Easier to Tell Others Story With Passion

"I'm amazed that you made decision not to cancel the workshop even it's on the day of your wife's big surgery. I'm also amazed how much your wife supports you and your decision in any circumstances. What a faithful wife she is and what a faithful servant of God you are. There are many things we learn from you. Thank you for not canceling it.

"It was a life-changing experience in my Bible reading. There are many things I found out about the passage we used in a workshop. I knew people in the Bible have feelings and so does God but it was a great reminder of that.

"This story telling makes reading the Bible very interesting and fun! I knew in my head that the Word in the Bible is alive but now I can 'feel' and understand that in my heart.

"I think the story telling is useful when I tell the Word of God to others, but also good resources and useful when I read the Bible by myself. I've always believed that I tend to remember more when I wrote down, so this was a bit challenging, but I think picturing in my head helps us remember the story and stay in my heart. Since the word of God speaks to my heart not my head, it would make it easier to tell others story with passion.

"During the workshop, we were divided into 3 tribes. I think start with small group setting was a great idea. If I have had to do it in front of everybody from the beginning, I would have been a lot more nervous.

"Although I did really bad, my instructor was very very encouraging. Her feedback were mostly positive things, which made me realized that I don't have to be perfect. I can do this because it is not me that leading the story telling but the Holy Spirit leading it. I guess it just require more practice. I hope to continue to use it among the other students with our core members and at the Bible study (with Christians and/or with non-believers.)"

International Student in USA

Ministering to Seekers

"My husband and & I continue to teach Bible stories using STS to our international students.

"Attendance has averaged 43 the past five weeks; 80% of attendees are not yet followers of Christ. The Spirit of God is touching these precious young people from 8 different countries.

"We are soooo blessed and compelled to pass on the blessings of His word. Thanks for teaching us. "When will you do another seminar in So. CA? I want to continue to learn to do this method well so I can pass it on to many others."

CA, USA

Simply The Story for ESL

Since we moved to this rather big city, I have been teaching ESL [English as a Second Language] to gals from Egypt, Syria, Yemen, etc. who barely speak any English; therefore I have not been able to use my Storytelling skills. But recently I substituted in the advanced class (who are fluent in English!).

I shared about King Solomon, who settled a dispute between two prostitutes who both had given birth to babies, but one of the babies died. Both women claimed to be the mother of the living child. The king asked for a sword to cut the live baby in half and give one half to each woman (1 Kings 3:16).

Anyway, after telling the story, I was so surprised how enthusiastically the class responded. They recalled many of the details. They participated in sharing observations, they split up in groups to repeat the story to each other, then we had four women volunteers to repeat the entire story in front of class.

There was so much interaction and involvement, that by the time we ended, the story was told eight times! I imagine, afterward they shared with their families or friends! There were 20 ladies, and about half are Muslim. The ladies loved the class. It truly was a home run! But now they think I am a great teacher (which I am not). And they put me on the schedule for the advanced class. I told them, “As long as I can tell stories ... I will do it.” They happily agreed!

Now, I am starting to work on some of my old stories we had practiced in the past training sessions.

STS has truly been resurrected in my life and I am so excited about it.

Adult Sunday school changed to Family Sunday school

For a number of years, my husband and I taught adult Sunday school using STS. We taught as a team. My husband Chris would tell the story, and then I would ask the questions and lead the discussion. We began leading the study while attending a small country church in Texas. Our class began with 6 faithful senior adult members. The method of discovering deep truths through discussion was very new to them. But as we shared and discussed the stories, the scripture came alive to them. Over a period of 2 years our class grew to 24 members in a church of 75 attendees. One time we had been studying the book of Jonah. After discussing the first part of the story where Johan attempts to run away from God, James, an 84 year old man said, "I've heard that story since I was a small boy, but I never knew you could take it personally until today." 

A few years later we moved to Hemet, California to volunteer at STS headquarters. Our new church in Hemet opened their hearts to STS. We've held several STS workshops there over the last 5 years. We're so thankful to say that 4 of our elders have attended workshops as well as our then associate pastor. With our pastor retiring, he will now be our new senior pastor. Our church is so open and receptive to God's directing. We had been teaching an adult Sunday school class there for 3 years. But in the early fall of 2022, we were lead to open our class to families. Our church said "Go for It!"

