Randy Frazee - The Story Bible Study Guide: Getting to the Heart of Gods Story

The best ways for you to learn how the Upper Story and Lower Story are intertwined are to spend time seeking God on your own and to spend time seeking him with others. Its not an either/or. Its a both/and. The Story Study Guide is designed to help you spend important time each week with God and to help a biblical community seek God together. Using this study guide (and the related video) as tools for growth will help you fully embrace the Upper Story of God and your Lower Story role in his Upper Story.

Each of the thirty-one sessions is divided into two parts. The first part, Personal Time, is for your own personal study, to be done prior to your group meetings. In this section you will Know the Story by reading one chapter from The Story and testing and expanding your Bible knowledge. You will Understand the Story by digging deeper into the passages. You will Live the Story by taking action on what you have learned. You will also Tell the Story by learning the five movements, discussing the chapter with those in your home, and praying together with those in your home. The Personal Time section can be completed in about one hour.

The second part of each session, Group Time, encourages you to seek God with others. You will Know the Story by sharing insights from your Personal Time. You will Understand the Story by using the note-taking outline to help you follow along with Randy Frazees video teaching. You will Live the Story as you discuss your responses to several discussion questions and real-life scenarios of people who are growing in their faith. You will also Tell the Story as you use the movements to learn to tell the story together. The Group Time section can be completed in about one hour.

Finally, you will have the opportunity to pray for each other and for those not yet a part of your group. Use this section to record prayer requests to see how God works. Dont rush through or shorten this important part of developing the health of your group.

The thirty-one-week The Story video curriculum is designed to be experienced in a group setting such as a Bible study, Sunday school class, or any small group gathering. To ensure everyone has enough time to participate in discussions, it is recommended that large groups watch the video together and then break up into smaller groups of four to six people for discussion.

Each participant should have his or her own study guide, which includes notes for video segments, memorization activities, and discussion questions. Simply coming to Group Time unprepared will still yield some benefit, but the maximum growth in your faith will occur as you engage The Story personally and with others in your home prior to meeting with your group. Although the course can be fully experienced with just the video and study guide, participants are also encouraged to have a copy of The Story book. Reading the book along with the full use of The Story Study Guide provides your best opportunity to make the journey richer and more meaningful.

Each group should appoint a facilitator who is responsible for starting the video and for keeping track of time during discussions and activities. Facilitators may also read questions aloud and monitor discussions, prompting participants to respond and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate. The best groups share the role of facilitator between several people over the course of the thirty-one weeks. Since some may be less comfortable in the role of facilitator, more thorough instructions are provided in the Facilitator Tips for a Great Group section that follows.