Paths v2n2 2013 spring

News & Views from Walk Thru the Bible

Motions and Memory: Why Kinesthetic Learning Works

The Tarahumara of Mexico Weekly Devotionals for Spring

Spring 2013

Walk Thru the Bible 4201 North Peachtree Road Atlanta, GA 30341 www.walkthru.org Volume 2, Number 2 Spring 2013 Published quarterly President Phil Tuttle Vice President for Advancement/International John Houchens Editor Chris Tiegreen Designer Michael Koiner Contributors Chris Tiegreen Dave Ball Emily Tuttle

Walk Thru the Bible ignites passion for God’s Word through innovative live events, inspirational biblical resources, and lasting global impact.

© 2013 by Walk Thru the Bible® Ministries, Inc. Contents may not be reproduced in any form unless authorized in writing by the publisher. Printed in the U.S.A. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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enjoy speaking at small churches, so when I was recently invited by an old friend to lead a men’s retreat at his church in western New York, I took him up on it. He picked me up at the airport, and after a two-hour drive, we arrived at the church before the first session on a Friday night.

The men were already there and were preparing dinner. As they were carving several turkeys, I casually asked, “What else are we having?” I was thinking side dishes. Apparently I was thinking too small. In addition to the side dishes, they pulled out eight pork loins and some prime rib. I began to wonder if this was a men’s retreat or a carnivore convention.

But nothing matched the hunger these men had for God’s Word.

I taught three sessions from the Crucible series, and man after man after man talked about how they could relate to the character of David and the battles and challenges he faced in his relationship with God and others. They were so appreciative of Crucible and very responsive to how God was connec ting His Word with the real issues in their lives. They left excited about getting together more often and diving deeper into His truth.

My experience at this small church in New York reminded me once again how many different contexts our ministry works in. This wasn’t a dramatic cross-cultural experience like much of our international ministry can be, but it was yet another picture of the need to offer different learning opportunities for different groups of people. Many of the men bought up our DVDs on the topic. Some with a different learning style were drawn more to the book. Some people connect best through a live event, while others do best in a small group or on their own. Some cultures empha size oral learning and prefer a story approach, while others gravitate toward studying an integrated package of resources. All the way around, people are hungry to get solid, biblical material if it’s presented in a way that connects with them.

That’s the key—connecting with the learning style and the heart of the learner. It’s what we do, and it’s a joy in any context. Especially when that context includes, both physically and spiritually, a lot of meat and plenty of side dishes.

Phil Tuttle President

If you are not currently receiving Pathways and would like to, email pathways@walkthru.org or use the attached envelope to let us know.

SPRING 2013

VOL. 2

NO. 2

FEATURES

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Kinesthetic Learning

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Hearers of the Word

Motions, Memory, and Modes of Learning Years after attending a Walk Thru the Old Testament or New Testament event, people remember the entire overview of Scripture. Why?

Teaching the Truth Through Stories The language of the Tarahumara, one of North America’s most isolated people groups, is rarely written. But the Bible is much more than words on a page.

22 Devotionals

Truth that Transforms Weekly readings excerpted from indeed magazine

DEPARTMENTS 4

New at Walk Thru the Bible

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Regional News

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Country Profile

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Step into the Story

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Leader Profile

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Donor Profile

Immersing whole congregations in Scripture Highlights from around the world Mexico

Interview: Sparking a Bible-Reading Movement Presenting God’s Powerful Stories James Kamau, national director for Tanzania

A Heart for Honduras Bob and Lorraine Stumbo

Cover and above: The Tarahumara people are scattered throughout Mexico’s western mountains in and around an extensive network of canyons.

What’s New @ Walk Thru

His Word, Your Life . . .

. . . and Much-Needed Help

Bringing Them Together >

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ost people who attend a Walk Thru the Old Testament event get excited about the experience.

Some even get over-the-top excited, exclaiming how well they understand the Old Testament after only a few hours. Many make a personal commitment to read the Bible every day for the next 30 days. They feel a sense of momentum. And then . . . well, that depends.

Sometimes churches follow up the Old Testament event with a reading plan or preaching series that keeps the momentum going. But more often, the momentum fades. (If you need an illustration, just ask yourself how you’re doing with your New Year’s resolutions now that spring is here.) Good intentions usually aren’t enough to keep most people in the Word day after day.

Walk Thru the Bible is beginning a pilot program that will engage the entire church community in daily Bible reading and prayer for at least six weeks. God’s Grand Story is a comprehensive campaign that will involve virtually every ministry of the participating church.

The campaign launches with a Walk Thru the Old Testament live event and then follows up with daily Bible reading, a weekly Bible study overview of the Old Testament with DVD and Guidebook, and sermons that introduce and explore the Old Testament in six major sections.

The campaign doesn’t just start the momentum. It keeps it going—officially for six weeks, but that’s long enough to dig deeper into scripture, understand its overarching story, develop new habits that can last a lifetime, and ignite

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r. Howard Hendricks, longtime professor at Dallas Theological Seminary and board member for Walk Thru the Bible, died Wednesday, Feb. 20. Dr. Hendricks, perhaps better known simply as “Prof” to many, was a profound influence in the lives of all three of Walk Thru the Bible’s presidents, and his insights into teaching significantly shaped the ministry and its resources.

Dr. Hendricks served on the faculty of DTS for more than 60 years and on the board of Walk Thru the Bible for 25 years, authored 16 books, taught more than 10,000 students, spoke in numerous countries, and was chaplain of the Dallas Cowboys for nine seasons.

Through his creative teaching style, deep insights, and memorable quotes, he became perhaps the preeminent voice of his generation in the field of Christian education. Please see the next issue of Pathways for a special remembrance of this great friend of our ministry.

a church’s passion for God’s Word. Over the course of six weeks, small groups and Sunday school classes are energized and lives are transformed. The entire culture of a church can shift in that time.

The pilot-program phase will determine whether the campaign is successful in getting people into God’s Word regularly and how it impacts congregations in the short and long terms. An independent auditor will measure results before the campaign is finalized for broader use.

The God’s Grand Story campaign is a good fit for churches of all sizes and denominations.

After this year’s pilot program (April–October), Walk Thru the Bible hopes to make the campaign widely available to all churches that want to participate. In the meantime, any church interested in trying it out as part of the pilot phase of development can contact thegrandstory@walkthu.org for more information.

For more on God’s Grand Story, see page 27. .

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Regional News South America > One of our favorite stories in Walk Thru the Bible lore recalls a Walk Thru the Old Testament training event in a remote Amazonian region of Brazil. Leaders from distant churches gathered at a church structure centrally located along the river.

“Did you learn the rest of the story? Do you know how we got here? Do you know why we’re afraid of the spirits in the forest?” They were hungry for answers and didn’t want to wait. So he got out of the boat and, knowing he would have to go through it sooner or later, began right then with the Old Testament story: “Creation, fall, flood, nations, . . .”

North America > President Phil Tuttle led a pastor’s conference at America’s Keswick in Whiting, New Jersey, in February. More than 100 pastors and spouses attended to hear the Crucible series.

