What we miss when we read the Bible alone

Hands encircling a paper heart with graphic of heartbeat

I’m a sucker for a good story. 

I know you are, too. We can’t help it. God hardwired it into our brains. Functional MRIs show how our brains respond to stories (versus information)—more areas of the brain light up and with greater intensity. And even newer research has shown something fascinating: our heartbeats seem to synchronize when we hear a story at the same time, in a shared experience. 

How. Cool. Is. That?!

While this is obviously relevant for my work with speakers in crafting their content, I think there’s a treasure here for followers of God, as well. 

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Rejected

My skin isn’t thick enough.

Because I’m in my early 40’s you might expect me to have the emotional capacity to shrug off feelings of rejection. But I don’t. At least not all the time. A series of events colluded against my heart over the last few weeks:

  • I’ve recently tumbled down the list of people whose opinion matters to my teenage daughter. Developmentally normal, I know, but I still feel the loss of her esteem.
  • A heart-felt, oft-expressed invitation to come visit us was again turned down; our family’s hopes of sharing special time with people we love were dashed.
  • Several of my children have experienced isolation from their peers, in some cases for their faith. My mother-heart feels their pain as my own.
  • Our Easter Sunday was spent without the fellowship of friends or family.  Read More