CM Curriculum Pilgrims Progress Story Outlines

Pilgrim’s Progress Daily Story Outline
Every time I have told Pilgrims Progress as a continued story to kids, I always found it very helpful to have an outline of the main story events and what theme I wanted to teach for each portion of the story. This page is to help you develop your own outline by looking at how we organized the story. There is a 'one page overview' of the entire story followed by a day by day break down of the story including props we used for actors acting the story out. Just like anything, take what you need, leave what you don't, and feel free to improve this page for mistakes or inconsistencies... God bless you in your ministry.

Overview of Entire Story and Themes
1. THEME: Following God means sacrificing lesser things (mt 3:7, is 45:17, Jn 10:27-29)
 * a. Field with Bible, Home with uncooperative wife (sets out on Adventure)
 * b. Gets stuck in bog of guilt,

2. THEME: Guilt and Legalism (josh 1:9)
 * a. Bog of Guilt, Help helps out, Mr. Worldly Wiseman gives bad advice
 * b. Mtn of Legalism (impossible), Evangelist sends him back, arrives at Shining (wicket) gate

3. Choice.(Lk 13:34, Mt 7:8)
 * a. Wicket Gate and Goodwill
 * b. House of the Interpreter (Dusty room, Fireplace…)

4. Salvation - Forgiveness (loosing burdens)(jn 10:1, prov 6:6, rm 5:8)
 * a. Trail fenced by salvation, cross/tomb, burden falls off, 3 shining ones
 * b. 3 chained men (simple, sloth, presumption) [skip?]
 * c. Hill of difficulty (Formalist/Hypocrisy) warning of lions, Nap, scroll? (turn around)
 * d. Reach top in darkness, hear lions (one lunges at him), choice to go on/back?

5. Training and Strength (rm 8:37)
 * a. Palace Beautiful (Watchful, 3 sisters, Armor of God)
 * b. Valley of Humility and Apollyon

6. Trust, faith in what you cannot see (amos 5:8, prov 119:33
 * a. Valley of Shadow of Death, Meets faithful and 4 kinsmen, talkative, Evangelist
 * b. Captured at Vanity Fair

7. Vanity Fair (shallow materialism)
 * a. Trial and escape from vanity fair, Hopeful joins Christian
 * b. Hilled Called Lucre (mining), Lots Wife, River of Life
 * c. parallel smooth path, Vain Confidence, Captured by Giant of Despair

8. Endurance, Community and Trusting God’s promises
 * a. Stuck in castle, despair, key of Promise,
 * b. Playing with ‘Giant stuff’ toilet paper/ food fight,
 * c. ends with them trying to escape form the giant’s castle, big door hard to open, but giant right behind them with his club raised.

9. Taking the Advice of the Wise
 * a. Escape from Doubting Castle and the Giant of despair,
 * b. Shepherds and delectable mountains (Mt. Caution and Mt. Clear)
 * c. Apostate bound and carried away)

10. Self Esteem based on God (2 cor 5:7)
 * a. See Apostate bound and carried away, Robbery of little-faith
 * b. Flatterer’s net,

11. Creation
 * a. Meet Atheist,
 * b. Nearly falling asleep on the enchanted ground

12. Need for Salvation (Pr 28:26, rm 3:10, gen 6:5, jn 14:2-3, 2 tim 4:7, rev 21:3-4)
 * a. Ignorance ignores Christian (thinks He’s good enough)
 * b. Rest at the Kings Meadows (land of Beulah)
 * c. The River of death, Enter Celestial City, Christiana sets out on her own journey (?)

