An Animation And Communication Encounter

I like communicating with people. I'm a pastor, speaker, and author, but most people say I do much more than that. I communicate, or at least attempt to communicate. My goal is to connect the message with the audience in an engaging, creative way, creating a shift in beliefs and behavior that uplifts people and equips them for life.

Webster defines communication as a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior; a technique for expressing ideas effectively; an act or instance of transmitting. 

Here are some examples of sayings on T-shirts that say a lot in a little. The sayings are short, funny, cheeky, and communicate creatively. 'Tweet others as you like to be tweeted.' 'Home is where your Wi-Fi connects automatically.' 'If you think space is the final frontier, you should see my garage.' 'Bacteria – It's the only culture some people have.' 'Be nice to nurses; they keep doctors from killing you.' 'Dear Algebra, please stop asking us to find your X. She’s never coming back and doesn’t say Y.’ ‘Bigfoot saw me, but nobody believes him.' 'Being cremated is my last hope for a smoking hot body.' 'What the #%&% are birds so excited about at 5 AM?' 'My favorite exercise is doing diddly squats.’ Sound familiar? 

Wasn’t that refreshing? These sayings were created for one thing: To say something that goes beyond the conventional way of saying it. In this case, it's meant to sell T-shirts. But it also connects the message with the audience. People say to themselves, "Aha, I like that; it says something that I resonate with more powerfully than I could say it. I am willing to not only buy it but become a walking billboard for it." There’s power in communication. 

I remember when I was a full-time pastor in a local church in Phoenix, Arizona, called Hosanna Christian Fellowship. One Sunday, my Bible text was Luke 8:11: "Now, the parable is this: the seed is the word of God." So my subject was the Word of God and seed. How do I communicate to those who have heard messages on the Word of God many times? How could I communicate in a way that would impact their world, moving them from information to revelation and creating application? How could I say a lot in a little, uniquely, breaking the boring 'order of service' that puts most people to sleep?

Just like a seed, the Word of God, when planted in good soil and the conditions are right, will grow into something bigger, better, greater. So, I went to the seed store and bought 100 pounds of clean corn seeds. Then I put about five pounds of seeds in a small, white plastic bag on the floor. I hid the rest of the seeds backstage. As I began speaking, I used my usual style, giving Bible references, examples, and explaining what the parable was saying, etc. Everything was as it should be. About 25 minutes into the sermon, I picked up the small white bag full of seeds and kept speaking. 

Then I changed gears. I moved from lecturer to communicator, from teaching to learning, from one-way, non-participative instruction to two-way, participative communication and interaction with the audience. I started asking, "What good is the seed in a bag? It needs to be spread and planted to produce something.”

As I spoke, I reached into the bag and threw a handful of seeds to the audience. Then I threw another handful, and then another, until the bag was empty. The audience initially was in shock. This was unexpected. Seeds were flying all over the 850-seat sanctuary. But soon, the congregants were laughing and even throwing seeds back at me. 

After the small bag of seeds was empty, I calmed down my approach a bit. I said, “Learn the three laws of sowing. 1. You always reap what you sow. 2. You always reap more than you sow. 3. You always reap later than you sow.” I concluded with the statement, “If you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly.”

At this point, everyone was calmed down. Then another 'suddenly' came along. I ran backstage, dragged out the giant bag of corn with a large shovel in my hand. The audience gasped. Yes, you guessed it. I emptied the giant bag of corn on the front of the stage, put the shovel into the pile, and started shoveling corn into the audience. At first, no one could believe it. But then the congregants understood. If you sow sparingly, you reap sparingly. I communicated. I connected the message with the audience. No one that I know of has ever forgotten that message. This encounter was a bit hard on the religious sort in our church, but most would admit the message came through. 

So, with corn in their hair, corn down in their shirts and blouses, and corn in the seats and aisles, and the floor cleaning team calling their counselors for a counseling session, the audience was transported from knowledge to understanding how seed and the word of God work. 

If you want to go up in life, learn to communicate. And please don’t get upset when Christians speak about God in everyday conversations. They're doing what they are supposed to do: sow seed. And if they pull out some corn seed while talking, run for cover!