The Adult Leadership A Text Alerting The Childs Parent: Fill & Download for Free

10 Ways to Help Reduce Bullying in Schools“Kids will be kids” is a famous saying suggesting that bullying is a normal part of growing up.Yet with beatings, death threats, and 24-hour harassment via technology, bullying has become a dangerous, life-threatening epidemic. Children cannot get away from it, which has led to many suicides. Schools are struggling to take a stand against bullying, and with parents, politics, and the media involved, educators have a difficult time pleasing everyone.Bullying can occur randomly or regularly. It can happen daily, weekly, or monthly. In fact, one in 10 bullying victims are bullied daily, while one in five victims are bullied once or twice a month (Mahoney, 2012). The bullied student can rarely predict when the bullying will occur, and if the student can predict the bullying, often teachers and staff may not address the incident. In fact, staff may not even catch the first few acts of bulling.Schools need to find ways to reduce this problem. This includes having all teachers, staff, and administrators on board to prevent bullying from occurring. Here are some tips to help you reduce bullying in your school.1. Have a clear definition of bullyingBullying occurs at all grade levels. An entire school district needs to have the same language within all its schools in order to reduce bullying. To start, the schools need to have a common definition of bullying. CPI defines bullying (2011) as being characterized by intentionally aggressive behavior that involves an imbalance of power and strength. It can be exemplified through physical, verbal/nonverbal, and/or relational means. It is a repeated offense, even when teachers observe it for the first time. Talking to the victim about what happened and whether there have been past occurrences is very important.Staff should be able to distinguish between teasing and bullying. According to Sweeting and West (2001), teasing is reported more frequently than bullying because teasing is done to irritate or provoke another with persistent distractions or other annoyances. Bullying, on the other hand, is an imbalance of power. This is key. Bullied students are unable or viewed as unlikely to defend themselves, which is what causes the imbalance of power. Bullying occurs in different forms such as threats, teasing, name calling, excluding, preventing others from going where they want or doing what they want, pushing, hitting, and all forms of physical violence (Mahoney, 2012). The severity of bullying varies from case to case.Cyberbullying is becoming more of a problem. Cyberbullying is the “use of any electronic device to harass, intimidate, or bully another” (Mahoney, 2012). This includes texts, emails, videos, and posts and messages on social media. Schools need to ensure that bullying prevention efforts are stressed when it comes to cyberbullying. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, “All school staff need to be trained on what bullying is, what the school’s policies and rules are, and how to enforce the rules.”2. Remove labels; address behaviorsWhen teachers and staff call a child a bully or a victim, they place a judgment on that child, which can then cause problems in the future for that student.When addressing students’ behavior, be nonjudgmental. First, find out what happened before deciding whether or not the incident qualifies as bullying (US Department of Health and Human Services). Looking at the specific behaviors that occurred is important so that they can be addressed at a later time. Keep in mind that each student involved in a situation comes from different circumstances. Everyone has baggage. There may be a reason that the child who engages in bullying behavior is acting this way. To fix the problem, involve the student who’s doing the bullying (US Department of Health and Human Services). They need to know what their actions are doing to the student they’re bullying.Ensure that the person who is doing the bulling knows what behavior is wrong, why it’s wrong, and what the consequences are for engaging in the behavior. If the behavior keeps occurring, the parents will need to be involved. Multiple staff members from various schools have reported that parents of kids who engage in bullying behavior come in saying that their children are victims because they’ve been accused of being bullies. But when teachers address specific behaviors such as disrupting the classroom or harassing other students, parents recognize that the behavior needs to stop.3. Set clear and enforceable rules and expectationsAge-appropriate rules allow a student to know what behavior is expected. When kids are younger, keep rules simple. When kids are older, shape the rules to help them meet their maturity level.Scheuermann and Hall (2008) have a list of suggestions for writing rules within a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) framework. The authors suggest that staff should:State rules in positive terms,Keep the number of rules to a minimum (3–5 depending upon age),Set rules that cover multiple situations,Make sure rules are age appropriate,Teach your students the rules,Set an example for rule-following behavior, andBe consistent in enforcing the rules.These guidelines for rules set a tone for the classroom. They can help the teacher have a well-managed classroom that is less prone to bullying behaviors (US Department of Health and Human Services).The rules and the consequences for breaking the rules should be clearly stated. Students need to know what will happen if they engage in a certain behavior. This provides clear expectations.Rules need to enforce respect, responsibility, and safety (Scheuermann and Hall, 2008). Rules should incorporate these vital components and apply to every situation every day to everyone. Remember, rules are there to keep students and staff safe.4. Reward positive behaviorWhen a student does something bad, it’s easy to point it out, especially if the student always seems to be in trouble. What if you caught him doing something good? Would you point it out? Wright (2012) came up with the “Good Behavior Game” in which good classroom behaviors are rewarded during the instructional time of day.Not many people choose to reinforce good behavior because good behavior is expected. This is a problem. When a child is always getting into trouble, then “catching them being good” is positive and reinforcing (Mahoney, 2012). Pointing out the good behavior acknowledges and reinforces that behavior. This way the student will be more likely to engage in the positive behavior again. Just like setting clear rules and enforcing those rules, reinforcing good behavior will give students clear expectations about what you want in a positive way.The US Department of Health and Human Services recommends that schools “Try to affirm good behavior four to five times for every one criticism of bad behavior. Use one-on-one feedback, and do not publically reprimand. Help students correct their behaviors. Help them understand violating the rules results in consequences.” Following these suggestions can help reduce bullying behaviors by helping students become more accepting of the positive and less likely to engage in negative behaviors.5. Have open communicationCommunication is key to building rapport. When teachers have open communication with their students, their students will feel more open to talking to them about their problems—including bullying. Having classroom meetings is one way to build that communication. Classroom meetings provide a way for students to talk about school-related issues beyond academics (US Department of Health and Human Services). These meetings can help teachers and parents stay informed about what’s going on at the school and in the child’s life. Be sure to listen during these meetings.Empathic Listening is key. Students want to know that they’re truly being listened to. They need to feel welcome to talk to their teachers one-on-one, especially if they feel they’ve been bullied. Keep in mind that a student who's being bullied might not want to say something in front of the whole class or if the student who's doing the bullying is in the classroom meeting.Schools need to have adequate reporting systems as well. They need to encourage teachers and staff to report the incidents that occur. This way the school can provide a way to protect students and prevent these circumstances from occurring again. Reporting also helps track the individual incidents and responses so you can see if there’s a trend (US Department of Health and Human Services). By using this system, possible future incidents can be prevented. Make the reporting system easy to use and confidential, and encourage staff to use it.Communication is not just verbal. A school can also provide nonverbal cues. These can include interior decorations like signs, it can include teachers and staff, and it can include the exterior of the school. The look of the school sends a strong message to students and parents about whether the school fosters a positive environment. If it does not send a good message, bullying is more likely to occur.6. Engage parentsMany people are involved in children’s lives. They all have an impact. When these people work together, the biggest difference can be made in a child’s life. Communication with parents about their child’s behavior—whether their child is a perpetrator of or on the receiving end of bullying behavior—can be tricky. Thus teachers and staff need to build rapport with the parents of their students.Keeping parents informed about their child’s grades, friends, behavior, and even attitudes in school is an important tool when addressing behaviors. Working together, parents and teachers can provide a consistent approach to introduce more productive and appropriate replacement behaviors. This makes the message more likely to sink in and stick with the child. It can even help the child recognize when another child is being bullied or is a bully (US Department of Health and Human Services).In urban areas, some parents may have had a difficult time with schools in the past and may sense a lack of connection and trust in school staff. Staff should show parents how their school has changed or is changing, and that every student is given an opportunity to succeed. You can convey this message by sending invitations for different events or by having the parents play a specific and active role in their child’s life (Mahoney, 2012). To help engage hard-to-reach parents, look for meaningful motivators to draw them into the discussion.7. Look for warning signsWhen bullying is occurring, there may be warning signs. Ask yourself these questions:Are you constantly breaking up the same kids?Do you get to the bottom of what goes on?Have there been changes in the kids’ attitudes?When a kid is being bullied, they can show many different signs that indicate that bullying is occurring. Teachers may not witness every incident, but that’s why it’s necessary to involve other students, as well as parents. Does the child have:Unexplainable injuries?Frequent headaches or stomachaches?Changes in eating habits?Difficulty sleeping?Declining grades?Loss of interest in school?Loss of friends?Lost or destroyed personal items?Decreased self-esteem?Does the child avoid social situations or talk of harming themselves (US Department of Health