Season 3, Episode 49: The Art of Storytelling: Bringing Facts to Life

Imagine looking into the window of your favorite clothing store and seeing the hottest new fashions lying there in a heap. You can’t picture how they’d look on you the way you can when those stylish top and bottoms are put on a mannequin. That’s what good storytelling does for facts, statistics, and otherwise dry information - it gives it good bones. It lets you connect with your listeners on a deeper level - something I hope we are doing here on the Unlovely Truth!

We’re going to focus on just one story for the entire month of December and it’s a very appropriate one: The Santa Claus Bank Robbery by the late A.C. Greene, a prominent Texas journalist and author. Our guest today is Lawrence Yuen, host of The Myth Pilgrim podcast and he’s going to talk with me about the power of story.

The Myth Pilgrim is a Catholic podcast exploring how popular myths and fairytales can nourish your spiritual journey. Brother Lawrence Yuen explores theology alongside Disney, scripture alongside The Lord of the Rings, Saints alongside Star Wars … and so much more!

Our Bible verse this week is Hosea 4:2

“You make vows and break them; you kill and steal and commit adultery.

There is violence everywhere — one murder after another.”

In chapter 4, Hosea is pointing out Israel’s problems with immorality and idolatry. The people weren’t following the ways of God, and the community was suffering because of it. The boundaries of good behavior were being trampled, and it led to more and more violence. Violence that culminated in murder. I’ve seen this as I’ve volunteered in a jail ministry. Once people get into a downward cycle, it can be hard to turn it around. We try to show them that there is another way, and that God can help them truly change their lives if they want to.

It’s a really rewarding way to volunteer, so that’s our practical action step for this week. You can volunteer at your local jail or work center to give hope to people who really need it. And it’s truly a way to be a Person of Impact in your community. From a very practical standpoint, we want people coming out of jail better equipped to handle life than they were when they went in.

If you liked this episode, be sure to check out some earlier ones. I’ve had so many amazing guests who gave me fantastic information you won’t want to miss. You can also help someone else begin their journey as a different kind of PI - a person of impact, when you share the episode, and when you subscribe, give me a five-star rating and a nice review.

Please visit my website to access more episodes, read my blog posts, or check out ways you can financially support the podcast so that together we can impact more people, more families, and more communities. If you would like to contact me about booking me as a speaker, or ask about my consulting and investigative services, please email me at lori@theunlovelytruth.com.

Buy The Santa Claus Bank Robbery

Link to archive of contemporary news article

Link to Lawrence’s website

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