by Michael Novelli | November 21 2008 10:37 AM
I am in Nashville for Youth Specialties'
National Youth Workers Convention. Above is a picture from my hotel room – not a great photo, but you get the idea.
On Saturday I will be leading a session for youth leaders called
Shaped by the Story that will be an interactive workshop exploring Bible storying and interactive learning.
It should be fun!
Here is a link to download the handout for the workshop (requires login):
Nashville Workshop. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the resource list to find it. This handout is somewhat different than the one I used at the convention in Pittsburgh.
If you are able to attend this workshop, please leave a comment and let me know what you think!
by Michael Novelli | November 18 2008 09:16 PM
At a recent conference in Dallas I met Bryan Thompson, a great guy who runs a ministry called
Story4All. Bryan and I immediately connected because of similar interests – using story to reach younger generations – and a similar sense of humor! Story4all is based in Ireland and is part of a growing network of believers throughout the world who are committed to bringing the Story of God to all peoples through oral and visual mediums. This amazing ministry connects people from every continent to Bible Storying through resources and a stellar weekly podcast!
Bryan just posted part of an interview I did with him
HERE.
I don't know if I will ever like the sound of my own voice, but hopefully it encourages you!
by Michael Novelli | November 17 2008 03:41 PM
"It is extraordinary to me that you can find $700 billion to save Wall Street and the entire G8 can't find $25 billion to save 25,000 children who die every day of preventable treatable disease and hunger," the U2 lead singer told Clinton's fourth annual philanthropic summit in New York.
"That's mad, that is mad."
From Reuters article, "
Crisis no excuse to ignore poverty", Wed. Sept. 24, 2008
To help make a difference go to: http://www.one.org/
by Michael Novelli | November 10 2008 11:29 AM
I like text messaging and email. It is quick... and it makes me feel like I am in control. I can conserve my relational and emotional energy – something very important for an introvert.
But are those tools making me more shy and less willing to initiate more personal forms of communication?
I stumbled upon an article from last year entitled,
“Gadgets blamed for making the world a shier place” from The Raw Feed, a technology and culture blog. Here is the post:
Psychologist, Harvard Business School researcher and etiquette columnist Robin Abrahams said in a recent interview that cell phones, iPods and PCs are casing a worldwide epidemic of shyness. She said nearly 50% of people say they're shy in social situations, up from about 40% "in the past."
"People shop online, they listen to their iPods rather than the radio -- and they e-mail or text each other rather than talk. What we have is an increasingly complex social environment, combined with less practice at dealing with it because of technology."
I can picture you rolling your eyes right now... thinking,
“Please... we communicate more now! I am tired of people trying to find something or someone to blame for everything. Now we are blaming our cell phones!!”
I hear you, I hear you. I agree. But I am curious about this idea.... I have worked with teens for more than fifteen years now, and without question technology has radically changed the way they communicate over the last decade.
It does seem to me that more and more teens seem to be unfamiliar and restless with face-to-face and voice-to-voice communication. Obviously my work with teens predates our compulsive
cell-phone-as-an-appendage, texting-more-than-blinking era. And I know that talking with most teens is awkward because THEY are awkward... uncomfortable and unsettled with who they are. Insecure. (Come to think of it, so am I...) Yes... developing social skills is part of their development.
Is our obsession with technology impeding social development? I am sure it is helping in some ways, and hurting in others.
I wonder, as one who mentors and works with teens, will I need to focus more and more on helping them learn how to interact with each other in-person? ...to learn how to be “a community”? What do you think?
by Michael Novelli | November 04 2008 01:11 PM
I had a great week at Youth Specialties' NYWC in Pittsburgh. The highlight of the week for me was the workshop I got to lead with Mark Novelli (my brother) and Kelly Dolan. My part was focused on Bible Storying, while they brought context to how communication and learning have changed in our culture. I also got to meet with old and new friends. It was so encouraging!
If you were able to attend this workshop, please leave a comment and let me know what you thought!
As promised, here is a link to download the handout from the workshop (requires login):
Pittsburgh Workshop
by Michael Novelli | October 30 2008 07:41 AM
I am in Pittsburgh for Youth Specialties'
National Youth Workers Convention. On Saturday I will be leading a session for youth leaders called
Shaped by the Story that will be an interactive workshop exploring Bible storying and interactive learning. Kelly Dolan and my brother Mark Novelli from
Imago Media will be helping me facilitate this time.
It should be fun!
by Michael Novelli | October 23 2008 03:24 PM
I was searching iTunes for kid's podcasts for a trip we just took, and I found this audio story of Joseph.
To download it,
CLICK HERE.
The podcast is called
"Storynory." It contains many childrens stories with moral lessons that are really well narrated. Another reason I like it is my love for British accents!
