Lecrae Shows Conference How Smart He Is

By Ken McCoy

Last week I attended a conference of Christian “thinkers” – folks who tend to be on the forefront of our culture and faith. Think of it as a “TED Talks” for Christians kind of thing. The topics were wide-ranging, and the presenters were just as diverse. My brain was full after just the first day’s presentations – so you can imagine what my mental state was on the second day just before lunch. (I’m reminded of this Far Side cartoon.)

When I looked at the next topic on the schedule – “Artists and Poets: What role does storytelling play in restoring brokenness?” – I was seriously thinking of turning to Rick Bundschuh, my good friend (people call us “twin brothers from different mothers”) and asking if we should just leave for lunch early.

But then, Lecrae walked out on the stage. Whoa!

For eighteen minutes (the time limit on presentations at that conference), he talked through the different parts of a story: antagonist, protagonist, struggle, and outcome. He gave some very thoughtful examples of each part of good storytelling. He showed us the video to his song, “Welcome To America.” Very cool song and even better video! He then talked through how he wrote the song from the viewpoint of three different people, and he defined the different characters and their roles in telling the story.

Lecrae’s youth ministry resources page is loaded with tools for your ministry.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who left the building for lunch with a new appreciation for the intelligence and deep thinking behind this man’s music and videos. I’m sure glad that he’s a member of Team interlínc, aren’t you?