Paul.Mark's page

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This comprehensive book about understanding and applying biblical storytelling among oral learners grew out of a doctoral project that I did a couple of years ago (my mentor was Tom Boomershine, author of Story Journey and founder of the Network of Biblical Storytellers).

Annotated Table of Contents: Telling God's Stories with Power (TOC).doc

The storytellers in this project in South Asia learned to tell, dramatize and sing 101 Bible stories in chronological order from Creation through the Ascension. As they told these stories in the villages, the stories became a powerful witness to God's love. Consequently many people came to faith in Christ and more than 200 new congregations were planted. Because storytelling is easily replicable, many of those who heard the stories also began to tell them. In some cases the stories were relayed to as many as five successive generations of hearers. The stories were able to cross barriers of language and culture with relative ease, even finding their way to remote people whom the storytellers described as "living like animals."

This book is especially helpful for people who want to learn about using biblical storytelling in cross-cultural contexts and who want to train others to become storytellers. It includes many fascinating accounts of the responses of tribal peoples and others to the first proclamation of the gospel through storytelling.

For example, Chapter 11 gives the accounts of five storytellers and describes how their lives were transformed through the oral Bible project. Mangal Kisku and Bilion Soren are two Santal men who learned storytelling in the oral Bible pilot project. Neither attended a formal Bible school, so they are examples of ministers who received only storytelling training. The deep descriptions in their stories provide a window into the life of a village person, above all their desperate fear of displeasing the spirits. The last three storytellers -- a village drunk, a terrorist and a young man dying of HIV, show how the power of God’s stories -- in combination with prayer -- can be amazingly transformative.

EXCERPT:

"From the beginning of the project, God often gave supernatural confirmations of the Divine imprimatur on the told stories through physical healing, provision, conception, protection, and the restoration of human relationships. This demonstration of God's power on behalf of needy people spoke clearly of his love for them. The amazing stories that resulted were reminiscent of the community of believers in the New Testament. The dichotomy between the natural and the supernatural that is common in western contexts was absent. For these storytellers and their listeners, God's intervention appeared to be a normal result of telling and hearing the Bible stories. Faith that God would do for them what he had done for others seemed to come quite naturally."

This book is highly recommended by Avery Willis, Charles Kraft, Tom Steffen, Tom Boomershine, J.O. Terry, and others who have extensive experience in the field of storying the gospel.

To reserve a copy of the book CLICK HERE to go to the William Carey Library website.
Annotated Table of Contents: Telling God's Stories with Power (TOC).doc

Stories Just Keep on Going and Going and Going . . .

Told by Salim Naik

In one of the villages where we have an adult education center there was a couple who had been married seven years but they still did not have any children. The man's name is Booti and the woman is named Choocha.

One day when Booti and Choocha were trying to learn how to read in the literacy program, they heard brother Suti Golony tell a story about Abraham and Sarah, how Sarah got a child in her old age. That story really touched their hearts. They went home and began to tell others,
"We don't have any children. But according to the story that our teacher told us, we will go to him and ask him, saying, 'We believe. So please pray for us so that we can have a child.' "

So they both came and asked him to pray that they would have a child. The storyteller prayed for that couple, and by God's grace, they conceived -- it is a very wonderful miracle that has taken place! Through this evidence, now all the people in that village are responding to Jesus. A new congregation has started and the church there is growing. Thank God.

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A wonderful thing about sharing the Gospel through stories is how listeners become tellers, sharing the Bible stories with others, spread across time and distance. In this account, there are at least five "generations" of tellers and listeners. The story chain of transfer began with the central training program where "Uncle and Aunty" teach the stories in the Oral Bible program. The storytellers went back to their own villages hundreds of miles away and taught the stories to Salim Naik who then taught them to Suti Golony who told them to Booti and Choocha, the childless couple. And when Booti and Choocha heard the story, they shared it with their friends and extended family as though it were a precious pearl -- and for them it was!
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Woman Who Chased Pastor with a Broom Comes to Jesus

Told by Sobashan

During the last six months I was praying, "God please give me at least one new soul." But even after six months, there was still no breakthrough.

