Jesus Calling

Our next guest is Melina Luna Smith, the executive director of Storymakers NYC, who shares with us how we can use art and imagination to bring the stories of the Bible to life for kids, reminding children that they’re never alone in God’s big story.

Melina Luna Smith: Hey friends, my name is Mel, and I’m the Executive Director of Storymakers NYC. I am the mom of two teens, Sophia and Henry, and my husband is a pastor here in the heart of Manhattan.

I’m a kid far away from home here in New York. I was born and raised in Tucson, in Phoenix, and I grew up in the church, and I would go to church with my dad all the time. He’s a worship leader, and he would take me on many trips to Mexico to work with pastors and families down in Ensenada, and that is one of the most significant markers, I would say, in my life—going down and spending time with people who just were full of joy and excitement in the Lord in a way that I didn’t see back at home. That played such a big mark in my life, connecting with people I never knew, but we are all connected around God’s big story.

I loved being in the desert, and my imagination was always wild. I always loved imagining other worlds, and possibilities. And so tethering my experience in Mexico and my wild imagination, I can see in hindsight that God was preparing a way for me to create something new and fresh in the world for kids and teens. 

Engaging Kids with the Story of God

When I took on kids and family programming here at our church, I took a look around at the landscape of what was available in terms of content. What was available were things that felt very entertaining and consumer driven, just like, fast food vibes, right? Or you had things that were theologically deep but not that visually compelling or creatively engaging. So you kind of have these extremes of either entertainment at play or you had deep stuff that was not going to connect with kids. So we wanted to create a world that was in between that space, right? We’re holding truth and we’re telling kids real stories that are compelling, full of drama, God’s in the mix of it, there’s a lot of redemptive narrative happening in the mix of it, and at the same time, drawing them in through creativity, play, embodying the story. So we wanted to mix those things up because [A], we want kids to be engaged with the story, and [B], we really want them to walk away with information and an experience that is meaningful and that is going to shape and form them, so that they know that God is with them, for them, now and always. 

“We want kids to be engaged with the story, and we really want them to walk away with information and an experience that is meaningful and that is going to shape and form them, so that they know that God is with them, for them, now and always.” – Melina Luna Smith 

God is the ultimate story maker, and we are story makers too. And I saw that most significantly in my time as a behavior therapist when I was working with challenging teens and kids. And I always found that art builds connection, and I thought that this must be rooted in the fact that we were born to be creative, and that we are born to be in community with one another. 

“God is the ultimate storymaker, and we are StoryMakers too.” – Melina Luna Smith

Our church didn’t really have a program when I came on the scene here, and I thought, That’s really not good! Because when I was a kid, I knew that these stories were really important for me. They helped me feel anchored, and when I was afraid, I knew that God was for me and with me because He was with Daniel in the lion’s den. And He was with Noah when he was in the ark. And so out of that, I wanted kids to know that God was with them and for them. And how could we bring that tangibly, directly to them? 

Just as Jesus would always bring the parables to the listeners, He was drawing a story. He was drawing a picture of what was heavenly truth for us to hear, and so I thought, I think we can do something like that. 

“Just as Jesus would always bring the parables to the listeners, He was drawing a story. He was drawing a picture of what was heavenly truth for us to hear, and so I thought, I think we can do something like that.” – Melina Luna Smith 

We’ve all been in those Bible studies where we read a passage to a group of kids and they’re like, “Well, what do you think? How do you feel? How have you seen yourself in the story?” And it’s sorta crickets, especially with teens. Maybe your own kids are coming home from school, like, “What’d you do today?” “Nothing.” That’s super common. 

When we built StoryMakers, I was really hoping to build a connection between grown-ups and kids. We always integrate social emotional cues and questions so that bigs and littles can hear from one another and be connected around like, “Hey, I’m afraid of the dark too, but what’s so great about the dark?” And be able to share that experience, and for them to know that the grown-ups are afraid of things as well. 

Stop, Breathe, and Pray

Walt Disney said, “Our imaginations grow flabby over time.” And I used to think that was true for grown-ups, but I actually think it’s not true. I think that our imaginations just go towards the negative. And so what we begin to imagine is a negative. And so when you’re thinking about your kids, you always want to keep the imagination towards the positive, right? It’s really about quality versus quantity. And so it’s all about making small connections and making small wins. 

So when your kid comes home from school and maybe they’re not super expressive, or you can tell that they’re tired, exhausted, and maybe they have a lot of big feelings—this happens often when you’re getting ready for school or when kids are returning home from school. Make a pathway forward with your kids in ways that are small and tangible. Hve curiosity about your kids and ask them questions that are not right on the nose. We’re trying to spark curiosity. If they expect you to ask the same kind of question every day, they’re not going to be responsive. Right? But if you have an element of curiosity or surprise when you’re engaging your kids, that’s going to shift the space and the room entirely. 

When we come home, when we’re at the end of a day, or when we’re starting our day, what are the significant pieces that make our days work? What are the routines? What are the rituals that we have that make our days go well? Kids need the same kind of care and they need the same type of approach. 

Have that moment of connection and just to take the minute to say, “We’re going to stop, we’re going to breathe and we’re going to pray, and you get sixty seconds, and then we’re going to move forward to the next thing, whatever the next thing is, we’re going to put our shoes on. We’re going to go in the car. This is what’s happening next.” And for them to be able to begin to build resiliency and understand, If I stop, if I breathe, if I pray, then I’m going to feel better about stepping forward into whatever is ahead that feels like an overwhelm, whatever that may be. Grown-ups, I know we all have our own time constraints, and we all have to be places and we have our schedules. And so oftentimes we feel like it’s an overwhelm to let kids win in terms of them taking up too much time in a tantrum or big feelings. I always say put on a timer, let them have a moment of thirty seconds, and then we’re going to regroup, and then we’re going to move forward. They’ve had a moment to feel what they need to feel. And then you step in and offer a pathway forward to stop, breathe, and pray. 

This is an excerpt from Jesus Listens for Kids, : 

Dear Jesus, 

Help me remember that challenges and troubles come and go. But You are always with me. 

I’m so grateful that You are writing the story of my life! You can see the whole story all at once. So You know everything that has happened and everything that will happen—from the moment I was born until I meet You in heaven. You know exactly what I’ll be like when I’m living in heaven with You. Meanwhile, You never stop working on changing me. You’re always helping me become the person You created me to be. Your Word comforts me and tells me that I’m already a member of Your royal family. 

In Your comforting Name, Jesus, 

Amen