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A Good Story
September 14, 2025
A magician, a medium, and a minister go camping together in farm country....
~ retold by Joanne Franchina
Sometimes I tell the following story during classes and other gatherings.
A magician, a medium, and a minister go camping together in farm country. The first morning after pitching their tent next to a river, they realize that they forgot to bring milk for their cereal.
The magician volunteers to cross the river, hike to a nearby farm and get the milk. The minister and medium watch as the magician walks across the surface of the river, trods on up to the farm, and on his way back, they see the magician again walking across the surface of the river with a bottle of milk held like a trophy over his head.
The second morning, the medium volunteers to get the milk, and this time, the magician and the minister watch as the medium walks across the surface of the water both going and coming.
The third morning, the minister reasons to himself that if the magician and the medium can walk on water, then his faith will carry him also. So he volunteers to fetch the milk. The magician and medium watch as the minister approaches the bank of the river . . . and splash! The minister is up to his neck in icy water.
At this point the magician turns to the medium and says, "Do you think we should have told him about the stepping stones?"
To which the medium replies, "What stepping stones?"
When I ask the group afterwards, "Was it a good story?" the response is always a resounding "Yes!"
What makes a story good?
The story is good because it is relatable. It can be customized to any audience by substituting the characters with stereotypical groups of people, or even specific people. For example, when the story was originally told to me during seminary by a classmate it began as, "A Catholic priest, a Spiritualist medium, and a Methodist minister go camping together...." You might choose to substitute the characters with political parties, head coaches of sports teams, characters in books, or family members - you get the idea.
The story is good because it relates an experience of hope: that people can overcome their prejudices - that people belonging to oppositional groups or having disparate traits can still make camp together and have a little fun.
It also demonstrates that people can overcome adversity; even people who forget important things like bringing milk on a camping trip are resourceful creatures, and if they cannot do without an item they forgot, they can usually find another way of making do.
The story relates conflict: there is there is an implied conflict of one person deceiving another, whether willfully or unknowingly, and then there is the main conflict within one of the persons, who agonizes over the supreme test of his faith.
To me, the most powerful idea within the story is that humanity, given an idea, can bring the idea to life. One person, in attempting to follow another person's actions – and despite perhaps misinterpreting those actions – can make a life-changing discovery and defy the apparent laws of nature. You believe that you can do something, and you can do it. The power of faith. The power of belief.
Never let the truth get in the way of a good story
The first time I heard the saying “Never let the truth get in the way of a good story,” was just after ordination. I remember being shocked that one of my instructors - a teacher of spiritual principles, no less - would suggest such a thing, especially because my personal motto was, and still is, Only the truth comes forth from my lips. I could not condone the idea.
Since then, I have come to understand that truth is relative; it can change over time and may have various interpretations. The closest we can come to sharing a grand truth is to say, “It is a truth universally acknowledged....” (quoting Jane Austin in Pride and Prejudice).
For example, it was a truth universally acknowledged at one time that "the sun orbits the earth." With our human limitations we cannot know with absolute certainty what is absolute truth. Perhaps a more useful question is, “Does it resonate as truth within me?”
What is truer than truth? The story
There is a quotation often cited as a Jewish proverb, “What is truer than truth? The story.” Let's consider how a story may be truer than truth.
First of all, we associate stories with the past. Early storytellers were persons of honor in their communities because they knew the histories of people and events that had a strong impact on the area.
Furthermore, we tend to assume that history is based in fact. The derivative of the word history is literally, “his story.” Historically, it was the conqueror’s story that became history. Yet it was simply one account of what happened, one version of events, and almost certainly not factual. Not even close to an absolute truth.
Finally, we identify with our stories. Our identities are intimately tied to the stories we tell, and our stories are tied to our identities. Thus with every story we tell about ourselves, we are not only relating the so-called facts as we remember them, with every word we speak we are creating the future. Therefore, I make a conscious choice to live in the present moment and to speak a greater truth. To speak the truth that resonates within me moment by moment - a truth that becomes the story of my past, my present, and my potential. And I may finish with, "That's my story and I’m sticking to it!"
Furthermore, we tend to assume that history is based in fact. The derivative of the word history is literally, “his story.” Historically, it was the conqueror’s story that became history. Yet it was simply one account of what happened, one version of events, and almost certainly not factual. Not even close to an absolute truth.
Finally, we identify with our stories. Our identities are intimately tied to the stories we tell, and our stories are tied to our identities. Thus with every story we tell about ourselves, we are not only relating the so-called facts as we remember them, with every word we speak we are creating the future. Therefore, I make a conscious choice to live in the present moment and to speak a greater truth. To speak the truth that resonates within me moment by moment - a truth that becomes the story of my past, my present, and my potential. And I may finish with, "That's my story and I’m sticking to it!"
The storyteller's creed
I’d like to leave you with some final thoughts about true and good stories by quoting from a book by Robert Fulghum titled Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.
"I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge. I believe that myth is more potent than history. I believe that dreams are more powerful than facts. I believe that hope always triumphs over experience. I believe that laughter is the only cure for grief. And I believe that love is stronger than death.”