How to Share Your Faith Using Frozen Grand Central Station
The world's largest train station, Grand Central Station in New York City, was turned on its head. A terrorist threat? A sniper? A transit worker strike? None of the above.
The attention-grabbing event involved over 200 improv actors who agreed in advance to freeze at the exact same second in the middle of the busy train station. For five minutes the Main Concourse of NYC's Grand Central experienced a pause in the usual mad-cap rat race. Commuters and tourists stopped to notice and ponder the odd phenomenon of a couple hundred stock-still individuals frozen in time.
Reactions ranged from bewilderment to concern, but in a city noted for its steely determination to ignore the unusual, "the big freeze" got the attention of everyone present. Something radical and intriguing was going on that just couldn't be ignored. And because the moment was captured on video, even those not physically present at the time could join in on the experience via You Tube, pushing the Frozen Grand Central event high on the list of most linked videos.
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In a culture saturated with ads and mega-marketing campaigns designed to grab our attention, it's interesting that 207 people simultaneously stopping and freezing in silence could generate so much attention. Maybe there's something to be learned here about using the creative and the out of the ordinary to pull people up short and redirect their attention.
How about you? Are you living a life that catches your friends off-guard and grabs their attention – not for the purpose of drawing attention to yourself per se, but for the purpose of drawing attention to the one you serve – Jesus? As followers of Jesus, we're called to live our lives differently than the rest of the world. Jesus put it this way:
"You are the light of the world - like a city on a mountain, glowing in the night for all to see. Don't hide your light under a basket! Instead, put it on a stand and let it shine for all. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father" (Matthew 5:14-16).
Jesus is challenging us to be light - to live our lives in such a radical, revolutionary way that our friends can't help but take notice. And as you verbalize to others the work God has done in your life, the ultimate glory will go to Him.
Part of being a light in your world is sharing the Good News with your friends who need Jesus. You can even use the Frozen Grand Central Station video to generate some conversation that involves talking about spiritual things. Here are some ideas to help you get started:
• Get your friends to watch the video. Then ask them if they are amazed at how much attention doing something unusual like freezing in place can generate.
• Have you ever done anything 'radical' that attracted a lot of attention?
• Can you think of something positive and creative you could do that would be unusual and attention-getting and fun, while turning people's attention toward God?
• Ask your friends if there are any particular people they think of when they hear the term 'radical'? Who? Listen, then take the opportunity to share why you think of Jesus as a radical revolutionary. For help with this, check out the Soul Fuel article Would You Improv for God?
• What do you think it might look like to live a 'radical' life for Jesus?
Jesus' followers turned their world upside down for God, with the result that the message of Christianity spread like wildfire. Are we doing what we can to turn our friends' attention toward God and His Good News?
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Jane Dratz works for Dare 2 Share Ministries in Arvada, Colo., a ministry committed to energizing and equipping teens to know, live, share and own their faith in Jesus. For more information on Dare 2 Share Ministries, please visit www.dare2share.org. Send feedback to [email protected].
