ADVOCATE
The story of the sex slave
By: There are lots of stories in the Bible that are never read in church, or taught in church schools, or even get discussed in adult Bible studies. They are the embarrassing underbelly of the Bible. How are we to regard them? Are they mistakes that somehow got by the...
The power of story
By: Bible storybooks Ralph Milton, Lectionary Story Bible, Years A, B, C. Wood Lake Books, 2007-2009. Illustrated by Margaret Kyle. Milton knows how to spin a yarn. An experienced and gifted storyteller, he draws the listener into the story, even when it deals with...
The power of story: A spellbindingly good tale
By: My introduction to biblical storytelling came while I was serving as a director of Christian education in a local church in North Carolina in 1990. I was immediately hooked and started telling stories as a regular part of my work. This was an easy decision since...
How has the story changed in a new generation?
By: Tell us about your spiritual journey.” The simple request hung in the air. I anxiously scanned the new members around the table. I had not been at the church long, and the congregation set in place the new member ritual long before they called me to serve...
The power of story in congregational life
By: The novelist Henry James once said, “Stories happen to people who can tell them.” In other words, learning stories helps us give shape and meaning to experience; without them, we are victims of circumstance. The kinds of stories we learn shape how we experience...
Storying to Build an Atmosphere of Trust and Mutual Respect
By: Al Mulder Storying is the telling of our stories. Although “storying” is not in any dictionary, it is part of the vocabulary at Faith Alive Christian Resources. Storying was introduced to Faith Alive by D. John Lee, a psychologist at the Michigan State University...
Telling transformative faith stories
By: Several years ago, I sat at the notorious Sing Sing Prison in New York listening to a convicted murderer tell me his story. He told me about the night he had been accused, and later convicted, of killing a 92-year-old woman after breaking into her house with two...
Pray for your friends and change the world
By: Some of my friends are becoming Christians and I am helping! I want to tell you how so that you can choose to practice those ways and teach others to do the same. But first, two stories. I arrived at the Subway restaurant a little nervous about my lunch meeting...
Living outside our silos
By: One Sunday during the adult education hour, our church youth group interviewed three elderly couples, asking questions about their lives and their faith. As the couples took turns answering the teens’ questions, the atmosphere in the room was electric. People were...
What relational youth ministry is not
By: Youth ministry is the church’s ministry, not just that of specialists who can “relate” to young people. The mandate to be there for young people belongs to the Christian community, not to any individual or group of individuals.”...