Connections

In February 2009 I was at the Joey to the World conference in Houston, Texas. Thank you to my hosts for the opportunity and all their generosity. With the conference attendees I shared some of these thoughts on “connections.”

“Can you hear me now?” has become regular cultural verbage. Cell phones keep parents connected with kids and keep kids connected with their friends. Cell phones usually give instant connections. Distance is no longer an inhibitor for people connecting.

Did you know? More than 150 million Americans (over ½ the population) have cell phones. The number of cell phone users is growing at 15% per year. In 2002, half of all teens (aged 12-17) had cell phones. A 2008 report states that 15% of 2-4 year olds use cell phones! People hope to instantly connect!

I’ve been involved with summer Bible camp in central Wisconsin for a number of years. To find a cell phone connection I’ve had to drive two miles outside the camp up onto a tall hillside. Reception is best at night. I had to work to find a connection.

Our lives find fulfillment and satisfaction through the connections we make. We have an incredible tool to use in making connections. NO---not a cell phone. We are able to use this art of clowning.

How many times have you been in a store when you saw a small child. You smiled at the child and wanted to interact. But, you were not “in clown”. You smiled, or waved, or joked and the child scurried away because you were a stranger—someone people warn children about.

But if you had been wearing the clown nose you would have received a different response. The nose becomes a connecting point. It doesn’t just connect to your face. It connects you with your audience!

Laughter is another great connecting point. When people laugh together, relationships grow. Stress is released. Laughter connects the audience to the performer. It also connects audience members to each other.

Many ministry clowns want to do heart-touching clown dramas. Their goal is to bring a tear to the onlooker’s heart. I’d recommend starting with laughter first! Laughter opens the heart’s doors, and then the clown may reach in and touch the soul. But don’t start your presentation by trying to do heart-tugging stuff. Start with laughter. That’s the initial connecting point.

At the conference I shared, “Authenticity is the glue that connects the nose to the flesh.” People relate to the realness inside of you. Don’t just put on an act, but allow the exaggerated fun-house mirror image of you to flow out to your audience. The realness of you is what people will react to.

When using a prop, realize that it’s only a tool for connecting. A walk around prop gives you the excuse to start talking with people. The magic trick gives an agreed upon focal point which begins a shared experience. The magic is not in “the trick”, the real magic is in the experience of normal people connecting with a clown.

Balloon artistry is impressive. But more importantly, connect with your patrons! Be funny. Genuinely be interested in their thoughts—their lives. The balloon becomes an excuse to connect. The balloon is not the “end-all.” The balloon is the means to the end—which is shared relationship.

As a clown you are connected to history. Those who have come before have paved the road for us. You may learn much about good comedy, effective presentation techniques, creative ideas and more! Clown history provides an incredible foundation you may build upon.

Realize that you also are a part of making history. All you do either makes it easier, or makes it harder, for those who follow you. What mark are you making in history? Those audiences will have a better view of clowning, or a poorer view, based on their interaction with you.

As you clown you are connected to a wonderful family of friends. Through clowning I have met friends that are closer than “blood” relations. I’m thankful for this family of loving, caring, funny folks!

Lastly, we connect with people to connect them with the love of God. God is about establishing relationships. Jesus the Son came to reveal the Father to us...so we could be connected where we were spiritually separated. Scripture uses the word “atonement” describing what spiritually was accomplished through the sacrificial system. The word “atone” literally means “at-one.” We were split apart from God because of our sin, but because of Christ’s sacrifice we are no longer separated but now are brought back into a relationship – no longer on two separate sides, but “at - ONE.”

Jesus prayed twenty-one individual unique prayers. Everyone of them he started off calling upon his Heavenly Father. He was connected. Jesus came not to start a new religion, but to bring healing to broken relationships. We are now connected to Christ and through Christ.

Focus on these connections and you will experience incredible connections in your clowning.