Cole Connection

StoryRunners Bible Storying Training: Learn to develop and share God’s Word in accurately told Bible stories. May 1^st-4^th in Orlando. E-mail Marcia.Meyer@ccci.org for further information/registration form. Let others know. Registration by March 20^th $50/after $75. Deadline April 20^th.

“The prophets of Baal… even started cutting themselves to get his attention.” Carl was telling us the story of when Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal to a contest of sorts to prove whose god was the True God (I Kings 18 in the Old Testament of the Bible). Carl is in his early to mid-20′s who has been helping our team. He normally travels with the JESUS Film recording translations of the film into new languages. Presently, he and several other JF team members are joining us to test a series of Bible stories we’ve been crafting for oral learners.

Our StoryRunner team was testing a series of stories from the Bible for how easily they would be learned and retold. This involves telling, asking questions, retelling, learning how to say things naturally and accurately to Scripture.  In this process, that phrase above stood out to me. How many times have I read, and now, heard this story? I don’t know – lots. But hearing it told in this way and in this moment God struck me with something.

The prophets of Baal had already been calling out to “Baal” for a long time. There had been no answer, so they were stepping it up a notch – no pun intended with cutting themselves. God seemed to draw my attention to what must have been their motivation. Were they desperate now? Were they so confident he would answer if he would just hear?

I don’t really know for sure, but this is what stood out to me – they were either so desperate or so confident or both that they were willing to sell out in getting their god’s attention. Calmly pressed into my heart was the realization that our God hear’s our prayers. Our God does take note of desperation and determination (or importunance as used to be the word to describe the widow in Luke 18. Perseverance is the word we’re most familiar with now.).  I was then reminded of things important to me, our family, our ministry right now that I have been praying for more often. I was reminded of many circumstances and people past that have been important to me.  And the lesson was clear to me. Well, it wasn’t just a lesson. It was also an assurance. It was as if God was saying “Pray”, “fast”, “be diligent and devoted in prayer and asking Me for those things that are important”.  Sadly, the prophets of Baal in this story had a vain if a sincerely devoted faith in him. What difference there would have been if their hope had been in the true God of Israel. What difference there will be when I diligently hope in the true God of Israel.

Thank You for hearing our pleas, our True God. Amen.

found out today that the location for testing stories is not East Asia in May, but Guatemala. There are 3 other locations, but none of them are Asia. I was looking forward to a trip to Asia sooner than later.

It impresses upon me that getting all our financial support in is so influential. When that happens we can begin to make trips to Asia, set up trainings in Bible storying, furthering God’s Word getting to unreached peoples there. We have some things happening in Asia, but we see so much more can be happening. Right now we really miss enough communication from our lead training partner and getting them to (or us) to the most strategic people. There are hundreds of unreached people groups (UPG) in our primary country focus and there are already teams in place that can send missionaries to these UPG’s – once there is someone to train them.

God willing, we will be able to help them by the fall or even sooner.

Feels like I’m on a wave that is looking to wash all across Asia to the unreached peoples of this continent. I have a meeting this afternoon about testing our stories in 4 initial locations. Looks like East Asia is one of those locations.

Something exciting like this comes regularly. I think God is moving and wants those unreached to hear His good news.

How do we reach most effectively people who can’t or won’t read?
- not by giving them something to read
- not by reading to them
- not in conceptual, literate, systematized forms

Coincidentally, the way Jesus taught the people works very the world over. Oral forms like stories are really a method to reaches all people, especially the illiterate and primarily oral learners. Mt 13:34

Got some new story assignments to work on for my team… the crucifixion story, Peter meeting with Cornelius, and the return of Christ.  Our team is working on a set of 42 Bible stories from creation to the return of Christ to help introduce over 500 unreached people groups to our savior. So cool to be a part of this process and I’m praying for the people of East Asia more than ever right now.

Have I said lately that I love my job! What a privilege to work on stories from the Bible to introduce people who have never heard of Jesus to our great savior!

StoryRunners Bible Storying Training: Learn to develop and share God’s Word in accurately told Bible stories. May 1^st-4^th in Orlando.

E-mail Marcia.Meyer@ccci.org for further information/registration form. Let others know.

Registration by March 20^th $50/after $75. Deadline April 20^th.

It was encouraging Saturday to hear from a brother in Christ from Ghana. After presenting about Story Runners including a Bible story to a group of believers, this brother unexpectedly spoke up. Apparently, Bible storying had been a significant influence in his childhood. Growing up in Ghana he’d heard preaching many times, but said it was those who taught him the Bible by story that connected to him. It laid the foundation for him to meet Jesus as his savior, rather than the literate ways others taught.

Praise God that He rescued our brother in Ghana through His story.

It’s already been a month, but our team has several months ahead working on an initial story set for equipping our ministries worldwide.  When we first interact with an Unreached People Group we select a set of Bible stories of about 20 - 50 that we initially introduce them to the God of scripture.  These sets even initially with just 15-25 stories will span from Creation to the promised return of Jesus in the New Testament. 

Remarkably (or not so remarkable as it is God’s Word), many decide to follow this man-God Jesus after just a story or two. But, of course, many need to hear more and we, of course, want them to hear much more. So we select stories spanning scripture to give them a sense of the bigger picture of God’s plan of rescue over all time. 

The whole thing is humbling–God’s story in Scripture, our selecting first stories, and then crafting those stories to be accurate to the Bible, understandable to their culture, simply told and re-told, and ultimately to see God’s Spirit bring people from every tongue and tribe to Himself through it all.