God’s Story

Jeremiah Films asked author/Bible teacher Dorothy Miller to write the script to accompany Bible stories illustrated by ex Disney and Warner Bros artist Norm McGary. The vision was to design a chronological storytelling overview of the Bible. The plan of a one-narrator design allows it to be efficiently and cost effectively translated into world languages. Renowned Christian actor Dean Jones narrated the English version setting a standard for the languages soon to follow. In the first four years completed fifty languages versions.

Dorothy and her husband Tom ran multiple businesses including the largest equestrian riding school on the West Coast. Miller’s teaching mileage in the equestrian world (including producing world class riders) fine-tuned her communication skills. Her 35 years experience of leading Church youth groups and teaching Bible studies at their equestrian center taught her the value of foundational chronological storytelling in presenting the Gospel to people with little or no church background.

Her family business experience as well as skills gained from authoring added books, articles and video screen plays prepared her not only to write God’s Story but also later to be called to the directorship of The God’s Story Project.

Now as volunteer tentmakers, Miller and her husband oversee the production and distribution of this evangelism and discipleship tool.

Dorothy said, “The 80-minute video covers Creation, the Fall, Cain and Abel, and a succession of Old Testament stories which show not only man’s need for a Savior but also the Old Testament pre-pictures and prophecies of that Savior. When the New Testament stories come on the screen, even viewers who have never heard the Bible message recognize Jesus as the Savior promised from God.

“The result of the impact from God’s Story’s Old Testament foundational content is seen in letters coming to the office. One report said, 'For the first time the Buddhists are getting it!' Those working among Islamics say, 'Because of the time spent in the Old Testament establishing who Jesus really is, Muslims are understanding that He is not just another prophet.'

“After viewing God’s Story a group of 20 Palestinian pastors said, 'We have always just used the New Testament, because we thought the Old Testament was a Jewish book. We see now that God used the Jews to bring us Jesus, so we want to start using the whole Bible.”

Dorothy Miller then said that one missionary sought out what he considered the hardest to reach people in the world. “He chose the 1.5 million Qashqai people,” she said. “These Muslim Nomads, living in Iran, have no written language and only one known Believer! After a year, with the help of SIL staff, they completed the script and recorded the narrator. TGSP completed the production, disguising the voice of the storyteller for his safety. Since the audio portion of God's Story stands alone, Trans World Radio broadcast it and to everyone's delight twenty Qashqai wrote them, responding to the Gospel!”

Amsterdam 2000 “propelled the video into the mainstream of Christian use,” said Dorothy. “There, 796 evangelists committed to translate and narrate one or more new languages. As funds come in, some of these languages have been completed.

She said that one long-time Bible smuggler, who now delivers God’s Story to China along with Bibles, added a gift of a VCD player to his smuggled in items. The reports came back that an entire village of 400 people came to know Jesus after just one viewing.

She stated that since one in six homes in the USA do not speak English as their first language, Christians interested in reaching the mission fields of ethnic pockets in their own neighborhoods have begun using God’s Story.

“In New Jersey, immigrants from Albania found the Lord through a gift copy of God’s Story in Albanian,” said Dorothy. “They shared it with other immigrants and an Albanian church was planted from the new those believers. After forty years of embracing Islam, a newly saved couple gave out audiocassettes of God’s Story in Farsi at their Iranian New Year’s celebration. They reported weeks later, 'Our church has doubled in size!'

“Days after 9/11 a young believer in California gave an Arabic copy to a Muslim neighbor. This entire Middle Eastern family was hiding in fear behind closed doors and drawn drapes. Hesitatingly they received the gift. A few day later they warmly welcomed the young man into their home and asked, 'Where can we go to find out more about what we saw in the video?'”

Author: Dan Wooding Founder of ASSIST Ministries