Overview

Why is the church so important to God? What's really going on in the Bible? How can I make sense of my life? Finding Ourselves in God's Story addresses the pressing questions and concerns that today's youth bring to their faith. Introducing Christian faith from an Anabaptist perspective, author Michele Hershberger puts readers in touch with two stories that Christians constantly hear and tell. First, there is the Bible's story of God working to restore us, and all of creation, to wholeness. The center of this story is Jesus Christ, who lived, died, rose, and still lives for us. The second story involves our own lives today, asking how we can connect with God's story, where God is working in our lives, and what we will do with Jesus' invitation to follow him. Hershberger invites readers to join a conversation that covers these and other questions about faith. Drawing on direct, honest dialogue with Mennonite teenagers, young adults, and pastors, this guide engages groups in the discussions that matter most as it leads readers deeper into a faith that can become their own as they consider baptism or church membership.

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9781513815107

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Reviews

""Finding Ourselves in God's Story is a powerful guide for those exploring the Mennonite-Anabaptist tradition, especially for those who didn't grow up in it. As someone who has found my way into the Anabaptist-Mennonite world, this book has been incredibly helpful in understanding its faith, values, and call to discipleship. It offers a thoughtful and engaging perspective on how our personal stories connect with God's larger story of peace, justice, and community."" ----HENDY MATAHELEMUAL, associate minister for community engagement, Mosaic Mennonite Conference ""I would eagerly and gladly give this book to each young teen to mature adult who wants to make sense of all of God's story and how they can find their place in it. Michele Hershberger has clearly presented the fullness of God's story in such a beautiful way that is gentle and simple enough for those whose journey has just begun. Finding Ourselves in God's Story is a resource that will be useful in every church and every home."" ----NATALIE FRISK, director of curriculum for RaiseUp Faith and author of Raising Disciples: How to Make Faith Matter for Our Kids ""Michele Hershberger continues to be a voice of truth and faithfulness for Anabaptist faith formation. Her book invites us to know the real Jesus, to have a real faith, and to live that faith out in the world. This book is a great guide for those exploring faith and making a commitment to following Jesus."" ----DANILO SANCHEZ, pastor and leadership minister for intercultural transformation, Mosaic Mennonite Conference ""Michele Hershberger has helped shape the lives and faith of many young people, and through this book is striving to give others the tools to do the same. She writes about complex theology in a conversational tone and addresses hard questions in ways that honor those wrestling with faith and invite more conversation."" ----MORIAH HURST, pastor of child, youth, and adult faith formation at Assembly Mennonite Church ""Michele Hershberger is a conversation partner every teen could benefit from having. She is honest, authentic, and non-defensive in addressing real questions, leaving room for uncertainty while remaining anchored in a deep and personal faith. Finding Ourselves in God's Story takes Scripture seriously in all its complexity while highlighting the way the sacred story moves, start to finish, relentlessly toward Jesus Christ."" ----MEGHAN LARISSA GOOD, author of Divine Gravity: Sparking a Movement to Recover a Better Christian Story and The Bible Unwrapped: Making Sense of Scripture Today ""Michele Hershberger knows that the oldest and most compelling form of Christian witness is to tell a story--to tell the story of God's love of the world through Jesus Christ, as known through Spirit and Scripture. She also knows that every generation has to tell the story afresh for its context. Finding Ourselves in God's Story offers a clear invitation to Anabaptist youth to make this story their own, with all their passions and doubts, and all their interests in science, sexuality, technology, ecology, and much else. This book is strongly recommended for group study and would make an excellent resource for pre-baptismal instruction. May it contribute to renewal in our church, and above all to a renewed embrace of God's story."" ----JAMIE PITTS, professor of Anabaptist studies at Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary, director of the Institute of Mennonite Studies, and editor of Anabaptist Witness ""With winsome authority and pastoral warmth, Michele Hershberger invites readers to trace the biblical arc of salvation history and find our identity there as disciples of Jesus Christ. Though written with youth in mind, Finding Ourselves in God's Story has substance to enrich the faith journey of any reader. The sidebars throughout the book provide background and dialogue that make complex ideas accessible, deal with hard questions, and point to ways that biblical teaching is relevant for today. Thoroughly Anabaptist without disparaging other faith traditions, this up-to-date guidebook will illuminate the Way for any God-seeker young or old."" ----J. NELSON KRAYBILL, president of Mennonite World Conference (2015-2022) and president emeritus of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminary ""Youth ministry resources become dated very quickly in our fast-paced modern age. How exciting and refreshing to have a follow-up to God's Story, Our Story, which I have used for years to prepare youth for baptism. Finding Ourselves in God's Story is both succinct and easy to read. It faithfully clings to the biblical story while not shying away from the challenging and inquisitive questions that are on the hearts and minds of today's youth."" ----CALEY ORTMAN, chaplain and youth pastor at First Mennonite Church of Reedley, California

Author Information

Michele Hershberger is the author of God's Story, Our Story; A Christian View of Hospitality; and several other books. She serves as chair of the Bible department at Hesston (KS) College, where she teaches Bible and youth ministry classes. With a degree from Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Hershberger has devoted her life to serving the church as a pastor, writer, speaker, and instructor. She and her husband Del Hershberger have three children and are members of Hesston Mennonite Church.

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