Make familiar Bible stories new again for preteens with this collection of 30 fill-in stories that will allow kids to create a crazy new story with the same powerful point. Enjoy this library of favorite Bible stories and storytelling techniques developed by award-winning author and professional storyteller Steven James. Each book includes creative storytelling techniques especially suited to help teachers tell God’s story and involve children in the Bible story.
Eight Bible stories are depicted in intense colour and comic, cartoony illustrations. There is a sentence or two explaining the scene at the top, and then details to spot, mistakes to find, and questions to answer along the sides of the picture. Was there really a fire engine on hand when Elijah prayer for fire? Were there unicorns in the garden of Eden? Children will love scouring the illustrations to find the answers and spot more amusing detail in the busy artwork of Emiliano Migliado. The stories are: The Garden of Eden, The Tower of Babel, The Golden Calf, Elijah and the Prophets of Baal, The Wise Men Visit Jesus, Zacchaeus, Cleansing of the Temple, and Paul's Shipwreck.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Relationship Goals . . . Will you be remembered as a person who claimed to follow God but liked to play it safe? Or as a person who lived your life out on the limb and trusted God enough to live in crazy faith? Noah looked crazy when he started building the ark . . . until it started raining. It was crazy for Moses to lead a nation of people into the desert away from Egypt . . . until the Red Sea parted. It was crazy to believe that a fourteen-year-old virgin would give birth to the Son of God . . . until Mary held Jesus in her arms. There are many things that seem normal or average today that at one point in time seemed absolutely crazy. Smartphones, Wi-Fi, and even the electric light bulb were all groundbreaking, history-making inventions that started out as crazy ideas. Our see-it-to-believe-it generation tends to have a hard time exercising true faith—one that steps out, takes action, and sees mountain-moving results. Many of us would rather play it safe and stand on the sidelines, but it’s crazy faith that helps us see God move and reveals His promises. In Crazy Faith, Pastor Michael Todd shows us how to step out in faith and dive into the purposeful life of trusting God for the impossible. Even if you have to start with baby faith or maybe faith, you can become empowered to let go of your lazy faith, trust God through your hazy faith, and learn to live a lifestyle of crazy faith. With powerful stories of modern-day faith warriors who take their cues from biblical heroes, Michael Todd equips you to • believe for the impossible • choose hope over fear • be alert to the voice of God • cope with loss and doubt • develop a deeper level of trust in God • speak faith-filled declarations • inspire crazy faith in others God’s not looking for somebody to give Him all the reasons why His plans can’t happen. He’s looking for somebody to believe they will happen. In fact, He has so much He wants to do through you. The question is, Are you crazy enough to believe it?
Presented here are two volumes of apocryphal writings reflecting the life and time of the Old and New Testaments. Stories told by contemporary fiction writers of historical Bible times in fascinating and beautiful style.
From a woman tricking her father-in-law into having a child together, to a talking donkey and demons being cast into pigs, theologian John Alan Turner explains what these odd stories are doing in the Bible and why they matter.
Short fiction of biblical proportions—and bent—from the science fiction satirist and author of The Godhead Trilogy. James Morrow, “the most provocative satiric voice in science fiction,” unabashedly delves into matters both sacred and secular in this collection of short stories buoyed by his deliciously irreverent wit (The Washington Post). Among the dozen selections is the Nebula Award–winning story, “The Deluge,” in which a woman of ill repute is rescued by the crew of the ark, who must deal with the consequences of their misguided act of mercy. Also included is a follow-up to the Tower of Babel fable, an unprecedented nativity, and an attempt to stand so-called creation science on its head. Nothing is spared in a collection that “deliciously skewer[s] not only Judeo-Christian mythology but other sacred cows of modern society, from capitalism to New Age spiritualism” (Booklist). “Morrow’s is a blend of parody and commentary which challenges readers to reflect upon the human spiritual condition.” —Midwest Book Review
What kind of book is the Bible? Is it a rulebook or a guidebook for moral living? Is it a history book or a book filled with fascinating (and sometimes fantastic) stories? Did humans write the Bible or did God somehow speak a perfect message that the authors transcribed? Many people have asked these questions about the nature of this beautiful, odd, comforting, disturbing book the church calls its “Holy Scripture.” Charlotte Vaughan Coyle shares her own journey to make sense of the Bible in this read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year project. She discovered that the crucial work of asking hard questions and even arguing with the Bible revealed the Scriptures to be a symphony of polyphonic voices, a work of art that paints an alternative vision of reality, a complex novel-like story unavoidably embedded in its own culture and time, and yet able to give witness to the God beyond history who has acted (and continues to act) within history. With the heart of a pastor and the passion of a preacher, Rev. Coyle invites seekers and students (both churched and un-churched) to strap on their scuba gear and join her for a deeper dive beneath the surface of this immense, colorful, mysterious world of the Bible.
God’s Story Will End Better than It Began . . . Experienced Bible teacher Nancy Guthrie traces 9 themes throughout the Bible, revealing how God’s plan for the new creation will be far more glorious than the original. But this new creation glory isn’t just reserved for the future. The hope of God’s plan for his people transforms everything about our lives today.