The day I (almost) plagiarized

One lesson that I have not taken since being in the seminary, is the class on telling awesome children’s stories. For one that class is not offered, and if it were I would probably have thought I didn’t need it. Lately however I have been exposed to some amazing story tellers. I will rank my top three for you

1. Dwight K Nelson

2. Roy Castelbuono

3. Jose Bourget

These guys are all maestro’s at keeping the attention of kids and pulling them right into their children’s story. Its amazing to watching.
On Sabbath my wife was preaching the church we attend is small so the preacher does everything, the whole nine. Welcome, Opening Prayer, Children’s Story, Benediction. So she asked me to do the Children’s story, and that would have been fine, except she told me at 10.00am on Sabbath. So I grabbed some granola, sat on the sofa and started to brainstorm. I went online and racked my mind for good stories. I decided on a story that had been told by 1# Story teller and went over it a few times and decided that was the story that I would tell. We go to church and sit down, and lo and behold who walks in and sits behind us? Yup, you guessed it. Dwight. I was like “nooooo” are you kidding me. (I was going to shamelessly plagiarize his story for these little kids, lol)

The service ticked along and eventually my turn came. I got up and went to the front, and did what any sane person in my position would do. I  confessed my dastardly plan to the whole church, (they were in rolling in stitches, and the kids just looked bemused) footnoting Dwight as the source for the story. Word on the street is that looking for me after the service, loool, but I know he wasn’t mad. When the author is acknowledged it changes the dynamic.

Jesus as the author of our salvation and our life, should have his name foot noted to all our stories, our successes, our joys. It is disingenuous as Christians, to live our lives as if we authored if even one sentence of it by ourselves. It is spiritual plagiarizm. Footnotes serve to allow readers to find the original source of the information used . When God blesses us, we must always give him all the glory and the honor. We must footnote HIM, not because he is narcissistic, but because it will serve as an arrow to point others to him.