The StoryChanger (An Introduction) E-Book

David Murray

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

How Jesus Changes Our Story with His Story Each person's life tells a story. These stories have happy chapters, sad chapters, boring chapters, and exciting chapters. Some people seem to author their own stories, while others have the pens snatched from their hands. Some stories feel hopeless. Can our stories ever be rewritten? Will they have a happy ending?  David Murray introduces readers to the StoryChanger, Jesus Christ—the only one who can rewrite human stories with his better Story. Both Christians and non-Christians will discover how God's Story can transform their own messy stories into stories worth telling. - Brief and Accessible: Easy to recommend to both non-Christians and new Christians - Biblical: Tells the first story of God's good and beautiful creation, how sin and Satan—the StoryShredder—ruined human stories, and how Jesus rewrites and redeems those stories. - Personal: Shares Murray's testimony of how God changed his story and points readers toward specific ways Jesus can change their stories as well - For Individual or Group Study: Includes questions for further reflection or discussion at the end of each chapter

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“Is it up to me to craft my life story? Is there a greater power that has determined my story that leaves me with no control over it? Is it possible that the story of my life could take a dramatic turn in another direction? These are the kinds of questions David Murray addresses in this inviting book, which serves as an invitation to discover all that we were created to be in the context of a far greater story.”

Nancy Guthrie, author, Even Better than Eden

“The StoryChanger is a book about three characters and their stories. The first is a Scotsman named David Murray. I have known him for years, but until reading these pages I had no idea how his story was changed. The second character is anyone who picks up this book, reads it, and discovers how helpful it is to understand the story of their life written thus far. And the third character? Well, he’s the StoryChanger—who is pretty aptly named. But I should leave it to David Murray to introduce you to him.”

Sinclair Ferguson, Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; Teaching Fellow, Ligonier Ministries

“Are you trying to make sense of your life or the lives around you? Are you looking for purpose? What matters? What matters the most? David Murray’s The StoryChanger will give you answers and might even change your story. He writes as a man who understands people, but even more importantly, who understands God. Prepare to be encouraged and to see your life as part of a much grander and more important story than you can imagine.”

Jason Helopoulos, Senior Pastor, University Reformed Church; author, The Promise: The Amazing Story of Our Long-Awaited Savior

“David Murray has given us a practical, accessible, and personal guide to show us how the Bible’s big story transforms the stories of our lives. Jesus alone can change our stories—moving us from sadness to satisfaction, from loneliness to belonging, and from despair to hope. What a relief to know that we’re part of a bigger story and that there’s hope for us even after we’ve made a mess of life. I’m eager to see how this book will transform many people by introducing them to the divine author and StoryChanger we all need.”

Drew Hunter, Teaching Pastor, Zionsville Fellowship, Zionsville, Indiana; author, Made for Friendship

“Can the story of my life be rewritten? If you or a friend is feeling trapped in a story that seems messy and meaningless, let David Murray introduce you to the StoryChanger who is rewriting the story of David’s life and can do the same for you.”

David Sunday, President, WordPartners; Teaching Pastor, New Covenant Bible Church, Saint Charles, Illinois

The StoryChanger

The StoryChanger

How God Rewrites Our Story by Inviting Us into His

David Murray

The StoryChanger: How God Rewrites Our Story by Inviting Us into His

Copyright © 2022 by David Murray

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Published in association with the literary agency of Legacy, LLC, 501 N. Orlando Avenue, Suite #313-348, Winter Park, FL 32789.

Cover image and design: Jordan Singer

First printing 2022

Printed in the United States of America

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated into any other language.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-8085-7 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-8088-8 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-8086-4 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-8087-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Murray, David, 1966 May 28– author.

Title: The storychanger : how God rewrites our story by inviting us into his / David Murray.

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, 2022. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2021056101 (print) | LCCN 2021056102 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433580857 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781433580864 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433580871 (mobipocket) | ISBN 9781433580888 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Storytelling—Religious aspects—Christianity. | Identity (Psychology)—Religious aspects—Christianity. | Change (Psychology) — Religious aspects—Christianity.

Classification: LCC BT83.78 .M88 2022 (print) | LCC BT83.78 (ebook) | DDC 242—dc23/eng/20220113

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021056101

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021056102

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

2022-04-22 10:29:26 AM

To my beloved congregation, First Byron CRC.