Our family class is now for all ages. We have senior adults, young adults (20 -- 35yrs), and families with children (ages 3-14). Having families attend is making a big difference to everyone. The impacts we've seen include: 

• Families love going to the same class. Families have a common scripture to continue to discuss and share through the week
• Learning to tell and then discuss a story has helped make family devotions come alive
• Adult members have been amazed to learn from the children as God reveals spiritual truths they share in discussion
• STS is a tool that helps unite a church as we experience that the Holy Spirit speaks to all ages. We don't need to separate the children or speak down to them; they see and apply truth from the same story as the adults.
• Learning the story all together helps adults to remember as well as the children. As several members have said, "The stories stick!" 

Youth Leading in Workshops

When our girls were younger, I used take them out on workshop trips (as their school or holidays permitted). On one occasion we were flying through London and my oldest (aged 17) got into telling the "One Leper" story (Mark 1:40-45) to a family. As we discussed being unclean in that story, a girl beset daily with strong fits--a minimum of two every day, often more--went into a bad one. We prayed for her and she was delivered of several demons. Several years later that family testified that the girl had not had one single fit since that night.

On another occasion all three daughters helped us lead small groups in an STS workshop in Peru. Our youngest daughter was only twelve at the time and capably led a group of men from a remote tribal group deep in the Amazon. 

At one point during that workshop, a man fell from a home built on stilts. The man was seriously injured. I asked our middle daughter (aged 15), who like her sisters had learned three Bible stories for the trip, to tell the story about the young man who fell from a window when Paul was preaching (in Acts). God worked through that story and by His Spirit to bring healing to the Amazonian man who had fallen. The whole village heard and saw the miracle. 

My youngest, when she was 15 years old, also helped lead small groups in local workshops I led in Ireland. That year, she also travelled with me to lead small groups and present illustrations when we led several training events in Egypt.

But Who Will Teach?

"There was this English missionary who had been working in Thailand in a youth facility for delinquents. He and a Thai pastor working together had managed to lead some of the street youth to Christ. He was discipling about seven of them and brought them to our 4-day STS workshop.   
  
"These rowdy ex-street boys, a mixture of Thai and tribals, at first joked around and disrupted the training. But all the time they were absorbing the stories.   
  
"We ended on a Friday, and on Saturday they were scheduled to give their regular presentation at the facility for delinquents. Usually these street smart youth only played music (while the missionary gave the message). This time the missionary decided to try an experiment and let these newly trained teenagers tell and teach the Bent over Woman story to the group.  
  
"When the English missionary told the Thai pastor that he was not going to do the program, that their new street youth would be leading, the pastor said, 'I know. They do the music. But who is speaking?'   
  
"'They are. I told you!' So much to the pastor's shock, the boys led.   
  
"It was a large group, maybe over 50. Their presentation was very impressive and surprised the missionary and really surprised the pastor!   
  
"One listener during application time... was very open and transparent and said 'I am like this bent over woman. I have been under a burden from my lifestyle and demonic involvement and I now see that Jesus can set me free.' The impact throughout was good, like that.   
"The really funny part was the reaction of the Thai Christian worker who had been discipling these youth (but hadn't attended STS). He could hardly believe the transformation in these young people, from simply musicians, who were very bashful about sharing their faith in front of their peers in a delinquent facility, to young people who through story were willing to share in front of that group.   
  
"This Christian worker was also surprised at the response of the crowd to their STS type presentation. He saw a clear contrast to the typical message the missionary usually brought."

Reframing Conversations with Teens

This testimony comes from one of our key leaders.

My wife was more the one who used STS inside the family. With my travel schedule as an instructor she was the one more steadily at home. She used it to practice her own stories and, whenever she would be learning or working on a new one she would practice with one or other of the (three) teens in our household. It rescued table conversations, which had a tendency to descend into all sorts of rubbish, and we could have non-preachy ways to get our teens into the Word, and deeply as a result.