Start by introducing yourself as presenter, pass out paper and pencils, and quickly go over the Goal and Outline of the Workshop. The Workshop will take about 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the number of participants, and the level of their participation.
The Goal is to learn what God-stories are, and how to gather the facts essential toward having a set of written stories that show how God has worked in each participant’s life or family.
Outline of Workshop
- Definition of God-Stories
- Scriptural Basis for Leaving a Legacy
- Examples of God-Stories
- Draw Out Some Participants’ Stories
- Six Tools for Gathering the Facts
- Homework
- Final Step
1. Definition of God-Stories
A. Not Autobiography which is the story of your life,
B. Not Memoir which is the story about a certain period of your life,
C. God-stories are the stories about events and incidents in our lives where God acted to answer prayer, to protect, to heal, or to guide. The stories could also be about conversion, God’s provision, divine coincidences, etc. They are testimonies of how we, or our families, have experienced acts of God in our lives. These written stories will live on and increase in value long after the writer is gone.
2. Scriptural Basis for Leaving a Legacy of God-Stories to Future Generations
A. Psalm 102:18 Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord. This command precedes a list of things God did for Israel.
B. Commands to remember occur every fifth page throughout the Bible.
C. Deut 4:9-10. Do not forget the things your eyes have seen, or let them slip from your heart. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.
D. Deut. 32:7. Remember the days of old, consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders and they will explain to you.
E. Psalm 90:16. May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendour to their children.
F. Psalm 77: 11-12. Our Lord, I will remember the things you have done, your miracles of long ago. I will think about each one of your mighty deeds.
3. Examples of God-Stories
A. The presenter reads or tells a few brief sample stories from his or her own life. Hearing other people’s stories reminds us of similar stories in our lives.
B. Ask for a few volunteers to tell briefly (1-2 minutes) the basic outline of a similar personal or family God-story.
4. Draw Out Some Participants’ Stories
A. Ask each participant to list at least three stories that show God at work in their personal or family’s life. Just a few key words or phrases to remind them.
B. Participants ask themselves, What kinds of events have happened to me, that, if they had happened to my grandparents, I wish they had written the story?
5. Six Tools for Gathering the Facts of the Stories
A. Introduce the Tool questions: Who? When? Where? What? Why? How? These could be printed on worksheets with room beside each to fill in the answers.
B. Demonstrate by reading, or rereading an example story, then have the participants answer the six Tool questions.
C. Each participant now picks one of his or her personal or family God-stories and answers the Tool questions. In note form only.
D. Each participant shares the basic plot and facts of their story in less than one minute. Depends on the time left and the number of participants.
6. Homework.
A. List at least ten stories, more is better.
B. Answer the six Tool questions for each one of the ten stories.
7. Final Step
A. Presenter could offer a Session Two at a later date in which participants would learn how to tell the story in an interesting way.
B. Or the participants could try their hand at writing their own stories.
C. Or they could ask someone in their family who knows how to write stories to write them.
D. Or they could record their stories on audio tape or on the computer.
E. Or they could hire the presenter, or some other writer, to write the stories for them. Spending a few hundred dollars in order to leave a well-written set of family God-stories is an excellent way to spend some of the money they may otherwise leave as an inheritance. If the presenter is looking for this kind of writing work add an offer and contact information on the Tool questions handout.
F. Some churches collect testimonial stories of church members, have the written up professionally and print them as promotional booklets, especially if there was a church program, sermon, pastor or member connection in the story.
www.jackpopjes.com