Eastern Europe > Forty-seven state psychologists and counselors in Warsaw, Poland, were recently trained in Solving the People Puzzle. These professionals will incorporate the truths of People Puzzle in their own practices and in their teaching in schools. The event explores four personality types from a biblical perspective and how they relate to each other.

Western Europe >

In planning, the organizers had suggested that the New Testament event might be the most appropriate training to start with, but the hosts said they already knew that story. Some only had gospel portions, like the book of Luke or John, but they were still generally familiar with the New Testament story.

They wanted to know the part of the book they didn’t have. So the trainers prepared to teach the Old Testament.

One tribal leader canoed several days downstream to get to the event, and twice as long upstream to get back to his village. As he approached the village, the people came to the shore to welcome him. They shouted questions:

Southeast Asia > Crucible, Walk Thru the Bible’s sixsession event on the life of David, was launched in Manila, Philippines, in January, with about 1,000 people from numerous churches attending. Among attendees were more than 40 church leaders, who will teach the series and train other teachers, potentially extending the reach of the resource into thousands of churches nationwide.

Several teachers had immediate plans to teach the event to more than 3,500 people within two weeks of the launch.

Crucible has been scheduled for four Promise Keepers events and two Campus Crusade events in coming months.

Our partners at Walk Through the Bible in England celebrated a milestone earlier this year: 500,000 children who have been through the Old Testament or New Testament event in British public schools. Windows are still open in the U.K. for Bible education in schools, and the Bible Explorer teaching, as the British version of the Old and New Testament events is called, continues to be highly effective in capturing students’ interest and helping them understand the biblical story. .

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Those Cheesy Hand Signs Why Kinesthetic Learning Works

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t first, you may feel self-conscious about having to do the hand signs. Or, if you’re not a self-conscious sort of person, you notice plenty of people around you who are. They are nervously looking around the room as if to ask, “Are you sure this is okay?” only to realize it must be because everyone else is doing the same thing.

Everyone’s sense of dignity is being stretched.

If you’ve ever attended a Walk Thru the Old Testament or New Testament event, you’ve likely experienced this awkward social dynamic, but only for a few minutes. After the initial icebreaker period—and the ice always breaks quickly—participants loosen up and the event becomes fun and entertaining. In fact, many are so engaged in it that only later do they realize they are actually learning something.

During the process, something clicks. Something about the way the material is presented causes it to stick, even for those who have been going to

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church and reading the Bible for years. Participants are somehow suddenly able to absorb huge portions of Scripture that are either new to them or that they have struggled with for years.

Why? What makes this learning process different? How can people effectively learn an entire testament in a few hours and remember it decades later? How can the biblical story go from “jumbled mess” to “I get it now!” in a one-time group experience?

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s a seminary student in the early ’70s, Bruce Wilkinson realized that few people knew the whole story of the Bible. For whatever reason, they weren’t grasping the macro view of Scripture from their own reading, from the sermons they heard, or from Bible studies they attended. Most knew parts of it pretty well, but other parts were almost foreign to them.

And some, lost in the rituals of Leviticus or the obscure messages of prophets, had given up trying to understand.

Lack of Bible knowledge continues to remain a problem in churches around the world, and few resources in the past have been able to remedy that. Why? The reasons include the same ones that prompted the first Walk Thru the Old Testament event more than three decades ago:

LACK OF BIBLE KNOWLEDGE CONTINUES TO REMAIN A PROBLEM IN CHURCHES AROUND THE WORLD.

As part of his master’s thesis, Wilkinson devised a way to teach the story of the Old Testament in only one day. At first it included well over 150 memorable hand signs—more than double the 77 in today’s events—and Wilkinson soon realized the impact of the approach. In local churches and schools, people of all ages were getting excited about certain “aha moments” as they began to see the big picture of God’s story. Old truths began to fall into place in a new context.

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Walk Thru the Bible grew out of this experience.

Over the years, the Old and New Testament events have evolved to be more efficient and effective, and the ministry has added a variety of resources for individuals, small groups, and entire churches.

But the core approach of getting people through the Bible from beginning to end—whether in a one-day event, multi-session small group studies, or much longer campaigns and reading plans—has remained the same. Normal, everyday people can learn the key people, places, events, and truths of the Bible far more easily than they think.

The Bible wasn’t written as a start-to-finish narrative.

The history is patchwork, and that can be confusing to someone trying to read straight through. For example, 1 and 2 Chronicles repeats earlier histories; wisdom and prophetic books are not grouped chronologically or geographically, and their overlap with the history books is complicated; four gospels cover the same time period; and the New Testament letters fit somewhere into Acts, but sometimes we aren’t sure where.

It’s a big book with a variety of literary styles.

Some are easily accessible, and others are not. Most people read parts of it, but not all the way through.

It was written in different cultures and a different age. Battle chronicles of ancient kings? Genealogies of 12 ancient tribes? Priestly duties, rituals, obscure dietary laws, and a complex sacrificial system? This

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presents a challenge to the modern Western mind.

Most people learn the Bible by reading or listening. That sounds a lot like school. But what if their learning style is different? Or what if their learning style needs to be supplemented with others? After all, most people’s do.

Walk Thru the Bible’s approach in the Old and New Testament events addresses many of these issues.

It takes an ordered approach to biblical history.

From a human point of view, the Bible is a story of people’s experiences with God; and from God’s point of view, it’s the story of how He rescued humanity from its catastrophic fall. The live events don’t attempt to teach all the facts—where each biblical book fits and why it was written. They give the framework for the big-picture story in which they were written.

It isn’t comprehensive. The events still don’t explain all the rituals or genealogies, for example, but they offer a grid for placing them in context.

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It accommodates and appreciates the range of human learning styles. This last point is a big one, perhaps the beginning of the answers to the questions we asked earlier. How can people effectively learn the biblical story in a few hours and remember it decades later? The unique approach of the Old and New Testament events communicates enormous amounts of information through multiple channels simultaneously. It honors how the human brain was designed to learn.

IT HONORS HOW THE HUMAN BRAIN WAS DESIGNED TO LEARN.

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ust as we all have different personalities, tastes, and gifts, we also have different learning styles. Some read books while others listen to them. Some remember visual images better than they remember spoken information. Some learn everything they can about a subject before attempting to implement their knowledge, while others jump in and learn by doing. Our brains have individualized preferences for how we absorb new information.

Regardless of learning styles, however, we all have one thing in common: the more channels of communication involved, the better we learn and remember. It has been said that we retain roughly

10 percent of what we read, 20 percent of what we hear, 30 percent of what we see, 50 percent of what we hear and see, 70 percent of what we say, and 90 percent of what we say and do. So, for example, a straightforward speech would become much more effective with some visuals added to it, and more so with audio, and even more so with some sort of audience participation involved. Retention soars when we engage more senses.

Clearly, then, kinesthetic or tactile methods— teaching through physical activity—can greatly enhance the learning experience. And it’s particularly effective across cultures, which explains why the Walk Thru the Old Testament and New Testament

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events are easily adapted and widely used in more than 100 countries.

