the local gas station and the family table. Storytelling was not just for entertainment, it passed on our history. There were times that the grander the story seemed, the more truth it held. Matt and I have often said we could write a book and call it, "You Can't Make This Stuff Up".
The good, the bad, the sad, the hard, the ugly, the happy, the compassionate and the hilarious. It happened just an hour south of Chicago. Is it any wonder that Al Capone was known to find a respite, a little anonymity and a good game of poker in our small towns?
Our stories are a part of our legacy. They are part of what we leave for future generations. This quote talks about art... and would include the art of storytelling.
"Art is built on the deepest themes of human meaning: good and evil, beauty and ugliness, life and death, love and hate. No other story has incarnated those themes more than the story of Jesus." -John Ortberg
What a magnificent observation. From Christmas to Easter, time flies quickly. How do we fit in the the depth and breadth of the story of Jesus? The love of the Father that reached down and took human form to know us inside and out, to feel what we feel... and to face the challenges of daily human existence. Local leaders thought the followers of Jesus would fade away and die out. Here we are, 2000 years later, still amazed at the wonders of his life, his mission, his ministry and his mighty act of love and forgiveness on the cross.
For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.-Romans 5:7-9
His love amazes me! His resurrection is our victory and hope.
Today, I am grateful for "The Greatest Story Ever Told".
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