Then I went to one place and told Bible stories. Through a story one mother there found salvation. Before that she hated all Christian workers. She made one pastor flee by taking a broom to him! She hated us so much, when we came to her house she would curse at us.

But one day when I came she had a fever, and I told her a Bible story. That night she had a dream. She saw the gods that she worshipped. In her dream, the pictures of Shiva and Parvati that she kept in her household shrine had fallen down and even the mirror had shattered into pieces. Then she remembered the story I had told her.

From that day onward, she threw the pictures away and now she is worshipping Jesus Christ. This one who hated Christian workers and often chased them away, now she is believing in Jesus, loving the pastors and inviting us to pray. Many of the workers who visited her house can scarcely believe the change when they hear about it! Thank God that through this story she got salvation.

Now she keeps asking me, "We put a clay pot with witchcraft items under the foundation before we built our house. Will you please come and take all that out and throw it in the river?"

I've asked the other pastors to come and go with me to her home, so we can dig that thing out and get rid of it.

The story that I told her about Hannah helped me to win this soul. Thank God. It happened just last month. Please continue to pray. When I return there we are going to throw that pot away which she had put under their house. Now she is continuously coming to our church. Praise the Lord.
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Only One Word

Told by Sangram

Last January I went to conduct training at an adult education center in a village. A sister named Sunita, who had been telling the Bible stories there had asked me to come because a family there had a lot of problems. Every year this family had done many pujas [all-day idol worship ceremonies] in their home. They had a lot of idols that they would sacrifice to at least twice a year. They were spending a large amount of money each year on those sacrifices. As a result, that family was going through many financial problems. In fact on the day I went there, that woman was possessed by demons (they said she even had power to levitate people).

When I got there many people came and sat together and I shared the stories with them starting from Genesis. I told them about Jesus and why He came into this world. I said to them, "If you want to be delivered from the devil, then you have to believe on Jesus Christ."

Then I started to pray for the woman. But when I began to pray, she got up and started dancing in front of the idols where they sacrificed in their home.

So I began to pray, saying, "In Jesus' Name, go out from her!" The people were amazed that even hearing that one word, the demons left her. And the people could see the power of Jesus, that even by one word that demon went out from her.

After getting relief from the demon, all the people who were there stayed for prayer. They realized, "The idol that we trusted in could do nothing." So that very day they started gathering their idols together and they threw them out. We put them all into a sack and threw it in the river.

Since then the storytelling lady has kept telling them stories from the Bible. Now all the people in that family have come to Christ, and services are being held regularly where she is telling the stories.
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The Patuas and their Storytelling Scrolls

Told by Paul.Mark

For many centuries the Patuas have been the oral newspapers of their society. They traveled from village to village singing their own compositions while unrolling hand-painted scrolls featuring current events, stories of Hindu gods and goddesses and Muslim fakirs. Traditionally they painted and sang about kings and sages, local folktales and beliefs and gave the news of contemporary events, receiving rice, vegetables and coins for their recital. Now in the era of globalization, Patuas are responding to the changing world with their art. Besides religion and local events, their scrolls and songs now frequently feature issues of worldwide concern, but with a local twist. For example, in one artist's version of the events of 9/11, the son of an affluent Bengali gentleman goes to New York, secures a job in the "Oil Trade House" (i.e., World Trade Center), and tragically dies in the conflagration along with thousands of Americans.

By Divine appointment several of these talented artist-storytellers attended the biblical storytelling training module. They said, "Before we came here this week we were not knowing very much. But after hearing these stories, now we are sure this is the path we want to follow." By the end of the week they had completed a beautiful 7-foot long colored scroll depicting stories from Creation to the Flood, and had also composed a story-song to go with the pictures.

They are brand-new believers, so one of the translators corrected their storying afterward. It was clearly a dynamic expression of their new faith in Christ, contextualized for their own people. It was easy to see from their faces the change they had experienced. Please pray for these three men as they attempt to follow Christ and share his stories among their own people.
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Priest Converted through Hearing the Creation Story

Told by Upakari

Village barber shop

There was a Hindu priest in a nearby village who had very long hair. He would tell people, "There is a devi [a spirit] in my body." From time to time this spirit would possess him and sick people would come to his house looking for healing or to get help with their problems.

