Stories that Bomb......

We have all been there one time or another. You go over your story in your head and it seems worthy of sharing. Somewhere in the middle or close to the punchline in your story, you realize that there is no punchline and that you have just wasted precious moments of your listeners life. You come to this realization through a few different cues.

1. The "dead face". This is when you realize that your listener has lost complete interest in what you are saying. In turn their face will assume this position in hopes that you will get the clue.













2. The next and almost immediate sign following the dead face is the "wandering eyes". The wandering eyes are an indication the listener is looking for a way out of this story or possibly someone to save them from the pain.








3. And finally the tragic "courtesy laugh" . This is when you have delivered the punch line as the listener and feel completely awkward about the story you just heard, SO you laugh to diminish the thickness in the air and to make the storyteller feel a little bit better about them self.





How do you avoid this process of feeling stupid? Let me share a method with you that I have implemented in my life. As you begin to tell your story, check for hints (steps 1,2&3) that tell you it's going no where. If you see any of these signs, STOP IMMEDIATELY and say to your listener/listener's; I'm sorry, I just realized this story is going absolutely nowhere, I am going to stop here before I waste more your time and my myself look stupid. More than likely you will be immediately complemented on your humility and honesty. You might even get a laugh out of the person.

So do everyone a favor and implement this system next time you are telling a story that is about to bomb.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER
Jesus Loves you just the way you are.

Nephews!!! (continued)

Introducing................................. Owen Michael Stearns. I can't believe how big he is!! And again, ladies hes only 3 months old, don't get any ideas. Thank you all so much for your prayers, this little guy had such a hard time when he was born, but as you can see he is a happy healthy boy! And the newest addition to the Stearns name!

Nephews!!!!

There is nothing better than starting work and opening your inbox to find pictures of your beautiful nephews. Thanks Jill! (sister in law) Meet Noah. Most of you have seen pictures of him, but not in his new snazzy Halloween costume as SHREK!! Ladies, hes off the market until hes at least 12 so you'll just have to hold on.

woops.

I went out to lunch today with two of my favorite people; Riley Hall and Juli Hueni. We were accompanied by a new friend from England, named Joe. She is here meeting with some people from peace at Saddleback which has something to do with the organization that she works with in England. She is a very cool. I hope you all get to meet her before she leaves. Anyway. I have done my fair share of traveling, but I have yet to experience the U.K. So I'm not very familiar with the vernacular that is used by our English friends. This will all be relevant, I promise. So we were driving and Riley said something to me and my response was "Ohhhh That pisses me off" and the look of concern on Riley's face was priceless. Riley (being an experienced U.K. traveler) said that "piss" or "pissed" is not a pleasant word in the U.K. and is actually considered a curse word. My curiosity got the best of me, so I asked Joe. Riley was totally correct. Joe tried to not make me feel bad, she said "its not a really bad word, you just wouldn't use it around certain company, especially Christians", GREAT that made me feel better. thanks Joe (just kidding). I then later learned that the word crap is also considered a curse would in the U.K. Who knew. I probably use that word 10 times a day. I hope my humiliation was insightful for you!