THE BIBLE IN MY LIFE October 22, 2007 Issue

MORE THAN JUST STORIES

COURTENAY RULE

I RARELY SAW A BIBLE when I was little. My family wasn't religious, and even in my nondenominational Religious Education (RE) classes at school, we didn't use the Bible at first. Instead, we had colorful workbooks full of stories to read—stories of people who'd experienced God's power in their lives. Most of the stories I loved were about a man named Jesus of Nazareth.

To me, Jesus was the biggest hero anyone could ever have. He was God's own son, yet he lived and worked humbly among ordinary folk. His first followers were simple fishermen who, the moment he called them, left their nets and followed him. People flocked to hear him because what he taught was more than just words. It changed their lives. While they absorbed Jesus' teachings about a God who loved them unconditionally, people who'd done wrong found the freedom and courage to reform.

Even more amazing, Jesus healed. People who were blind, deaf, lame, insane, and even those whose illnesses made them outcasts, were made whole by the power of God, which Jesus drew upon. And most wonderful of all, when Jesus was put to death—even when all seemed utterly lost—there was a happy ending. He rose from the dead. He proved that nothing can destroy what God creates!