Stories That Matter with Tyler Burns

Welcome to Risky Business with Beau York, I’m your host… Beau York, And today we are talking about the challenge of crafting stories meaning, like a deeper meaning, when you layer stories on top stories with a purpose… because you want to get a message across through the lens of a story… ok trust me I'm not going to go full inspection but speaking of Inception. Let’s talk about movies for a minute. We all love a good movie, and we all really hate a bad movie. If you think about how people will complain about a movie being a soulless cash grab, a lot of times what they are talking about is that it’s a movie that doesn't have that deep of meaning or really a story worth telling. It’s like a slot machine versus a AAA video game like Assassin's Creed or God War. You’ve got all the sensory elements there to stimulate the brain into pouring out cash but no actual substance to communicate something deeper. By contrast Early Pixar films are a fantastic example of stories that on the surface have very pleasant messages with well thought out characters that go on their own journeys, but each one also has a deeper meaning and message. This layering of story, to know the truth you want to communicate, wrapped in all of the elements that connect with the audience, it takes many if not most of us years to create just one story… but there's a group of people who do this on practically a weekly basis. Faith leaders across various religious traditions are constantly met with the weekly challenge of crafting narrative to connect their congregation to their holy texts. I’m joined today by somebody who knows this challenge all too well. Rev. Tyler Burns is a pastor, podcaster, writer, and justice advocate. He currently serves as Lead Pastor of All Nations Worship Assembly in Pensacola, Florida and is the President of The Witness: A Black Christian Collective. As a writer, he has been featured in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and Religion News Service to name a few. Tyler and I have a lot of history built up over the past 10 years of working together. We both grew up in the American church, though through different traditions, and met through an organization with a shared desire to promote justice and equity within and throughout our faith communities. And for myself, As someone who has since stepped away from the church but still identifies as a person of faith, over the past few years Tyler has not only been a close friend and confidant but also a pastoral voice in my life that I greatly value.  He's also a major proponent of the Black Church tradition and a devout student of preaching and the various styles and techniques used to connect the audience with the story. Shoutout to Father Roderick and his 'Mass For Geeks' series during the pandemic.