“And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.” — Revelation 11:12
After reading that verse you are probably thinking, “Wait, I thought this article was about story.” Don’t worry, it still is. We all have some innate understanding of how powerful stories can be. We watch movies, read books, write poems, sing songs, and all of them are stories of our common existence. For us, certain stories hit home with great impact because we finally feel someone else has gone through what we ourselves are experiencing. Stories encourage us, they uplift us, and some even give us strength to move forward.
What does this have to do with Satan?
So often in church conversations about the ‘dark side’ are kept on the down low. Let’s be honest, there are a few people who take the subject of the ‘dark overload’ to the furthest extremes reality will allow, and this, frankly, freaks us out. For most of us we would rather not engage in something as mystical and fantastical as battling a spiritual force. It defies our logic.
What if I told you that in our average daily lives it is not mystical charms, incantations, drawing blood lines, anointings, blowing shofars and the like which give us a leg up on our Accuser? It’s so much simpler than that — it is the sacrifice of our Savior and our stories. Our testimonies have exponential opportunity.
We have all experienced this sometime or another in church; being so moved by someone who was brave enough to get up and tell his or her story. There is just something uniquely powerful in hearing from a familiar face, having been through a battle and seen deliverance from it in Christ. Yet some of us have been in church services in which the storyteller has nervously read from a paper for what seems like an eternity. We feel somewhat refreshed by what was said, but probably equally as relieved they have finished speaking. (Be honest. I know I’m not the only one!) It’s a shame the ‘noise’ of bad oration, nervousness, poor articulation, and physical awkwardness has gotten in the way of an otherwise powerful message. Since many folks fear the stage and public speaking, is it even a wonder sharing a testimony publicly can turn out so ineffective?
There must be a better way.
What if you could draw out the essence of a person’s story, communicate it to the audience as if they were close friends, and weave that story into something visually intriguing? Imagine having the audience completely enraptured by what they see and hear, focused and engaged in the story with no ‘noise’ to distract or dissuade them — pure storytelling.
This is possible. Video makes this possible. It is now completely realistic to go to someone’s home, where they are most comfortable, and interview him or her. No scripts, no rehearsals, no stages; just talking as friends. Out of these interviews, a storyteller can bring their story to life with editing. Simultaneously, while hearing the spoken story, we are taken on a visual journey of the story on screen. All wrapped up in four short but powerful minutes. The audience is left with a strong lesson, a redemptive theme, a hope for themselves.
If you’d like to see an example, here’s a video testimony I produced for my church called, “60 Years of One”:
In weeks, months, and years that follow, a video testimony can be engaged online, sent to friends going through similar, or simply used as a reminder of how great God is and that He does intervene in the day-to-day stories of His people.
Do you want to know the best part? Everyone has a story. Go tell it.
Sloan Inns is a filmmaker for Keystone Community Church and for Boy Meets Girl Visuals. In addition to filmmaking, Sloan leads worship and is constantly explaining that his accent comes from South Africa, not Australia. You can find more of his work on his Vimeo Channel.