Discover one of the oldest--and most effective--communication tools : storytelling. How can stories improve your teaching, public speaking, and communicating? Jesus Himself demonstrated through His parables that telling stories is a dynamic way to reach a listener's heart with ideas. Stories can make a point while evoking laughter or tears, and stories can make messages memorable.

This book is full of stories, some true happenings, some just good stories. Each of these short devotional lessons are a sermon unto themselves. I have had preachers write and tell me that they use them as sermon starters or for devotional lessons. Mostly they are written with the hopes that they will touch something in your heart and help you in your daily walk with Christ.

Memorable moments! What will be forever remembered by your grandchild when they look back at time spent together? How You Can Be an Awesome Grandpa presents a collection of ideas, suggestions, techniques, experiences, and thoughts that can make anyones experience as a grandpa more successful and rewarding. From learning to give your grandchild meaningful compliments to fi nding activities that help to build his or her self-esteem, author James Gooch offers several techniques that are designed to create stronger relationships between grandpas and their grandchildren. Gooch interviewed many grandpas and grandchildren in order to gather their wisdom; in this helpful guide, he shares the answers to the questions he asked during their interviews. From these suggestions, the blueprint of a respected, honored, and fun grandpa has emerged. Stories fi lled with cherished memories and successful techniques for building better relationships blend with humor and sadness to help you understand your role as a grandfather. Take advantage of the experiences of others who have created fantastic memories to help you master being a grandpa. Anybody can be a grandfather, but it takes someone special to be an awesome grandpa.

"Preaching at its best is 'truth on fire.' The real quality of this book is that it has been created from the author's own experience of the local pastorate and is concerned with practical insights and realities. I warmly recommend it." --David Coffey, Moderator of the Free Churches and General Secretary of the Baptist Union "For some, the phrase 'finding the plot' suggests a stroll through a graveyard, which is much like their view of preaching. But Roger Standing uses the phrase to describe narrative preaching, an approach that helps preachers accomplish their essential task: to raise the dead." --Marshall Shelley, Vice President, Christianity Today International and editor of Leadership "This book, from a seasoned practitioner and an able thinker, will provide the signposts required by many either for transforming their preaching style in mid-career, or for setting off on the right foot." --Nigel G. Wright, Principal of Spurgeon's College, London "Roger Standing breezily shares his enthusiasm for narrative preaching. He combines theory about narrative and its cultural relevance with practical advice and preaching examples. A helpful stimulus to any preacher to branch out into narrative preaching." --Michael Quicke, Charles Koller Professor of Preaching and Communications

In this six-session small group Bible study, pastor and bestselling author Max Lucado reveals how your life story is part of a grand, overarching narrative, and helps you see between the lines to witness God’s hand at work. With contemporary anecdotes and New Testament stories, God’s Story, Your Story traces your Savior’s unchanging, loving pursuit of you through the chaos of life. In God’s Story, Your Story Max Lucado casts a fresh perspective on how your daily life relates to God’s grand, epic story. Your journey of faith will come alive as you explore the divine narrative in New Testament and contemporary characters, and discover how the ancient stories of Scripture reveal God’s plans for you today. Join America’s favorite Christian author for a personal look at the story of God’s eternal redemption being told through your individual story right now. Sessions include: When God’s Story Becomes Yours Ordinary Measures You Hear a Voice You Can Trust You Won’t Be Forsaken Your Final Chapter Becomes a Preface You Will Finally Graduate Designed for use with the God's Story, Your Story DVD 9780310889861 (sold separately).

This manual for teachers of Discovering courses is designed as a companion piece for the training video titled A Video Workshop for Teachers. Teachers can consult their program coordinator for further information. This manual is divided into two parts: Part 1, "A Video Workshop for Teachers," is a detailed outline of the training video, with plenty of space provided for teachers to record personal reflections as well as insights generated by discussion with the program coordinator and other teachers. Part 2, "Helpful Resources for the Teacher," is a kind of toolbox of useful resources on a wide variety of concerns confronted by the teacher. The contents of part 2 are as follows: Religious Instruction or Faith Formation? The Developmental Characteristics and Needs of Young Adolescents Building Positive Relationships with Young People Effective Group Management Effective Storytelling Using the Scriptures The Teacher as a Witness of Faith Teachers will want to refer to this material again and again for practical guidance in their work with young adolescents.

Hot Topics to discuss with Youth Group covering serveral topics.

"Story is the heart of language. Story moves us to love and hate and can motivate us to change the whole course of our lives. Story can lift us beyond our individual borders to imagine the realities of other people, times, and places. Storytelling - both oral tradition and written word - is the foundation of being human. In this powerful book, Christina Baldwin, one of the visionaries who started the personal writing movement, explores the vital necessity of re-creating a sacred common ground for each other's stories. Each chapter in Storycatcher is carried by a fascinating narrative - about people, family, or community - intertwined with practical instruction about the nature of story, how it works, and how we can practice it in our lives. Whether exploring the personal stories revealed in our private journals, the stories of family legacy, the underlying stories that drive our organizations, or the stories that define our personal identity, Christina's book encourages us all to become storycatchers - and shows us how new stories lay the framework for a new world."--Publisher.