You can also read the scripts for the stories on the website:
http://storynory.com/2008/10/05/joseph-and-his-coat-of-many-colours/
by Michael Novelli | October 21 2008 11:03 AM
Just posted 3 more narratives. I hope I caught all the typos!
Enjoy.
by Michael Novelli | October 13 2008 10:55 AM
My friend Jen Howver are celebrating the release of our new books with a party!
Imago Media is hosting this party for us this
Thursday, October 16th from 7-9pm at their office in Elgin, Illinois,
73 S. Riverside Drive.
This promises to be a fun evening with good food and great books! If you would like to drop by please RSVP now by
emailing michele.
Learn more about my book
here, and learn more about Jen and her book,
Secret Survivors, by clicking
here.
by Michael Novelli | October 01 2008 07:24 PM
I came across a great website called
Nerdbots.
Description from the website:
“Oddly obsessed with all things robot, married couple Nicholas and Angela from Kansas City, Missouri, decided on a whim one day to do nothing other than to build one themselves.
After piecing together parts found at their favorite antique and thrift stores, they created their first robot friend. Since that first day, Nicholas and Angela have added many fabulously geeky robots to their beloved robotic collection.”
What a concept… taking something considered to be junk, mixing it together, and restoring into something creative, fun and valuable. This is what we should be doing in our communities… and in our lives.
by Michael Novelli | September 30 2008 06:13 AM
My book is finally available for purchase! Wohoo! It was a long and rewarding process to bring it to completion. You can pick up a copy online in many locations, but I would prefer you buy it from MY Amazon store 'cause I get a small cut!
Click here: http://astore.amazon.com/echothestory-20/detail/0310273668/102-5802111-6312922
by Michael Novelli | September 26 2008 12:06 PM
I was recently interviewed about my book,
Shaped by the Story, on a Duluth Radio Station, WWJC AM 850. I was on the program
Northland Notebook with Ted Elm. I did not have any hunting or hockey tips for Jim, so I just talked about my book. My interview was right after William Young, author of
The Shack. Big shoes to follow! I start slow, by eventually seem fairly coherent in the interview, even though I kind of hate the sound of my own voice.
If you have 25 minutes to kill, you can download a MP3 of the interview by clicking
HERE.
http://www.echothestory.com/media/NorthlandNotebook.mp3
by Michael Novelli | September 26 2008 11:03 AM
In an effort to
feel better and loose weight, my wife and I began to drastically change our eating habits about 6 years ago. Our efforts increased 3 years ago before our son was born. We strongly desired for him to begin with a a pattern of healthy eating. It worked! He loves his fruit and veggies.
Over the last few years we have invested ourselves in being more educated about what we take into our bodies and how that food was prepared. My wife has read countless books and websites, and has done an amazing job helping change the way we live and eat.
We desire to live holistic, healthy lives... we've grown to care deeply about how the environment and animals are treated in the preparation of our food.
It has been encouraging to see a growing movement throughout North America for people to eat locally produced organic food. When we began this journey 5 or 6 years ago it was hard to find organic food outside of a limited (and expensive) selection at small health food stores. Now, virtually every supermarket provides a selection, helping make organic food more accessible and affordable.
Click here to read an article on the befits of organic food.
This has not been easy. We still have "bad days" where we eat things outside of the norm. Often when I do eat something greasy or filled with preservatives, my body expresses it's disdain in not-so-pleasant ways!
We have made a commitment to spend less in other areas in order to eat better. We eat out way less, pack lunches, and purchase more than 80% organic. We have also started trying to buy and support locally grown food. Recently we visited an amazing farm near our home called the
Heritage Prairie Market, that educates children and adults how to eat better and grow their own food. Very cool.
We want to start a garden in our neighborhood this spring, as a place to connect and encourage each other toward better living.
This is something we have no experience with, but are excited to experiment and learn!
Tell me about your journey to get healthy and eat better... wherever you are at!
(Subscribe if you like what you're reading!)
by Michael Novelli | September 22 2008 07:57 PM
This past week I had the opportunity to be a part of the 7th Annual
International Orality Network (ION) Conference . It was a unique gathering of missions-minded leaders from all over the globe who desire to communicate God's story through auditory and visual means. I had the chance to interact with people from 5 different continents about Bible Storying, including professional storytellers, missionaries, and professors. It was humbling, encouraging and intimidating all at the same time! I found that people were hungry to know how Storying is connecting with emerging generations who are considered to be "post-literates". In my next post I will share some of my discussion points from the workshops I led at ION and hopefully get some feedback from you! I feel very fortunate to be a part of this movement and get to see what's happening all over the globe.