and Human Services)? These are only a few of the warning signs that indicate that a child is being bullied. Kids rarely show all the same signs.There are also signs that one student is bullying another:Does the student get into a lot of fights or have friends that bully others?Is the student increasingly aggressive or sent to the principal’s office frequently?Does the student have new belongings, blame others for their problems, refuse to accept responsibility for their actions, or worry about their popularity and reputation (US Department of Health and Human Services)?These are only a few signs that indicate that a kid is engaging in bullying behavior. In order to fully understand what’s going on, you must communicate and work with their parents.8. When bullying occurs, clear the sceneMost of the time, teachers and staff break up incidents as they occur. It’s important to separate the students involved so you can gather the facts. This allows the school to fix the situation while preventing it from occurring again.Remember that there are often bystanders, and bystanders frequently encourage and reinforce bullies (Mahoney, 2012). It’s often easier to first remove the bystanders and then to deal with the kid who's bullying and the kid who's being bullied.Once the crowd is split up, get the facts. Interview the bystanders. When you listen, show empathy. You don’t know all of the circumstances. Remember to be nonjudgmental. That’s how you find out what’s going on. Get the story from several sources, including the aggressor, the target, and some bystanders (US Department of Health and Human Services).Bullying will rarely end right away. Be persistent and consistent about stopping it, follow through with consequences, and follow up with the students after incidents (US Department of Health and Human Services). Show the kids that you really care, and you could become their trusted adult.9. Monitor hot spotsThere are certain places where bullying occurs the most, and these tend to be areas where adults are not likely to often be present — areas like hallways, bathrooms, playgrounds, and busses. When an adult is present, kids feel safer, and bullying behaviors are less likely to occur. It’s important for adults to be alert and to give their full attention when multiple students are present.Statistics show that 47.2% of bullying occurs in a hallway or stairwell and 33.6% of bullying happens in the classroom (Mahoney, 2012). 20% of bullying situations occur on school grounds, on playgrounds, on school buss es, when kids are walking to and from school, and in lunchrooms, gyms, and cyberspace (Mahoney, 2012). One way to stop behaviors is to have open communication. All staff must work together to keep these spots monitored.10. Know your state laws and district policiesThe US government also aims to ensure that students have the safest environments possible. That’s why 49 out of 50 states currently have bullying laws in place (Bully Police USA, 2012). All staff should be familiar with their state laws and regulations regarding bullying. They should also know what their school district’s policy is and whether it follows the state law.The National Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention (2011) suggests that you find your law, find your district policy, match the law and the policy, educate district leadership on legal responsibilities, and ensure that your policy is being implemented properly. Train staff, educate parents, and ensure that the whole district is consistent when enforcing its policy (US Department of Health and Human Services). This allows everyone to be on the same page and helps students feel safe.Bullying can be reduced. These tips will help decrease and prevent bullying in your school, and they’ll help you ensure that your students thrive in a safe and caring environment in which they’re free to learn and grow.

Think Feel Act-Inclusion Critical ReflectionStudentInstitutionCourseInstructor NameAssignment Due DateChildren's experiences in their early years can have a significant and long-lasting effect on the learning, development, health, and well-being of children. At the center of these experiences is the perspective that children are competent, potentially rich, curious, and with capacity for complex thinking. In order to support educators' working in the early year's environment in their continuous professional development, the Ministry of Education along with key experts in field of early childhood developed a thought-provoking document entitled "Think, Feel, and Act". Think, Feel, Act covers six main aspects: positive relationships, environment, pedagogical leadership, calm, alertness and happiness, documentation, and inclusion (Ministry of Education 2013). This paper particularly focuses on a pedagogical document summarizing key ideas and why it is essential in my future role as an RECE. Finally, it offers an action plan for professional learning on pedagogical documentation.Pedagogical documentation tends to be overlooked yet it plays a critical role in documenting moments of lived experiences among children. This can involve the use of different formats ranging from notes, collecting artefacts to video and others. Among the various topics discussed in the "Think, Feel, Act", pedagogical documentation stood out the most given that it is often ignored by the practitioner in early years, notwithstanding its fundamental role in the learning process. According to the Ministry of Education (2013, p. 28), pedagogical documentation ignites curiosity and wonder with others regarding the significance or meaning of events to children. It helps in creating a space between observations and our subsequent interpretations. By sharing and analyzing the information, it is possible as practitioners in the early years to provoke conversation with children and their learning.Pedagogical documentation becomes even more critical because it makes children's feelings and thinking more visible. Consequently, we can see a child's worldview, which subsequently expands our perspectives, increasing curiosity and engagement with the individual child. Rintakorpi and Reunamo (2017) highlighted that pedagogical documentation enables teachers to become innovators in their own right. Therefore, observation becomes an essential tool for education during the day in reminding the multiple things that happen in a child. With pedagogical documentation, the teacher becomes co-leaners, focused on expanding the understanding of the world while interacting with others.Like any other form of learning, creating pedagogical documentation is a process. It starts by developing a habit of daily documentation as a continuous inquiry process. It takes time to learn what is best to document and demands ongoing practice, judgmental and critical reflection. For instance, if the teacher sees a child doing something unique, they can take photos, and develop some questions enquiring "what the child wants to know" "what they already know" and the next action to take (Ministry of Education 2013, p. 28). Having developed the documentation habit, the teacher then creates the willingness to sharing what they have observed and curiosity with others. Here, an educator goes out to showcase their documentation and also develop an interest in the responses gained from it. In the course of interacting with children, families, and colleagues, teachers can strengthen their relationships and create more opportunities for new understandings.Further, the Ministry of Education (2013) holds that besides the development of new interests, educators strengthen their visual literacy skills and understand how eyes read information. Doing this means that only helpful images are selected and eventually documentations are easily understood by children, parents, visitors, or even colleagues. However, when creating documentation for children, it should have text-friendly to them while an adult-focused documentary needs to be more advanced with text and commentary. Hence, this implies that an educator needs to be aware of the audience. Of course, children will have a different level of understanding from adults.Further, an educator needs to understand that documentation goes beyond recording or retelling an experience of what children do or say. It provides insight into the thinking, feeling, and worldview of the children. When we effectively increase the visibility of these ideas and theories, we are able to study them and eventually expand our views and responses. Through documentation, educators learn how children ‘learn’ and how adults ‘read’ the learning of children. The aims of educators should be deepening empathy and constructing ethical interactions.According to Wien (2013), pedagogical documentation helps in creating a shared understanding. This way, we are in a better position to meet children's needs and understand their learning. For instance, when an educator observes and shares observations with colleagues, it helps build strong children values. Also, pedagogical documentation accentuates the rights of the individual learner. In the context of the early childhood setting, each child has their own feelings and emotions of learning. Some can paint while others prefer singing or playing games, among other interests. Hence, when we use documentation, we are able to deepen our understanding of the interest of children and closely relate with their thinking. With that knowledge, Fleet et al. (2017) assert that educators can set up various activities where children use the available materials based on their personal interest and needs.Moreover, as an educator, I want to engage children, families, and others by sharing documentation and perspectives toward children. For instance, if I come across a child who loves painting and has documented this orientation, I can encourage them to do more painting using some complimentary words. I can share the documentation with my colleagues to help them create an interesting activity for the child and even share the child's ability with the family.I want to create an environment as a "third teacher" to give my learner material and observe what they make and create (Ministry of Education, 2013). This will help in obtaining knowledge about the children's capability. I will seek to make videos, pictures, writing notes, and recording audio to help in catching my student's learning experience. As an educator committed to my learners' thinking, feeling, and acting, I will use pedagogical documentation to provide them with valuable experiences and encourage them to play based on their interests.Part 2: Action for Professional LearningEducators must have ongoing professional learning to deliver in their practice fully. Sousa (2019) state that the most valuable resource that every educator has is their colleagues, and without collaboration, our growth would only be limited to our own understanding and perspectives. Hence, I will need a plan to share my experience with my classmates to exchange their views and contribute to our professional development. This plan will promote a collaborative inquiry, where we can discover multiple perspectives and in-depth understanding. First, I would plan a meeting for a workshop with my colleagues to learn about pedagogical documentation, its importance in the early years setting, and how to develop one. In this workshop, I would use Presentation slides, videos, and case