Missionary and Walk Thru the Bible instructor Larry Dinkins has researched learning styles as they relate to Thai culture, specifically using Walk Thru the Bible events as case studies. He points to 12 “signal systems” identified by former missionary Donald Smith in his studies in cross-cultural communication.

These signal systems are like pipes through which communication flows. Just as a larger number of pipes can carry more water, a large number of communication signals increases the information carried. The Old and New Testament events utilize 11 of these 12 modes of communication, olfactory (taste and smell) being the lone exception. Nearly the whole person is engaged in the learning experience.

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12 Signal Systems 1. Verbal—speech 2. Written—symbols, including text, charts, and diagrams 3. Numeric—numbers like dates and eras 4. Pictorial—two-dimensional visuals 5. Artifactual—three-dimensional object lessons 6. Audio—nonverbal sounds, including music, reflection times, and strategic silence 7. Kinetic—body motions and hand signs 8. Optical—light and color 9. Tactile—touch 10. Spatial—utilization of the space (for example, using the layout of the room as a map) 11. Temporal—strategic use of time for content and breaks 12. Olfactory—taste and smell

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his is why people can come away from a four- or five-hour Old Testament experience—we no longer call them “seminars”; they are so much more than that—with the confidence that they know the Bible better than they ever have, even when they’ve read it numerous times over the course of several decades.

They have experienced it from a fresh perspective, and most likely with the information organized in a way their brains have not yet been able to synthesize. The event presents the story without repeats, overlaps, unexplained historical breaks, and— perhaps most helpfully—without the details of genealogies, royal chronologies, and explanations about which prophets addressed which nations over which issues in which eras. It provides the scaffolding for the participant’s fuller understanding of the biblical story. It is, by definition, an overview.

And a highly entertaining one too.

diverse cultures around the world have quickly established a grid for understanding the entire Bible. It only takes a few hours, but it can frame how a person reads and hears the Bible for life.

Sometimes longtime church members exclaim, “I’ve never understood the Bible like this before!” Some seminary-trained pastors have thought the same thing (and a few brave ones have said so out loud).

THE MORE CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION INVOLVED, THE BETTER WE LEARN AND REMEMBER.

Nearly every seasoned Old or New Testament instructor tells a similar story: Someone who attended an event 20 years ago comes up to the instructor and says, “I remember that day.

Want to see?” And two decades later, the person begins doing some of those cheesy hand signs that have helped him or her remember the Bible for all these years. Why? Because one day long ago, the framework and the story of the Bible was presented in a fresh way. The participant gained new understanding. And it was an understanding that lasts. .

For more than three decades, participants in

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Faith comes

by Hearing Teaching Truth in an Oral Culture

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ead girls aren’t supposed to laugh, but the young Tarahumara woman playing the role of Jairus’ daughter couldn’t help it. Mauro the pastor-doctor was leading his audience to act out the story, and they were thoroughly amused by the process.

There were at least two reasons for this impromptu drama. One was to teach the small gathering about Jesus’ power to heal. But another was to communicate the Bible to a people who have no written language. The language of the Tarahumaras’ heart is their native Rarámuri, though some can understand Spanish.

But reading the Bible is not an option for any but a very few.

This is an oral culture. The stories must be told—or, in this case, acted out—if they are to be learned and remembered.

The Tarahumara (also called Rarámuri) inhabit the Copper Canyon area of the state of Chihuahua in Mexico’s western Sierra Madre. Officially there are about 100,000 of them, although estimates vary widely, and their settlements are scattered throughout the region in woods, canyons, caves, and other isolated areas—evidence of their persistent self-preservation from the outside influences around them. They are some of the world’s best runners, covering enormous distances along mountain paths in startling speed; the women wear distinctive, colorful clothes; and many Tarahumara communities still have

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no electricity. Yet in spite of their relative isolation and traditional practices, they are adapting to the increasing commercial developments in their region.

Jorge Ramirez, Walk Thru the Bible’s national director for Mexico, lives nearly eight hours away in Ciudad Juárez, directly across the U.S.-Mexico border from El Paso, Texas. He and his wife, Zoila, began leading trips into the Sierra to minister among the Tarahumara in 1994. Realizing the persistent medical needs in Tarahumara villages, he invited Mauro to join a mission team in 2000.

On one trip, Zoila stopped in a shop in the town of Creel to buy dresses for girls on the mission team. They wanted to show respect for the culture by dressing like the Tarahumara. The shop owner, Teresa, asked why the mission team wanted to dress like locals, found out they were Christians, and invited the team to her village. When they arrived, more than 60 people lined up to see them. Many received medical care and experienced God’s love through the team’s ministry.

One of the people in need of prayer and medical care was Teresa’s husband, José, who had been sick and in bed for two months, not even able to stand. Mauro could do nothing for him medically. Jorge and Mauro led him to Christ and prayed

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over him, asking God specifically for healing. As they prepared to leave the next morning, Mauro went to check on José, but Teresa told him José had already left the house. He had been healed and couldn’t wait to go find work.

This kind of ministry has helped establish groups of believers among the Tarahumara. Christianity is not foreign to them; centuries of Spanish Catholic influence has given them substantial pieces of the biblical story. But their beliefs and practices are generally mixed with a lot of traditional beliefs. Teaching the Bible through stories is grounding them in Old and New Testament truths.

last few years and understands the power of biblical truth. “I’ve seen families being changed,” she says in Rarámuri-accented Spanish. “Within the families, there used to be a lot of violence—husbands beating their wives and children. They are not doing it anymore because they have learned about the Bible.

I’ve also seen how children are hungry for the Word of God. And adults and teenagers who used to be on drugs or alcohol, they have a different life today.”

“THERE USED TO BE A LOT OF VIOLENCE. . . . THEY ARE NOT DOING IT ANYMORE BECAUSE THEY HAVE LEARNED ABOUT THE BIBLE.”

Those truths are needed as the Tarahumara face the social challenges around them.

Though Juárez is eight hours away, its drug culture isn’t.

Dealers have been known to forcibly take over churches or to pick up some of the many children roaming the street to sell them into the sex trade or for organ harvesting. These mountains may seem remote, but underground activity is pervasive.

Even more pervasive are the issues of day-to-day life that every culture faces: earning a living, building a strong marriage and family, and trying to stay healthy.

Teresa has become a teacher of the Word over the

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That’s why Teresa is hungry for more resources. She is grateful for “one of those machines that talks about the Bible”—an audio recording of the New Testament—but her people already have gone through it together and know it’s not the whole Bible. “We would like to have the whole Bible on that machine so we can share it with others.”

Teresa knows of no biblical resources in Rarámuri, so for now, she and the few who understand Spanish well translate Scripture for those who don’t. They are grateful for the Word, however it comes. “Without God’s Word, we would all go our separate ways and everyone would do whatever they pleased. This helps us be united and to pray for each other’s needs.” .

Top: Jorge Ramirez, national director for Mexico, leads a gathering of villagers in song.