Day 1
1. City of Destruction
 * A. In field reading Bible and notices huge burden on back
 * B. Goes home to warn family, but they think he’s crazy
 * C. One day in field, panic overtakes (wish he could run, but doesn’t know where), cries out 'what must I do to get rid of this burden?'
 * D. Evangelist shows up, directs him to wicket gate (all he can see is a faint light) “follow the shining light, knock on the door, and do what you are told to do”
 * E. Christian takes off running

2. Stubborn and Spineless
 * A. The towns people see him running and yell at him to return, Obstinate and Pliable catch up to talk.
 * B. “come back to the good life” “I’ve found a hunger inside, I have a burden to loose and a light to follow to an eternal summer vacation at the celestial city [?wording] – I would never be satisfied going back” “ forget that Bible trash..”
 * C. Pigheaded turns back in disgust, spineless is interested in eternal summer vacation, while walking asks ‘how do you know the Bible is true?”
 * D. “written by one who cannot lie, who is just waiting to welcome us into his kingdom… for free” in eagerness they speed up but become CARELESS (speed walk)

3. Bog of Guilt
 * A. Missed the spaced stepping stones, mucky steps,
 * B. Spineless gives up and turns back “is this the happiness promised, at this pace….”
 * C. Christian trudges as far as he can, but cannot climb out of the bog b/c of heavy burden

PROPS
 * o heavy looking backpack (i.e. take a camping backpack, fill it with old clothes and strap tonnes of junk to it with bungee chords etc…)
 * o Worn out clothes
 * o Small pocket bible to carry around and read

Day 2
1. Bog of Guilt
 * a. Christian trudges as far as he can, but cannot climb out of the bog b/c of heavy burden
 * b. Helpful shows up, helps him out, explains bog cause by new followers with old guilt/doubt/discouragement (hard to see stepping stones). Sends him on way and then disappears.

2. Mountain of Legalism
 * a. “Help” gets Christian out of bog, points to stepping stones
 * b. Walks out using stones, sees shining gate still a way off, straps dry and tighten
 * c. Meets “Mr. Worldly Wiseman”, points him to Legality on the hill of legalism (looks like hill, really an un-climbable mtn)
 * d. As he’s climbing, hill→mtn→overhang, rocks glow red, and fire shoots out from cracks.
 * e. Collapses in despair, Evangelist show’s up “what are you doing here? He’s not who I find here?”
 * f. “go back to the path” “the hard but right way”
 * g. how much longer “sooner than you think, but longer than you wish”

3. Wicket Gate
 * a. Passes Mr. Worldly Wiseman and just keeps walking, finally comes to gate
 * b. Come up to gate “knock and the door shall be opened unto you”,
 * c. Arrow just misses his head, he knocks, more arrows fly, he pulls the “matrix move’ backwards, turns and knocks even harder, just then the door opens, arm reaches out…..

Day 3
1. …Wicket Gate and Goodwill (explains the gate/arrows)
 * A. arrows from Beelzebub, the gate is open to all regardless of past/present, must follow light to ONE gate, then follow the narrow path
 * B. May you cut off my burden? – only possible where you see the price paid (sooner than you think, longer than you wished)
 * C. After his talk with Goodwill, Christian continues on his path, sees the setting sun, and a nearby house
 * D. Knocks, and collapses inside the front door asleep.

2. House of the Interpreter
 * A. Wakes early, The Interpreter has some rooms to show him
 * i. Picture of Man (crown, Bible in hand, Destruction behind)
 * ii. Dusty Room (law exposes sin, Jesus helps to clean us from sin)
 * iii. Passion and Patience (passion for world vs. patience for the next)

1. this is taken from the Amplified story, and is skipped in the book by Schmidt
 * iv. Burning wall (God feeds your passion for him, devil throws water)
 * v. Man in Iron cage (‘despair’ felt conviction but resisted until blind to mercy, can be forgiven, but doesn’t think he can)
 * vi. Paper Giants (Heavily guarded palace door, take Heaven with Confidence)
 * B. Eats breakfast, then sets out on his journey again (path rough but straight, lined by Salvation)
 * i. in the distance he could see that the trail led right up the middle of a steep hill, on the side of the path is a wall called “Salvation”
 * ii. refreshed and ready to continue to the Celestial City, he sets out on the ‘hard, but right way’

