Max Lucado - More to Your Story Bible Study Guide: Discover Your Place in Gods Plan

More to Your Story Study Guide

Copyright 2011 by Max Lucado

Previously published as Gods Story, Your Story Participants Guide

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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.Zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.

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Cover design: Micah Kandros

ISBN: 978-0-310-08314-6

ISBN: 978-0-310-08315-3 (eBook)

First Printing August 2011

In this ebook edition, please use your devices note-taking function to record your thoughts wherever you see the bracketed instructions [Your Notes] or [Your Response Here]. Use your devices highlighting function to record your response whenever you are asked to checkmark, circle, underline, or otherwise indicate your answer(s).

CONTENTS

The quotes interspersed through this participants guide are excerpts from More to Your Story by Max Lucado. The book and session introductions have been written by Kevin and Sherry Harney.

FROM THE DAWN OF TIME HUMAN BEINGS HAVE LOVED TO TELL stories. In ancient days most stories were kept alive with a rich oral tradition where one generation would pass the stories on to the next through the simple process of telling them... over and over again.

With time, the stories were written down and captured on paper so that they would be remembered for generations to come. Eventually, with the advent of the printing press, stories could be placed in a book and shared with people all over the world.

Even in our modern time, many of the most influential people in our culture are master storytellers. We call them producers and directors, and they make movies that capture epic themes that touch the heart and stir the imagination.

We love stories... both hearing and telling them. God has made us this way, because he is the ultimate storyteller. His story precedes the first star being tossed into the darkness of space and will continue after the final breath is taken on this small marble we call earth.

Gods story, the story above all other stories, begins in a garden paradise and ends in the glory of heaven. What happens in between is captured in the pages of the Bible. As we listen and hear the story of Gods work in human history, we discover that our story is woven into the pages of Scripture. The same God who walked with Adam and Eve wants to walk with us. The God who called the people of Israel to holiness and intimacy with him is speaking to you and me. The Jesus who came to earth to live, die, and rise again is present right where you are gathered with your small group. The story of God is still being written, and we are players in the drama that is unfolding today.

In the six sessions of your small group experience, we invite you to enter into the story. Our hope and prayer is that you will enter this journey of telling your story and hearing the stories of others with great anticipation. This discussion guide is designed to create an environment where group members can tell their story and God can teach and speak through the process.

So share your stories with freedom and joy. And, as you do, you will draw closer to the Master Storyteller in fresh new ways.

Gods story is glorious, surprising, victorious, and beautiful. His story, when we really listen closely, is our story.

INTRODUCTION

Do you remember a time you got lost? Perhaps it was a crowded day at the mall, and you wandered away from Dad and Mom for just a moment, and they were gone. You felt the paralyzing fear of looking around and failing to see the north star of your parents strong presence. You were lost.

Maybe it was a school trip to the zoo and you inadvertently lingered at the monkey cage while the rest of the class moved on. Before you knew it, you were alone. People were everywhere, but not a face in the crowd was familiar. Lost!

It might have been a drive late at night, and a wrong turn spun you around, and, truth be known, you had no idea where to go next.

These moments of lostness can leave a pit in your stomach and bring fear to your soul... until the store clerk finds your parents, your teacher taps you on the shoulder and says, Keep up with the class, or a gas station attendant pulls out a map and shows you how to get back on the interstate.

Above and around us God directs a grander saga, written by his hand, orchestrated by his will, unveiled according to his calendar. And you are a part of it.

MAX LUCADO

What is even worse is coming to a point in life when we realize that we have lost our way as a human being. We might know our mailing address and how to get to school, work, or church, but we are not sure why we are on this planet. We have no sense of our purpose.

It is in these moments that we look to God, the Master Storyteller, and discover that the best way to understand our story is to listen to his. As we understand Gods story and where we fit within it, the haze begins to clear and our story begins to make sense.

TALK ABOUT IT

Tell about a time in your childhood when you got lost and how you felt when you were finally found.

VIDEO TEACHING NOTES

As you watch the video teaching segment for session 1, featuring Max Lucado, use the following outline to record anything that stands out to you.

Life in Munchkinland can be a scary thing unless youve read the screenplay

When everything changes

Getting lost in Grandmas story

What knowing does to us

Knowing Gods story

The central message of Gods story

Your story indwells Gods story

Everything changes when you know the rest of your story.

MAX LUCADO

VIDEO DISCUSSION

1. Share about a time when someone told you about your family history and certain things about you and your family members began to make sense.

[Your Response Here]

2. Tell about a time you were reading the Bible (Gods story) and a light went on in your heart as you realized that this was really your story.

[Your Response Here]

3. If the story of the Bible is going to make sense, it is important to know how it begins and how it ends. In your own words, how does the Bible begin? What are the epic themes that launch us into the story of the Bible (Genesis)?