A reluctant storyteller is forced to change her mind
In 2010 I went to my first Wycliffe storytelling workshop (in Victoria) and was struck by the number of people who are desperate to encounter God but don’t even know it yet. At the end of that first workshop, the leader said, “Now go home and tell someone a story.”
“No way!” I went home and said “God, that workshop was awesome, but I am never EVER telling anyone a Bible story. How ridiculous!”
The very next day I was at work, giving IV fluids to a sick calf in the middle of a paddock, and the farmer asked, “So what did you do on the weekend?”
I mumbled, I hedged, I eventually admitted I went to a Bible story telling workshop. “A BIBLE story workshop! What?”
As much as I tried to avoid telling a story she asked for so many explanations and clarifications that I eventually caved and told her the only story I could think of at the time – Zechariah and Elizabeth getting pregnant.
After the story, the farmer said, “Wow. Oh I am so glad you told me that. I used to be Christian. But I haven’t been to church in 40 years. I’m going to have to go back this weekend, aren’t I?
Sigh. “OK, God, you win, I’ll tell Bible Stories.”
So I did – at work to my colleagues, to my clients, to my friends at church, to my non-Christian friends I visited. Eventually I realised that full time work was getting in the way of this unofficial ministry. I didn’t need a full time wage, so I left my job and have been working casually – enough to support myself.
I’ve used stories since then in church, in sharing one to one with people, in various holiday camps for high school students, Bible studies for international university students, mentoring others, growing myself, running a bible study at my old church and… I don’t know, millions of ways. The stories I can tell about the stories I have told sometimes sound incredible even to me – and I was there!
Excuse the length of this testimony. Bible story telling opened my eyes to the single most important thing in life – God. I get a little excited by it.
It has also opened my eyes to the value of scripture – getting Aussies engaged with the Bible (and that means Christians as well as non-believers) and then to all those people in countries that have NO access to scripture, even if they were desperate to hear from God. Story telling to international students is like sending missionaries back to their home country.
Now I’m a Wycliffe storytelling advocate for south-east Queensland. Part of this role is running three day training workshops for churches, Bible colleges and other groups.
Used with permission of SF.