Bottom: John Houchens, vice president for advancement and international, Mauro Davalos, pastor from El Paso, and Jorge Ramirez pray for those in need of physical healing.

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Copper Canyon is actually a group of canyons that together are larger and, in places, deeper than Arizona’s Grand Canyon.

The canyon region covers much of southwestern Chihuahua.

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Country Profile

Mexico est in the world) Population: 115 million (11th larg -Spanish) 60%, Amerindian or Ethnicity: Mestizo (Amerindian white 9%, other 1% predominantly Amerindian 30%, , largest Spanish-speaking nation) Language: Spanish (the world’s indigenous languages ic Political system: Federal Republ ntry in the world, about 3 times the Geography: the 14th largest cou size of Texas Protestant 8%, other 5% Religion: Roman Catholic 87%,

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United States

Chihuahua Copper Canyon

Mexico Belize Guatemala

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or most of the 20th century, Mexico seemed mired in the status quo, both politically (the PRI party) and religiously (the Roman Catholic Church). These influences have certainly not disappeared, but they have adapted to modern needs and issues, and Mexican society has opened up to alternate influences too. The country faces many challenges, but God is at work drawing people to Himself and strengthening churches and ministries to reach others.

Prayer needs: One of Mexico’s most visible challenges is resisting the rampant drug trade, which is largely fueled by demand in the U.S. and other countries. In some regions, cartels have more weapons and finances than the government does. Though most violence occurs between rival cartels, churches and innocent citizens are often victims of their activity. Pray for peace in Mexico’s cities. In addition: • Evangelical churches have been growing in Mexico, and people are more open to church ministries than in the past. Pray for continued receptivity to the work of God’s Spirit—that people would not simply follow religious traditions but fully engage with God and His Word.

• Pray for outreach among under-reached indigenous peoples and for discipleship efforts to bring many to maturity in Christ.

• Because of the persistent and pervasive nature of social issues like drug trade and corruption, many government agencies and schools are open to assistance from churches and ministries. Pray for God to open doors to bring His Word into every area of society. .

Sources: U.S. Department of State (www.state.gov), CIA World Factbook (www.cia.gov), and Operation World by Jason Mandryk, 7th edition, ©2010.

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Into the Word w e e kl y

d e v o t i o n a l s

o n

TRUTH THAT TRANSFORMS W

alk Thru the Bible exists to ignite passion for God’s Word wherever we go and to provide the opportunities and resources for eternal truth to work its way into people’s hearts. One of the best ways for the truth of scripture to sink in is to meditate on it daily. The following devotionals, adapted from indeed magazine, are a valuable tool to aid that process.

One devotional is provided for each of the next 13 weeks.

You can read the weekly reading any day during your week, but you may also want to revisit it every day of the week to make it a regular part of your time with God. If so, many have found this approach helpful: On Monday, read the devotional. Become generally familiar with the Bible verse, its original context, and the insights in the devotional reading. On Tuesday, look upward. How does this verse or passage apply to your relationship with God? What does it teach you about His will and His heart? What aspect of His character is He inviting you to experience and enjoy? On Wednesday, look inward. How does this truth apply to your heart

WEEK 1 April 1-7

Revelation 22:13

ULTIMATE AUTHORITY “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” (Revelation 22:13) IN WORD There is no greater claim to authority than this. Those who would take the words of Jesus as good suggestions, spiritual advice, recommendations for a moral and happy life, or any other such expression of human wisdom must consider this verse—He is the Alpha and Omega. Those who believe that the Bible does not claim that Jesus is God incarnate

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and your own spiritual growth? What does it teach you about yourself, your needs, or your goals in life? In what aspects of your personal life is God inviting you to grow and mature? On Thursday, look around. How does this truth apply to your relationship with others? What does it teach you about how to relate to them? What is God inviting you to do differently in your relationships? On Friday, look outward. How does this verse or passage apply to your ministry and mission in life—to your role in God’s kingdom, in society, and in the world? What does it teach you about God’s purposes? What part of His mission is He inviting you to participate in? On Saturday, look forward. How does this verse or passage apply to your future, both in this age and in eternity? What does it teach you about God’s plan for your life, now and forever? What aspect of eternity is God inviting you to participate in?

This approach can help you look at God’s Word from every angle and incorporate its implications into your life.

As you saturate yourself in scripture, God will shape your heart to align with His own.

must also account for this, for in Revelation 1:8 and 21:6 it is God the Father who says He is the Alpha and Omega. There cannot be two Alphas and Omegas, Firsts and Lasts, Beginnings and Ends—the Father and the Son are one.

When this truth grips us, discipleship takes off. There can be no casual reading of the Gospels when we understand that the words of Jesus are the words not only of a great teacher but of God Himself, the Creator of the universe, the author of all wisdom and the knower of all mysteries. There is nothing truer or more complete in this world—no more accurate prophecy, no better psychology, no sager advice—than the teaching that comes straight from the mouth of the living God; in fact, there is no other opinion worth heeding. His words are the owner’s manual for our hearts.

IN DEED Ask yourself these probing questions: Do you hear His words casually, as though they are mere suggestions? Or do you voraciously consume His teaching as the key to life, dependent on it for your very existence? Are His words like a fragrant aroma—pleasing, but not entirely necessary? Or are they like oxygen—a matter of life and death?

They were true before the foundation of the world and they will be true for all eternity. Savor them well.

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

WEEK 4

Ephesians 4:17-24

Proverbs 3:1-12

1 Corinthians 2:6-12

April 8-14

April 15-21

April 22-28

NEW MINDS

THE PRIORITY TO PURSUE

WITH ALL YOUR MIND

You were taught . . . to be made new in the attitude of your minds. (Ephesians 4:22-23)

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. (Proverbs 3:3)

What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. (1 Corinthians 2:12)

IN WORD “You were taught . . .” In other words, this is something we should know.

The renewal of the mind is a prominent New Testament teaching. When we become Christians, we are to think differently.

“To be made new . . .” We can take comfort in the fact that this is a passive command.

We don’t do the renewing, we simply submit ourselves to it. We give our minds to God and let Him fill them with His truth.

He is the guardian of our makeovers.

“In the attitude of your minds.” Our thought life is a battleground. You’ve probably noticed that. There is a war going on for the ideas and affections of men and women in this world, and it’s brutal. We are assaulted with falsehoods constantly, and sometimes they seem so close to truth that we fall for them. But the enemy is devious, we are gullible, and the war rages on. Satan wants our minds. Jesus wants them even more.

How can we win this war? Our culture doesn’t help us out—not at all. Our entertainment is so filled with misperceptions— and so accessible to us, especially at the end of a long day—that we find ourselves soaking in falsehood regularly. What are a few minutes of Bible study and prayer each day compared to the several hours of TV most Americans average? How can our Bible’s old news compete with our newspapers’ new news? How can our minds be taken for Jesus when our culture and our adversary are so united and relentless in their assault?

IN DEED It’s hard. There’s no easy way.

But the command remains: We are to fill our minds with truth and let God’s Spirit renew them. As we immerse ourselves in His Word and let His teachings sink into our hearts, eventually our minds will learn to decipher truth from error. We will learn to see things from a Kingdom perspective rather than a worldly one. In effect, we will be made new.

