Story

The following are a number of quotes from the book Story, by Steven James. The individual quotes are not all directly related, but they all have to do with how the Bible tells the overarching story of God's love for us, His creation, and how that relates to the stories that are our lives. James has a unique and engaging way of telling the story of the Bible, as it all points to what Jesus did on the cross and afterwards. It's a fantastic book to read, if you're looking for one.

"I think what makes us unique isn't so much our height or shape or fingerprints or eye color but our histories, our stories. Day by day our lives are woven into a giant narrative, and every moment we become more and more the story of who we are. We are our stories. The more intimate we are, the more our stories intertwine."

"By the way, I don't think being made in the likeness of God has anything to do with having toenails or tonsils or nipples or blue eyes or curly hair. Instead it includes stuff like being passionate about peace and quick to laugh and full of wonder and imagination and love and longing and life. Then God poured a questioning spirit into his children, along with dreams and persistence and salty tears and a dash of joy."

"By fighting each other, we diminish ourselves. The image of God is found in our unity as well as our uniqueness. There's a great equality here. A completion of each other. Our fullness reflects his fullness. Males being male and females being female reflect a clearer, sharper image of the Creator."

"We don't feed a hungry man sawdust, or give a thirsty man a pillow. That's not what he needs. So why do we try to fill our hunger for the mysterious, the spiritual, the eternal with cognac, ecstacy, reality shows, affairs and chicken fajitas? ... It's the wrong food."

"When Jesus came to earth he brought along the folk tales of heaven. He didn't lecture like a professor but told fables like a bard, weaving tales of another world into the fabric of human lives."

"Blindness isn't a result of too little light - that's darkness. Blindness is when you're not able to see when light is all around you."

"some lights are only made brighter

by putting them out."

"Truth always draws a line in the sand. That's why Jesus told Pontius Pilate, 'Everyone on the side of truth listens to me (John 18:37 NIV). We're not on the side of truth until we're on the side of Jesus."

"when death fingered your throat,

hoping for a final victory.

it didn't realize that it was

actually strangling

itself."

"Don't turn away. Hear the painful cries of this man now, or you won't hear his invitation later. You can't accept his love until you realize his sacrifice.... Hold onto this moment. See him hanging there, between heaven and earth. Between God and humanity. See him dying there on Skull Hill. Don't turn away. Easter will never make sense without this moment."

"'The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy.'

Matthew 28:8

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'As he spoke, he held out his hands for them to see, and he showed them his feet. Still they stood there doubting, filled with joy and wonder.'

Luke 24:40-41

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'He held out this hands for them to see, and he showed them his side. They were filled with joy when they saw their Lord!'

John 20:20

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Any religion that's all somber and serious isn't Christianity. Easter is not an elders' meeting; it's an end zone dance. The curse is over, death is conquered, dawn is here. The words joy and Easter may not sound the same in English, but they are synonyms in the heart of God."