study strategies to help share pedagogical documentation views.I would first ask my classmates first to brainstorm or make guesses about the meaning of pedagogical documentation. Having provided my classmates with the opportunity to brainstorm about the topic, I would project my PowerPoint slides. Figures 1 2, and 3 show the first slides that I would use to share with my colleagues. The first slide would simply explain what documentation is. In the second slide, I would explain "why it is useful" and in the third slide, we would explore what "makes the documentation pedagogical." Because I want the workshop session to be as collaborative as possible, I would pose some questions about pedagogical documentation for discussion and reflection among the classmates as potential educators in the future. This will be done after presenting the first three slides to help my colleagues think more about the topic. I would use question suggestions suggested by the Ministry of Education such as "In what ways do children demonstrate they are competent and capable of complex thinking?" and "What does the documentation reveal about children's working theories, feelings, attachments, and interests?"Figure 1: Slide 1 of the workshop presentationFigure 2: Slide 2 of the workshop presentationFigure 3: Slide 3 of the workshop presentationThen, I would read out a case study, including John and his mother at home to help my colleagues understand how a pedagogical observation is developed:John grabbed a paper and marker and walked to the coaches and sat down on the floor. He started drawing on the paper but was hesitant about where to write on the paper. John eventually decided to write on the paper's side and switched his sitting position to be more comfortable. He began to draw letters, shapes, and colour in various colours. He looked up once at his mother to see if she was the attention to what he was drawing. John finished drawing and went closer to his mother, smiling on the face and showed her the drawing. John was delighted when he showed his mother his artwork. His mother is happy and encourages him, saying "great job son". Then, he went to his desk to get more papers, brought them to the paper again, and continued drawing multiple pictures.Further, in this case, study, my main focus is generating a clear view of observation in pedagogical documentation in a way that my colleagues can quickly identify with and understand. Through this case study, I would be able to show more practical examples of activities that children may engage in in the early years setting. Having read out the case study, I would ask my colleagues what they have drawn from the case study. Also, I would ask them to explain what they could have done as a teacher to encourage John to feel engaged with his drawing. With that, they would be more inclined to understand the nature of documentation.Finally, I would use a video to show the process of creating pedagogical documentation. This would more appropriate in helping them visualizing the need for digital pedagogical documentation. Merewether (2018) indicates that videos help increase communication and critical thinking and analytical approach to different problems. Therefore, apart from reading out the case study, using a video-based case study would help my colleague get a bigger picture of the process of documentation. In this video, I would use a case involving Jane and her learning of mathematics. I would also emphasize that educators need to take an active role while observing their behaviours. Figure 4 shows a view of the video used in the session. This would offer a starting point for building the habit of pedagogical documentation and engaging children, families, and other education practitioners.Figure 4: Video presentation.ReferencesWien, C. A. (2013). Making learning visible through pedagogical documentation. Queen’s Printer for Ontario.Fleet, A., Patterson, C., Robertson, J., & Robertson, J. (Eds.). (2017). Pedagogical documentation in early years practice: Seeing through multiple perspectives. Sage.De Sousa, J. (2019). Pedagogical documentation: the search for children’s voice and agency. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 27(3), 371-384.Merewether, J. (2018). Listening to young children outdoors with pedagogical documentation. International Journal of Early Years Education, 26(3), 259-277.Ministry of Education. (2015). Capacity Building Series Pedagogical Documentation Leading Learning in the Early Years and Beyond. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/literacynumeracy/inspire/research/CBS_Pedagogical.pdfMinistry of Education (2013). Think, Feel, Act: Lessons from research about young children. Retrieved from http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/childcare/ResearchBriefs.pdf.Rintakorpi, K., & Reunamo, J. (2017). Pedagogical documentation and its relation to everyday activities in early years. Early Child Development and Care, 187(11), 1611-1622.

Both the Method and Study is called Narration, and this what it is and how it works:01 TH MYSTERY! Creation of the Spirit World 1Tell HIStory!Tell the Greatest Story Ever Told!(The Audibles)by Don L. WoodBombay (Mumbai), IndiaTree of Life Publications©Copyright 2008-2020, All Rights Reserved by Don L. WoodPublished By ACTS Foundation · Anguilla, British West Indies, CaribbeanTable of ContentsIn AppreciationMy most heartfelt gratitude goes to all who have given encouragement, suggestions and help during the time of compiling these Audibles. Special thanks goes to the following: Firstly, to Hans & Ans, Dennis, Rene, Ivo & even Sasha van Erp of Asten, Netherlands for putting up with Zechariah's squawking and allowing me the time to start that which would become this final piece of work. For the help and inspiration of Carol Lyons, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Africa, from whom the suggested text of many of the stories was derived.Thanks to these collaborators: Stephen R. Bradd of Clinton, Illinois, Alan Smith of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Allan Ashurst of Manchester, England.Thanks also to William J. Stewart of Kingston, Ontario, Canada for his work on the angel of the Lord, David Chadwell of Fort Smith, Arkansas for his evening sermon in May 2005 making the exact point this work endeavors to resolve. Wayne Burger of Littleton, Colorado will find coincidental ties to his works or ideas on personal evangelism, which have been intricately woven into this work. Wayne Jackson's works from Stockton, California, have been especially and repeatedly helpful. Finally, for my Boety, Malan Gerber, of Cape Town, South Africa for his interest, prayers, doctrine, reproof, correction and proofreading.And without an extra special word of thanks to Dorothy John, Cary and Buster, and for their long suffering with me, I would be miserably remiss.Thanks most of all to God, the Holy Spirit who knew exactly the words He chose to have holy, inspired men to pen as His Holy Scriptures. We hold to all of them and leave none of them out. NO licentious or literary license is taken with His Story. We are merely telling it out loud with the viral narration technique and spreading it throughout the subcontinent of India and Asia. We invite the rest of the world to take notice of what is happening here and copy it around the world. The goal at all times is “The Bible view against all other ways of thinking.”Questions or comments about these Audibles should be brought to my attention. Don Wood, [email protected]:What this Work Will Accomplish . . .As a five-year-old during Vacation Bible School I repeated the story of Joseph so well in my class that my teachers arranged for me to tell the assembled congregation that Sunday night. Seventy years later that story is still a part of me, and Joseph's tears when he revealed himself to his brothers is my own emotion in its retelling. Everyone likes to tell a good story just as everyone likes to hear a good story. Although many stories in our world that captivate attention are fictional, the ones that make up the Bible are entirely factual and historically accurate. Tell HIStory will keep interests high for both youth and adults at the same meeting. Families don’t have to be split up to learn the same information and the parents are better equipped to answer their youngster’s questions at home.There is enough scientific research done since the 1980’s that proves the effectiveness of telling His Story. Regardless of the literary or word method used, we all create pictures in our minds from which the information is gathered, analyzed and applied. It is believed that most of this data and research belongs to Chronological Bible Storying in the United States. This group has a vast amount of resources for our use. Our research has proven just how awesome a power “HIStorical Narration” is:Imagine a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Christian and an Atheist all in the same room at the same time. Imagine trying to win them all to Jesus at the very same time. Tell HIStory makes that scenario more than possible – and without confrontation.How is this possible! Studies have proven that all people not only learn more information from stories than they do from reading, writing and studying (literate learning processes), but they also retain the data longer. Illiterates learn more quickly than literates because their training does not depend on storing knowledge in books, but must stay ready in their minds to be of any value. This is why the literate retention rate from their usual reading and studying techniques rose from 20 to 29 percent to 70 to 80 percent when "narration" was used. Illiterates reached 85 percent when storied. Most people prefer a good story to a lecture anyway, and there is no doubt the information is longer lasting. Also see “Is Google Ruining Your Memory?”Our primary goal is to work with the illiterate who can memorize the narrative and deliver it to their own language group. Literates put their worthy knowledge in books which they can review whenever they need that particular knowledge, but illiterates do not have that luxury. What they have, instead, is the ability to repeat a story almost verbatim the first time they hear it. I discovered this accidentally by giving the Audibles to semi-literate people. When I asked them for the moral of the story at the end, they couldn’t just answer with a yes or no, but would retell the whole story. Of course, at first, this was very annoying, but then it dawned on me what we had. If we allowed them to use their superior memorization skills to tell the Audibles within their own language group we would win so many more and so much more quickly than trying to teach them to read and write. With all that having been said, I decline to call this method “storying” or “stories.” I call them “accounts.”1. “Stories” are almost always thought of as fiction. Indeed India’s vast Mahabharata is filled with ever changing fictional stories from over three and a half millennia. So called “Bible Stories” may eventually raise doubts when only referred to as “stories.”2. Most of us know that “newspaper stories” may or may not be the truth.3. Fathers often warn their children, “Don’t you tell me a story (lie)!”4. Popular stories for Christmas and Easter (Santa & the Easter Bunny), are told so enthusiastically to our youngest children that when they reach a credible age they begin