IN WORD Solomon’s words would have had familiar connotations for a faithful Jew. In Deuteronomy 6, a landmark chapter in Old Testament theology, God told the Israelites first to love Him with all their heart, soul, and strength. Then He told them to take the words of the Law, divinely inscribed on tablets of stone, and inscribe them into the fabric of their souls. Let them be always on your hearts, He commanded.

Work them into your children’s hearts. Talk about them always. Tie them as symbols on your hands and foreheads. Never be away from them (see Deuteronomy 6:4-9).

The interesting connection between Deuteronomy and Proverbs is that the Law is defined as “love and faithfulness.” It is also interesting that Deuteronomy is specific in where our love and faithfulness are first to be directed: toward God. The foremost element of a believer’s life is not obedience, not service, and not doctrine. These are important—indispensable, in fact. But they are not the priority. Love is. A passionate, vital, all-encompassing love that reaches to the depths of our being. When that is there, the rest is easy.

IN DEED Do you consider your heart to be a tablet? What is written on it?

Do you realize that some things can be erased by the power of God and others inscribed by that same power? It requires your full cooperation, but the junk that we’ve inscribed there—through all of the media and entertainment we absorb, the relationships we’ve had, the information we consume—can be rewritten. It can be replaced with love and faithfulness. In fact, it must be replaced with love and faithfulness if we are to learn the mind of our God at all. This is who He is, and He insists that we become like Him. Love and faithfulness define Him. Do they define you? Let them saturate your heart.

IN WORD Your mind has been highly trained. Maybe you didn’t know that, but it’s true. From the day you were born, you have been taught how to live. Your family, your culture, and your own exploration have given you plenty of ideas about who you are, how your world works, and what your God is like. The problem is that you’ve grown up with a finite mind in a corrupt world.

According to the Bible, we all begin with a darkened understanding. Despite the best intentions of our families and friends, our culture, and our own senses, we have distorted perspectives. Our understanding is only as good as the influences that have shaped it. And, in most cases, that’s not good enough. What’s the solution? Paul says to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). That means that once we’ve embraced God’s truth in Christ, we’re to embrace His truth about everything. We are to reject our old perspectives and live by the Spirit of truth.

Living the gospel, of course, is not simply a matter of the intellect. If it were, brilliant people would have it made, and the mentally handicapped would be far from God’s blessing. But we know that isn’t the case. We know that when God talks about obtaining wisdom from Him, it’s about perspective and wise living. It’s about knowing what to do with the circumstances, the gifts, and the relationships He has given us.

IN DEED Do you know what to do with God’s resources? Do you know how to spend your life? Knowing such things requires a lot of time in His presence, His Word, and the community He has established. The only way to retrain a mind is by immersion. Old thought patterns are simply too deep; they can’t be redirected without considerable trauma. Let the Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the people of God immerse you in His grace. Let your mind love Him in every way.

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WEEK 5

WEEK 6

WEEK 7

Psalm 119:9-16

Psalm 119:9-16

Psalm 119:49-56

April 29–May 5

May 6-12

WISDOM THROUGH WORDS

WISDOM THROUGH RECALL

With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. (Psalm 119:13)

I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:11)

IN WORD Experts in memory techniques tell us that if we use a new acquaintance’s name in our conversation, we’ll be more likely to remember it. Students who discuss the subject matter of a class with each other are going to integrate it into their thinking better. Those who have a hard time remembering good jokes are those who never tell them. There is something powerful about uttering newfound knowledge. Speech reinforces thinking.

IN WORD Some Christians carry a Bible with them constantly, but most do not.

Even if we did, however, we would not always have immediate access to the right verse for the right occasion. Even in a day of electronic micro-Bibles, on-the-spot research does not always lead to the right word for the moment. We need something more than gadgets and resources. And we need something more than the pages of Scripture at our side. We need them in our hearts.

The principle is written into God’s Word as well. After we’ve prayed for His wisdom, meditated on His truths, and memorized some Scriptures, we may find that the process is furthered by our willingness to speak what we’ve learned. In contemporary Western cultures, the spoken word is a casual thing, a simple, verbal expression of sometimes meaningless thoughts. Not so in the Bible. There is power in the spoken word. When God created, He spoke. When He and His people blessed, they spoke.

When people cursed, they spoke. What was said out loud could not be unsaid. It was concrete; its utterance made it so.

That truth should be enough to cause us all to examine our speech. Are we reinforcing negative thoughts and false suppositions when we open our mouths? Or are we reinforcing truth? Do our tongues practice righteousness and praise or discouragement and doubt? We think the mind has complete influence over the mouth, but it is often the other way around. Our own words can train us well.

IN DEED When you have learned one of God’s truths in your mind, try speaking it with your mouth. Repeat it out loud to yourself. Share it with someone else.

Discuss its application with other believers. Let it become a sensory reality rather than an inaudible thought. The likelihood of its remaining a part of your thinking and a part of your character will increase dramatically. Your mouth and your ears will establish what’s in your heart.

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We have prayed for God to give us His wisdom. We have meditated on His Word.

But we want to contemplate it more thoroughly, more constantly, more effectively.

We want the wasted moments of our day to be redeemed for spiritual growth. The best way for the Word to be written on our hearts is to learn it—by heart.

Many people associate memorization with learning historical dates or geometric formulas in high school. That was an imposed pressure with a potentially ominous grade pending. The very idea of memorization suffers in that context. But God does not threaten us with an ominous grade, and He does not impose His Word on us against our will. He invites us into it so we will invite it into us. That’s where real blessing is to be found; that’s where we enter into His mind and His thoughts become ours.

Memorizing God’s Word is no boring task; it is a powerful tool that will guide us into His will.

IN DEED When you’ve memorized a variety of Scripture passages, you will find them deeper and more relevant than ever before. When you’re in the midst of a crisis, the Spirit will bring the right word into your situation. When you are tempted, the sacred rebuttal will be on your tongue as it was with Jesus in His wilderness test.

When a fellow believer has a deep need, the Spirit will bring up within you a deep word of counsel or hope. The Word of God becomes not part of your baggage but part of you. It is written on a tablet of flesh, and you are its handiwork.

May 13-19

WISDOM THROUGH PRACTICE This has been my practice: I obey your precepts.

(Psalm 119:56) IN WORD An old training program book shows novice swimmers how to swim.

It shows pictures of the position of the body in the water, the proper technique for various strokes, the most efficient ways to breathe while maintaining speed, and everything else one would need to know to get in a pool and not drown. But no one ever learned how to swim by simply reading that book. Perhaps its readers obtained the necessary knowledge, but they did not really learn. Some things can only be grasped by experience.

God’s wisdom is one of those things. If speech reinforces the truths He has given us, practice reinforces them even more. The best way to learn how to do something— really learn it—is to actually do it. Reading or hearing a lesson only involves one of our senses. Putting a lesson into practice involves them all. Obviously, the mind is better trained when it is fed by multiple senses.