One day a storyteller met this pujari and took the opportunity to tell him the Creation Story from Genesis. After finishing the story he said, "Nowadays people are worshipping creatures more than the Creator."

After hearing this story, the pujari became afraid. Because that man had worshipped the sun, the trees, the rocks and all those sorts of things. Three days after listening to the Creation story, he sought the storyteller out and said,
"Sir, after hearing your story, there have been several changes in my life. The work that I did previously—I don't have any interest to do that witchcraft and idol worship anymore. I don't know what happened. But now I don't have any interest to do that at all. I used to do it, but nowadays I don't have any interest in it."

The storyteller told him, "If you believe in Jesus, if you believe in the Creator, then all your confusion will go away and you will have a peaceful life." He told him, "You are a Hindu pujari, that's why you have this long hair and all. But if you believe in Jesus, you can cut it off. Then other people will also see the changes that took place in your life."

After that the man went to a barber shop and got his long hair cut off. Nowadays, he left all those things behind. He no longer does any Hindu idol worship or witchcraft practices. And now he is attending our church.

Before attending this storytelling training, whenever I preached in my church, my messages were mostly things like,
"We should not do any wrong things. We should not commit sins." When I talked about "Israel" or "the Jewish people" or other things that are written in the Bible, the people could not understand what I meant.

But when I began learning so many Bible stories, then I went back and started telling them stories. After that I could see a dramatic change in my church. Now the people easily understand who Abraham is, so they know what Israel is. The people really can understand all these things now.
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The Blessing In Telling God's Stories

Told by Sunil

One thing that I have experienced over and over in storytelling is that these Bible stories are touching me first, even more than they are touching my listeners.

Recently I was telling a story from the life of Abraham to the students in a small Bible school, how he obeyed God and took his son Isaac to sacrifice him (Gen. 22).

When I came out of the class, another storyteller was waiting for me. He said, "We need to go reserve our train tickets right now to be able to go to storytelling training or it will be too late."

The problem was, I didn't have any money! But while he was talking to me, the image of a Bible character came into my mind. I thought, "I'm telling all these stories to others; will it only affect them or will it also be effective in my life?"

So I started to pray silently, "Lord, I do not have money now. So what am I going to do, Lord? I have to go to the storytelling program." I told the other storyteller, "We'll do it tomorrow." So the next day he came again and said, "Let's go and reserve our tickets now."

But I still did not have any money, and I made another excuse. He came every day, and so every day I had to find another excuse. When I had finally used up all my excuses, I still did not have the money!

Now it was serious because only four or five days were left to get the ticket. Then I started remembering the story of Abraham and how God had provided for him at the very last moment when he was going to sacrifice his son. The next morning, one of the believers came to my house on a motorbike. I was taking a bath so he said, "Pastor, please, be quick. I have some other things to do, so please come see me right away when you are finished."

So after my bath I got ready and went to see him. I asked, "What's the problem? What happened?" He just took out his wallet and gave me 600 rupees. He said, "I've been waiting a long time to give this money to you. Please take it."

Six hundred rupees was the exact amount that I needed to be able to buy my train tickets!

So even though God is surely blessing those who listen when I tell the stories—He is blessing me even more!

I really thank the Lord. He comes through. And He comes through in the time that we need him.

I would like to encourage you. Tell the stories. Those who listen to you will be blessed, but you will be blessed even more.
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Mother Lakmi comes to Christ

Told by Prashant

I minister among tribal people who live in the hills. To reach their area we have to cross the water by boat. It takes six hours. Usually 200 to 300 people are on the boat, so I used to sing and try to preach to them on the way. Even with the songs, I could see that these truths could not enter directly into the people's hearts.

But from the day we learned the Bible stories, I began telling the stories and now they easily understand.

One day the people on the boat with me were listening to the stories. I told them the story of the Lost Son and many other stories. They listened eagerly and kept asking,
"Tell us more, more, more. Please tell us all the stories you know.The journey will last at least six hours. So please tell us all the stories!"