You have changed my story for the better and forever.

Contents

  Introduction

1  Our Messy Stories

2  The First Story

3  The Story-Shredder

4  The Failed Authors

5  The StoryChanger

6  The New Story

7  The Endorsements

8  The Inside Story

9  The Book Club

10  The Storytellers

  The End

  Scripture Index

Introduction

If life is a story, is your life a good read? Is it a feel-good story or a tearjerker? Is it going according to plan, or is it out of control? Is your story going forward, backward, or round in circles? Is it exciting or boring? Wow or meh? Are you proud of your story or ashamed of it? Are you the hero of it or the villain in it? Will your story have a happy ending or a sad one? Are you writing your own story, or has someone else taken your pen? Are you wondering, “How do I change my story?”

If you’re like most people, you’re not happy with your story. You’d love to change parts of it or maybe rewrite the whole thing. Even if your story so far reads better than most, there are without a doubt painful chapters ahead that no amount of denial can delay. Perhaps you’ll have chapters like “My Cancer” or “My Failed Marriage” or “My Disastrous Decision” or “My Addiction.” At some point, we all ask, “How do I rewrite my story?”

If we do get through life with relatively few bad chapters, we still have to face the ultimate questions: How will my story end? Is this life all there is, or is there a sequel? If there’s a sequel, how do I make sure it’s a better story than this one? Is there a connection between my present life and my forever life? How do I rewrite my story both now and forever?

To change our story, we need the StoryChanger, Jesus Christ. By faith, we hand over our pen to the world’s best-selling author, Jesus Christ, and ask him to rewrite our story by inviting us into his Story. Then we’ll get a story that was worth writing and a story that will be worth telling. Let’s get to know the StoryChanger and how this amazing author can change our story with his Story.

Writing a new story begins with reading what we’ve written so far—even though it’s often a difficult read.

1

Our Messy Stories

We can’t go forward until we go backward. We can’t write a new story until we’ve read our old one. “Why can’t I just throw my old book away and start over? Why can’t I just press delete then open new document?” Because we won’t need or want to meet the StoryChanger until we accept that our stories need to be changed and admit where our stories need to be changed. If we don’t read the story that got us to this point, we’ll scrawl the same story of failure and frustration again and again.

It’s not easy for many of us to confront our stories and be honest about them. That’s why God’s Story includes King Solomon’s story. In the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon demonstrates how to read and assess our story so that we will ask God for the new and better story that he wants to coauthor with us. Come and read Solomon’s story with me, so our story can be changed by God’s Story, just as Solomon’s was. Then our story will end up in God’s library of priceless books rather than in the bargain books dumpster.

Background

Solomon’s story was a mixed story. When he lived for God, his story was great. When he left God out, his story went from bad to worse. We get both sides of his story in Ecclesiastes.

Thirty times in this book he describes a person living life “under the sun.” That’s the phrase Solomon uses to sum up his godless years. “Life under the sun” is a life lived only for the present and this world. It’s a life that never looks above the here and now, never looks beyond this world’s horizon. It’s a life that’s lost sight of the eternal and the heavenly above and beyond the sun. Pessimism and skepticism dominate these “under the sun” sections of his book.

But in thirteen other sections Solomon brings God into the story. There Solomon lives “above the sun.” He sees beyond this planet, people, and time, and he sees God everywhere and in everything. Certainty, joy, and hope infuse these pages.

In Ecclesiastes 2:17–26, Solomon invites us to read, live, and feel the two contrasting sides of his story. It begins with a godless life (a life lived “under the sun”), but ends up with a God-centered life (a life lived “above the sun”).

How did God rewrite Solomon’s story? The same way he rewrites ours: by first helping us recognize and confess that our stories need to be rewritten.

Our Stories Need to Be Rewritten

Before we observe what makes our lives so messy and meaningless, we must remind ourselves that it wasn’t always like this. As we’ll discover in the next chapter, God originally made us to have good, meaningful, and purposeful stories with happy endings (Gen. 1–2). The first draft of world history and the human story was pristine perfect. But sin splattered ink all over the pages, and now no one’s story lives up to God’s ideal. Instead, as Solomon explains, our stories are sad, short, senseless, and stressful.

