What is the story you have been told about the gospel? James Bryan Smith, author of the bestselling book The Good and Beautiful God, brings us this spiritual formation resource full of field-tested material and practices for both individuals and groups. Uncover the magnificent story of beauty, goodness, and truth that will satisfy the ultimate longings of your heart.

James Bryan Smith, author of the bestselling book the Good and Beautiful series, brings us this spiritual formation resource full of field-tested material and practices for both individuals and groups. Uncover the magnificent story of beauty, goodness, and truth that will satisfy the ultimate longings of your heart.

This book is not a work of fiction. Many of the stories actually happened somewhere; well, most of them. The names and events have been adjusted a bit to entertain the audience. The work is for entertainment only. It is not intended to be a work of literature. The book is protected by copyright. However, the ideas included herein may be used at will. Attribution would be appreciated. The book contains no violence, no sex, or no bad language. It may be enjoyed by persons of all ages. The author would like to thank his daughter Kathryn for assistance with the project and for her love and kindness. Thanks for enjoying the book.

There is a road to life in the unshakeable kingdom of God, but it's not an easy journey. In this book James Bryan Smith shows us the better road, the road less travelled, but the road full of riches. Along the way he introduces us to new spiritual practices that will provide the sustenance we need for the deepest, most joy-filled journey of our lives—the journey into the heart of God.

Edward the Magnificent, as he liked to call himself, is a cool kid. Well, I don't know about the cool part, but he was a kid, to say the least. Spoiled to no end by his overly protective mother. Always getting his way, ready to burst into some kind of crying episode at any time. Never wanting any photographs made of himself because we all knew what would happen if someone took one. You guessed it! He cried and he cried. How can any one boy do so much crying! We all couldn't figure out how he had so much success building and creating when all he ever did was cry! Whatever the reason for his weird ways and excessive crying, Edward was able to do more stuff in his childhood than most adults five times his age! His love for food would make anyone think he was an obese kid but not Edward, thin as a stick, a stick with no bark to be exact. Edward and Alex were always up to doing good, but not the Yanklesnack bunch. Always into mischief, never really hurting anyone but mischief just the same. All the distant relatives of Edward, like the Yanklesnacks were always on the verge of doing good like Edward but not all the way. All this creative imagination that Edward possesses, who knows where it came from. It could have been his red hair that made it possible, although it could have been those special ears too! Some might guess there was a little something in those pizza freckles of his. No matter where it came from, God had something special for this young boy to say and do. No matter if you have a sense of humor or not, you have to laugh at this young red-headed, freckle-faced, big-eared kid, ready to go on an adventure at a moment's notice. We can all wonder what Edward is up to. All we can say is, "Where are you going next, Edward? Where are you going next?"

"An indispensable reference work. . . . Anyone with a serious interest in movies will want to have it."--James Naremore, author of Acting in the Cinema

Contains activities that analyze the characters in favorite children's books to inspire students in the creation of characters in their own writing.