PROPS
 * o a door to represent the Narrow/Wicket gate
 * o Room 1 – a painting of a man, crown above head, small Bible in hand, world behind him
 * o Room 2 – broom and spray bottle for water (act out ‘dusty part’ by coughing)
 * o Room 3 – any small vs. large treasure (ie. Cheap $5 video game system vs. PS2)
 * o Room 4 – if you have a fireplace use it here. Also an empty ‘water pitcher’ and empty Gerry can. We used our fireplace with two actors on either side of it pretending to pour water or gas on the same fire. We had a divider between them so you could only see one of them at a time.
 * o Room 5 – we made a small cage simply using a mobile TV stand and taped sticks to it to make a couple more bars so it looked like a cage. Of course there was enough space between the bars to crawl out, which adds to the story.

Day 4
1. cross/tomb
 * a. After breakfast left the House of Interpreter and back on the ‘straight and narrow: the hard but right way’
 * b. Trail fenced by salvation leading to steep hill with cross/tomb, burden falls off and tumbles down hill into the tomb
 * c. 3 shining ones - encourage him and inform him that his sins are forgiven him. The give him
 * i. new garments to wear (pure and clean)
 * ii. seal of the king on forehead (invisible to all but the king)
 * iii. certificate (needed for entrance to celestial city)

→ Happy dance [skip 3 chained men?] 2. Formalist and Hypocrisy jump over wall of salvation onto the narrow way
 * a. From Vain-Glory, warned of gate “the man who does not enter through the gate, but climbed in by some other way is a thief and a robber” but they like to take short cuts
 * b. “we are all in the way” ”all roads lead to the celestial city”
 * c. Christian explained his robes/seal/certificate, others laugh

3. Spring at base of the Hill of Difficulty
 * a. 3 routes, narrow up the steep middle, then two paths went around the base called ‘danger’ and ‘destruction’. Christian went up steep narrow road and the others took the side ones [never seen again]
 * b. So steep hand to climb hand and knees, came to shady grove and took a nap, certificate rolled out of hand, wakes up and continues on his way
 * c. Hesitant and Mistrust running down the hill “lions!” “going back is sure death, going fwd is fear of death, and beyond eternal life”
 * d. Christian realizes certificate missing gone, finds it, but now DARK

4. Lions at the Palace Beautiful
 * a. In the dark he hears their growl, knows that they stalk their prey in the cover of darkness (choice to go fwd or go back)

PROPS
 * o Clean clothes to change into (we used same colored, but clean and new shirt/jeans)
 * o A scroll (we used part of a brown paper bag, rolled up with burnt edges and red ribbon)
 * o Ropes for ‘lazy’ character (one person instead of simple/sloth and presumption)
 * o Wooden cross
 * o Black sign saying ‘tomb’ placed above a door for the burden to fall off and ‘roll’ into (we tied rope to Christian’s burden so that when it fell off his back, someone outside the door pulled the rope and dragged the burden across the stage and out the door, then the door slammed shut, never to be opened again)
 * o Sound effects of a lion’s roar and a heartbeat.

Day 5
1. Palace Beautiful
 * a. Voice says lions chained to test faith, safe on narrow road
 * b. Welcomed by butler (James Watchful)=, allow to clean up
 * i. hot chocolate, warm by the fire, tucked into bed
 * c. Have breakfast, talk of journey, but Watchful never mentions the danger that lies ahead.
 * d. Climb tallest Tower to see Delectable Mtns (can see the gates of CC) “I long to meet the king”
 * e. Taken to the Weaponry (Eph 6:13-17)[enough weapons for 1000’s of pilgrims to alter their destiny and fight hostile enemies]
 * i. belt of truth, chest plate of righteousness, Boots of readiness (Alexander the great/Julius Caesar success partially due to good footwear) shield of faith, helmet of salvation, Sword of the Spirit

