Trying something new...

I have been reading a book about evangelism lately.

First off: I don't think I'm much good at traditional evangelism. I grew up surrounded by a shame culture; I am more aware of "face" than is good for me. I also empathise really strongly, i.e. I often imagine beforehand how a person might feel about things I do or say. This is a big hindrance for me. I find it really hard to be direct (about anything actually). I am trying to overcome this, but my reserved nature makes it really hard for me to approach strangers. I don't see all this as an excuse to not share the Gospel, though. I really want to share the Gospel; after all, my dream is to become a missionary.

Now I have been reading this book about a very interesting method of evangelism. It still involves talking to people. But it really speaks to me because basically it's telling stories. And I have been telling stories for as long as I can remember. When I was small, I used to tell my little sister stories before falling asleep. In primary school, I would tell my classmates stories during school camps. Recently I discovered that when I preach, I like basing my sermons on stories or characters from the Bible, rather than explaining a thought or theological construct. So finding out about this evangelistic method made me think: This might be something.

It's still challenging, though. I read the book and think: Oh help... can I do this? Can I dare approach my hostel-mates and ask them if they want to hear a story?! Wouldn't they find it weird? (I still haven't come so far as to do that, but I'm praying for an opportunity; maybe you could pray with me for that. Though I'm almost scared of praying it because it would mean actually doing it haha~)

The book is Telling the Gospel through Story by Christine Dillon. www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/bo… I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. It actually basically gives you an introduction into the "Bible storying" method, as well as actual training so that you can really go out and do it yourself. It is very practical; I find it very useful. I am about half-way now and it has really challenged me into trying this out.

Bible storying is basically like this: you share the Gospel by telling people stories from the Bible. And not just any random combination of stories, but stories that help understand Salvation, or that tackle issues in your friend's world view that might block him/her from understanding the Gospel. And not just any random version of the stories, but sticking close to the Bible text, because the Bible is God's word and more powerful than an edited version.

Do check it out too! You might be like me and think you're hopeless at evangelising... but maybe this different approach could be one that works for you. I haven't tried it out yet so I don't know whether it works for me, but with God's help if He wills it I'll get there...

Here's a video introducing what Bible storying is, and showing how it is used in the context of missions in Taiwan; do watch it:


Could you pray for those requests at the end of the video? Taiwan really needs the Gospel. But you could pray this for your country too, because really, every country needs the Gospel.
And could you pray for me to have the courage to learn and try out this method, and for opportunities to open up? Courage is something I often lack; I really need that kick in the backside to get started.