So I told them all the Bible stories that I had learned. Finally I said, "I do not know any more stories right now."
They begged, "Just tell us again the stories you have already told us. Tell us those same stories over because we want to hear them again!"

One day I had to take a pastor to a village three hours in the interior. We left our bicycle at a house at the bottom of the hill and continued on foot. When I got back to the place where we had left the bicycle, I discovered that man's mother was seriously ill. I asked, "How long she has she been suffering?" They answered, "Her sickness started a year ago. We tried everything but she is not able to talk properly. She cannot even drink water anymore." All her family members and relatives were sure she would die soon. They were all waiting and not even going anywhere to do any work. But they gave me permission to pray for her. The woman's name is Lakmi Gore.

I asked her, "What happened to you?" She mumbled, "Son, I can't speak because water comes out of my mouth. They've taken me to many doctors and have done witchcraft spells, but I have not received healing." So I told mother Lakmi Gore a story in her own language, about the paralyzed man from Mark 2, how he got healed, and stood up and then walked by himself. I told her,
"Likewise, God will heal you and you will walk away healed. Just believe. Within this month you will get healed."

I gave her hope and spoke encouragement to her and prayed for her to be healed.

Then I gave her family members hope and told them, "Now she will be well. Just believe. She will be OK."
They told me, "If she gets healed, our whole family will come and worship your God."
After sharing these things, I went back to my home.

The next time I went to that area, I asked someone from Lakmi's village, "How is mother Lakmi?"
They answered, "She was expected to die on that same day. But now she is a little better. She is able to eat food, and she is also able to walk a little."

Soon after that Lakmi's family carried her two kilometers to come to our prayer fellowship meeting. They told us, "When you came and prayed, from that day onwards she started to get better. But then she did not get any more improvement. Please pray for her again."

I told them, "After I prayed for her the last time, did I not tell you to please bring her continually to our prayer fellowship? But only after a long time now you are bringing her!"

They replied, "Please Sir, please pray for her and we will start coming regularly."

So three or four of us prayed for her, and the family carried her back to their own house. A few days later, when our program in the area was finished I went to her house alone. And I could see that now she is able to do everything! She cooked for me and gave me hospitality. Her family said, "Now we are attending the prayer fellowship meeting every time. We just came back from there!"

I thanked God and realized that if I had shared preaching in this place, it would not have worked. But thank God he made me to learn stories. That's why I could win these souls. After seeing this miracle, ten families from that village have come to Christ!
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The Love Affair

Told by Sobashan

Young people on their way to a baptism

Last February there was an incident in my village. A young man had a love affair with a girl. Rumors started, and finally I heard about it, too. I went to that boy and shared one story, the story of Joseph.

After hearing that story, he put all his heart, mind and soul at Jesus' feet. He no longer pursued that love affair, and he started to come to our fellowship.

He drives a car for a living. One Sunday he skipped work so he could come to church. Again I shared about Jesus with him. At last, he put his entire life at Jesus' feet. I asked him, "Would you like to be baptized?"

He replied, "Yes, Sir, I want to take baptism." So two weeks ago I baptized him and now he has gone to Bible school! His name was Boodoo Haloo, but I gave him the new name of Johan.

But afterward the girl with whom he had been having a love affair tried to kill herself by jumping into a well. She has no parents, no father and mother. She was staying in her elder sister's house. After knowing what she had done, her elder sister and the elder sister's husband drove her out from their home.

I thought, "Because I broke this couple apart, now this girl has come into all this trouble."
Because of this, I couldn't sleep. I was thinking a lot about that girl. So I went to her and shared the story of Hannah. I told her, "Just as Hannah was weeping and waiting and having patience in her heart, you also should do that." The story touched her heart and she said, "I want to give my life for Jesus Christ."

My wife and I invited her to stay in our home. I told her, "You do not need to go here and there. Just wait a couple of years. After the young man comes back from Bible school, if you want, I will arrange your marriage."

That girl is named Pratima. She is 16 years old. Now she is so eager to pray and worship before Jesus Christ. She is also helping my wife when she goes to hold home meetings in another house. I promised her, "If you wait for two years, surely I will see that you get married."

