Tell your family’s story of faith. If your ancestors were immigrants, your family faith story may begin with something like “by faith my great-great-great grandparents left the home and land they knew and came to America in search of a better life.”
Ancient Israel as God’s Archetypal Family
May 24, 2022 by
The story of Israel is then an archetypal story. All families of the earth share similar stories about their emergence as a people, the land or space that they inhabit, and the challenges and obstacles that they have overcome.
Formations 02.06.2022: The Real Story of Noah’s Ark
January 30, 2022 by
During their early years, whenever my kids needed a doctor’s visit, their favorite exam room was the Noah’s Ark room. Its focal wall boasted a beautiful mural of the delightful image many of us bring to mind when we think of that story.
Flame: David and Goliath Balloon Inflation Trick
October 13, 2020 by
We acted out the story of David and Goliath, focusing on the fact that, though others thought that David had no chance against Goliath, David trusted God and God was able to use him and the skills he had.
Formations 12.29.2019: I Love to Tell the Story
December 22, 2019 by
I love the music ministry at my church. Our music minister is an accomplished choral director with a PhD, our accompanist is a highly trained organist and music scholar in her own right, and the church’s musical offerings are always top-notch.
A View from the Pew: Hearing the Story
December 19, 2018 by
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” aired in 1965, and a generation formed an indelible association with the passage from Luke 2 and the recitation of the Christmas story by the character Linus Van Pelt. Born in 1970, I am definitely of that generation.
Knowing the End of the Story
March 27, 2018 by
The last week of Jesus’ earthly life begins with eager expectation and joyful celebration. Enthusiastic, palm-waving, hosannas-singing crowds welcome Jesus to Jerusalem. The news of his raising Lazarus from death precede his arrival and his fame has grown.
Formations 03.04.2018: Jesus Shows Compassion
February 25, 2018 by
My granddad died well before I was born. What I have of him has been given secondhand—ties and desk ornaments, pictures and stories. Among the easily believed and even the photographed, some stories are harder to accept. One of these is a healing story.
Flame: The Calling of Levi with Colored Cards
September 19, 2017 by
We’re always trying different ways to tell stories in visual ways, so here is what we tried in our scaled-down summer group (3-11 years old). We told the story of Jesus calling Levi (Luke 5:27-32) using colored pieces of paper to represent the characters.
Formations 06.18.2017: Everybody Has a Sermon
June 11, 2017 by
From 1993 until 2004, CBS News ran a feature called “Everybody Has a Story.” Someone would throw a dart at a map of the US. Then correspondent Steve Hartman would go visit the place where it stuck, pick a name at random from the local phone book, and do a story on the person he found (assuming they were willing, of course).
Connections 01.17.2016: The Story of Forgiveness
January 10, 2016 by
I’ll be honest. I was kind of hoping this was Mike Ruffin’s week to write. A bride worth waiting for and the most beautiful bride were surely easier topics than this week’s unfaithful bride.
Formations 12.20.2015: A Disturbing Story of Peace
December 13, 2015 by
It was a Wednesday-night Bible study in December. I was walking my parishioners through the Christmas story in Luke, making a point of how Jesus entered our world in lowly, unassuming, even harsh surroundings.
More to the Story
August 19, 2015 by
Is everything okay? Oh, it’s just a kid screaming near your table at Applebee’s. But you glance again when you realize it’s a 6 year-old kid.
Flame: The Pharisee and the Tax Collector
June 8, 2015 by
This week I’m going to be talking about the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. When I’ve taught this before, I’ve focused on how we come to God in prayer, but this time I’m looking at the idea of grace.
March Magic
March 26, 2015 by
Underdogs. Last second shots. A “Cinderella Story” in the middle of March Magic! That’s right. Not March Madness. This is March Magic. Specifically, March 19. Magic.
A Bunch of Stories
February 3, 2015 by
“I don’t read that article by Ronnie McBrayer,” I heard a critic say not long ago; a critic who did not know I was within earshot. “He thinks the Bible is just a bunch of stories.”