Story and a Makeover

A well told story can capture the imagination, and inspire a people. There is evidence of this from long ago and now. It doesn’t take much to capture the imagination of the American people. The new Indiana Jones movie released in theatres last month, is breaking records and will stand to be among the top grossing films for a long time. It is a fairly simple story; a professor/archaeologist seeks to save his friends and family from the evil antagonists’ plot to gain infinite knowledge and use it against capitalist America for the sake of communism. I watched it, marveled at it, and left the theater feeling like a kid again.

The new Indiana Jones movie won’t be the last blockbuster movie to enter theatres this summer. More movies will tell gripping stories of love lost, struggles overcome, battles fought, and all will inspire, captivate and motivate us in ways that little else can.

We love stories. We fell in love with stories at an early stage in life. We would sit on our parent’s laps and hear stories of green eggs, and Horton’s hearing things. We simply love a good story.

People are as captivated by a story today as they were thousands of years ago. The Old Testament is predominately a story. It is in these stories we hear about people who were faithful to God and how he changed their lives because of it. Within the Old Testament, we see the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan throughout history. We see a God who is active, and participating with his creation.

These stories in the first testament often go forgotten, and neglected. I thought that since many of us would be spending time this summer enjoying inspiring stories on the big screen we also ought to enjoy life-altering stories in our fellowship. The communion crackers won’t have anything on the popcorn, but the stories have the potential of changing our lives.

I will be spending the summer preaching throughout the Old Testament sharing inspirational, faith-filled stories about people who loved God.

Many of the stories will be familiar, some less, but all will be beneficial. God working through faithful people is a wonderful thing, and I pray that we might aspire to be the same kind of faithful people that God uses today. The world needs people who love God. In times of economic woes and widespread warfare, a people who trust in God with all their heart, soul and strength is crucial.

So the question is: will the Etna Green Church of Christ be that people? Will a church rise above its culture, out from the depths of uncertainty and skepticism and declare that its God reigns? Will people be faithful and trust in God like never before seen? It is very simple, we need to know where we came from to understand how strong we can be. Please join us throughout the summer in this faith training series about loving God more, and trusting him with all that we are. We have shining examples of people throughout scripture, let’s hear their story.