Our Stories Are Sad

Wherever he looked, Solomon saw sadness. “I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me” (Eccles. 2:17). Whatever he attempted left him more depressed than before. How much did he try, though? He tried everything. The first two chapters of his book describe his fanatical yet futile pursuit of satisfaction. He tried education (1:12–18), pleasure (2:1–3), success (2:4–17), and then work (2:18–23). His verdict on it all? Hatred of life because of the sadness of life. He tried everything in life, but everything left him tired of life.

Our Stories Are Short

Our stories are not only sad; they are also short. “All is vanity,” Solomon concludes (Eccles. 2:17). The word vanity occurs thirty-eight times in Ecclesiastes, and means something short, transitory, and short-lived. It’s used in the Bible for a breeze, a breath, or a vapor. That’s what the longest and largest life amounts to—a short puff of wind. The book’s opening words go even further: “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity,” Solomon complains (not exactly the most appealing of opening sentences). “Vanity of vanities” was an ancient way of saying the shortest of the short, superlatively short (see Eccles. 1:2). Everything is so totally temporary and transient.

Our Stories Are Senseless

Solomon worked vigorously to find meaning in life, but without God in it, he couldn’t see any sense to it or value in it. “For all is vanity and a striving after wind. I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? . . . This also is vanity and a great evil” (Eccles. 2:17–19, 21). What’s really bugging him here is that everything he’s worked for will eventually be handed over to someone else he doesn’t know, someone of unknown character, someone who will probably fritter it all away without a thought for the person who worked so painfully for it in the first place.

“What’s the point in that?” he asks. It’s as irrational as trying to catch the wind. He despairs because there’s no significance or meaning to it all. Nothing makes any sense to him (Eccles. 2:20). “Is this it?” he agonizes. No wonder he hates life under the sun. It’s just foolish drudgery.

Our Stories Are Stressful

If you thought stress, insomnia, and work-life imbalance were just twenty-first-century problems, think again. Solomon was one of the elites, in the 1 percent, yet even for him, “all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity” (Eccles. 2:23). Work took a terrible toll on his body, mind, and soul. He was exhausted but couldn’t sleep because of the stress. Smartphones and social media were still three thousand years away, but depression and anxiety were just as much a problem then as now.

This is life lived “under the sun,” life lived from a purely human and worldly perspective. It writes stories that are sad, short, senseless, and stressful. Solomon was saying that if you want to hate life, live it without looking beyond it.

Changing Our Story with God’s Story

“My story is sad.” Does Solomon’s story sound like your story? Can you relate to it? If, like Solomon, you confess to God that your story isn’t turning out as you hoped, there is hope for you. Bring your story to God and say, “My story is not going well. It’s sad, short, senseless, and stressful. Please change my sinful story, StoryChanger.” You can’t begin to imagine what kind of story he’ll begin to write for you when you ask him to be the author of your life.

“My story will work out.” Maybe you’re still young and you think, “I’ll be more successful than Solomon. I’m going to live life ‘under the sun’ but I’ll be happy. I’ll make it work.” Don’t waste your life. No one else has succeeded at this. Why do you think you’ll be the exception? Don’t give God just the last chapter (though he’ll happily take that), but right now give him every chapter you have left. He can write a much better life story for you than you ever could. And even if you fear you’re near the end of your story, the StoryChanger can turn your painful life into a Pixar ending.

If you write your own story,you’ll write a tragic story.

So, if our stories need to be changed, who can change them for good and forever?

God Rewrites Our Stories

Wouldn’t you prefer a story that’s happy instead of sad, endless instead of short, meaningful instead of meaningless, peaceful instead of stressful? The only way to get “above the sun,” to get above the horizon of this world, is to bring God into our stories and install him at the center of our stories. God can change our stories with his Story. Solomon had been searching in vain for the “good” life, but instead of good he found only vanity. Although it does not come across in English translations, in the Hebrew text he mentions “good” four times. What’s changed? God is now in the picture.

God Writes a Happy Story

After multiple verses of misery, joy shows up three times in Solomon’s story: “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God. For apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? For to the one who pleases himGod has given wisdom and knowledge and joy” (Eccles. 2:24–26). What made the difference? What switched Solomon’s sad story to a happy one? God.