VIRB

We are a people driven by stories. We describe life with analogies and metaphors. We spend billions of dollars a year on stories told in books, on silver screens, through velvet voices and in high definition. We sit down at Christmas time and read from books the stories of years past. We lay in front of fireplaces reminding each other of times in life we'd like to revisit. We love the beauty of stories. And we're killing them.

Between May 2 and May 4 alone, the top ten movies at the box office made approximately $152 million, Iron Man claiming a cool $102 million single-iron-handedly. Relaying these figures is in no way meant to downplay how well told these stories are, I'm only meaning to put into perspective how desperate we are for a story. However, we'll all agree that there have been several movies claiming kingship of Hollywood mountain that were better off mucking the stables.

Television is the spoiled step-brother in this situation. It's getting away with a fair amount more because it's cuter, less complicated and we have to deal with it on a much more regular basis and have learned to choose our battles by now. And, having just mentioned choosing battles, I won't even mention the book industry.

We are desperate for stories because we all long to be a part of something great. We see a two-minute trailer and are already planning our Friday night 6 months from now. We tune in week after week to be included in what's going on in works of fiction.

The Kingdom of God itself is a story. It is the context of every story you've ever heard, read or written. It is the world outside our windows driving by, swaying in the wind, ringing our doorbells and delivering us pizza. We are the citizens of the Kingdom of God. The smallest breath from our lungs can cause waves of change to pour over the world.

It's such an enormous irony that we will do whatever we can to be a part of someone else's story when ours is so spectacular, so perfect, so in need of some good plot movement. Trust me, I've read the spoilers, and the climax/resolution will blow you away.