Through the Joseph story for the boy and the Hannah story for the girl, both of them have been touched and their lives changed.
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Tear Down the Altar

Told by Bhibuti

Man worships at a roadside shrine

After learning the Bible stories, I went back to my field and taught them to some new storytellers I am training there.

One of my storyteller disciples is a man named Podunga. One day he went to a village where there is a very old shrine that the villagers had made for themselves out of stones placed together. They worshipped at that shrine—the goddesses were staying there. This was making trouble for the whole village so they had no peace and comfort.

Now this man Podunga who had learned the stories from me, when he saw the situation he called to one of the men and said,
"Brother, can you listen to me? If so, then I will tell you a story."

The man was eager to hear it. (The village people love to listen to stories). So Podunga told him the story from 1 Kings 18 about Elijah and the challenge of the idol priests at Mount Carmel. He told how God answered with fire and afterward Elijah tore down the pagan altars.

As the villagers listened to the story, faith came to them. And so they asked Podunga,
"Can you do this?"
He answered, "Yes, I can do it, if you will help me."

Now a family was staying near that shrine and taking care of it. But the children in that family were dying one after the other. They were eager to agree because they wanted deliverance from that problem. So they told Podunga to do it. They helped him tear the shrine down—together they tore it down completely.

And afterward it was reported that the villagers saw a woman going away from the village and she was weeping as she went. She was not someone from that village--the villagers say she was the ghost of that shrine. After that, Podunga prayed for all of them.

There are twenty-five families there who came to faith. Recently my coordinator has come to baptize them.

And I praise God that through the stories, God can do this kind of thing also. There are about 120 people living in that village, about 25 families. So nearly the entire village came to the Lord.
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Leper Healed by Hearing the Stories

By J. Elisha

A storyteller uses drama to practice a story

During my work as supervisor of storytellers, a miracle happened that I want to share with you. The name of the village is called Teruwali. There is a man there named Malesh who works for the Railway service. And that person, Malesh, was a leper.

Now after I learned the story of the lepers, one day I happened to meet Malesh and shared one of the leper stories with him. He called me again and again and asked me, "Tell me all the stories about lepers in the Bible." But he was ashamed to tell me that he himself was afflicted by leprosy. So he just asked me to tell him all the Bible stories about lepers.

One day when I went to his home to tell him another story about how Jesus healed people with leprosy, I waited for him in his living room while he finished his bath. When Malesh walked past me to get to another room, he saw me sitting there and suddenly he acted so ashamed.

I asked him again and again, "What happened to you? Why are you acting like this?"

Finally he told me, "Brother, actually, I am afflicted by leprosy." And then he showed me the open sores on his right buttock, thigh and leg. There was blood and water coming out of his wounds.

So for one week every day I went to pray for him. Immediately at the end of that week—I mean on the seventh day—the water and blood stopped coming out from his sores and they healed up!

When Malesh saw that God answered our prayer, he told me, "Oh, I made a great mistake. If I would have shared this problem with you earlier, then I would have been healed much, much sooner." Now he is totally healed by the grace of God and he is working very nicely in his Railway department job.

God did a wonderful miracle in that village and now people are attending regular worship fellowship there.
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RESOURCES

Includes: Two DVD Workshops

DVD Workshop One - "TELLING GOD'S STORIES" This DVD is a hands-on introductory workshop for those who want to learn to share God's Word in story with others. It includes the Biblical basis for storytelling, orality and literacy in history, and story in the postmodern era. It also shows how to craft and learn Biblical narratives. Discover techniques for becoming an effective storyteller, using your own unique gifts and personality. (55 min.) PREVIEW

DVD Workshop Two - "MULTIPLYING STORYTELLERS"
This DVD chronicles the Oral Bible program in South Asia where participants learned 125 stories, telling the Bible--story by story--from Genesis through Acts in chronological order. Drawing on this practical model, the missionary evangelist can equip believers to easily share the Gospel with others. Through Bible storying, the storytellers will gain an in-depth knowledge of the Bible even surpassing what is learned in many Bible Institutes. (55 min.) PREVIEW

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE STORE

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