Chronological Bible Storying: the reproducible method

Last week I published a blog entitled, "The Jesus Film: To show or Not to show". If you haven't read it, I recommend taking the time to read (Jesus Film: To show or not to show). After posting I received numerous comments concerning a reproducible method for evangelism. I am not an expert in mission strategies nor am I a missiologist, however, I believe that one of the best reproducible methods is chronological bible storying.

I have found chronological bible storying to be a reproducible method of evangelism and church planting because storying, or orality is woven into the fabric of many societies. Oral art forms are woven into ceremonies, dramas, and daily life. Individuals relate, remember and respond to stories because storying is woven into the fabric of their society. According to oralitystrategies.org, "Chronological Bible Storying (CBS) is the process of encountering God by telling the stories of the Bible." In CBS we tell Bible stories without interruption or comment and we tell them in the order that they happened in time. Each story builds on those which came before; as a result the overarching message of the Bible becomes clear and individuals are able to find their place in God's story.

Chronological Bible storying is a reproducible and effective method because of several reasons...

5) CBS is reproducible because it provides a barrier of protection from persecution. Believers are able to share a story and leave the application of the story in the hands of their listeners. If someone becomes upset or angry the story teller only has to emphasize that he is sharing a story.

4) CBS is reproducible because it requires no resources. After hearing the story individuals remember it and are able to share the story with their family and friends. This process of re-telling Bible stories leads to evangelism being done by all members in a group or bible study.

3) Individuals raised in an oral society have already learned how to hear a story one time and remember it for a long time. For example, when I utilize Bible storying in the outcast camp of Gambaga the women are able to re-tell the story after only hearing the story twice. I have to read and practice the story multiple times in order to share but after two renderings of the story the women are able to re-tell almost perfectly.

2) CBS is reproducible because it leads to self-theologizing (I think I just made up a word). After sharing a bible story, the story teller asks a serious of questions concerning what the story taught about God and man. This question and answer time allows the Holy Spirit to impress truth onto the hearts of the listeners and allows the members of the group to teach each other. CBS also leads to active listening because the audience knows they will be called on to answer questions after the story.

1) CBS is effective and reproducible because it is the method employed by Jesus and teaches the Bible. During his Earthly ministry Jesus utilized parables and proverbs in order to teach his audience. The Bible says that Jesus "was speaking the word as they were able to hear it" (Mark 4:33). Jesus adapted his teaching to his audiences ability to understand. Jesus shared numerous Earthly stories in order to teach His audience a heavenly lesson. Each story in CBS builds upon those which came before; as a result the overarching message of the Bible becomes clear and individuals are able to find their place in God's story.

In conclusion, chronological bible storying is a reproducible method because it requires no resources, is safe, leads to self-theologizing, teaches the Bible and was the method employed by Jesus.

Jesus Film: To show or Not To Show

Julia and I are constantly thinking through ways to improve our ministry in Nalerigu. We desire to be bold in sharing the Gospel and are always looking for better ways to share the life changing message of Jesus Christ. One of the ways of sharing the Gospel which is very popular in Africa is the, "Jesus Film". The Jesus film is a movie which depicts the life of Christ according to the Gospel of Luke and is translated in the heart language of the people. Missionaries have been showing the Jesus film for years and many have been saved as a result of the Jesus film. Julia and I have three copies of the Jesus Film in the local heart languages of the people around Nalerigu. Julia and I have access to a generator, gasoline, and a computer all of which are necessary to show the Jesus Film, however, we will NOT show this film. 

We will NOT show the Jesus Film because showing the Jesus Film is not reproducible. The local pastors of Nalerigu and the surrounding villages do not have the funds or access to the material to be able to show the Jesus Film, therefore, we should not be showing the film. Julia and I are always asking ourselves, "is this reproducible"? We are learning that the strategy which we use concerning material things must be tailored to the economy of the local area. It must be possible for the local church, once it is born, to reproduce itself. We will not use anything which the people cannot provide for themselves. We are always teaching unspoken lessons concerning church planting. What kind of reproducible example am I using when I go to an an area where there is no electricity and use a special gadget which creates electricity? I have unconsciously taught the people that these things are necessary. If I utilize tools which are not available to local pastors and churches than the church members will be tempted to give up because they can't do it like the missionary did. The material "crutches" used by us appear to be a blessing, but stymied, stunted, irreprodcuible growth becomes a tragedy.

