Back in the 90s, I preached a series on the life of Christ. It was quite a series - 88 messages - and I did it over a couple of years. I did not know then that it would be the foundation for a radio broadcast I call Stories of the Master.

A few years ago I envisioned Stories of the Master as a program where I retold the stories Jesus told, stories like the prodigal son, the good samaritan, and the good shepherd. Through the research of Dr. Kenneth Bailey and many others I have come to learn the cultural and historical background to many of these stories that make them come alive.

But for some reason I didn't have peace with it all. Finally, one day I learned why - the Lord wanted me to do more than tell the stories He told. He wanted me to tell His story. That greatly expanded my horizons for the Gospels contain a limited number of "stories" that He gave but His story is vast! The 88 messages I gave at Cornerstone back in the 90s seem like a lot but I left out many key parts of the Gospels.

Stories of the Master, then, will be a retelling of the Story of Jesus. It will include the stories He told but so much more. I have started this year with the ministry of John the Baptist and have produced and broadcasted eight. I figure it will take about 150 stories to go through His life, about three years worth.

My format is a blend of storytelling and teaching. I use some ambient guitar music as the background to set a "storytelling mood." (In case you're wondering, the background music you hear is my son David playing guitar.) My goal is for people to hear it as a story - because we all love stories - but also for the story to open them to the truth of God's word. That's why I say it is a blend of storytelling and teaching.

This week, our story is "The Thirsty Woman - Part 2". I try to give the stories fresh names to create curiosity and hopefully for people to approach the story they've heard a hundred times with fresh ears. Also, my hope is for people who have never heard about Jesus to be intrigued by Him and to want to learn more about Him.

In addition to the seven stations in the U.S., Stories of the Master is also streamed on The Voice of Truth radio, a young internet station and Global City Radio that has a worldwide listening audience. When I say in the broadcast, "It's time for the world to hear again the stories of the Master," I mean that literally!! Global City Radio streams at 9:30am GMT and Voice of Truth on Saturday and Sunday evenings. God knows who is listening all over the world! That's exciting to think about!

My other hope is that you will take advantage of this resource for your life, your small group, and your church. If you go to the Listen Again page on the site, you can listen to the broadcast again, download it to your PC or Ipod, and download notes for further study. It's all there for you!