James comes down hard on those who are hearers of the Word and not doers of the Word (James 1:22-25). It isn’t just a matter of hypocrisy; it’s a matter of training.

It is easy to forget the things our minds have entertained. It is much more difficult to forget the things that our minds have entertained, and our mouths have spoken, and our hands have done. And we want to make forgetfulness difficult. When it comes to the wisdom of God in our hearts, retention is everything.

IN DEED The wisdom of God is not theoretical, it is intensely practical. It is not a matter of speculation for religious intellects, it’s a matter of instruction and training for real life situations. If we want God’s wisdom, we must be honest with ourselves and determine that we want it for a purpose. Living it must be our priority.

Do you find a gap between the knowledge you’ve learned from God’s Word and your lifestyle? Are His truths a matter of your mind and not a matter of your heart?

Then put them into practice. They will be learned in ways that nothing else can teach us.

WEEK 8

WEEK 9

WEEK 10

Psalm 119:145-152

1 Chronicles 29:14-19

Proverbs 4:20-27

May 20-26

WISDOM THROUGH MEDITATION My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.

(Psalm 119:148) IN WORD Our receiving God’s wisdom begins with prayer, but it does not end there. He has a method in His transformation process, and it requires our full cooperation. We are not passive recipients of His mind; we are active in our pursuit.

He offers it, but we must want it. And there is more to wanting than just asking.

We can learn the Word of God through study. But it does not become a part of us until we meditate on it. Lacking that step, we become knowledgeable without becoming wise. There is a profound difference between knowing about God’s will and His ways and actually knowing God’s will and His ways. One leads to an illusion that we’re spiritual when we’re not. The other leads to life.

Churches are full of people who hear the Word of God preached on Sunday and then have forgotten it on Monday. There are many tools to incorporate God’s truths into our lives, but the first, after prayer, is to meditate on it. What does that mean?

It means to chew on it, think of what God does with it and why it came from His mouth, how we’ve failed it in our past, and how it might be applied in our everyday lives. The Word of God is not given simply to be admired; it is given to be learned. It is not spoken to make us smart; it is spoken to change us and conform us to the bright image of the living God. IN DEED At all costs, do not passively let the Word of God go in one ear and out the other. Do not read it so casually that it is forgotten the next day or the next hour.

There’s power in it! It’s a gift that will craft us into the person God wants us to be, the person we were designed to be from the very beginning. That molding process is the greatest earthly fulfillment we can ever experience. And God first begins to answer our prayers for that when we meditate on His truth. Let it soak in, completely and deeply. Let it do its powerful work.

May 27–June 2

June 3-9

DEEPER BY THE DAY

GUARD THE INSIDE

I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. (1 Chronicles 29:17)

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4:23)

IN WORD So many people think biblical faith is about changing our behavior. Many of the Pharisees and experts of the Law in Jesus’ day lived as though religion was an outward expression only. Our culture often makes the same mistake. Rules and regulations are substituted for a genuine change of heart. All the while, God points us back into His Word. There is nothing in it—nothing at all—to encourage a righteousness that is skin-deep.

IN WORD If you’re typical, you think of guarding your heart in terms of keeping things out. Corruption, false ideas, temptations—all are to be held at arms length, never to be allowed in the inner depths of your affections. But there’s another side to this vigilance. We are to keep things in. In fact, if we can master that, the corruptions and temptations will often take care of themselves.

Isn’t it easy for us to get caught in that trap? We know the truth, that the gospel is about getting a new heart. But we look for the outward evidence of our new heart—as we should—and allow that evidence to become the substance of our faith—which we shouldn’t. The outward works of righteousness are only the by-product of the inward work of faith. They must be a very intentional by-product, as we train ourselves to put feet on our faith. But they are by-products nonetheless. There is no requirement of God for our behavior that is not to begin down in the depths of our spirit.

God desires truth in our inmost parts. Do we? God wants to plant His wisdom deep within. Do we? Perhaps we have failed to realize the radical nature of the gospel.

Perhaps we have sought guidance for our behavior without first seeking a change in our character. Perhaps we have wanted easy words to follow rather than a traumatic Word that changes us.

IN DEED God will not let us be content with that. His Spirit will continue to hound us as lovingly as He can hound; He will not stop His work in us until it has penetrated our core. He will not settle for appearances.

Do you settle for appearances? Are you content with superficial acts of faith while a sinful heart fights and wins the battle deep within? Adopt God’s desires. Never cease your prayers for change until the change runs deep. Always let God take you deeper than the day before.

Think about it: The things that can assail a heart from the outside are innumerable, far too overwhelming to manage. But the things we are told to keep within—the spirit of Jesus, the humility and gentleness, the servanthood and sacrifice, the worship and thankfulness—these are one Spirit.

While most religions tell us to avoid the bad, God tells us to embrace Him. We are better equipped to focus on His character than on the enemy’s devices. In fact, we are commanded to do so. Paul emphasizes this radically new discipleship: “Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Galatians 5:16).

Nowhere are we told to live against the sinful nature and hope that the Spirit will show up. We’re told to live by the Spirit and expect the sinful nature to have no power. We get confused about that often.

IN DEED Too many Christians guard the way into their hearts to keep things out.

That is certainly appropriate at times, but try a different approach. Guard the way out. Stand at the inside of the gate, and be careful about what may be leaving. Once in a while, we get a life-altering glimpse of true worship. By all means, keep it in!

From time to time, we’ll see a picture of true servanthood. Don’t let that picture go! Occasionally, we are touched by a spirit of sacrifice, moved by a ministry, or convinced by a powerful word from the Lord. Hold on to these things! Treasuring the wellspring that God has birthed in your heart will leave little room for those corruptions you once obsessed over. And the wellspring is a much more pleasant preoccupation.

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WEEK 11

WEEK 12

WEEK 13

Luke 10:21-24

2 Corinthians 3:12-18

Luke 10:38-42

June 10-16

PRICELESS TREASURE “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.”

(Luke 10:23) IN WORD The love of God is so abundant and available that we easily forget how precious it is. Everything else that so saturates our markets is worth little.

But when we apply capitalist theories of supply and demand to God’s love, we end up taking Him for granted. We forget the treasure of the gospel.

Jesus told His disciples that they were blessed beyond measure by knowing Him. They were in a privileged place. Prophets and kings throughout history would have sacrificed anything to see Him and to hear His words (v. 24).

We can make the same observation. We’re aware that the philosophical quest for knowledge has persisted for thousands of years. We’ve known of kings and generals in our day and throughout history who have sacrificed everything for some sense of real power. We’re acquainted with both grand religions and fringe cults that thirst for wisdom from above. We’ve seen people live and die in their search for meaning. All the while, we have access to the Spirit of God who has come to reside in our hearts through our faith in Jesus. The Treasure the world has always hungered for is ours—in intricate, intimate detail.

IN DEED Are we casual about our knowledge of Jesus and His Word? Have we been so saturated with the message of the gospel that we take it for granted? Are we really aware that taking up God’s Word to read it is to taste the riches that finite minds have sought for all history? Like farm animals with access to life’s priceless pearls, we have the revelation of the all-wise God on our bookshelves and His Spirit in our hearts. Our eyes have been blessed.

