I think the concept of helping people immerse themselves into the biblical story is one that we can’t take too seriously. I believe it takes time, energy, creativity and engaging the five senses to really begin to understand and perceive the mystery and the magnitude of what scripture is conveying then and now. It takes more than one step to move from revelation to application. To move from “what it says” to “so what” demands more than just a casual thought - and more than a single step.

How can we engage ourselves and others in the scriptures so that we capture the flow, the time, the issues, the heart, the emotion, the force and the tension that is present throughout the story of God and His people? I think at the heart of the question is the idea of how do we begin to “embody God’s word?” How do enter in and join in the unfolding narrative?

It is easier asked then answered. I think those involved with teaching and desiring to see people formed by the pages of scripture have been asking this for a long time. I know that there is no easy one-size-fits-all answer. Different learning styles, differing abilities, and differing needs of people means that we must have an assortment and variety of tools and strategies to capture the attention of students.

Well, I don’t intend to solve this problem in a blog post, don’t worry! But I hope we will work at attempting to be creative and be willing to take risks to help people get closer and more personally engaged (in a multi-sensory way) with God and the words that He has provided.

A few years ago I developed an experience designed to help students walk through the life of Jesus. It was an attempt to help students become familiar with key events of the life of Jesus and to move through His life devotionally. Through 13 scenes the participant focuses on His coming and on the final days of His life. It is an active process where I envision groups physically walking through the “scenes” in a manner similar to the Stations of the Cross. It is meant to be done with each station lasting on average of no more than 5 minutes so that you can complete the experience in a little more than an hour… or take a bit more time and complete it in two 35-40 minute sessions (you could divide it fairly neatly between the “Public Teaching of Jesus” and “The Lord’s Supper”). You could also use this effectively on a retreat where you were teaching on the life of Jesus… well there are many different scenarios - check it out and see if you can use it.

It is just sitting around collecting dust - read it; change it; use it; toss it; just download it! I only ask that if you use it you send me an email or leave a comment sharing how you used it.

journey-with-jesus.pdf