2. Valley of Humility/Apollyon
 * a. As dangerous going down as up, butler walked him to entrance of valley and gave him pwr bar/Gatorade/leaves from tree of life
 * i. “if he hurried he might catch a pilgrim who left a day earlier”
 * b. Little ways into the valley spots the fiend, APOLLYON!
 * i. “where do you come from/going?… already unfaithful..” “you belong to me…” (we also played on Monty Python’s ‘none shall pass’ skit with the black knight)
 * ii. fight ensues, Christian falls, Apollyon exposes his underside and Christian reaches his sword and thrusts
 * iii. “do not gloat over me my enemy..”(Mic 7:8)
 * c. Uses leaves of tree of life to heal, but now faces a deeper, darker valley. 2 men come running for their lives from the trail ahead and warn Xian of the nightmares that lie ahead. Scare, but undettered, Xian starts to walk down into ‘The Valley of the Shadow of death….”.

PROPS
 * o ppt with pictures form picture book
 * o outfit for watchful the porter, and Apollyon,(we used black outfit w/ cape and black mask simply made out of black construction paper
 * o we skipped the three sisters, but they can just dress in white dresses
 * o we just used to two boys in our audience to run out of the ‘Valley of Shadow of Death”

Day 6
1. Valley of the Shadow of Death
 * a. Two men running out “don’t enter if you value your life)
 * b. ghosts/goblins/screams/clouds of confusion/ utter chaos
 * c. Kept going, one side huge pit (where blind had led blind) acidic marsh (David had floundered in), extremely narrow trail, Flames/smoke shooting, fiends coming suddenly turn at prayer,
 * d. Not alone, heard “though I walk through the…”
 * e. As sun rose, he could see the valley ahead of him was darker still

2. Meets Faithful
 * a. After valley sees him on hill (old neighbor from city of destruction)
 * i. tripped @ arrival
 * b. Talk of old neighbors (spineless), met discontent(valley w/o honor)

3. Guidance (Evangelist)
 * a. Enjoying company so much that didn’t notice coming out of the wilderness, saw Guidance (Evangelist) approaching
 * b. “one or both will give your life”

4. Vanity Fair
 * a. Set up on narrow road to slow pilgrims to Celestial City (even JC)
 * b. Stood out, misunderstood, refused to be distracted by ‘good stuff’ and “too good for us” thrown in jail.
 * c. Merchant fights over fairness, 2 marched display, kind/meek …
 * d. Judge Hate-Good, witness Political Correctness, Live Loose, Cynic

PROPS
 * - sound for wind, suspense music, growl
 * - picture of dark clouds, a sun rise…

Day 7
1. Trial and Escape from Vanity Fair
 * a. Faithful sentenced to death, Christian banished.
 * b. As leaving the town, Hopeful catches (actions of Xian/Faithful despite injustice compelled him to follow, many more would follow in time)

2. Come upon talkative
 * a. (never against wind/tide, zealous when religion has silver slippers)
 * b. Xian corrects him, “don’t force your religion on me”
 * c. Priorities 1) speak against sin 2) great knowledge of Bible mysteries (abhor sin, knowledge w/o love)
 * i. “single greatest cause of atheism…”
 * d. Talkative, offended, stayed behind, joined by money-love and hold-the-world

3. Crossed a plain called Ease, hill called Lucre
 * a. “there be gold in these parts” a turn aside, with little effort walk away rich
 * b. “heard rumors, pilgrims got so sidetracked mining for riches, lost site of Goal, had not the strength to continue on their pilgrimage”
 * ii. our single goal is CC and must not be sidetracked
 * c. watched behind as Talkative… turn off to gold mine.

