Believable Buda.....

"The social function of narrative is not limited to 'primitive' people sitting around the fire telling each other where Fire came from and why they're sitting around it."

Ursula K. Le Guin

The picture above is of my Northern-Irish brother-in-law Craig. I also have an American brother-in-law called Craig. Their personal narratives are very different. 

The function of story is to provoke more than information distribution. When you see my beloved brother-in-laws you are offered the opportunity to begin reading their story as their non-verbal communication begins to flow through your senses. "Northern Irish" Craig has a bold story board that demands attention, drawing the eye and holding the reader enthralled. While "American" Craig's story board is more subtle, demanding scrutiny to comprehend it, but offering a promise of depth that ensures the reader takes the time to scrutinize the text. 

I spend my days reading the stories of others. I also spend my days helping others develop the skills to read their own stories. 

Northern Irish Craig is a noble man with an immense capacity to care for those in need. His business is constantly enmeshed in charity events and is often the genesis of those charitable events. Yet many people struggle to see beyond the "ink" on the surface and fail to see the poetry beneath the skin. 

Spirituality is more than simplistic answers to archaic questions of divisive theology. Categorizing people is just one small officious element of a tendency to break the compelling social narrative of humanity into compartmentalized simplistic ideas of good and bad, or right and wrong. 

My brother-in-laws are both spiritual. Both have compelling stories. Both are believable as quiet leaders among the people they belong to. 

Is your story as believable as my brother-in-laws? Do you even know your story or have you merely memorized information to explain the "Fire" of your primitive life? 

For far too long Christianity has sat around a primitive community like setting trying to inspire that community with the idea that the most compelling narrative they can come up with is an explanation of their experiences. 

Narrative needs to be believable....