Tips to Try
Respect the Source
When you read 2 Kings 5:1-16, you will find that the story of Naaman is much more complex than what I have shared here. Based on your audience and on your intent for the story, it is often necessary to “cut the story down to size,” as it were. It is perfectly alright to pick and choose what you will keep in the story and what you will leave out. But be careful. Remember what you are dealing with. It is, after all, the Bible.
In the process of making your editorial choices you must not alter the meaning of the story or attempt to impose an alternate meaning of your own. Doing so would be similar to quoting out of context.
For example, Psalm 14:1 clearly states, “There is no God.”
Did you know that? The Bible actually says, “There is no God.”
But hold on a minute. Let's look at the context. The full passage reads, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”
Obviously, the meaning of the passage can be drastically altered based on how much of it is quoted. The same can be true of a story if reckless choices are made about what is to be included or excluded from the telling.
There are countless different ways to tell any Bible story. That is partly because each story expresses many different ideas and themes. So pick and choose as needed while maintaining a healthy respect for the text of God's Word.
Don is the founder of Blessed by the Spoken WORD, a ministry dedicated to telling the stories of the Bible and empowering others to do the same. Keep an eye out for blessedbythespokenword.com, which is under construction.
Don’t forget to check out our ‘Story of the Month’ as well
Check out the past five months of stories and tips
