Today, I am happy to introduce Elaine from Your Story Hour. Our family loves Your Story Hour and personally use their audios to engage our children in the Bible.
When Jesus asked his disciples to let the children and mothers come to him, chances are excellent that He did not use that opportunity to instruct the little ones on the fine points of the law, how to behave in church, or which chapters of the Old Testament to study closely. In fact, it wouldn’t be at all surprising if—in addition to the warmth of his presence and the friendliness of his smile—He set the children on his knee and told them a story. Maybe He told them about Noah and the animals… about David and Goliath… about Daniel in the lion’s den… or maybe He just told them how much He loved them. At any rate, it was, no doubt, an encounter they would never forget.
The Master Storyteller
Jesus knew that there’s something about a story that engages the listener and stays in the mind long after advice and admonitions have faded into oblivion… long after sermons and scholarly dissertations have vanished from the memory bank. And He knew that a story could convey deeper truths. His stories of the Sower and the Seed, the Pearl of Great Price, the Lost Coin and many others served a purpose beyond the mere moment. His stories were unforgettable nuggets that would continue to guide and instruct long after they were told.
And now, here you are in the 21st Century, a home-schooling parent, trying to provide the very best education possible for your children. You want to not only offer the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, but to instill in your kids noble principles and a strong, unshakable Christian character. You want to teach them the deeper truths of life, to give them purpose and direction and inspiration. And you want them to remember what you’ve tried to teach them for their entire lifetime.
So, maybe conveying those principles and virtues in story form would be a good idea. Maybe presenting the Bible—with all it’s fascinating characters and amazing adventures—in a dramatic, “you-are-there” format would be the best approach. Well, Your Story Hour has just made your job much easier!
Using Stories to Make Lessons Stick
Your Story Hour has produced hundreds of stories taken from Scripture (presented in a nondenominational, interfaith way), stories recounting adventures and miracles taken from everyday life and the stories of the lives of great men and women of history. These award-winning stories are enacted by professionals and enhanced by music and sound effects—and they provide those fascinating moments and inspiring experiences that will be retained and remembered for decades.
Your Story Hour stories cover virtually all of the Old Testament and the stories of Jesus, the apostles and the early church, including the adventures of Paul. What could be more exciting than being “present” when…
- Daniel’s three friends survive the inferno of the burning fiery furnace on the Plain of Dura;
- Joseph is pulled from prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, only to become the great governor of Egypt;
- Elijah is fed by ravens and later is snatched into the clouds in an amazing, heaven-sent chariot;
- shepherds are startled by a host of angels over the hills of Bethlehem and later as they reverently find the newborn Savior of the world in a lowly stable; and,
- angels again appear to men to tell them that Jesus is no longer in the tomb but has conquered death itself!
All these stories and more have inspired those who have studied the Scriptures for many generations past, and will continue to do so. And in a modern world, where kids are accustomed to “listening” (read iPods and podcasts), stories that are recounted audibly and in an entertaining, spellbinding way, are just the thing to inspire “the theater of the mind”–that phenomenon of creating an entire reality from audio input. Kids (and adults as well!) “see” and “experience” scenes that play out before their mind’s eye. That’s the power of a story well told! That’s the “reason” behind Your Story Hour stories.
So if you’d like your kids to hear, see and remember the episodes, heroes and lessons of the Bible—or to memorize entire stories, as many of our listeners do by playing them over and over on CDs or from downloaded versions—then we invite you to find a radio station nearby that airs Your Story Hour, or to visit our website where our albums and stories are available. You can find Your Story Hour stories not only in English, but in Spanish and Russian as well. Also available on the website (www.yourstoryhour.org) is our free interfaith Bible course, Adventures in the Holy Bible, which thousands of kids, teens and adults have enjoyed.
We wish for you every success in your home-schooling adventure and heartily invite you to make Your Story Hour a valuable part of the learning experience that you provide for your children—and we hope that in the process, the timeless and engaging stories that we present will become long-remembered and dearly-cherished friends for years to come.
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Elaine Trumbo-Roberts has been a scriptwriter for Your Story Hour for 35 years and is also editor of Clubhouse magazine, which is now available free online at www.yourstoryhour.org.
Well said!