Bible Storying

The Food Stories came about by requests from Bible storyers for a resource to use in ministry during famine relief and feeding programs. This book joins The Water Stories and The Hope Stories as a trilogy for use during these seasons of disaster response and relief ministries. Many of the stories are the same as storyers use for evangelism but are here told with a focus on food, feeding, and hunger while developing a growing evangelism theme. As a Bible storyer, I noticed again and again the interest in stories about food. My desire is that these stories will catch the interest of the hungry and fill their hungry hearts while a feeding ministry fills their stomachs.

Because of the preference for no teaching, the book includes only the stories and a brief preface for the storyer. The concept for the book was based on a doctoral study that detailed the practice of certain Asian women who gathered to tell their misfortune stories as a way of discharging their emotions. The stories are arranged chronologically but can be used in any order as a resource. The chronological arrangement provides a subtle evangelistic drift that grows more intensive toward the latter stories. The story set has found wide use not only in Asia but among women of other cultures and worldviews.

Bible Storying is a rapidly growing methodology for communicating Christian truth or persons who are primarily oral learners. This collection of stories from the Bible that relate to death and dying provide those who use the Bible Storying method guidance for telling stories. These stories are especially useful for persons in cultures where there is excessive fear of death or strong concerns about loved ones who have died.

Hope Stories from the Bible present a series of Bible stories that are useful in presenting biblical truth to people who are discouraged or desperate. These stories show reasons for hope even in conditions that are far less than desirable. This group of Bible stories give assurance to those suffering a variety of difficulties.

Bible storying methodology places focus on selecting Bible stories, oralizing stories for telling, and how to tell and dialog the stories with listeners.  More attention needs focusing on the time of invitation to believe or act upon the stories.  Experience continues to teach how this may vary from people group to people group.  The book suggests some of the tested approaches and what to do when listeners respond early or do not respond as expected when an invitation is given.

The Ebenezer Stories have been prepared for discipling women believers coming from typical Asian worldviews. The purpose of the stories is to present Jesus as the One to meet family needs, so the women will discontinue seeking help from animistic practices through beseeching the spirit world or worshiping village deities. In these cultures the women are often the family intercessor for their family needs. The title reminds that Jesus is the Rock of Salvation and the Stone of Help waiting to bless the women and their families as they faithfully follow Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

Water Stories from the Bible presents a group of Bible stories centered around the subject of water. these stories have proved most effective in communicating biblical truth to people who stand in great need of water or who are experiencing some efforts to provide safe water.

Not long after the initial spread of Bible Storying a need arose to provide panoramic presentations of selected Bible stories. Since Fast-tracking is story-only, it is a form of proclamation that has proved helpful as an affirmation and review in discipling, and an effective means of probing for evangelistic interest among new listeners. Fast-tracking also provides a very powerful means of presenting the Christmas Story or the Passion Story. This book looks at an overview of Fast-tracking the Bible Stories and should be helpful to encourage and equip the Bible storyer to be prepared when opportunity occurs.

A basic book designed to guide those engaged in the method of Bible Storying in the process of preparing Bible Stories in formats that work well for oral presentation. Oralizing Bible Stories for Telling helps those who present Bible stories to non literate listeners.