A simple process for telling the story of Joseph

As I have traveled and trained leaders in North American, Africa, and Asia, I have become concerned at the reality that few people know the full stories of key characters in the Bible. We have a rich heritage, and the stories provide wisdom for all generations. Something powerful happens when someone hears the whole text of a story. On numerous occasions, I have observed hearers respond by asking where is it in the Bible and how they can either listen to it again or go and read it for themselves? Our goal is to present the story in layers so that it can be grasped at the simplest level and for the hearer or reader that wants to go deeper, they will be able to do so as well. In either case, both will be able to provide a basic outline or summary of the story. 

The strategy is simple. 

It is said that a good teacher can bring a lesson to the most irreducible parts. As I prepare to teach a story, I will create story outlines that help me to remember the story. I have found that this is helpful to others as well. So, in this book you will find a short story outline that can be used to build the story strategy for recall. 

 

In preparation for a trip to Ethiopia, I created motions to use with the story outline. It is a mixture of American Sign Language and intuition. This is not to add to or take away from the beauty of the American Sign Language. I am simply trying to create a motion for story recall. As I shared the story in motion with Grant, Alice, and Emily, the storytellers I was traveling with when I first started this manual, they helped me refine it. I love it because they make me better at what I do. We recorded videos of them teaching the motions while in Ethiopia. 

You can watch the video on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ad2Gs9GPthQ. 

I love that you can hear the jungle sounds in the background of the videos. Or if you prefer you can just read through the descriptions provided in this book. 

The story in motion is short intentionally, so we can do them quickly and capture their attention. The goal is to give them a basic outline for the story and the story plot. In the process, the story in motion also introduces the characters so that the hearer can know the key characters in the story. 

The best part is that they are reproducible because the hand motions and movement help with story recall. If you pay attention, you will notice repeat phrases to showcase patterns in the story. These are helpful in story recall as well and if done right can be turned into a song or a call and response. 

God willing, someone with the gift of music will be able to make these culturally relevant, too. While in South Sudan I asked Emily to write story song for Joseph like she did for the Esther story in Ethiopia that introduced the characters. She blew my mind away. It was so catchy and provided a quick crowd motivator. 

Here is the link for Emily’s story song: https://youtu.be/w3N9VWsFohc.

Joseph Song: A Life of Bows (Chorus). Bow-Bow-Bow 

   They Bow Down Down Down 

   To the Ground Ground Ground

    Brothers Wheat in a Dream 

    Sun Moon Stars in a Dream 

    Jacob asks: Can This Be? 

 (Chorus) 

    Sold to serve Potiphar. 

    Joseph blessed, then accused.

    In the Jail, Did Prosper 

 (Chorus) 

   Pharaoh Dreams, What’s it Mean?    

     Famine Comes, Egypt Saved.        

         Brothers Eat, He forgave. 

 (Chorus) 

   OUTRO 

   Bow-Bow-Bow 

   WE Bow Down Down Down 

   To the Lord Most High! 

There’s beauty in surrendering your life to the One who made it. We see God at work through Joseph’s life from an outsider perspective that allows us to see the result, while for him at the time was full of trials in different seasons. 

He submitted to the Lord who made Him, and God was with Joseph, and he prospered even in difficult situations. 

Through it all, God was still in control, and He is worthy of our praise. He Is the Lord Most High! 

Emily Pedersen 

South Sudan Song Composition (January 2023)

Once the story in motion has the group involved in the story, we will then present a short summary to give a big picture overview. The story summary is a mini metanarrative that is told in three to five minutes. You can watch the Joseph story summary at https://youtu.be/7cFx7wa7HRU. The story summary allows the story plot to be revealed in an overview. It helps to build the story recall. A three-to-five-minute story does not feel impossible to recall. It feels doable. Our goal is for this to be conversational and relational as if sitting and telling a family story. Sometimes, this may be all you can do with a group because who has time to sit and listen to a whole book or fourteen chapters? 

Then, we will tell the whole story in depth. Each chapter will be broken down into shorter stories and different story tellers will tell each story. This shifting of storyteller and story chunking actually tricks the mind into thinking it can recall more information because it considers each storyteller one chunk of information and thereby recall more content. 

So, what can this look like? While in South Sudan our team of storytellers partnered with Pads4Pupils (women’s hygiene) and Healing Kadi’s (medical mission team). While they did medical missions our team of storytellers would tell stories to those waiting. First, we would tell the story in a short song that Emily created. This made the group laugh and join in the fun. Then we would tell the story in motion. This helped them know the people and plot. Then we would tell the short summary so that they could know an overview what they will hear and finally we would tell the whole story of the character. When the crowd was able, we would follow this up with a basic QAR (question, answer and response time). 

They will hear the story in three ways that will build on what they know and hear. If God allows it, we will then use questions to dig deeper while going over the story a fourth time. 

1. Story outline in motion 

2. Story summary 

3. Story in full 

4. Story Q&A 

If time permits, we will have them create story dramas or skits and we always challenge the group to go out and tell the story to someone. 

If we are given only an hour, we will do motion, summary, and drama or motion, summary, and Q&A depending on the type of audience. 

You can listen to the whole story of Joseph at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCvaPbTnXHiQpnqApKZkE4jW8FPFDrxn2. Excerpt from Rye, Tara, "Joseph," 2021.