This calls for a celebration. A constant celebration. A party so unequaled in sheer delight that the emotional high lingers forever. Is this the condition of your heart?

Remember your Treasure. Give Him thanks today.

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June 17-23

PROMISED TRANSFORMATION And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory. (2 Corinthians 3:18) IN WORD Maybe you had your heart set on a promising career or a certain spouse.

Maybe you had planned out your education or your retirement. Maybe those things became your preoccupation. Maybe you’ve lost sight of God’s plan.

Your purposes for your life are not necessarily wrong, and may well be within God’s will. But unless you’ve set your heart on being like Jesus, those purposes aren’t the priority. God’s plan for you— for every one of us—is to make us look like Jesus. We were not made to generate light; we were made to reflect it. And to the degree that we are gazing at God and reflecting His glory to the world, we are fulfilling His ultimate purpose for us.

It’s an incredible purpose with an amazing promise. First we are approached by the King of all creation, the ultimate authority in the entire universe, and given the highest possible role in the kingdom—to point to Him. Then we are told that our purpose will inevitably be fulfilled. We may be slow learners, and we may miss out on a lot of meaningful reflection in this world, but in the end, we will be the spitting image of our Savior.

That was God’s plan for us from before the foundation of the world. We thought we were to build a career, start a family, and have a nice life of treating others well and loving God. But that was just a start.

There’s a greater point to this life than living a nice life. We will be a demonstration of the glory of God. IN DEED Think of that. When all is said and done, we will be even more than shiny trophies on God’s mantel. We will be children who look like Him, apples who fell very close to the tree. As He is radiant, so will we be. As He is merciful and compassionate, so will we be. As He is glorified, so are we. The reflection will deepen and brighten for all eternity. Our lives could have no greater purpose.

June 24-30

AT HIS FEET “Martha . . . you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one.” (Luke 10:41-42) IN WORD We are called to serve God. There is no dispute among believers about this; the Bible is very clear. He has made us for Himself, and Jesus frequently calls us to obedience and service. So Jesus’ words to Martha may seem strange to us. Why does someone who has called us to obedience tell His servant to stop working, sit down, and listen?

The answer lies in God’s priority for us.

Nowhere in the Bible are we told to serve Him at the expense of knowing Him. Having made us for Himself, He does not at first fashion us for usefulness. He fashions us for intimacy with Him. This is far removed from utilitarian thinking. When we make something, we usually make it for a practical purpose. Our only occasion to make something for the sake of its own beauty is when we are being creative and artistic. Parents can relate; few of us have children in order to have more help around the house. We have children to know them and enjoy them. So it is with God. He is first and foremost an Artist, a Craftsman, and a Father who enjoys His children. He is not a factory worker manufacturing a product.

Is this hard to grasp? We often see our Creator as a utilitarian God looking for an end result—a practical end result. We view His Word in terms of obedience and service, not as an invitation to enjoy His company.

We rarely savor the relationship simply for what it is, not for what it accomplishes. We need to be transformed not by the Word that demands a lot of activity but by the Word that seeks our love.

IN DEED What is God’s view toward you?

Is He only after your usefulness? No, the Artist wants to enjoy His work. He seeks satisfaction in His technique and creativity—processes which continue on in your life every day. He will use you well, but not before He has enjoyed your company.

What is God’s will for you? Jesus’ words to Martha give us deep insight into His heart.

He first wants us at His feet. Above all, He wants us to learn from Him.

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Step into the Story

FULLY ENGAGED WITH THE WORD

Why God’s Grand Story Can Make a Grand Difference Statistics tell us that a lot of people go to church, but only a few lives are changed by the experience. Why? There may be many reasons, but perhaps the most significant is that even though God’s Word is getting into people’s ears, it isn’t getting into their hearts.

God’s Grand Story is an exciting new initiative that addresses this problem (see page 4 for details). Recently, Walk Thru the Bible’s president and two vice presidents discussed the background behind the campaign.

W

hy is a churchwide campaign like God’s Grand Story needed?

Phil Tuttle, president: Many studies that show that church attendance alone doesn’t necessarily transform a life, that there’s just not much difference between the lifestyles of those who attend church regularly and those who seldom or never go. But other research is much more hopeful.

There’s one catalyst, one variable that seems to cause the entire Christian experience to fall into place: regular engagement with the Word of God. When a person has meaningful interaction with Scripture four or more times a week, that’s when marriages seem to stay together, parent-child relationships get reconciled, and what we talk about on Sunday tends to make it into the business world Monday through Friday.

John Houchens, senior VP for advancement and international: This lack of direct engagement with the Bible is the critical thing we’re trying to overcome. We have always believed that there’s no better tool for getting people excited about God’s Word than our Walk Thru the Old Testament and New Testament events.

But then what? What’s the next step? We want to leverage that excitement of the event, by providing the follow-up tools to engage it on their own and establish lifelong patterns.

We also think there’s something significant about engaging with the Word together. God may do something that He might not do when people read it independently. Our hope is that the Holy Spirit will leverage that corporate involvement in His Word for purposes we never could even dream of.

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Step into the Story

(Contd.)

David Hodge, VP for North American Ministries: Pastors are telling us they need help in certain areas, and one of them is teaching people the big picture of the Bible so they can focus on the smaller parts. They recognize that people are a little intimidated by the Bible. It can be confusing. Pastors are looking for a ministry like ours that can partner with them to help people understand the big picture so the smaller components make more sense. And as people get into God’s Word every day, it changes their lives—the way they view the people around them, the way they view God’s worldwide mission, and how they fit into His epic story.

The campaign is a pilot phase of testing the concept, so results may be hard to predict. But what do you expect to see?

John: We want to be able to see a measurable amount of increased involvement with God’s Word. We’ll measure before and after the six weeks to find out: Did this campaign help more people read Scripture on a regular basis? Will it get people who were reading only on their own to read together? Are a person’s attitudes different after several weeks of engaging with God’s Word? Will they see that it is more applicable to life? We’re hoping that if we get positive results and see some changes in attitude, knowledge, and practices, we think we can take that, build on it, and improve the campaign so God can do even more things with it.

David: One of the things we’re picking up from the pastors we’ve already talked with is that they are anticipating growth in their Sunday school and small groups, not just numerically but in energy and depth. Something very exciting happens when people are doing things together and more people are involved than usual. The way we’ve designed the curriculum is that it’s relational—not just learning God’s Word but applying it to their lives.

Phil: I think it will be unifying for a church—literally everybody on the same page. You’ll have all your adult Sunday school classes and all your small groups studying the same thing, which is then reinforced by the pastor’s messages and people reading the Word on their own. In places where churches have done smaller versions of this, there’s always a buzz: “Have you done today’s reading? Did you notice that verse?” Whether that occurs at a grocery store or on Facebook or at the church web site, people are talking about the Scriptures. I think this will be extremely encouraging for pastors too, because the pastor will see greater response to messages, more enthusiasm, more life.

