Tell Me the Story: The Carpenter

Should the Gospel be made available only in erudite
style? Or, can the simple power of narrative also serve
the Evangel in the lives of young and old? In his new
book Tell me the Story, Alex MacDonald retells the
ancient tale of Jesus in the contemporary tongue of
narrative account. With delightful turn of phrase and
surprising perspective, we are invited to hear afresh the
storyline of the Gospel message. A faithful preacher
with an eye towards making the Good News intelligible
to everyman, Alex MacDonald warms our hearts with
his fusion of timeless truth through vibrant imagination.
These dozen eyewitness accounts of Bible figures and
their companions will stir your heart to treasure again
the old, old story of Jesus and His love!

Narrative preaching is an extremely difficult art to
master, because imagination has to be used as a tool
to convey truth and make the reader want to grasp it,but must never take over itself. Alex MacDonald has
managed here to present us with a series of stories that
superbly manage to retell well known historical facts
in a way that magically take us to the lands and times
in which they actually happened. A book for young
and old, for seasoned preachers and truth-seekers,
and ultimately for anyone who simply likes stories well
told.

The author, minister of Buccleuch and Greyfriars Free Church in Edinburgh and a former Editor of the Free Church Monthly Record, has skilfully brought together a collection of first-person narratives written through the eyes of those who knew Jesus. Using biblical references and other background resources, MacDonald offers responses to the question: 'do you know Jesus' through the eyes of those who knew him, from his mother Mary, to Simon Peter, the Apostle John and Zacchaeus, the tax collector. Written in a lively and original style, each chapter can be enjoyed individually or as part of a wider study of the lives of those who knew Jesus. Written in a lively and original style, each chapter can be enjoyed individually or as part of a wider study of the lives of those who knew Jesus.

Having heard the chapter on Joanna I can appreciate the living situation from which the skilful telling of these stories has come. They are a practical and helpful reminder that we often fail to capture people's imagination in telling the exciting story the narrative of the New Testament provides. The writer's motivation is that of an earnest communicator of the gospel who commendably tries every helpful approach to help his readers and listeners to understand the greatest good news there is.

In this book Alex MacDonald retells the story of 12 people who were eyewitnesses to the life of Jesus. The style of the book is compelling and biblical and background material is helpful. The author is an engaging storyteller and manages to captivate heart, mind and imagination of the reader. The book is an easy read...I would certainly give this book to an unbeliever to whet their appetite for the gospel

I read these stories at a sitting and really enjoyed them. I understand now why people say that when Alex preaches these story-sermons you can hear a pin drop. And I also appreciate why by God's grace these same occasions are often when the penny drops. Good stories have a way of getting round people's carefully constructed defences. May these stories draw many to the hero of the biggest story of all.