Hannah has just vowed if God will give her a son she will give that boy back to the Lord. I’ve been reading 1 Samuel as a storyteller, looking for characters, patterns and cross references. So WHEN are we? Early the next morning. Hold onto your time clauses because we are about to leap years […]
What Anna Saw
From weeping to eating, A Storytellers’ Bible Study 1 Sam 1:12-18
In the shadow of the tabernacle, Hannah the wife of Elkanah is kneeling, praying, weeping. I’ve been reading through her story, looking for the characters, cross references and patterns—the things storytellers look for. She’s praying in desperation for the Lord to look on her, remember her. But the first person who looks at her is […]
A Storyteller’s Bible Study—1 Sam 1:7-18
Crying, fighting, not eating—no this isn’t me finishing an anime binge. This is Hannah, the woman we met reading the first two paragraphs of the Biblical book of 1 Samuel. I’m reading through the Bible looking for the things that storytellers look for, strong characters, cross references and patterns. In verses 1-6, we saw “a […]
A Storyteller’s Bible Study—1 Samuel Soap Opera
When I sit down to retell a story from Scripture, first thing I need is a close read. I look word by word and scribble on (not down) everything I notice. Then I have a list of questions I ask. Who, When, Where, Why, How? Are there any translation notes? Are there any cross references, […]
Samuel Hears The Voice
“Samuel.” Samuel lifted his head. “Samuel.” The boy rolled off his sleeping pallet and slipped through the heavy brocade of the lamp-lit sanctuary. He ran, light on the balls of his feet, to the end of the curtained corridor where the high priest Eli slept on a cot. The old man was loosing his eyesight. […]
The Story Behind What Anna Saw
“I wish you were giving another sermon,” is not something you expect to hear from a sixteen year old in a gritted baseball cap. But it wasn’t my speaking ability—it was the story. I remember the moment the story first grabbed me. The Book of God proclaimed the title on of a dingy set of […]