questioning “Bible Stories” too.5. While historical stories are intended to be accurate accounts I prefer to call them “Audibles” to be narrated aloud or “HIStorical” accounts or Audibles. This term was given by Mark Sharp, another minister in India.American Football has a quarterback who takes the ball from the line of scrimmage and either runs, passes the ball off or passes the ball to a down-field player. Sometimes after the huddle and decided upon plan or play, the quarterback may call an “Audible” at the very line of scrimmage which instantly changes the plans of that play and thus the game’s outcome. Similarly, the author’s Audibles are to be “called” at a moment’s notice in any setting to change the play and life’s ultimate outcome. The main thought being that the HIStorical accounts are given audibly and dramatically.Thus, Audible Chronological Training School (ACTS & Logo are our special trademarks™ (trademark sign) which trains the literate and illiterate at the same time and in the same room to be quarterbacks just as the Audibles may be narrated in the same room at the same time with a mixture of religious people, and all without conflict because everyone loves a good story. It is the HIStorical account that convicts and wins people of all cultures to Christ in the most effective and powerful way possible. affirms Biblical historical events. Extra Biblical histories acknowledge details that are well known. The Audibles are compelling to all that hear them, because they are true and ring with awesome hope. The overall plan and message of God to man is so interesting, even the skeptics are intrigued to the point of distraction in trying to explain it all away. Finally, no other book has ever sold so many copies or been distributed so widely. The number of God's book in print is light years ahead of whatever is in second place. Tell HIStory is chronological and sequential, building to the ultimate climax of the very last moment in future human history and we are sure you will enjoy hearing them.Home and/or home schools are the first places to audibly apply God's Word as both children and adults are equally raptured into the Biblical scenes, writing that essential Biblical worldview upon their hearts, Jeremiah 31:31-34. Moreover than that, the illiterate and literate long to study these accounts more carefully, to savor every aspect, to teach others with an eagerness to hear it retold correctly, each and all correcting any errors. That's the old oral traditions at work. Therefore, this curriculum is suggested as a one semester Bible 101 course, replacing whatever is currently being taught as Bible 201. Emphasis should be on the audible and not on the fine points of the Bible which should be the second thing taught. "Learn the language first and grammar second." Additionally, it would be a fine adult to children's Sunday school class. There is no need to split the children from the adults as the parents would better be able to answer the children's questions when they get home. Examination and testing with the answers is included. Tell HIStory is a natural foundation for discipleship and leadership training.Many of us feel we could tell the account of Adam & Eve, of Cain & Abel, the flood, but fewer of us could tell how and why Abraham became the father of the Israel nation. And most would have difficulty even connecting Adam & Eve to the cross, or connecting Cain & Abel to the cross. Is there a connection? What is the connection between the tiny and obscure nation of Israel and the church? What is the connection of their wanderings, the Tabernacle and the Temple Solomon built to Christian doctrine? What are the connections of the judges and kings to the cross, to the church, doctrine or morals? What is the connection of the prophets to the church? What is the New Covenant prophecy? Tell HIStory’s goal, in each and every Audible, is to dramatically narrate HIS story rather than OUR story. We desire to narrate the Bible view against all other ways of thinking. This is accomplished by neither adding nor taking anything out of HIStory. The Holy Spirit’s powerful truths make all the proper and necessary connections through the natural HIStorical lines when Telling the Greatest Story Ever Told. Moreover, dramatically narrating the Greatest Story Ever Told will constantly weave the essential natures and characters of God, man and Satan into the listener or student's mind. Anchoring God's entire Word to our hearts was never more important or easy!There isn't a person in or out of Christ who shouldn't know these Audibles and there isn't a person in Christ who shouldn't be telling them. Finally, there is no person who cannot tell an Audible and thus there is no reason anyone shouldn’t be Telling the Greatest Story Ever Told – HIStory, Matthew 28:19-20.Syncretism versus a Biblical Worldview[Syn.cre.tism: The combination or reconciling of differing beliefs or practices of religion.] Focusing on propositional truth or a behavior change through such things as syllogistic logic, can result in syncretism. How? Jesus said it clearly; we are in error because we do not know the Scriptures or the power of God, Matthew 22:29, Mark 12:24. Every one of us—you and I—are commanded to exercise care of how we think, because thinking we're right and standing firm can cause a very bad fall, 1 Corinthians 10:12. I don't know of anything better than hearing HIStory to check how I really stand against Scripture. Is it just my notion, opinion or is it God's Word? Does it ring true? Actually, most of us will find something that badly needs to be corrected as we are all subject to the subtle power of Satan. Listen to these Audibles!A failure to understand the overall connection of HIStory is the major reason why most never obey His good news, and why some fall away, but the parable of the sower reminds us of the connected reasons; e.g., there are a lot of good hearts/soils that are simply too full of worldly weeds to be faithful to God for long—regardless of the amount of knowledge the individual may possess.Hearing builds faith, Romans 10:17, but it also keeps it properly maintained, 1 Timothy 4:13. The great oral traditions of the Jews and other ancient peoples are proof of the Audible and its use and effectiveness, Psalms 78, etc. Jesus narrated many of His lessons through parables, and no better example of the Audible and its overall effectiveness exists than when Jesus overtook Cleopas and another disciple on the road toward Emmaus, Luke 24:13-35, especially verse 27. I believe the waning youthful religious interest in the west can be directly linked to the lack of a chronological Biblical worldview and I will mention more of the reason below. See The Audible. This is why the illiterates are so important. They maintain the accurate versions, best because they don’t have to consult “the book” to instantly find errors. Naturally, the book together with their best memory recall will check each other.Telling HIStory is actually a newly emphasized, but very old method. Therefore, the Christian's job is not to make salvation relevant to the situation, but rather to simply convey the relevance of the Gospel in the situation. Remember, Luke 24:27,“... beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”Those “Scriptures” were the Old Testament. As Jesus narrated it to them, opening it up for them, their hearts burned within them.Rather than only beginning with Moses, this work begins HIStory before the creation, but it does the same thing Jesus did in that He gave a Biblical worldview concerning Himself. The slumbering western overemphasis on favorite parts of the Bible has brought syncretic poverty to even the best churches, and many in the next generation have already been stolen away into atheism – of all things. The whole counsel of God is essential.“I think the bible says ___________________.” And, “Well, I believe the bible means ____________.” Opinions rather than HIStory is why Tell HIStory is needed in the churches today. Too few people really know what God’s Word says on any given matter, and our syncretic beliefs, mixing God’s Word with our opinions, is the reason there are over three hundred so-called Christian denominations. See the Lord’s Great Priestly Prayer for unity, John 17:20-21, the Lord’s command against denominationalism, 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 and the Unity Chapter of the Bible, Ephesians 4:1-32, etc., in reference to what the Lord requires our worldview to be. There is no hope for “Christianity” uniting without all of us obeying these commands. Let us allow the writing of God’s Word on our hearts, Jeremiah 31:31-34.Alert elders must arrest syncretic cancer the moment it is found! Just like the swept and clean house that must be filled with goodness (Luke 11:25,26), remission starts with an emergency cleansing but continues with a healthy diet until redemption. The power of the gospel must be engraved upon the hearts of their flocks as quickly as possible but it is not nourished and sustained without a whole Biblical worldview that can only come from a chronological, sequential hearing of the Old and New Testaments. Critical Biblical thinking, analysis and thus a Biblical worldview is quickly systemic and this is why we should be opposed to distributing only New Testament copies of the Bible in evangelism. That is very definitely the wrong approach and an imperfect message. A small pocket sized New Testament is great for a Christian's momentary personal study, but one might liken it to a pocket knife versus a sword on the battlefield.Telling HIStory is found to build a formidable stronghold against syncretism. The Greek Gnostics success in syncretizing or combining their philosophies with Christianity was certainly due to not having a good Biblical worldview. They lacked type versus ante type views, which the Old Testament scriptures provide, so they produced monumental chaos even being resurrected today. Foreign missionaries who have learned about chronological Biblical narration find it to be the chief weapon against native syncretism against God's Word. Because Biblical HIStory is so utterly perfect, Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Christians and Atheists cannot help but be equally moved by His Spirit, even in the same time frame and place.Telling HIStory captures every thought and each emotion in one toss of the net. One cannot stand hearing HIStory told incorrectly because it changes the Biblical worldview. This has been proven even to this writer. I was once telling the Audible about Paul on one of his missionary journeys in Mumbai (Bombay), India. I used the wrong name for his companion. It was just a slip of my tongue, a "senior moment" if you will, but one of the men corrected me right in front of the whole audience! That was just what I needed.For the many who feel that God's Word is so daunting that “making sense of it” lies beyond them, the grasp of only a few of the Bible’s accounts develops a steady understanding of the sacred volume’s message. Telling HIStory will quickly and powerfully fit the pieces into place. After all, the whole New Testament was unknown to most of the 1st Century converts.Student & Instructor GuidelinesJesus told His disciples: "Go and make disciples of all nations, immersing them in the authority of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).Those of us desiring to obey the words of Jesus