Journey through The Story!

The Story is a book of selections from the Bible, arranged chronologically, that reads like a novel. During this unique 31-week experience (Jan 2023 - Aug 2023), every member of the family reads their own version of The Story. Come discover together with us how our story is found in God’s story!

HOW THE STORY WILL INFORM YOUR READING OF THE BIBLE

The Bible contains an Upper Story and a Lower Story. The Upper Story tells the big picture, the grand narrative of God seeking relationship with mankind as it unfolds throughout history. The Lower Story contains the details of particular people, the episodes we’ve become familiar with: Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, the flood, etc. This Upper Story is really a framework around which we approach and apply any one part of the Bible. It unifies God’s whole message to us and helps guide us through the hard times in life by doing two things:

  1. reminding us of God’s eternal, long-range plan and,
  2. putting our experiences into a divine context formed by a perfect Creator.

For example, without the “Upper Story”, a lost job could be seen as an event without hope. But put into the context of the larger chronicle of our lives, and God’s perfect design, that lost job can be seen in a very different light, perhaps as an opportunity for God to reveal something better.

GUARD AGAINST MISAPPLICATION

So, by putting all we read into the larger picture, we can make modern-day application from the Bible that takes into account the grand, mysterious ways of God, and guards us from misapplications that can result from an isolated “what this verse says to me” approach. In other words, the Upper Story creates the context for the Lower Story.

We want to use The Story to help everyone gain a better understanding of the big picture of the Bible and to better understand God’s redemptive plan for us today. As we journey together through The Story we will take note of both the temporal events and characters (Lower Story), as well as the eternal purpose of God: to restore and build a relationship with His creation through His Son, Jesus Christ.

WHAT DO I NEED TO START THIS JOURNEY? 

Scroll down to the bottom of this page to learn more about the various books, videos, and study tools to start your journey and study of God's Word and His Story! 


View Timeline with Movements (PDF)

REFLECTIONS ON YOUR JOURNEY

Questions to reflect on and prepare for your journey:

  1. Who in your life has been the most influential in your spiritual journey? Why?
  2. Has your experience with studying and learning the Bible been fulfilling or frustrating? Why?
  3. Do you have a favorite Bible story or Bible character? What is it about the story or character that most fascinates or resonates with you?
  4. The Bible has been attacked by skeptics for centuries. A July 9, 2008, headline reads, “Dead Sea tablet casts doubt on death and resurrection of Jesus.” The DaVinci Code is on the national bestseller list for weeks. Other religious groups declare that the Bible is full of inconsistencies and is therefore untrustworthy. How have similar experiences impacted your personal trust in the Bible?
  5. List a benefit (or two) that you expect to personally experience from going through The Story. How do you think our church as a whole will benefit?

Reading Schedule | Devotions

READING SCHEDULE

The following PDF devotional resources are 31-week compilations of our journey through the Bible, as guided by The Story, created by various content authors and "alumni churches" that have gone through The Story together. Peruse these resources and find a devotional series that meets your individual or group study needs. 

PARENT'S PAGE

Provides discussion and activities appropriate for preschool through high school ages.

ADULT DEVOTIONS

Designed for individual devotional use.

THE STORY FOR FAMILIES

Written for use with late-elementary children, using the 'The Story for Kids' book.

MEN'S BIBLE STUDY

For group discussion and study, providing fill-in blanks to capture important points.

WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY-LEADER'S GUIDE

Notes and teaching prompts for leading the following Women's Bible Study.

WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY-HANDOUTS

For group discussion and study, providing space for responses and thoughts.


STUDY RESOURCES

The Story | Adults

Recommended for all adults desiring to better understand God's Big Story as revealed in the Bible.

Adult Study Guide

For individual and small group use to help each person get the most from their journey through The Story. The Study Guide helps you to dig deeper into God's story through personal study and group discussion. This resource makes use of the Video Curriculum.


The Story: Student Edition

Reveals the unfolding, grand narrative of the Scriptures. Using clear, accessible text of the New International Version, this rendering of the Bible allows its stories, poems, and teachings, to come together in a single, compelling read. 


Elementary | Grades 4-5

Early Elementary | Grades 2-3

Preschool | 4 yr - Grade 1


Go Further

Now that you have found your story in God's Story, go further and get to the Heart of God's Story. Resources available online.

The Heart of the Story, now revised and expanded to include new stories and opening summaries for each of the thirty-one chapters, will open your eyes to God's master plan unfolding in the lives of the Bible's characters--and in your own life. Discover the heart of God's story, and the joy that comes as you align your story with God's.

Can be used with the Video Curriculum.

God's Story Your Story  | Adult Edition

Do you long for meaning? To know that your life has purpose beyond what is seen in the day-to-day? On the surface, life can seem like a disconnected string of events. One day you're celebrating the birth of a child, the next you're mourning the passing of a beloved grandparent. At times, we soar with victory and at others, we languish defeat. Is there a through-line to the ups and downs of life? Max Lucado uses the structure of the New Testament as a guide in God's Story, Your Story, and weaves together Biblical and personal stories. In order to understand our own personal place in the cosmos, Lucado offers us a change of perspective-the opportunity to see beyond the microcosms of our own lives, into our place among the greater whole of God's work.

God's Story Your Story | Youth Edition

In Max Lucado and Randy Frazee’s new title for teens, More to the Story, readers thirteen to fifteen will be introduced to the Bible as a story with a definitive narrative and story for their lives. By applying the words of the Bible to teens’ lives, in the style Lucado and Frazee are known for, teens will be enriched and engaged in new ways. And as a teen adaptation of their adult title About the Story, both teens and adults can engage with the message in the way that suits them best.


VIDEO CURRICULUM 

"Getting to the Heart of God's Story"

The Story video curriculum is a 31 session study that offers individuals and groups of all sizes the opportunity to learn, discuss and apply what they are experiencing through the 31-week church-wide study. The video content assumes the participant is reading through The Story, as each 10-minute video session reflects on the related chapter reading from The Story.

To get the most out of the video curriculum, pick up a copy of the associated Study Guide, which helps you see and more fully understand The Story and the biblical Scripture to which it points. The Study Guide is available in the Fellowship Hall.

Join us on Wednesdays at 11:00 AM or 6:00 PM in-person.

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