The Bible Story Family

  I have worked for a number of ministries in the last sixty years. Two of them stand out in my mind because of the perspective modeled by their leaders. One man would often say, “If you think things are bad now, just wait a year.” Another man would often say, “I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in the year to come.” Both perspectives are seemingly supported by scripture. II Timothy 3:13 says, “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse.” Philippians 1:6 says, “being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Since the Word of God does not contradict itself, we know that both truths exist.   Evil will continue to grow greater until the day of Christ, and the good work of God in our lives will continue to progress until He returns. But what is my perspective? If I focus on the increase of evil, it will be very easy to develop a negative attitude toward life. Discouragement may prevail, c

  For almost two years Christopher Allen has been writing the scripts for “Comics Café” produced by Eagle Brook Church. Each episode includes a Bible story as its central teaching point as well as a “Big Idea.” The “Big Idea” is a one-line summary of the theme of the episode and comes out of the Bible story. He is already working on the next season since the scripts must be written twenty-four weeks before the weekly episodes air. That allows time for review, editing and the ordering of necessary props before filming. The actors need the scripts in time to make their preparations, and after filming, another editing process occurs. Here is the theme for the current episodes of “Comics Café.” “As the Comics Café team returns to school, new faces, forces, and personal crises threaten to undo everything they’ve built into the store and their friendships. Throughout this series, the kids overcome challenges, learn who they were made to be, and discover how God sees each person in our

  Drama is alive and well in homeschooling circles. Two weeks ago a group of homeschoolers presented “Yes..No..Wait..Impossible,” a play about prayer at Agnew Road Baptist Church in South Carolina. My wife’s sister, Jeanne Moffitt, wrote the section called “Waiting on God” which told the story of Granny Brand. Other parts of the play shared the prayer experiences of George Mueller, Amy Carmichael, and Brother Andrew. In Pennsylvania, TEACH (The Educator’s Affiliation of Christian Homeschoolers) offers an acting class taught by one of the mothers, Tammy Cress. On the last day of Co-op they will present several skits, including ones from my books, “First Church of Automation,” and “The Fruit of the Spirit Goes West.” If your homeschool group is looking for dramatic materials, here is a list of those available from the Bible Story Family. Bible Kids Speak Up The Fruit of the Spirit Goes West The Seven Deadly Sins Go West The Frumious Bandersnatch The Storyteller’s Bible

  While attending a performance by the Minnesota Orchestra, I was overwhelmed by an appreciation of God’s common grace to mankind. Pacho Flores was the featured soloist, playing not only the trumpet, but also the cornet and flugelhorn. His virtuosity excelled in compositions by Roberto Sierra and Pablo de Sarasate. The orchestra was under the direction of guest conductor Domingo Hindayan. I was moved by their creativity and skill. The music may not have been appropriate for a Sunday church worship service, but the fact that God created music for our enjoyment and endowed each of them with the talent I heard displayed, caused for me a tremendous appreciation for His common grace. To my detriment, I have too often viewed the achievements of humanity through the lens of Proverbs 21:4, “ a haughty look, a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked are sin” while forgetting that God also “sends rain on the just and the unjust” (Matt. 5:45). Even the works of the unsaved farmers can, t