Everybody needs a story
All human beings need a story to belong to,
- a big story
- a story which tells them who they are
- a story which tells them whether their lives have any meaning
- a story that is grounded in reality
- a story which reaches for the stars.
South African novelist Athol Fugard has written,
“The only safe place is inside a story.”
Philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre says why being part of a story is important for him:
“I can only answer the question, ‘What am I to do?’ if I can answer the
prior question, “Of what story or stories do I find myself a part?”
Christianity claims to be just such a story, a safe place (though also a place of risk and excitement) and a story that helps us know what to do and how to live.
Indeed, Christianity claims to be The Story, the true and ultimate story which God the Creator is writing about our world, and which we are invited to participate in.
It is as though God is making a movie about our world. Jesus is the casting director, willing to give any interested person a part in the story, a part that is just right for them, a part which will affirm them and stretch them beyond their wildest dreams.
You want to know how the story looks to date?
The “Building Blocks” videos tell this story in eight parts:
1. Everyone has a Story (Stories, Maps and World-Views)
2. “Once Upon a Time…” (The Creation)
3. “But Then One Day…” (How things went wrong)
4. The Artist Starts Over (Understanding the Old Testament)
5. Enter the Hero (Why was Jesus the way he was?)
6. The Crucial Battle (The Death and Resurrection of Jesus)
7. Act Five is Missing: What Shall We Do? (Living as a follower of Jesus today)
8. The End of the Beginning (The Bible lifts the curtain on the future)
Each session includes…
- quotes from the Bible (some well-known, some a little weird…but all incredibly relevant!)
- video clips from much-loved movies like ‘Dead Poets Society’
- helpful diagrams
- discussion times and
- spellbinding stories from the C.S.Lewis’ Narnia stories, which suddenly mean so much more than we knew as children.
This series evolved and was field-tested with twenty groups of high schoolers who were Leaders-in-Training at Ontario Pioneer Camps between 1981 and 1997.
Here are some of the things they said about “Building Blocks”:
- I loved them. They really helped me understand Christianity better. (Susan)
- Lots of knowledge that builds foundations for my faith. (Jeff)
- Provided a lot of insight into stuff I hadn’t heard before. (Andrea)
- Incredible. Never learned so much in such a little time. (Jason)
- Very effective and well thought-out. (Sylvia)
- Learned a lot about God and the Bible. (Ian)
- Helped me learn and grow so much. Thank you. (Kim)
Although high schoolers were the initial audience, this series speaks to people of all ages and in all contexts who want a fresh, integrated approach to Christian belief and life.