The Jesus film will gather a crowd almost anywhere. But we must think reproducible. After the people are saved, become a church, and think of planting a new church, where do they get the movies? We have taught a lesson we cannot easily unteach. It is easy to get crowds when using entertainment props and mechanisms, but few true disciples come from this.

In conclusion  material things, such as lights, public-address systems, and movies are not essentials in church planting. The Jesus Film will gather a crowd, however, it is not easily reproducible by the majority of village churches where it is shown, therefore, Julia and I will NOT show the Jesus Film.

The Missionary Bride

Who'd be a missionary's Bride,

Who that is young and fair

Would leave the world all beside,

Its pomp and vanity and pride

Her Savior's cross to bear?

None-save she whose heart is meek

Who feels another's pain

And loves to wipe from sorrow's cheek

The trickling tear-and accents speak

That soothe the soul again

She who feels for them that need 

The precious bread of life.

And longs the Savior's lambs to feed

O, such an one would make indeed

A missionary's wife!*

*19th century poem

April Newsletter

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.- James 1:27

The children are always excited to see us when we arrive on Tuesday afternoon to work at the orphanage.

An aerial shot of the orphans enjoying their meal.

Julia is amazing with children. Here she is getting their attention before we teach the Bible lesson.

Enjoying his bowl of rice.

An empty pot means another job well done. They love the black rice at the bottom of the pot, they believe it's the best. I think some mom told them a lie in order to get them to eat burned rice and now they believe it.

Listening to a Bible story

Jesus did what? Sometimes, I talk too fast for our translators.

Every Tuesday we feed the children, share a Bible story and play games. This is story time.

Julia hard at work scooping rice.

Please mam, I want some more.

Don't worry their is enough for everyone

What you talkin about Willis?

A line of children ready to get their bowl of rice. Don't cut or you will have to go to the back!

Every Tuesday our cook Rebecca takes time out of her day to make jolloff rice and dried fish for the orphans to eat. We couldn't serve at the orphanage without her.

After eating and sharing a Bible story we always have time for a few games. Here we are playing, "All my baby rabbits come out and play."

They love it when I spin them around, however, Julia is waiting for the day when I puke.

I'm not quite sure why her tongue is orange.

We end our time doing the Jesus Hookie Pookie. Some people get into it more than others. (Shh. Don't tell Julia I put this picture on here).

A sign of a successful Tuesday; dirty dishes all over the kitchen.

 Story:

Julia and I are daily struck with the level of poverty for so many people in Northern Ghana. For the majority of children growing up in Nalerigu poverty and hunger are a way of life. Imagine if this was you:

Your parents saw your conception as both a blessing and a curse. They knew that in a few years there would be more hands to work, but also that you would put even more strain on the meager food supply.  After a risky home delivery on the dirt floor of the family hut, you were dried off with a dirty rag or an old newspaper; your parents never learned much about sanitation. When you were born, you were already malnourished. The little milk your mother was able to give you couldn’t do much to ensure your growth. Soon your mom had to resume her day job of cleaning streets with a hand-broom and washing other people’s clothes, because when she didn’t work, the family didn’t eat. So you were left in the care of an older sibling. As you started to crawl, you explored on your hands and knees the open sewer trenches running along the alley between neighboring huts. If you had any clothing at all, it was made from rags found in the nearby dump, which is where all the household treasures come from. If through strength and providence you survived the first few years of life, at the age of 5 or 6 you might be sold by your parents into bonded labor to help secure a little desperately needed money for the family. Otherwise, you probably joined your siblings sifting through garbage to find rags, plastic bottles, pieces of metal or anything else that could be sold for a few pennies to help the family survive. You may become a beggar or even a thief, desperately doing whatever you could just to eat.

This scenario is reality for children in Nalerigu. Julia and I have begun working with a feeding center in Nalerigu in order to provide a meal and love to twenty children. We provide a meal of rice and dry fish, share a Bible story, and play games with the children once a week. We go each week to minister to the children but when we leave they always end up ministering to us! 

