Nebraska Synod ELCA

Bishop Scott Johnson: The Orthodox Heretic: And Other Impossible Tales by Peter Rollins. 
I first encountered Peter Rollins at the Festival of Homiletics. His idiosyncratic approach to storytelling and scripture is always thought-provoking, and having it delivered in a delightful Belfast brogue is a delight. If you’re willing to hand over an email address, a free audiobook download is available at his website.

Gretchen Ahrens: New Amsterdam – a series on Netflix.
It’s about a doctor who refuses to let a bureaucratic system win. He changes the hospital system ensuring that all who need care receive it. While faith isn’t a piece of this series, for me it illustrates an example of someone living the story of God’s love by standing up for the least of these. He is courageous and puts his own  job on the line more than once to insure that patients’ needs are met. He fights for justice.

Pr. Greg Berger: The 2008 Pixar animated, fun movie, WALL-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter: Earth Class)  
WALL-E is a robot assigned to clean up earth after humans have deemed it uninhabitable and abandoned it. Humanity now lives in a large spaceship where they are oblivious to others and only focused on self-pleasure. In his work on earth, Wall-E finds a seedling, the first sign of life on earth in centuries. The adventure requires WALL-E and another robot, EVE (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator), to use the seedling as a trigger to return humans to earth for renewal. A task that is constantly thwarted by age-old human directives and mis-programmed robots. The movie tells THE Story of resurrection, new life, and self-giving love. Stewardship of the earth, our human bodies and living life with meaning and purpose are also woven throughout. Watch the trailer.

Amy Buch: A Man called Ove (book/movie)
Ove’s a seemingly cranky old man who has lost his wife and just wants life to be over. But his new neighbors, who seem annoying to him at first, show him that he’s not done living and helping people yet. The mom, Parvaneh, doesn’t give him any choice but to be her friend and they form a close bond. She makes me smile throughout the story, setting an example through her friendship with Ove that we aren’t here to serve ourselves, but to help, love and serve others. Find the book on Amazon.

Michelle Herrick: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
Four adventurous siblings – Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie – step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice. Find the book on Amazon.

Stephanie Lusienski: The movie “Crash” (It is rated R for a reason, so proceed with caution)
“Crash” tells interlocking stories of whites, blacks, Latinos, Koreans, Iranians, cops and criminals, the rich and the poor, the powerful and powerless, all defined in one way or another by racism. All are victims of it, and all are guilty it.  I believe anyone seeing it is likely to be moved to have a little more sympathy for people not like themselves. The movie contains hurt, coldness and cruelty, but it is not without hope. Watch the trailer. 

Dn. Sunni Richardson: Musician Michael Card
Music speaks to me and tells stories of life in so many different ways. Michael Card is one of my a favorite songwriters and storyteller and he is an extremely talented musician. “The Ultimate Collection” tells The Story starting with “The Beginning” to “Joy In the Journey.” Highly recommended. Find it on Amazon Music.

Dn. Timothy Siburg: Baseball
I love stories. I love baseball. To be perfectly honest, if I want to hear a good storyteller, I will often turn on the radio or the TV and watch a baseball game. I’m biased, but a lot of my passion for story telling today comes from listening to Seattle Mariners games growing up, and with the story being told from Hall-of-Fame Broadcaster Dave Niehaus or Rick Rizzs, or finding a Dodgers game with Vin Scully behind the microphone. To keep one invested and paying attention during a game that has its moments of pause takes a gift and intentionality, not dissimilarly to holding space in ministry for one to grow as a disciple, and to witness the Holy Spirit at work. The best baseball broadcasters are able to not just keep one’s attention during the quieter moments of the game, but they can continue to keep you interested even if the game has turned into a blowout. They do so, by telling the story. What might it mean for this batter to come to the plate against this pitcher? What does it remind you of? Or, what new thing might happen that you have never experienced before? Someday as a Mariners fan I hope to be able to witness them get to and win a World Series. It hasn’t happened yet. But with the start of a new season, there is always hope that this could be the year. Here’s one example of Mariners broadcasters telling the story.

Pr. Heidi Wallace: Sir Abner and His Grape Pickers
I have always liked the Arch Books published by Concordia. Each one is a rhyming retelling of a scriptural passage. Some are paraphrases; some introduce new characters. My particular favorite is Sir Abner and His Grape Pickers, a take on Matthew 20:1-16, with its repetition by Hector, the helper. Find the book on Amazon.

Amy Woods: Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
This is a retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea. It’s a captivating story that reminds us of God’s unconditional love for us. Once you start reading it you won’t want to put it down. It has also been made into a movie. This is a great read for a book club, and you can turn it into a movie night too. Find the book on Amazon.