For the holiday month of August we have decided to revel in some wonderful but less well known stories from the Bible. These are stories of ordinary people who trying to do the right thing, often in very difficult circumstances. There is no single, uniting theme here, other than the coming together of good people with a wonderful God. If we have the story of God’s people stored away in our minds, we can refer to it at any time, when our own experience follows a similar path. So relish these stories. Soak them in. Read between the lines, and listen to the echoes that resonate from your own life. Of course those leading our worship will highlight some points from the part of the story they are telling, that is their task, but don’t stop there, take some time to browse around the story making your own connections. Some of these stories are 3,000 years old. And for most of those 3,000 years, and in most parts of the world, they have been passed on by word of mouth. It is only in the last 150 years, and in western culture, that people have come to see the Bible as a book to be read. So trust the stories themselves. They are enriching and inspiring, and well worth knowing. They are also the way that God has chosen to show himself to us. Today:If you take the time to read through the many and varied tales concerning Elisha, you begin to get the idea that Jesus modeled his own ministry on Elisha in numerous ways. This story raises numerous issues relating to living a life of faith. Elisha’s example also raises interesting thoughts about the appropriate use of God’s blessings, and of moments of strength.