Devotions:

An Idiots Guide to Eating in Nalerigu

FOR your city

Prayer Requests:

1) We are progressing in our understanding of Mamprulli. We are able to greet people in town and our able to carry-on short conversations passed greetings. It’s great to be progressing in language learning. As our time progresses, we are being handed more responsibilities which are distracting us from language learning, pray we would be diligent/determined to put in the hours necessary to learn Mamprulli. Pray we would have ears to hear and tongues to speak Mamprulli. Pray for T as he begins to learn Bible stories in Mamprulli in order to share with others.

2) On April 15^th we will have been in Africa for six months! God is good and is sustaining us. Every day He shows Himself faithful! At times it feels as if our time in Nalerigu is flying by, and other times it feels like we will never be at the end of our two years. Pray we would continue to adjust to life in Nalerigu. Pray we would continue to be humble and learn from others. Pray we would be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves in navigating culture. Pray we would have wisdom to navigate the culture and humility to laugh at ourselves when we make a mistake.

3) Four times out of the year, thirty pastors from Nalerigu and surrounding villages come to First Baptist Church of Nalerigu in order to take part in a School of Ministry. The school of ministry equips, encourages, and edifies Pastors to better shepherd their congregation. The school of ministry will be meeting April 20-24. Pray that the teachers would articulate the information in an understandable way. Pray that the Pastors would be encouraged and edified while attending the school.

4) Every Tuesday afternoon we serve at a feeding center. The leader of the feeding center is unmotivated and expects volunteers to do all of the work for him. Pray for us as we seek to minister to impoverished children. Pray for wisdom in knowing when to give money and when to withhold money in order to avoid dependency. Pray for the orphans, pray that God would show Himself strong on their behalf.

5) Julia and I daily share our faith with people in Nalerigu. Pray we would have boldness to proclaim the Gospel. Pray for wisdom as we seek to explain the Gospel in a culturally appropriate way. Pray for the salvation of the Mamprusi people. Pray God would take out the heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh.

Serving Him,

The Welchs

What We Wish We Knew About Sex Before We Were Married

Original Blog: What We Wish We Knew About Sex Before We Were Married

Authors: Jake and Melissa Kircher

When it comes to Christians and newlywed sex, there are usually two extremes.

For some couples, they head toward the altar with the expectation that they will find themselves soon lost in ecstasy and passion—a reward from God for staying pure until marriage. For others, the idea of sex carries a lot of anxiety and fear—as he or she tries to figure out what messages of sex are “real” between the portrayal we see in culture, the Church’s teaching, and one’s future spouse’s expectations. To add to this, the reality is that 80 percent of unmarried Christians ages 18 to 29 have already had—or are having—sex, as reports indicate.

As with most extremes, there is some truth to these for some couples. However, the majority tend to find themselves somewhere in the middle.

This was the case for us personally as our first few times were a little awkward. Three days into our honeymoon we found ourselves in Barnes and Noble trying to find a book to help us figure things out in the bedroom. We’d read a number of Christian books about sex prior to getting married, and they were very helpful in terms of the theological and relational aspect of sex, but not so helpful on the supremely practical “how to” aspect—and more specifically, how to do it well and mutually enjoy it.

COMPATIBILITY ISN’T SOMETHING THAT CAN BE TESTED OUT IN A TRIAL RUN. RATHER IT’S SOMETHING THAT YOU BUILD TOGETHER.

Our honeymoon was eight years ago now, and you might say we’ve learned a lot since then. But looking back to the very beginning, here are four things we think every couple should known before their wedding night:

1. Expect to be sexually incompatible at first.

One of the common arguments used in favor of sleeping together outside of marriage is the importance of sexually compatibility. But in reality, compatibility isn’t something that can be tested out in a trial run. Rather it’s something that you build together through shared sexual experience.

Just like anything you want to get good at, sex takes practice. You don’t expect to just pick up a guitar for the first time and play Mumford & Sons covers, so why would you expect electrifying compatibility right off the bat?

Sexual incompatibility is a simple fact of every marriage when it first starts out (especially if you are both virgins), but all that really means is that you can now enjoy the process of learning with each other. That is the beauty a life-long commitment to marriage brings: lots of time to practice, practice, practice. And in this context, practice can actually be quite fun. The more you both learn about how your bodies’ work and what you both like, the better sex will be for both of you.

