Today’s blog post is an excerpt from a relatively new book on the Sunday School/groups scene. It’s title 
tells it all: Teacher: Creating Conversational Community.
The portion I’ve chosen to focus on today is from page 30 of the book. In this section, authors Francis, Braddy, and Kelley call attention to the importance of stories in our Bible studies. I hope that stories are a part of your group’s Bible study experience. Here is what the authors have to say:
Stories. It’s how God wired our brains. He likes stories so much He wrote one! We call it the Bible. It’s made up of hundreds of stories. But they are ultimately just part of One Story. It’s a story of redemption. Its hero is the Word. The Word who thought up the world and spoke it into being…
Stories are crucial to the teaching ministries of Jesus and Paul. The Lord taught in parables (short stories that were memorable and focused on a single truth. Paul was excellent at creating word pictures using illustrations from everyday life such as boxing, running, farming, soldiering, and more.
As a teacher, look for stories to share from your own life. Group leaders should practice a level of vulnerability. The people in the group need to see that you don’t have it all together. A good teacher will also know his or her group members well enough to call on them to share their own stories. Stories can be powerful tools the Lord uses to shape hearts and open minds.
The next time you teach, what stories will you include? Something from your past? Your present? A current event? Something else? Stories are powerful and they capture people’s imaginations. Try making storytelling a part of your group’s Bible study experience.
Ken Braddy 
Ken that rings true everytime I have ever had to sub for you. I commit without reading the topic only to discover it’s a topic that’s difficult for me to teach because it seems like the author knows me and wrote it about me. That forces me to dig deep for answers that remind me of myself. That’s how God showed me how to handle it. Tell a story, usually about what God has done for. A short testimony as related to the topic. I’m always blessed by the experience as God guided me all way through. Thank You, Lord. Thank you ken for sharing this post and all that you and Tammy do for the Kingdom. I need to thank you more often.