Devotions

Simply The Story is an excellent tool to enhance personal and family devotions.

Meditating on God's Word is an important aspect of daily devotions. When people learn the STS method, they learn Bible stories accurately and conversationally. We say that they then have the Bible story in their "heart pocket." Once the story is in a person's heart pocket, they can meditate on God's Word anytime, anywhere!

People frequently report to us that their devotions have been greatly enhanced because of Simply The Story. Many have said that they will never read the Bible the same again. There is a richness and depth to their time in the Word that wasn't there previously.

Nearly all who learn STS are deeply impacted. From the time they learn STS, they see more in the Word than ever before, and they are able to make personal application of what they discover. 

Not surprisingly, children love Bible stories done using Simply The Story. The same Holy Spirit who guides adults to a deeper understanding of God's Word also guides children. During family devotions, we encourage parents to share the whole Bible story with their children. Shortened, simplified versions of Bible stories found in children's Bibles can cause confusion for children as they grow up and begin to read the Bible for themselves. 

Going slowly through the story and discussing the content and high level words that a child does not yet know allows them to grow a firm and solid foundation in God's Word. The child learns not only the vocabulary, they also can engage in the discussion of the story and spiritual truths from the Bible. Many parents have been stunned to hear they depth of insight their Children bring to the Bible as it is discussed using the STS method of Bible study.

Discipleship

Effective discipleship includes building relationships, being in God's Word, and doing ministry together. This was Jesus' model. These key components of discipleship happen naturally and comfortably with Simply The Story. 

One of the first challenges a potential discipler faces is selecting a book or study guide from which to lead. With STS, the only book needed is the Bible.

When a Bible story is told STS-style, personal relationships grow deeper as a result of the discussion of the story. The Holy Spirit works in the hearts and minds of those discussing the story, drawing them closer to God and to each other. Ways to apply God's Word also become clear, leading to effective ministry.

We often hear exciting reports from around the world about how natural it is to disciple others by using STS. God's Word is indeed living and powerful, useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

Simply The Story is a powerful discipleship tool! 

Drama and the Arts

It's a fact that we remember far more of what we see than what we hear. One of the prime ways to help people understand and remember a story is to show it

We are serious about portraying Bible stories accurately and about people hearing the stories with nothing added and nothing taken away---BUT as you see in this spontaneously done video---we enjoy the freedom to show expression that is justified in the story!

Details on how we like to do dramas are on on this site. For now, you might want to see a story dramatized live on location. On a workshop trip to Israel, a highlight of our experiences was enacting Bible stories as we toured. The one you can see here, the Bent Woman, was filmed in the remains of the synagogue in Capernaum.

Below you will see photos taken of the small study groups that selected and dramatized a Bible story they had learned during the week. See how many stories you can identify.

Drama Speaks

In STS workshops and the STS Handbook, we teach the storytellers how to tell their Bible stories using actions, expressions and voice inflections so that the story can be seen and heard.

From the beginning, we emphasize that any emotions or actions shown must be justified from the text. Showing an emotion that is just your idea is adding to the Word of God, not a good idea!

To “show” a story, these are some of the skills we teach and encourage people to use.

We demonstrate actions that can show fear, greed, aggression, flight, surprise, bravery, wisdom, depression and other emotions.

Emotions can be demonstrated even through slight gestures. Then we have learners practice what they have seen and heard.

Where the storyteller stands, looks or gestures can establish the location of people, crowds, or places mentioned in the told story.

As an example, when storytellers are speaking a person’s quotes, by slightly repositioning their bodies, to be in the place and looking in the correct direction that simulates where that character is located, where he would be looking or what he would have been doing, brings life to the story.

For instance, healed people may look amazed and slowly move their newly healed body, or they may become excited and jump for joy. Hesitations in speech, and also hesitations in movement, add realism and drama to storytelling.

We always give these words of caution: “If you find that those to whom you tell the story come to you afterwards and say how great of a storyteller or actor you are, rethink your presentation. Storytellers are not the feature; God’s Word is the feature."

Too much movement by a storyteller can take away focus from the spoken words; people begin to watch the storyteller more than listening. It is best to make small movements that just illustrate the words you speak.

What you want people to say is, ‘That story spoke to me,’ or ‘I am that person in the story.’”

Toward the end of each of our workshops, we give opportunities for everyone to design and present dramas. To keep accuracy, while the rest of their drama group silently enacts the story, we have one person tell (or sing or chant) the story accurately, but with an expressive voice.

