Lectio Club Talkina by Nick Palermo
One of the things that I love the most about all of us in Capernaum is our amazing creativity in the ways we reach and connect our friends with the Good News. Sometimes the best ideas just bubble up to the surface when you least expect it. I feel so blessed to be an imagination associate of the Holy Spirit with you.
Last spring one of our staff held a day camp and asked me to speak. On the last day that I spoke, I was in John 21, which is one of my two favorite stories in the New Testament. God, in His spontaneous craziness, gave me an idea just as I was about to begin. Rather than talk to my friends, why not live the story with them? It was a large group of about 70 people. I prayed that God would calm distractions, and I asked them to close their eyes and come with me to meet Jesus.
I then described every sensory detail of the story. Such as… it’s early morning out on the sea. It’s cool but the sun is starting to come up. We are on a boat fishing all night long with a group of friends. Can you see the clothes you are wearing? How cool is it? Can you hear the water hitting the boat? But there are no fish. Everyone feels upset. How do you feel about not being able to catch a fish all night? I’m upset and feel like a failure at this. Hey look, someone is standing on the shore. Do you recognize him? What’s he wearing? Hey he just shouted something. What a strong voice. I can hear him clearly from here.
Later I described the camp fire scene putting them in the role of Peter. I described the fire. The uneasiness about Jesus. The fish. The bread. The smells. And when we got to the part of the story where Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love Me?” I subbed in kids’ names who were in the room, and asked them, “Do you love Me?”
As I was in the middle of this guided club talk, I knew they were there. They had left the building for the Sea of Galilee and a meeting with Jesus. It was powerful and so helpful as we engaged with the story afterwards. They had already been there and lived the story. So now we could talk about it and ask questions. I was amazed at their attentiveness.
What did I learn that day? I was reminded of our friends’ ability to imagine and grasp with all 5 of their senses. It’s a realm rich for the Spirit to work as we enter the story with them. I was not giving a talk to them. I was living an adventure with them. We met Jesus together. It’s almost like going to camp, and when you come home, you share memories that stay over the years. This felt much more like that than a club talk. Hey, remember the time we were out on the sea fishing and we saw Jesus?!
I am going to use this more often. It’s another tool to reach and connect with our friends and Jesus. You know. Lectio Club Talkina.
Last spring one of our staff held a day camp and asked me to speak. On the last day that I spoke, I was in John 21, which is one of my two favorite stories in the New Testament. God, in His spontaneous craziness, gave me an idea just as I was about to begin. Rather than talk to my friends, why not live the story with them? It was a large group of about 70 people. I prayed that God would calm distractions, and I asked them to close their eyes and come with me to meet Jesus.I then described every sensory detail of the story. Such as… it’s early morning out on the sea. It’s cool but the sun is starting to come up. We are on a boat fishing all night long with a group of friends. Can you see the clothes you are wearing? How cool is it? Can you hear the water hitting the boat? But there are no fish. Everyone feels upset. How do you feel about not being able to catch a fish all night? I’m upset and feel like a failure at this. Hey look, someone is standing on the shore. Do you recognize him? What’s he wearing? Hey he just shouted something. What a strong voice. I can hear him clearly from here.
Later I described the camp fire scene putting them in the role of Peter. I described the fire. The uneasiness about Jesus. The fish. The bread. The smells. And when we got to the part of the story where Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love Me?” I subbed in kids’ names who were in the room, and asked them, “Do you love Me?”
As I was in the middle of this guided club talk, I knew they were there. They had left the building for the Sea of Galilee and a meeting with Jesus. It was powerful and so helpful as we engaged with the story afterwards. They had already been there and lived the story. So now we could talk about it and ask questions. I was amazed at their attentiveness.
What did I learn that day? I was reminded of our friends’ ability to imagine and grasp with all 5 of their senses. It’s a realm rich for the Spirit to work as we enter the story with them. I was not giving a talk to them. I was living an adventure with them. We met Jesus together. It’s almost like going to camp, and when you come home, you share memories that stay over the years. This felt much more like that than a club talk. Hey, remember the time we were out on the sea fishing and we saw Jesus?!
I am going to use this more often. It’s another tool to reach and connect with our friends and Jesus. You know. Lectio Club Talkina.
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