The Story of God With Us

This book traces the foundational reality at the heart of the biblical story: God’s desire and determination to be with His people. Ultimately, the mighty and wondrous deeds of God found in the Bible are all done for one reason…

So He could dwell with us,

and we with Him.

Always and forever,

world without end.

We believe deeply in formational story-telling. God is the Author of the true story of the world. The Father has revealed himself to us by his Word, which is manifested in his Spirit-filled Son (Jesus) and in his Spirit-wrought story (The Bible). 

Like many great stories, the Bible has multiple thematic threads that run from beginning to end. In this book we will follow the wonderful golden thread of God's presence: his desire and determination to be with his people. This is the foundational reality at the heart of the biblical story.

Like many of the Psalms, this book poetically recalls scenes from Scripture. Along the way you will recognize echoes from previous scenes that keep the golden thread in sight. There is also a liturgical and memorable refrain that impresses the big idea into the readers’ and hearers’ hearts.

Our prayer is that this book is read regularly in a family setting, and that it establishes categories and language for understanding the story of Scripture and its Author.

Westminster Bookstore Note: This book contains cartoon or artistic images of Jesus. There are many people in our constituency who, in a sincere effort to honor the second commandment, refrain from the use of any kind of drawings or pictures of Jesus, even if not intended for a worship context. Out of respect for those who take this position, we have sought to add a note to books in our children’s category which have drawings or depictions of Jesus so that they can factor that into their buying decisions, as they would if they could inspect the books physically.

Kenneth Padgett and his wife, Rebecca, live in the South Carolina Lowcountry with their two young daughters. Kenneth is a PhD (cand) in Biblical Studies at Trinity College, Bristol (UK) and serves in his local church as the Scholar-In-Residence. He also holds a Master’s degree in Old Testament from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He’s a lover of Narnian ships, heroic rabbits, and a big bowl of shrimp & grits!

Shay Gregorie is a native of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina where he lives with his wife, Catherine, and their eight children. He is an ordained pastor in the Anglican Church of North America and currently serves on the pastoral staff in his local church. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. If he had to be a different creature, he’d be an Ent, maybe a marsh-wiggle, but he’s mostly marsh-wiggle already.

Aedan Peterson is an illustrator and visual developer based in Nashville. He’s been busy for the last few years, illustrating the new edition of Pembrick’s Creaturepedia, designing characters, props, and backgrounds for animated shorts like The Wingfeather Saga short film and Good Boy Richard, as well as creating art and album covers for a variety of bands, including The Gray Havens. He has a fondness for Swedish fairytales and all magical forests, both of which have been surprisingly vital to his personal artistic growth.