We do not have various people speak the parts of the characters in a drama because it is more difficult to have many people remember their parts than it is for one person to remember the story. Also, when various people speak the lines, even when they all do well, listeners are less likely to remember the story so they can tell it to others than when they hear a story told by one expressive storyteller.

As well, when these new “actors” forget their lines and start to make up spoken lines, the accuracy of God’s Word is lost. What then is the value of even presenting the story? Very often, out of nervousness, those words people do make up are said in jest, and and a precious story from God’s Word becomes a comedy.

Worldwide, this type of drama is a loved part of the workshop experience. We do dramas toward the end of the workshop. By then, even the shy attendees join in and become brave enough to share in front of others. Again and again, we see even the shyest people from cultures that normally do not show emotion become creatively dramatic. Humm? Maybe this is the joy of the Lord showing up?

Evangelism and Outreach

Bible stories are not just for Sunday school. They aren't just for children. They aren't just for believers.
In every workshop, we train our storytellers how to share Bible stories in a conversational way. We call these five-minute stories. Not only do we teach how to discuss a story in five minutes, we also talk about how to bridge into a Bible story in any conversation.

Parents teach their children not to talk to strangers. While this is essential instruction for our children, the problem is that when we become adults, we still don't talk to strangers. How can we share the gospel if we don't talk to people we don't know? The challenge most people face when trying to break into a conversation with someone they've just met is fear of rejection. Not knowing what to say or how to share the gospel also holds believers back from speaking up. Bible stories shared using Simply The Story, help address both of these issues.

Most Bible stories have some sort of situation that make them common to people. Whether it's fear, hunger, anger, jealousy, joy or anticipation, whatever the situation people still experience it today. Knowing a Bible story that fits with a person's situation, makes bridging into that story comfortable and natural. The beginning of sharing the gospel with anyone is getting into a spiritual conversation. When a Bible story fits with the person's current situation, the transition to that story feel natural. Once in the story, the conversation can move naturally toward our common need for forgiveness and how Jesus meets us there.

One of our senior instructors often shares how Simply The Story revolutionized his outreach and multiplied the fruitfulness of his witness. He says that while he has been in full-time Christian service for 40 years, he always found evangelism to be uncomfortable and a great struggle. That was until he encountered Simply The Story. He now testifies that sharing his faith has become so natural and comfortable, that he does it wherever he goes. He has found greater fruit in his ministry in the last 15 years, since he began using STS, than in all the years of his earlier ministry.

Join us for a workshop, either in person or online, and learn how you too can become comfortable speaking to strangers and better equipped for an even more fruitful ministry.

Family, Men, Women

Simply The Story not only impacts individuals, as the individual goes, so goes the family. So very often, even as our trainings continue throughout the week, attendees report that they took the story they just learn and shared it with their loved ones. 

A number of years ago a woman who attended a workshop shared with the group that the evening before she told a story to her family. Interestingly she felt that her efforts were less than adequate. 
When asked more about what happened, she explained, “During dinner, I told the story of Martha and Mary to my daughter, her boyfriend and my son. But I failed when I asked the questions.” Our leader, thrilled that his woman had taken her brand new skill and put it to use right away, asked for more details. This woman went on to describe how the discussion about the story had continued for nearly two hours. She added that this was actually the first time in two years that she had been able to have a conversation with her daughter about spiritual things. 

Our leader smiled and helped the woman think about what she had just said. While she felt that she hadn't used the process well, she had actually had a very meaningful interaction with her son, daughter and the boyfriend. 

STS offers a wonderful way to impact our families and draw people into God's presence through His Word.

Home School

Young children and youth respond extremely well to hearing the Bible taught using the STS approach. Using STS, children are able to understand and discover much spiritual wealth inside a story. They also can boldly tell the stories to others.

We have used STS with children and seen positive responses in those as young as 5 years old. We have successfully taught interactive Bible stories using STS to as many as 500 children and youth at one time.

Some of our STS instructors are as young as 15 years! Our sharpest young instructors are (no surprise) home schooled!  

If you (or someone you know) are interested in helping us develop a Home School curriculum, please contact us. 

Here are a few comments from some of our past workshop attendees:

"STS is a good approach for teaching children to be rooted in the Word and memorize scriptures easily."

A woman with very active children said: "I didn't know how I could effectively groom up my child in the fear the Lord. But now STS has given me a tool to introduce my child into God's Word through story telling.”