Telling A Story

MON., JAN. 21, 1991, 6:54 AM
FARM, STUDY

Back in your cool study on a cold, clear winter morn you definitely are home from your adventure in Cuba. You have begun to tell the story of this trip, and, thus, I need to advise you. The sheaf of Teachings with which you returned is evidence that I was with you all during the time away. Your notebook and the Teachings provide a nice balance to your memory of what you heard, saw, and participated in. (Remember, however, that you must publish your Ruminations before you put full attention to Cuba. You see that your procrastination in December was “costly.”)

You have the opportunity of preaching in three weeks, and, yes, this trip shall be your sermon topic. You have much to say about the Christians you met and their place in the revolution that continues, and you have this opportunity already in place. It was right that you chose this as your priority.

Continue just to tell versions of your story as people ask or as you create the chance. Be as natural as you can be in your story-telling, but also begin to decide what your emphases shall be. Don’t rely entirely on your memory. You have both written and taped material, and, after the Ruminations caper, you shall begin to organize this for presentation. And do not put off getting the containers of film into the mail so that you will have some pictorial record of your Cuban adventure, as well.

As you tell your story preface the rendition with the fact that you are a middle class Christian who has taken advantage of the freedoms that your American culture has offered. You are in pre-elderly status, and you see your life as having been rather easy. You were a good competitor when competition was appropriate. Your sons got through American teenage with minor damage and now seem to have take advantage of their opportunities to compete successfully in this culture. It is important for you to realize from whence you speak… and for those who listen to you likewise. Challenge listeners to assess their life experiences also and try to realize the “screen” through which they hear what you present.

No matter what the audience is always include some observations about the Christian presence in Cuba. You heard that there still is a competition between the Christianity focused on personal salvation for an eternal life with El Senor, no matter what the present living conditions, and the Christianity based on Jesus’ life and His Teaching about sharing and taking care of one another in this present life. These are both legitimate Christian paths, with innumerable variations and combinations. Then note that there is also the historical, though not Biblical position of the Christians and their church being part of the established order, resisting any attempts to change it, even for the betterment of the whole.

Some of the Cuban Christians you met want to maintain what the revolution has produced and continue to improve life in the country, with the acceptance that the Lord is helping with this process. They are not presently revolutionary, in the sense of wanting to change radically the present form of government, but they want to be an equal part of the society that 30 year old revolution has produced. And yet this divides the church, and the Communists are not all for this either.

You shall feel, repeatedly, the frustration you felt when you left peace with Cuba out of your hastily organized prayer. For you shall never get to speak at the length you could about this adventure, and thus you shall often realize that you have not told something quite important and yet your time is up. Most people shall not want to hear all that you would like to say about your impressions of Cuba. Resist the temptation to press on and be boring.