2. Take your time.

Amidst the hormones and the excitement of your first time together, it is far better to go slow and take your time. For most women, it is normal for sex to be a little painful and uncomfortable at first. And this, for some, can change the pace of honeymoon intimacy. As great as some marriage books and pre-marital counseling can be, this is one of the reasons it’s good to also consult a gynecologist before the wedding. And a word for men—go slow and be understanding.

3. Your sex life will have ups and downs just like anything else.

For every couple, it is normal to have ups and downs in your sex life. You will have some stretches when sex couldn't be better. You’ll have mutually satisfying, pure-fun sex—and you’ll have it multiple times a day. Then you’ll have some stretches where the rest of life has left you fried, and keeping things going in the bedroom will take some work.

THERE’S ANOTHER THING SEX ON THE BIG SCREEN WILL NEVER SHOW YOU.

Stress, work deadlines, housework, busy schedules, pregnancy, kids, financial issues, health issues and any other thing you can think of that is normal in life all affect our sex drives. When you hit a down period, rather than taking this as a sign of a waning relationship, take it as a sign you need to be more intentional. You might even “schedule” sex for a season. Very romantic. It might mean intentionally talking about what you both want or what you could try that is different or new. Or, in some cases it might mean seeing a counselor to work through some things that may be hindering things in the bedroom.

Expect to have both high spells and dry spells. When you do hit a rough patch, please know that you are not broken or weird because of it. And know that if you commit to working through it together, good things will likely be right around the corner.

4. Sex depicted in the movies leave some things out—including one very important thing we tend to overlook.

When it comes to sex in the movies, there are lots of things that the writers leave out when putting together their scripts. Like when your sweater gets stuck over your head, or shoe laces become an impossible puzzle. Or the ever-romantic moment when you have to stop to think about birth control. Or how about when one of you is ready to go while the other just isn’t quite feeling in the mood.

With all of these off-script possibilities—some comical, some quite frustrating—learning how to laugh and not take things too personally is important for your sex life. And again, the more you practice, the less these fumbles will tend to happen.

But there’s another thing sex on the big screen will never show you. James Bond can get with another girl every night, and sure, it might seem like it’s amazing every time. But it will never be able to depict one thing—and that’s the indescribable depth of intimacy between a husband and wife. You may be able to capture the physical connection on the screen, but portraying the emotional and spiritual connection—the real, genuine thing—can't be conveyed in a movie.

Within a marriage though, there is nothing that compares with the level of intimacy, depth and power that sex has within a life-long committed relationship. In marriage, good sex is even more than just sex. It’s about cultivating the exclusive, deep connection you have together and enjoying the passion and fun that comes with figuring it all out along the way.

I am Blessed

If a genie in a bottle promised to grant you one wish, what would you choose? Honestly, what would it be? Wealth? Power? Love? Now, consider that God has already given us Himself. It's easy for us to forget that we all deserve hell and that every good thing in our lives is blessing not owed to us by God but graciously given to us in love. Below are four blessings which God has given His beloved.

The blessing of holiness: Ephesians 1:4
In Christ, our position before God is holy and without blame (Eph. 1:4). On the cross our unrighteousness went to Christ, who suffered and died in our place and Jesus's righteousness came to us. The result is that God now graciously sees us as he sees Jesus, righteous and holy.

The blessing of predestination: Ephesians 1:5
Paul taught that God has chosen and predestined you to receive his love, enjoy his grace and be his friend forever (Eph. 1:5). Before time began, God predestined a plan to love and save His people. God has chosen to know you, love you, seek you, forgive you, embrace you, and befriend you.

The blessing of adoption: Ephesians 1:5
God is a father and in Christ you're adopted into God's family. You were adopted when their was nothing good in you, chosen by God to receive all of the blessing and inheritance of being a child of the King.

The blessing of grace: Ephesians 1:6
In Christ, you're graced. You're chosen by grace, saved by grace, kept by grace, gifted by grace, empowered by grace and sanctified by grace. You persevere by grace and one day you will see Jesus the best friend you've ever had, face-to-face by grace.

God has truly blessed us, therefore, we should live like blessed people.