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Much of the text in the Bible is in the form of stories. From Old Testament tales of the patriarchs to the parables of Jesus, the reader is confronted with a variety of narratives. Even in those places where Bible writers are making and explaining statements of fact, there is a story in the background. What do these stories mean?
Bible teacher, writer, and publisher Henry Neufeld thinks that's the wrong question to ask. (Yes, there are bad questions!) We spend a great deal of time trying to reduce Bible stories to a series of statements of fact, sucking the life out of them in the process. We don't understand one of the parables of Jesus better when we've come up with a moral for the story. In fact, we've lost some of the meaning.
Instead, Henry suggests learning to think more in the form of stories. In fact, he even asks us to consider looking at the stories behind the various statements of fact in the Bible, finding similarities in our own stories, and even weaving new stories from our imaginations. This, he teaches, is the best way to learn to make scripture come alive and to live it.
This collection of short stories is not presented primarily as stories to read, but as a challenge to put your imagination to work as you study the Bible-to write your own stories. When you've let your imagination break the bounds of your life the Holy Spirit can then show you how to live new stories in your own life and in your relationships with family, friends, church, and the entire world.
This book includes 25 short stories. All but two of these stories were originally published on the Jevlir Caravansary fiction blog. Two new stories, "The Magic Sword" and "The Juror's Oath" were written just for this collection. Scripture references and thought questions have been provided for each story to help small groups use them in discussions.
Come join the story!
