H. Stephen Shoemaker is pastor, Crescent Hill Baptist Church, Louisville, Kentucky. A North Carolina native, Stephen received his education at Stetson University (B.A.), Union Theological Seminary (M.Div.), and The South ern Baptist Theological Seminary (Ph.D.). An accomplished musician, writer, peacemaker, scholar, and preacher, Stephen is at home in several fields of interest. He and his wife, Cher rie, have two children, David Stephen and Ann Holland.

Joseph, Daniel, Ruth, Jonah-this roll call brings to mind the stories of Bible personalities who matured in the Lord through struggles and challenges, just as we hope to do. Retelling the Biblical Story is a collection of sermons about these and other Bible friends, designed to culminate in the Biblical Story-the Story of God's way with and our way with God. It is also crafted to provide a theology of narrative preag for theological students, preachers, and laypersons interested in what lies beta sermon.

The Bible stone tell us who God is and who we are. In these stories we see enough to be changed. They move us to enter into God's Story and "strike a covenant," to use the language of the Old Testament. Then God's Story becomes our salvation story. Since our goal is to become "storytellers of the faith"-sharing with others what the Lord has brought about in our lives-storytelling has a spe cial application to the Christian life. Read, enjoy, ponder; then go and tell!