Image by Steve Haselden from Pixabay

          At the end of January, I completed the first draft of my eleventh book, (my second worship resource), Dipping Your Toes, Too. The manuscript is filled with stories, mostly small and personal, that connect the Bible to my life. My hope is that they will do the same for all who read or hear them. Stories are important.
Recently, I read Richard Wagamese’s book, One Drum. He says, “The truth of our interrelationship with each other is that story is our most powerful commonality…” We tell stories when we gather our families together. Valentines Day is coming, a day that we fill with stories of love. Often people ask me, “How did you and Tom get together?” I love that question. It gives me a chance to tell our story. If I don’t make it too long, and I fill our story with interesting details, the questioners listen, and often shake their heads with wonder. Our love story is not the usual love story for my generation.
Our Bible is full of stories with very little detail. We can read through them quickly. We often think there is not much of a story there. In order to hear the connectedness for our lives, we have to stop and imagine ourselves in the story. Only then do we remember our own stories and hear God’s message, just for us.
For example: The Bible tells us that one day when Jesus was teaching his followers, he placed a child in the midst of them and said, “When you welcome a little child like this, you welcome me and God who sent me.” That story is so short it flies right by us like a summer breeze. So, I chose to focus on the child. In my imagination I named him Cain. Why did Jesus choose Cain for his illustration. What effect did it have on Cain.
In my heart I became Cain, a problem child who was always in trouble. That’s why Jesus noticed him. My imagination filled in all the missing details. I wrote Cain’s story and titled it, The Bad Boy.
Every time I tell that story, someone says:
“You were talking about me today. When I was little, I needed
that love that Jesus offered that child. I was always isolated,
criticized. I never did anything right.”
Or
“I remember my big sister, loving me even though I wiggled
and teased and did nothing to earn her love. She changed
my life because she loved me.”
People resonated with Cain and found acceptance.” And so I looked at more Bible stories and wrote more first person accounts.           The Bible is so relevant for our lives. Stories, particularly our Bible stories, can open our hearts to God. When we take time to listen to or read our Bible with our imaginations, God slips in through the cracks of our heart. That’s one important way we hear God’s word for us today. Try it. Pick up your Bible. Place yourself in the stories. You will be filled with wonder by the messages God has for you.