must prepare ourselves for this work in three ways:1. Firstly, we must have the indwelling Spirit of Jesus in our own bodies (Romans 8:9-11) if we are to belong to HIM and be HIS disciples. If this point raises any questions or doubts, what greater reason is there than to use these materials as a guide? We obtain the Holy Spirit through having our sins "washed away" in HIS name (authority) in baptism (Acts 2:38, 5:32; 22:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; 1 Peter 3:21ff). This is a spiritual cleansing which must be preceded in one's life by faith and repentance in order to be saved. There is nothing magical about the water into which we are to be baptized, but we are to be immersed in water in obedience to His word. These Audibles prove we may not change that or any other thing He has commanded of us to be saved. Please note that in Acts 2:37-40, Peter's crowd all believed, but he still exhorted them with many other words to convince them to be saved by obeying the Lord's spiritual plan of being baptized. Only God's Word will not return empty. Our words are as nothing. The Holy Spirit's Word will convict hearts and prepare them to obey the good news (2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 1:22-23; 4:17). If you have availed yourself of forgiveness of sins, then continue with the necessary preparation.2. Secondly, prayerfully ask God to open up each Audible in your heart. Those who only keep God “on call” from time to time, praying only when there is a crisis, are missing the most vital link a Christian has with the Creator and they know nothing of the Lord's commands (Luke 18:1ff; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; & by example see, Romans 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3). Luke's narrative of the Gospel concentrates on the Lord's prayers so much that it has been called the “Gospel of Prayer.” Did you know that? In short, it is a sin not to keep our hearts in constant touch with God through prayer. Pay particular attention to the tabernacle accounts below.3. Thirdly, it is essential that the narrator, teacher, preacher or evangelist narrate all the Audibles first, out loud and dramatically, just as he plans on delivering them. Without the BIG PICTURE one may easily drop out. Lastly, if these Audibles are to become a year's curriculum, say, for the pulpit preacher, there are some which can be joined on a single occasion and there are a few which might need to be split into two settings. One particular such is Audible 12 which may need to be split into two sessions, but please don't cut any Audible out. Please be sure to narrate all the stories from this book before you begin. They will fit well within a year's calendar, but one-on-one Audible telling can be done in just a few weeks at the outside.Finally, one person fluent in any language merely needs to make a digital recording of the Audibles for the illiterate teachers in that language group to listen to and copy into their own minds. They become the tellers in their areas and so the Word spreads.The Secret to Telling HIStory!The Secret to a Successful Audible: NARRATE the text three to four times OUT LOUD. Dramatically narrate it with as much vocal in-fluctuation when narrating as you can —as though telling it to children.Think only about the first few words you might chose to say when starting the narration. Then, open God’s Word (where you might have an outline), open your mouth, say the phrase you have chosen to use and the narration spills out automatically!⧫ Narrate the Audible's Topics. Think about the Topic for a moment.⧫ Read the Scripture passages from God's Word three or four times, until you have grasped the names, events and the flow of the account so that you know what comes next. Give it with as much in-fluctuation, facial expression, widening of the eyes, etc., and with gesticulation as you practice. And THE most important of these points is to do it all out loud and dramatically. We can promise you that doing this will readily bring the story to your mind when you just open your mouth and start narrating it. Then, and only then . . .⧫ Read the versions of the Audibles written in this book. Do not use them as a replacement for reading the Scripture passages three to four times! This version is only there to help you with some of the methods you can use to tell the main ideas as it should be told for developing a Biblical worldview of everything. When you tell the Audible, punctuate it with key passages from God's Word that will make it even more interesting.⧫ After becoming well acquainted with the account, the following types of points will be brought up for discussion at the end of each and every Audible:What attributes (characteristics) of God do I see in this account?What characteristics of man do I see in this account?What characteristics of Satan?What characteristics of Jesus (in the New Testament accounts)?As you are narrating the Audible, stress the attributes you have seen in that history. Here is a partial list of attributes and characteristics you should be looking for as you go along:About God:⧫ God is all-powerful.⧫ God is over everything and rules everything.⧫ God is eternal, both past and future.⧫ God knows everything.⧫ God is spirit.⧫ God is everywhere at one time.⧫ God doesn’t depend on anything. He is self-dependent.⧫ God doesn’t change. He is always the same.⧫ God is truth. He fulfills all His promises.⧫ God is love. He is full of mercy and grace.⧫ God is holy and just. He cannot tolerate sin. He demands death as payment for sin.⧫ God communicates with man.⧫ God reveals His nature to man.About man:⧫ Man is sinful and cannot save himself. He needs a Savior.⧫ Man can come to God only through obedience to the way that He has provided.⧫ Man must have faith in order to please God and be saved from his sin.⧫ Man must constantly be reminded of HIStory or he rapidly forgets God and goes into modern idolatry, syncretism and apostasy. Even when God's presence was vocally and personally present with man, this was a problem! How much more so today for we who must persistently hold to God's Word! As faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God, so also is faith's maintenance, Romans 10:17.About Satan:⧫ Satan coveted God’s headship, so he opposes God and His will.⧫ Satan is a liar and a murderer.⧫ His purpose is to deceive, destroy and bring death.About Jesus (in the New Testament):⧫ Jesus is God. (When you tell the accounts, you will be showing how Jesus has the same attributes as God the Father.)⧫ Jesus is man. It seems contradictory, but the accounts prove that it is so.⧫ Jesus is all-powerful.⧫ Jesus is holy and righteous.⧫ Jesus is the only Savior.1. Decide which of these attributes you will include in your Audible, or you can include several of them, but do keep it simple.2. As you prepare your Audible, look at the questions at the end of each Audible. Be sure that you stress these things so that your listeners will be able to answer the questions correctly.3. Practice narrating at home. Look for another person, a child or an adult, to listen to your Audible.4. Tell it! The more often you tell the Audible, the better fixed it becomes in your mind and heart. Teach children to tell the same accounts and retell them with everyone correcting where something has either been left out or not stated correctly. Make it fun, keep it interesting and most important, keep it accurate!⧫ If it is helpful to you, write out an outline of your Audible on a small piece of paper or card. You can refer to it to help you stay on track as you give the Audibles.⧫ Those yellow sticky notes may be helpful. That said, we are certain it is not as good as the student's guidelines described next. We believe all serious "Quarterback's" will adopt the student's method.5. After you tell the Audibles, ask the questions listed in this book for that Audible. You will easily find out how well they have understood you. Is your delivery clear? Are they listening or distracted? Please write the questions down on a separate piece of paper rather than using this book. Be prepared for illiterate people, because one question will require the retelling of the entire Audible! They see it more fully than literates.6. After asking the questions, offer them a time for comments and questions. Keep comments on the subject and maintain control and order.⧫ If their questions are about that very Audible, answer them.⧫ If their questions will be answered in a future Audible, say something like this, “That’s a good question! Will you keep that question in mind, or even write it down, because it will be answered in a later Audible.” Do not go ahead of your story.⧫ If you do not know the answer to a question, tell them that you will do the research to find the right answer. If they desire to see how you do your research outside of the class time, show them. Or you may need to ask someone else who knows God’s Word very well, and then be sure to tell that person the answer.⧫ When speaking of the Bible, please call it “God’s Word.” Many other religions have their own holy book. Speaking of “God’s Word,” instead of calling it “the Bible,” helps keep them from comparing “their book” to “our book.”⧫ We suggest that literate narrators should narrate the selected scriptures directly from God's Word to build the proper respect for God and His Word, while illiterates must memorize all the key passages. Believe me, this is NOT difficult for illiterates. Their entire natural training in these regard is better than ours!⧫ Though God’s Word is made up of many “books” and was written by many authors, it is really just one history. It is the history of God reaching out to mankind to redeem them out of their sinful condition. There are two points we need to make about this:1) Just tell the Audible! Do not stop it to make a point, or to do some teaching. It will hinder rather than help. Keep your Audibles chronological and interesting by telling the account and the whole of it. A whole Biblical worldview is mandatory to have whole success. If there is just some “burning” point that someone thinks needs to be made, write it down on a card and assure them you'll get to it in its own time or take it up after you've finished the course.2) The accounts you will tell are not just a set of unconnected stories but form the history of man, from before the creation of the world through to the coming and establishment of God's kingdom, until the future appointed judgment that everyone will keep. It is important that each consecutive Audible be “attached” to the one before so that your hearers understand that it is one account. Therefore, as you tell the Audibles, you will find yourself saying, “After this . . .” or “And so . . .” or “Many years later . . .” or “Some time after this . . . .” In the same way, you should ask a question or make a comment at the end of each Audible that will make the hearers wonder what will happen next, and make them want to hear more. You can use the comments written at the end of each Audible, or you can choose your own questions or statements to make them want to hear more.