I have finally chosen the 12 stories I will be using when I teach at the Bible College in Tanzania. It was very hard to only pick 12 stories, but a friend told me that if I picked stories that had touched my heart in some way then they would be more meaningful and they would touch the lives of those I am teaching. So, I sat down and looked at the list I had picked and went through them one by one. I thought about why each story spoke to my heart.


The first story on my list was the Sacrifice of Isaac. This story touches me because having wanted children and not being able to have them I could identify with Abraham and Sarah. If by some miracle Tom and I had been able to have children I can just imagine the things going through Abraham's mind when God asked him to sacrifice the only son he and Sarah had. I asked myself if I trust God enough to follow Him no matter what trials, sacrifices, etc. I may have to make.


Another story I chose was the story of the Shunamite Woman in 2 Kings. This story spoke to me about being bold. This woman had the courage to go before the king and ask him to restore her property after being gone for the 7 years of famine. In this past year I have been experiencing situations where I have become more bold.


The One Leper personally touches me because lepers were outcasts because of their physical disease. There are times in the past I have felt like an outcast because of my mental illness. Jesus looks beyond all of these things, looks at all of us with compassion and reaches out to touch all of us. Without His love, compassion and sacrifice we are all outcasts.


The Prodigal Son touches me because there have been times in my Christian walk where I have wandered away from God and God continues to love me and welcomes me home with open arms.


The Woman Caught In Adultery touches me as a teacher. It reaffirms that the most meaningful lessons are taught by example and not by eloquent words. Jesus didn't say much here but His example of forgiveness spoke volumes.


The last story I will share about is Paul and Silas In Jail. This one touches me because Paul and Silas were singing hymns to God while they were in prison. I love hymns and I learned many, many of them growing up. I praise God that He gave me a strong visual memory because I can still remember the words to those hymns even after many years. It has been singing those hymns in my head when I have been hospitalized during a bipolar episode that has carried me through some hellish times. I understand completely why Paul and Silas were singing hymns to God in that jail.


My friend was right. Taking a look at the personal meaning each one had I truly believe that I will be able to share them with passion and conviction. I am so appreciative of this friend who pushes me to dig more deeply and to really look at the stories.


I really am looking forward to spreading God's word through His stories and seeing them passed on orally to various groups of people in Tanzania.