John: I think what we’re looking for is how the local church is different because of the campaign.

Their level of influence and their desire to reach out have increased, their desire to connect with churches in other parts of the world is greater. One local church could make an incredible difference in its sphere of influence. .

Please pray with us as we continue to develop God’s Grand Story and make it available to pastors and churches. Pray that God would use it effectively to transform lives, shape churches, and reach His world with truth.

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Leader Profile

Presenting God’s Powerful Stories JAMES KAMAU, NATIONAL DIRECTOR FOR TANZANIA

W

hen James Kamau was invited to teach at a Maasai church, he decided to use a story approach and involve the audience in questions and answers. That style of teaching was unusual in that area, but it was effective. He told the story of Jesus and the Gerasene demoniac from Mark 5, and although his audience didn’t like the fact that a community’s economy took a hit when Jesus cast demons out of the man and into 2,000 pigs—nor that the people asked Jesus to leave the area because of it—they learned a powerful lesson about the value of a soul.

A few days later, a man from the village pointedly asked church leaders which one of them had told the visiting teacher about him. He assumed James’ story was prompted by his recent threats to close the church. Ever since the church began, his business of selling traditional medicine had suffered; people were going to church and no longer buying his services. Of course, no one had told James about this man’s threats, nor was the church about to give in to his threats. But they were impacted by the story and the questions that had come up in the discussion. James left town knowing “that the people had been left with a portion of God’s Word that the Holy Spirit could continue using for a long time after I’m gone, rather than the other side of teaching when you just give them the principles.”

wants to see storying rekindled. Storying is a narrative approach to preaching and teaching that simply lets the stories of God’s Word impact people’s hearts. James believes it will have a powerful effect on discipleship, which is a critical need in a region in which up to 85 percent are Christian but fewer than 45 percent actually go to church. Though there are many churches and even some mega-churches in his area, many teach a prosperity gospel, and few emphasize the Bible’s teaching on the most pressing needs of their people.

“THEY LEARNED A POWERFUL LESSON ABOUT THE VALUE OF A SOUL.”

“I was part of a church in Kenya for 20 years,” he explains. “Not once did I hear from the pulpit a message on marriage, child-raising, or work ethics. Yet that’s what we do all the time. We are either working or raising our families. But we hear messages on other things.”

So James is addressing these issues—both the topics and the approaches of sermons—in the seminary courses he teaches for future pastors. He has begun adding storytelling elements to his expository preaching curriculum. “Hopefully that will turn the tide so that people will focus on God’s Word,” he says. “We need to raise a generation of leaders who will turn the church from the direction it is going.” .

James, director of Walk Thru the Bible in Tanzania,

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Donor Profile

A Heart for Honduras BOB AND LORRAINE STUMBO

B

ob Stumbo wasn’t expecting what he saw one night in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, during a ministry trip when Phil Tuttle began to teach a live event. “They were expecting 1,000 people, and more than 2,000 showed up. When it was about to start, about 200 people were still in line to register.

The church was large but full, and there were people outside lining the walls and listening through the windows. God was in charge. Hearts and minds were touched, and people were moved.”

That was several years ago, long after Bob and his wife, Lorraine, had become supporters Walk Thru the Bible’s global ministry. Earlier they had met Alejandro Oviedo, the national director for Honduras, and talked with him at several ministry events. Having worked with Hispanic people in the past, they could particularly relate to his field of work and were touched by his sincerity, humility, and heart for his mission. So the Stumbos were already very familiar with Walk Thru the Bible’s efforts in various countries by hearing reports of them from regional leaders. But they knew firsthand experience would be different. “A person can hear about how God is working in these areas and be blessed by it,” Bob says. “But to be on the ground where it is happening will inspire and move you.”

So when Bob heard about the upcoming trip to Honduras, he felt moved to ask if he could go too. “I knew God was challenging me to put some legs to my feelings,” he says, and he now considers the trip a pivotal experience in his vision of what God is doing around the world.

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Bob not only saw the impact that night of a teaching on family and parenting. He met the board members of Caminata Biblica de Honduras (Walk Thru the Bible Honduras) and was impressed by their diversity of gifts and talents, as well as their work to impact Honduras through radio, television, and live events.

One event during the week was a three-hour teaching for the Evangelical Pastors Association of Tegucigalpa, which impacted and equipped nearly 200 pastors for more effective ministry. And the vice “I KNEW president and minister of GOD WAS education of Honduras CHALLENGING attended another event— ME TO PUT “Congreso de la Familia,” SOME LEGS TO or “Congress on the FamMY FEELINGS.” ily”—to hear Phil speak on how governments can help support families. The overall impact of the trip, not only on churches but also on some of society’s most influential leaders, convinced Bob that God was powerfully at work to change individual lives, families, and a nation.

Since then, Bob has looked for opportunities to become involved “on the ground” where God is at work. And he has found God’s challenges intersecting with his love for a country where the Spirit and the Word are impacting lives. .

The Last Word

I

t was a terrible, unorganized, uninspiring mess of a message—one of my first Sundays preaching in my very first church. It was one of those messages that causes church members to lie to your face as they shake your hand on the way out the door: “Good message, Preacher.

Thank you.” Everybody, especially the preacher, knows it wasn’t.

Thank the Lord I was in one of those patient and forgiving churches that realizes a preacher can’t be on his game all the time. Especially a brand-spanking new one, still wet behind the ears.

The next day I discovered that a church member had snuck into my office and left a handwritten note on my desk. It was a quote from my sermon the day before: “Who am I to be talking to God when I should be listening?” After it were these words: “I am haunted by what you said. I can’t get it out of my mind. Please call me.” So I called, we talked, and she was able to get “unstuck” in her walk with the Lord.

Clearly the message that I (and everyone else) knew was an utter and abject failure was . . . well, not.

It was what at least one person needed to hear. At least one heart was gripped, one soul convicted, one life set on a different trajectory.

But as it turns out, there was a problem with this happy ending: I never said what she heard. The elders had asked me to record my messages, so I had this one on cassette. I went back and listened to it three times. I never said, “Who am I to be talking to God when I should be listening?” Not even close.

The whole incident reminded me of the story from the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. Peter and the other disciples preached. There were people in the audience from all over the world. The Spirit gave the disciples the words they needed in languages they didn’t even know. And the people heard perfectly.

It was a miracle.

I learned a couple of things from that mess of a message in the spring of 1986. One, don’t ever let your own opinion or the opinion of others be the final word on the effectiveness of your words. But the more fundamental lesson I learned was this: You never know how the Holy Spirit may use God’s Word with your words to accomplish His purpose.

This is the beauty and power of the Bible. The Holy Spirit can take it and the feeble words from a mess of a message and use them together in ways the preacher, speaker, or teacher never intended or even dreamed of. As Isaiah wrote, God’s Word does not return to Him empty but accomplishes all He sends it to do. That’s why I’m passionate about His Word, enamored with it, and sometimes even shocked by it.

And why I make sure I’m not always talking to God, but listening to Him as well.

John Houchens Senior VP for Advancement/International

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