⧫ A student “notebook” should literally be the student's own Bible with (1) outline, (2) notes (with highlights & underlining), and (3) the special decimal “Go To” path statements written in the margins. The instructor should examine the student's Bible for these three items, and should make them more than half of the total points for the course. The illiterate person does not need this! They will have the Audibles memorized so quickly and easily it will amaze the instructor. Each Audible has a lesson number from Ø.A through Lesson XXXXX. Students should make “Go To” path statements with the notes on each Audible in a separate notebook before entering them permanently into their Bibles! Even so, white out will be essential.Path statements should show a “back” and “forward” statement. Only the first and last in a chapter series needs to display the chapter name. Sample path statements are only offered through Chapter Zero. The instructor should warn that the “Go To” path will not automatically include all the verses used at the headings of each chapter and occasionally may include others. One will determine this by actually reading the texts and then writing his own notes and path statements to the verses that he will narrate to the listener. One caution: Don’t use scripture that will require an explanation as to why it fits the subject. An example of this is found in Chapter Zero. This work assumes the narrator will have the opportunity to Tell HIStory to the Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Shinto, Atheist, Baptist, Mormon, etc. Don’t divert your efforts by introducing a character, writer or person of history that doesn’t fit your subject. The listener will accept your person of history at the proper chronological point that he or she appears in HIStory. Jesus, for example, as the Christ, is one of these subjects that must be built from the foundations up into a Biblical worldview before you introduce Him. His special place in HIStory should come chronologically and for the very reasons He appears.Also, prepare a Table of Contents for a flyleaf of your Bible for the Audibles and the verse citations upon which they each begin. Finally, a poster sized map of Mesopotamia to Egypt including Spain to Asia Minor should be marked with the major ancient and modern cities to keep interest flowing.This map is intended to show the area of which God's Word deals.The college instructor can separately draw student’s names and varying Audibles from a hat on each day of class as examinations for the students to Tell HIStory to the rest of the class. The overall objective being that the narrator will constantly become better and better Telling HIStory over the years.The main element the instructor and class should be looking for when listening to the student, besides delivery, gesticulation, vocal interest, etc., is for “unlicensed liberty” of adding or subtracting from HIStory. Any license taken is covetous, sinful and should be enough to fail the course as it earns failure with God, Deuteronomy 4:2, 12:32, Joshua 1:7, Proverbs 4:25-27, 30:5-6, 1 Corinthians 1:10, 2:12-13, 4:6, Philippians 3:15-16, James 4:17, 1 Peter 4:11, 1 John 4:1, 2 John 9, Revelation 22:18-19. The instructor will find out soon enough how many wild and syncretic positions people are ignorantly holding. Do not get exasperated or too disappointed. Keep control by continuing to Tell HIStory and let the Holy Spirit set the willing heart straight and witness how this personal syncretism gives way to repentance.With the path instructions below, and only an open BIBLE in your hand, telling HIStory, your audience will gape in wonder and you need only watch their facial expressions to gently but pointedly increase or decrease your volume and dramatize the parts you're telling with facial expressions and gesticulation. Just give the Audibles and tell them well.Maintain eye contact, and facial expressions to help develop interest in your listener. It's essential that the listener's know that the things said are coming from God’s Word. We don’t want them thinking that you’re narrating from another book. We tell the accounts while holding God's Word open. We narrate the verses making the points, turning from verse citation to verse citation as the “Go To” path points, especially when quoting God, the angel of the Lord, Jesus, the prophets or other notable Biblical persons. An example for the “Go To” path statements follows below in Chapter Ø, “Ground Zero.” Make them in a special color in God's Word so you can quickly locate what you are going to narrate and the next “Go To” outline statement. For example, if you are narrating about Noah, you will tell that God explained how to build the ark by giving Noah all the details. As you say, “And do you know how Noah responded?” (You then look down at your open Bible at Genesis 6:22, and say:) “God's Word says . . . Noah did everything just as God commanded him.”Sunday school teachers could include a syllabus of their own outline, notes (with highlights & underlining), and their own decimal “Go To” path statements. It would be wonderful for a high school student to have been taught in Sunday school and then while in college find that the same course is being offered. He or she would imagine that the course would be an “easy 'A'” because most of the work would already have been done in the student's own bible. The student could then improve or restudy the outline, notes and “Go To” statements in a new Bible and concentrate on Telling HIStory even better than before.Another example of this is in story number 37, "Caste Credit." Xxxxxxxxx In that Audible, Jesus was talking to a group of men who were depending on their ancestry in order to be accepted by God. Much of this Audible is made up of what Jesus said, and what the men said. Part of it you can put in your own words, but narrate short portions of it as well. For instance, if you look down in your Bible and narrate the words, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I AM,” your listeners will understand that this is exactly what Jesus said and meant, and is not just something you are saying from your own thoughts or from “some book.” When you do this, do not say “In John 8:58 we narrate that Jesus said. . . .” Giving references like that breaks up the narration. Just narrate the words from God’s Word as part of your Audible. Keep HIStory flowing.⧫ The first “lesson” in this book is technically not an Audible. It is truly “ground zero” and where it all has to start! So, if you give this Audible let your hearers know that the “HIStorical part” of God’s Word is just ahead, but that you need to get your listeners ready for the accounts through these two opening lessons.1) The Introduction will help them understand why we call the Bible “God’s Word,” how He gave it to men, what it’s for, and how we know that we can trust it, and so on. There is an Audible included xxxxx in the introduction that helps explain why we can trust God’s Word. So, make this introduction as interesting as possible.2) Audible #1 is about the attributes of God as seen in creation. This too, has no exact “story line” in it. Again, let your hearers know that this is from God’s Word (read Genesis 1:1), and is introductory and foundational in nature.Audible Ø."Ground Zero!"The Audible Topic: It All Begins with God’s Word, and Why we can Believe It.[Note: In this introduction we have included many Scripture references to help you, the narrator. If you narrate this, do not tell your hearers where all this information is found in God’s Word, as that will be distracting. For instance, don’t say, “In Deuteronomy chapter eighteen and verse eighteen we narrate . . .” Instead, just say, “God’s Word says . . . .” If they ask for a reference afterward, by all means tell them! Just don’t break up what you are saying with references. Please note: You may not want to give this "story" as you begin. Decide this for yourself. Every group is different. You may simply start at Audible 1 and leave this as a reserve to talk about later. Or, you may want to share it now in an abbreviated format (i.e., present the central idea). Regardless, pay critical attention to how to do the path statements so you can tell these stories at any time at any place while only holding your open Bible.]HIStory in Brief:In the coming days and weeks I will be narrating to you from God’s Word. Before we start these true accounts, you may want to know more about God’s Word. Where did it come from? Can we trust it? Let me tell you about this book which is God’s Word.Note to Narrator: Turn to these verses in God's Word and note the path statements to be written in the margins of your Bible:“<” (lesser than) means to go back to the preceding verse, and the “>” (greater than) means to go forward to the next verse."|<" means the first or beginning and ">|" means the end or the last. See the following examples to lead you:How did God Give Us His Word?Ø.A | "Ground Zero"<Genesis 1:29. God gave us His Word in various ways. Firstly, God spoke directly to people.>Gen 3:8-9.Ø.B Genesis 3:8-9. Adam and Eve actually heard God walking through the garden and spoke with God and enjoyed His presence. (Later we will find out how this was possible!)Gen 1:29<>Gen 4:16Ø.C Genesis 4:16. Even Cain, the first murderer, knew and had God’s presence, but went away from God’s presence, wandering in the east. Yes, there was a time when every man, woman and child in the world knew the presence of God. What happened? Don't miss a word of these true accounts and you'll find out what happened!Gen 3:8-9<>Ex 4:12Ø.D Exodus 4:12. NOTES: Moses heard God’s voice too, and wrote down what God said. All of the people Moses was leading heard God speak the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:1, 19) which frightened them, but they didn’t listen very well. They were later found worshipping a golden calf as Moses came down the mountain with the first tablets of stone which he broke upon seeing their idolatry (Ex 31:18, 32:1-34. The words they heard had all authority because they were the words of God Himself. God also spoke to people through dreams and visions as He did to Jacob and Abraham. He even sent angels to bring messages to people, and these are recorded in the Word of God. More than 3,800 times the messages came from heaven, and there are a number of facts as to why we know it’s God’s Word and why we believe it’s true. Just listen to some of these passages: (Note to the narrator: have these places marked in your Bible so that you can narrate to them directly from God’s Word.)Ø.E Exodus 4:12 God told Moses, “Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.”Gen 4:16<>2 Samuel 23:2Ø.F 2 Samuel 23:2 NOTES: David testified that “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.”Exodus 4:12<>Jeremiah 1:19Ø.G Jeremiah 1:19 NOTES: Jeremiah was a very young man when God spoke to him. God’s words would have been hard enough for a grown man to say, but God chose Jeremiah to deliver His warnings. God said, “They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.2 Samuel 23:2<>Deuteronomy 18:18.NOTES: So, a major way in which God gave us His Word was by speaking through specially appointed people. These people were called Prophets. Long after Moses had proven himself to be a prophet of God, and because the people became afraid when hearing God’s own voice and had asked Moses to tell them what God had said instead, God instructed Moses to tell them that He would, “. . . raise up for them a prophet like you [Moses] from among their brethren; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.”Ø.H Deuteronomy 18:18Jeremiah 1:19<>Jeremiah 1:7NOTES: An example of this was God speaking through the prophet Jeremiah. He said to him, “I have put my words in your mouth.”