story

It must be months ago that Amazon got in touch with me about a book.

The way they do. Since they seem to know all your needs and anticipate the sort of things you're looking for.

They suggested I might like to buy a book called 'Let Story Guide You'. Their hunch was right. I did.

At least, I thought I did. Buy it, I mean.

But any sign of the book? No chance. And that was really months and months ago.

After a bit of time had elapsed I e-mailed back asking about the book. (I could see from the way you can track these things that they still hadn't sent it off).

The book, they replied, was not available. They couldn't get it anywhere.

Which seemed a bit odd to me since they were the ones who'd suggested I might like to buy it.

So I thought I'd try myself, pursuing other routes. On-line and by phone. I only found one web-site which was offering the book for sale. And it was at the somewhat inflated price of £178.

I mean, I'm sure the book's pretty good and that, but since the normal retail price was under £9 and Amazon had been offering the book at about £6, buying the book at £178 seemed a bit steep. (It also seems a bit odd in hindsight, since I understand the reason for it's not being available for Amazon to forward on is because it's still not even published - the publication date keeps getting put back and back)

And so I've partly resigned myself to the fact that, for the moment at least, it'll remain for me one of the great 'un-reads'.

I was reminded about the book today (and tempted to follow it up again) by seeing in a whole range of very different contexts just how prominent a part the place of story plays.

There were folk from Kirkliston in to see me here this morning. They've been working on their 'story', I suppose. Preparing a booklet, what's called a 'Parish Profile', to inform prospective ministers of what the people and the place are like.

But it's story, really. Their story. Or God's story, more like, and the way they're able to see their own part in that wider, greater story of the Lord.

That was the bulk of the morning, by the time we were done. Teasing it out. Tightening it up. Giving it extra 'bite'. Giving it more the page-turning grip of a story than the bland sort of detail there is on a railway time-table.

Douglas was in again for his lunch. And the time with him was story, too, in some ways. Telling our stories the one with the other. The stories these past weeks have held. God's story in our lives again.

My nephew dropped by around tea-time as well. An off-chance call which turned out to be really oppprtune. He's a fine young man in the RAF with a love for the Lord and a heart that's so open to all that the Lord means to do.

It was great to sit and have a meal with him and sitting at the so-called 'breakfast-bar' (which has always seemed a slightly sort of discriminatory way of speaking of the thing to me) to chat about our stories once again.

The paths our lives have taken these last months. The way the Lord's been working and the things that he's been doing.

Story again.

And later at night I chanced to meet another young man, just walking along the road. I mean, I know the guy, it wasn't like he was a total stranger or anything. Anything but.

Once more it was to 'story' that we turned. His story. The story of his struggles and confusion this past while. His trying to work things about. About the Lord. Some of the things that Jesus sad and taught. He's struggling with that.

That's been very much the story of his life for many a month. He needed, or wanted, to tell me.

Where's God in his story? And where, for that matter, is he in God's story?

Later still I was round seeing a couple to work through a matter with them. They had a lovely album of their recent summer holiday.

Beautifully done. And done in the form of a story.

The good things in life are all in story form.

That's why I wanted to get a read of that book! 'Let Story Guide You' - the author, I know, is a master of the story form. I've read his other books. He teaches truth in story form in a fresh and compelling way.

It's something that I have to learn myself.

As well as patience, of course, as I wait for the book in hope!