After examining the structure of the story, the next step is to dive into the inner workings of the characters, especially the hero, which we will place on the illustration of God’s Story.

After identifying the plot and structure of the story, whether it is whole, bent, or broken, you can ask yourself and your students, what does the author portray in this story as good and as evil? Whatever the answer may be, you can write it in the space underneath the garden of New Creation.

Today, we'll explore the first step in the Framing Stories approach - Listen to God's Echoes. Jerram Barrs refers to this presence in our stories as echoes of Eden. “It seems that among every people on the face of this earth,” he writes, “there is a recollection of the original good creation; there is awareness that the world we now live in is broken and fallen, and there is recall of the promise and hope of restoration of what is good” (Echoes of Eden, 74).

Here is an approach to biblical integration pieced together through years of teaching and thinking called Framing Stories with God’s Story (or just Framing from now on). The goal of the Framing approach is to help you “see” the stories you’re thinking about against the backdrop of God’s Story. Like a set for a play, God’s Story frames the action on stage, placing the actors and their story in proper context.