Ø.I Jeremiah 1:7-9Deu 18:18<>Deu 18:19NOTES: God would hold anyone responsible who refused to hear His Word from His prophets.Ø.J Deuteronomy 18:19.Jer 1:9<>Deu 18:20Ø.K Deuteronomy 18:20-22. NOTES: And yet, anyone who claimed to be speaking for God when he really wasn’t was to be severely punished. Therefore, these words carry the authority of God. In hindsight we can see that writing God’s Word down enables us to determine the truthfulness of HIStory and whether what is in writing today really is HIStory.Deu 18:19<>Ex 31:18.NOTES: In fact, God commanded that His Word be put into writing. God set the precedent by writing The Ten Commandments on stone by His own finger, and thus His Word has all authority.Ø.L Exodus 31:18.Deu 18:22<>Joshua 24:26.NOTES: Moses wrote God’s Word in what we call “The Book that Moses Wrote” or “The Book of Moses” or “The Law of Moses.” Finally, Joshua wrote the covenant of the Children of Israel in his book of the law, which bound the Children of Israel to God in righteousness.Ø.M Joshua 24:26Exodus 31:18<Isaiah 30:8>NOTES: The prophet Isaiah was told, “Go write it on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book that it may serve in the time to come as a witness forever.”Ø.N Isaiah 30:8Joshua 24:26<>Jeremiah 30:2NOTES: … and Jeremiah was told, “Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you . . . .”Ø.O Jeremiah 30:2.Isaiah 30:8<>2 Peter 1:19NOTES: The prophets spoke and wrote the things God said to them. There are many more places where God has said the same or similar thing about recording His statements into a scroll or book. Listen to these words that were written by some of the men who wrote down God’s Word. (Note to the narrator: have these places marked in your Bible so that you can narrate to them directly from God’s Word.)NOTES: The word of the prophets . . . “you do well to pay attention to it.”Ø.P 2 Peter 1:19.Jeremiah 30:2<>2 Peter 1:21-22NOTES: The words the prophets wrote were not a matter of their own interpretation. God’s Word did not originate with the will of man, but they spoke from God, as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.Ø.Q 2 Peter 1:21-222 Peter 1:19<>2 Timothy 3:16a.NOTES: Scripture is God-breathed.Ø.| "Ground Zero">R 2Timothy 3:16a.<2 Peter 1:22^ "Mystery!" (This is Story 1.)> "Mystery!" 1.a Genesis 1:1.NOTES: This is similar to a secretary who writes what her boss tells her. She can’t take letterhead paper from her boss and write her own letter on it! She can only write what he says. And even though she has written it, those words are the words of her boss, and not her own. God, too, gave his word to His selected people, and they wrote down what He wanted them to write.How Was It Written?Very long ago, there was no paper like we use now. When God’s Word was written, the writers wrote on animal skins, pressed papyrus, parchment and clay tablets. Instead of books like we have today, some of these people used scrolls that were long pieces of skin, papyrus or parchment. These were rolled up from each end, and a person could narrate it by unrolling one side while rolling up the portion in their other hand.God’s Word was written over a period of 1600 years, by more than 40 authors from various professions: shepherds, kings, fishermen, an army general, a doctor, a tax collector, teachers and many other occupations. God’s Word was written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, but it forms one history from beginning to end.How Do We Know that It Is True?God’s Word was copied very carefully. Men called “scribes” would count all the letters and divide by 2, so they would know the exact middle letter of the document. When they made a copy, if the middle number, or end number on the new document was different from the original, they would destroy that copy and start over again.Some people say that the Word of God has been changed. Let me tell you a story that assures us that this is not so. In 1947 an Arab shepherd boy was searching for a lost goat on the West Side of the Dead Sea, an area called Qumran. He threw a stone into a cave on a cliff to try to scare his goat back to the heard. To his surprise he heard the sound of pottery being broken. He went up into the cave and found large jars full of leather scrolls. He gathered some and sold them at the market. They were purchased by the archbishop of a Monastery in Jerusalem and by a Professor from the Hebrew University.They asked where the scrolls had been found and located the shepherd boy who took them to the cave. There they found scrolls dating back to between 100 and 200 years before Christ. The scrolls, known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, are composed of parts of every Old Testament book except Esther, and they verify that the more recent manuscripts we have printed in books today are the same as those of ancient times. So when people say that the Word of God has been changed, I ask, “When, and where was it changed?” No one has an answer, because the very old manuscripts say the same things as the most recent ones today that have been used to translate God’s Word. In addition to this, the prophets wrote down many, many prophecies as God spoke to them. The fact that hundreds of these have come true is another proof that God’s Word can be trusted as true.The prophets of God told of events hundreds of years before they were fulfilled. For example, there are over 300 prophecies regarding the coming Messiah/Savior/ Deliverer. All of these have been fulfilled in one person. (Note to the narrator: if your listeners are from religious groups that do not accept Jesus as the Messiah, don’t mention His name at this point. Only say that all these prophecies have been fulfilled in one person.)What is Scripture For?God’s Word tells us that it is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly trained for every good work.” It is a holy book, yet it must be put to work in our lives, (2 Timothy 3:16-17) God’s Word is divided into Old and New Testaments. This doesn’t mean that one is more important than the other. It just means that the Old Testament tells us about what God did before the coming of the promised Savior, and the New Testament tells us about what God has done after the coming of the promised Savior.The Old and New Testaments are divided into 66 Books, written by more than 40 authors. [Note to Narrator: Show them the index of God’s Word.] The books of God’s Word are divided into chapters and verses. Large numbers indicates chapters, and small numbers indicates verses. The chapters and verses were not put there by the authors, but were added later for our benefit, to help us locate a specific place more easily.God’s Word carries all authority because of who God is. We can trust it fully. In the days ahead, I will tell the true account of God and man to you from God’s very own Word, HIStory. We will not talk about religion, but you will hear the true story of what has happened since the beginning of the world. And one of the reasons these narrations are so interesting and compelling is because their "fingerprints" or "footprints" are actually seen imprinted on the earth to this very day!After telling the Audible, ask these questions.After narrating, ask these questions:1. What kinds of people did God use to write down His Word?(Shepherds, kings, fishermen, an army general, a doctor, and many other professions.)2. Were these people allowed to write down anything that they wanted to write?(No, they had to write what God told them to write. He “inspired” them to write His Word.)3. What do we call the people who received God’s words, and then spoke them and wrote them down?(They are called prophets.)4. How many languages was God’s Word originally written in?(Three: Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic.)5. What are some reasons that help us know that we can believe God’s Word to be true?(We know God’s Word can be trusted because: a) The careful way in which it was copied over the years. b) The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls that are very old and are just like the manuscripts we have been using for hundreds of years. c) Hundreds of prophecies made by the prophets have come true.)6. We said that the Word of God is divided into two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. Is one of these testaments more important than the other? What is the difference between the two?(The New Testament is not more important than the Old! They are both the Word of God. The Old Testament tells what God did before the coming of the promised Savior, and the New Testament tells us what God has done after the coming of the promised Savior.)7. Did God really say that He would hold people responsible who did not pay attention to what His prophets said?(Yes, He did! It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. Deuteronomy 18:19)W⁵H: QUESTIONS & ANSWERSQuestions We've Been Asked Concerning this Work: (W⁵H = Who, What, Why, When, Where & How):Q. Who is groaning for these lost souls of India?A. I am, but God does more. God has deliberately brought me to India (Daniel 4:35, Romans 8:28), to help you help me, to help the Lord, to help India obey the Lord, and I'm seeking others to catch the following vision. God is bringing them in, one by one. Some time ago with these thoughts in mind, I was required to give my work a name. Instead of calling it by my own name, or something similar, I resorted to what it is that we’re actually doing, “Telling HIStory!” We are a legal and unincorporated business organization of Anguilla, British West Indies in the Caribbean.Q. What is the problem? What is the opportunity? What is the solution?A. There is only one solution. God's word must be written on Indian hearts. Syncretized "Christianity" which mixes local opinions, superstitions and ordinary false doctrine with Christ is a dead duck when an honest soul hears HIStory. (Ask me to prove that to you!) • What is at stake is a whole country of souls who listen in rapt attention to the narrated *WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD.*Q. But WHAT is this thing you are calling, "HIStory?"A. We all know what "history" is, and those historical peoples God worked with in the Bible could be called "His Story," thus "HIStory!" We are telling God's stories (Audibles) since before the creation of the Universe. • We tell the thrilling true stories of the patriarchs, judges and kings. • No account in the world is as passionate as the sequential advent of Christ's birth, His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension to receive His glory. • But we narrate the establishment of His church, the outpouring of Joel's promised Holy Spirit for all who call upon the name of the Lord for washing away their sins. • Then the true accounts of the Apostles doctrine through the sequential, final future of every soul are told.Q. What is at stake? (Pardon the "business sound," but I really want to understand.)A. Thank you for asking. We are all "stakeholders" in our own lives, businesses, investments and salvation. Every Christian is a stakeholder in God's business of saving souls. We are commanded as we go through the world to preach this good news, Matthew 28:18-20, and there are present and eternal wages connected with winning souls, Daniel 12:3, “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” (Da 12:3).Proverbs 11:30. “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.” (Pr 11:30).Right now the opportunity is huge to win the nation of India to Christ.Q. Why is telling HIStory spreading God's word so fast?A. Narrating God's word is viral. We all agree that Jesus was the Master narrator, Luke 24:27. He was also a Master when it came to asking thrilling, penetrating questions, Mark 12:35-37. We will also agree that there is not a man, woman or child anywhere in the world that is not touched by God's word, Isaiah 55:11. So, just imagine a Hindu, a Buddhist, a Muslim, a Christian and an Atheist all in the same room. Imagine trying to win them all to Jesus at the same time. Tell HIStory makes that scenario more than possible, and without confrontation! Since the Audibles are all chronological, sequential and build riveting attention, and because they are true, having left their footprints and fingerprints upon the earth to this very day, everyone sits still not to miss a word. In that way, God's word and Spirit compels them to be saved. God's own glory has proven this down through the ages. Biblical narration perfectly builds faith, just as hearing also maintains our faith, Romans 10:17 - 21.And did you know that about seventy-five percent of the Bible is narration? Fifteen percent is poetry, but the Song of Solomon is all narrated. Only ten percent of the bible is expositive, and yet is almost the only method we have used to win people to Christ. Perhaps a revival of narration would yet save the churches in the west which are declining in numbers?Q. Why haven't I heard about this yet?A. The curriculum is only nearing completion now.Q. When will I be able to check out some of these stories?A. See "NOTE" below. However, we would strongly suggest "checking things out" by reading the Audibles out loud, or if necessary, "under one's breath." Plug one ear with a finger and you can even hear your own whispering. We cannot stress that method strongly enough. Narrate them aloud! Narrate them aloud with as much vocal fluctuation as you would if you were reading them aloud to children! Someone sitting right next to you may not actually hear you, but your spirit will be touched in a way you may not even imagine. Mature Christians we can name have stated that they think these Audibles should be presented as widely as possible, both in and outside of the church. There is quite a lot of science available on the point that hearing stories out loud provides greater retention and comprehension than silently reading them. A number of Christians trying this technique have said our churches are currently missing and needing this benefit. Testing of the spirits should provide God's directions, 1John 4:1-6.Q. Where is THE most fertile mission field in the world?A. Almost everyone would say India is the most "spiritual" country in the world and that the good news when amply presented here meets greater acceptance. However, for reasons not to be mentioned here, but found in a work entitled, "India 20/20 Vision!" there is a stunning implication that India will outshine China in hearing, obeying and teaching the good news story. Indications prognosticate that Asia, via India, will be won to Christ. If that is true, with more than half the world's population in Asia, it is feasible that more people may be saved during this period than have ever been saved since the foundation of the church. Review above the "Why?" This time, include all the Christian sects in the same formula!Q. How is ACT's goal of reaching every man, woman and child (1,300,000,000 - One Billion Three Hundred Million souls), in India with the gospel message by the year 2020 realistic? [Note: I became incapacitated for almost a decade, so this work is not really even started.]A. Firstly, examination of God's word shows that about seventy-five percent of it is narration. It just hasn't been narrated. It's mostly been read, lectured and exposited. Nevertheless, the viral message has caused more Bibles to be sold than all the collective books of the world. What would happen if we put HIStory in narrated form and told the whole counsel of God by that method? What if we sent out the hoards of illiterates with the same message? We have already found that HIStory narrated out loud to audiences means all who sit listen, and thus many obey. • Ask yourself this question: When you're listening to your minister . . . when do you give him the most of your attention? When he delivers a good expositive message or when he punctuates his exposition with a true story? • We believe everyone loves a good story and everyone wants to tell one of their own. We said this is a viral work, and if the printed word of God is any indication of God's power to release His word, and if our testing is any indication, what do you think may be the narrated outcome? And, we are only following the Lord's, and the Bible's approved examples. • In India, at least 1 out of every 100 obeying the Lord's good news should want badly enough to share it with others. For that reason, we have the first two men who want to participate, each of whom have (coincidentally) fifty sister churches to whom they are going to introduce the first fifty of our Audibles. When one tells a hundred like we have plans to do twice in the next few months, can we not expect at least four who will obey and start narrating these vital narrations? • Wouldn't those four be able to find eight, and so on? Considering that we're starting with the preachers, pastors, evangelists and ministers, might those numbers be a little higher? We calculate that four workers would be available to tell the good news Audibles by APRIL 2009. By August 2009 we calculate there should be at least sixteen workers. Beyond this I need not go, because only counting the number of workers prognosticates the possible conversion of India well before 2020 arrives.Q. One more "what:" What really is at stake here?A. God's plan since before the foundations of the world was to have people fill His planet. Why? To bring glory to Himself from every corner, every culture, language, and race. THAT fact alone produces even more believers, because Christ being the answer to all cultures and races cannot be denied, even by the most hard-headed skeptic or religionists. God's command to "fill the earth" went first to Adam & Eve, then to Noah, and He punished those in Babel who directly resisted His will. He simply gave them the motivation to do His will by changing their languages, which happens naturally anyway. • Okay, the whole world is now filled. So, the kingdom message being virally narrated today, by a people who were never His people, will produce more believers in a shorter length of time throughout the whole world than the message has ever collectively produced since the Day of Pentecost. The method and message is utterly duplicable and cannot be stopped. • Think about this: More than half the world's population is in Asia, largely unreached by the gospel. Would anyone support the notion that this condition is supposed to remain that way until Jesus comes or will God bring glory to Himself through India? I can ask the question that way, "through India," because, My Brother or Sister, India has already surpassed the western world some time ago in reaching souls for Christ. So, what also is at stake is not only the souls of India, Asia and the world, but our own spiritual condition as to whether we are really doing what we're supposed to be doing to obey the Lord's command, Matthew 28:18-20.Q. How does HIStory work?A. The first way is simply one person telling another, "one on one." Another way is by the preacher telling the fifty stories to his congregation over, say, fifty weeks, a year's time. Sunday school classes or Bible studies can do the same in roughly a year. The outline for college classes should make every student a worker within a semester course. • Jail/Prison Ministers will usually have the entire course finished within only a few weeks!How are we going to do it here in India? We will be going into a town or village and gathering every "brand of Christian" to help us tell HIStory. Each Audible teller ONLY tells his own narration and nothing more, e.g., not telling the “story of Jesus” until He is introduced chronologically, and not telling the Apostles doctrine until they are sequentially narrated in their times. [No doctrine is to be preached beyond whatever is within the assigned Audible. Period. And only time is left at the end of each narration for punctuated questions & answers. Period. ONLY the Holy Spirit is to work out conviction, and boy! does He. We are witnessing this.] The whole counsel of God from before the creation of the Universe to the ultimate future destiny of every soul is captivating, and always has won souls, Isaiah 55:11. Narration gives no time for doctrinal disputes! Both sectarianism and unity are exposed for what they are from the whole counsel of God. Those who will not repent we love and pray for, without further bond or obligation.Q. HOW does one "sell" the Lord's churches in the west on this work? How are you going to do this without western churches support?A. We are not sure, we only know that we are. One might come to see for one's self, or a church might send someone to see and experience the work. Or one could talk to others who have been here and done that. Others may take up their own works to involve the west. We don't know. Currently there are three churches (one in America, one in Canada and another in Cape Town, South Africa), and many people who are praying for this work. However, we believe that God will even use the money and manpower of the unsaved to do His work, if that's what it would take to bring Him glory in reaching more than half the world's population. Proverbs 13:22b, 28:8. Ahem! He already has provided Hindu, Muslim and other non Christian money to these ends! So far, no church money of any kind has come in, but we'll take it when it comes without obligations.Q. How can I be a "stakeholder" or "prayer partner" with you?A. Just start where you are. First, on the front line of this war against evil forces is the need for your fervent prayers. Included in your prayers should be audibly telling the stories to yourself and your family!Secondly in any order: You can make a visit here to see for yourself what we are doing. This is strongly encouraged! You can help provide whole Bibles in all the languages (not just New Testaments!). We need a simple sheet of paper with only the Bible references, the subjects of each of the stories, and the Bible page number under those references, to be printed and glued into the front of those Bibles. No other literature beyond the Bible is needed or desired. You might want to help with food when it is needed for gatherings that will last several days, as well as inexpensive accommodations for others. Halls in which to meet are needed. Men and women here lie on the floors and divide themselves into separate ends of a hall in which to sleep. Portable baptisteries are necessary for which we have a very good template and are using. Sometimes travel, food and lodging expenses are needed. Compact Disks with these stories in every language by a native speaker are vital. There are many other needs. Catch the vision of India spreading the word of God to Asia and then the rest of the world!From India With Love, even MUCH love, and let the lower lights be burning,Don WoodMumbai, India 2008Link to the AUDIBLES.