4. Lots wife/River of Life
 * a. Warning for running with divided heart, refreshed at river/fruit…

5. By-path meadow
 * a. Departed from river, path become rough and sore on their feet, parallel path came up that looked easier, crossed fence, didn’t notice unnatural flowers etc…, saw Vain Confidence and yelled “who? Trail go?”- “to CC”
 * b. As nighttime fell, they could no longer see him, heard him fall and heard only groaning “has he fallen into a pit set aside for over-confident fools?”
 * c. Decided to stop, rain storm, heard “let your heart take you to the way” but was scared b/c of the flood,
 * d. Found broken tree to sleep under sleep.

6. Captured by Giant of Despair
 * a. In middle of sleep Christian opened eyes to see giant standing over, shut eyes hoping to switch to a better dream, but giant was offended and cuffed him
 * b. “Awake I said”, carried off to doubting castle, thrown in dusky dungeon… and every hour, on the hour would come in and beat them….

Day 8
1. Beaten and Escape from Giant of Despair
 * a. In middle of sleep Christian opened eyes to see giant standing over, shut eyes hoping to switch to a better dream, but giant was offended and cuffed him
 * b. “Awake I said”, carried off to doubting castle, thrown in dusky dungeon… and every hour, on the hour would come in and beat them….
 * c. Choose your death (knife/rope/poison)- seized by a fit of sunshine, Christian ready to RIP, Hopeful reminds him must never give up hope, God always provides a way out
 * d. Giant returns next day, enraged they rejected his counsel, shows them the castle yard w/ bones/skulls of his victims, “w/in 10 days I shall tear you apart” and he beat them all the way back to the dungeon.
 * e. Giant drug them back to the dungeon, beat them w/ huge club, left laughing
 * f. Prayed into the night, in despair Xian reached inside his armor and found Key of promise “what a fool I have being..” (rusty key, grows for any lock)
 * g. Play around In giant’s castle,
 * i) Halls
 * ii) Bathroom
 * iii) Kitchen (food fight, swim in bowl of cheerios, jump on jello…)
 * h) Hear giant wake in the morning, run out kitchen, down hall way and across courtyard to the front door of castle
 * i) Door is old and squeaky, giant notices and comes after them, they try as hard as they can to open the door in time, Giant comes up behind them, raises his big ‘crab apple club’……club raised high in the ari…. back to the trail

Day 9
1. Escape from Giant of Despair…
 * a) Club raised, door opening too slow and suddenly… a ray of sunlight hits the giant and he falls, paralyzed to the ground
 * b) Xian and Hopeful are tired and sore, but briskly (and carefully) walk back to the narrow road (the hard but right way)

2. Shepherds and Delectable Mountains
 * a) Tired, sore, walked slowly on trail, up mtns, at top saw beautiful mtn plateau/ meadows, forests, deer… refreshed, came across shepherds
 * b) “these are the delectable mtns, the lords sheep, in sight of CC (names knowledge, experience, sincere)
 * c) spend night in tents, king put mtns here to refresh you, show wonders in AM
 * i) mt. Caution, ‘easier way’ Endless wanderers, blinded by despair
 * ii) mt. Clear, looking glass to see CC (shaken, hard to see)
 * d) handed
 * i) note,
 * ii) warned of ‘the false one’
 * iii) ‘enchanted ground’

Day 10
1. Demons bound and carry away Apostate (little faith?)
 * a) See thick, dark, foul smelling smoke ahead, slinking down path come 4 demons and one captive (hear sound of crackling, but not breaking of twigs, burning)
 * i) Grass burns as it touches their feet, smoke oozes out of their skin, smirking, eyes darting side to side…
 * ii) Approach Xian/Hopeful who dive behind a tree, demons come along path, stop, smell the air,
 * iii) About to search around and then spot Ignorance
 * (1) approach him, ask for scroll, has none, bound up and carried off in the direction of Mt. Caution and the Cliff of Error.

2. Flatterer’s Net
 * a) Went through tight ravine (one in front of other), came out to hill w/ a fork it, both ways looked as straight as the other, man in white robe w/ hood came “if you see CC, then follow me”
 * b) Trail went into dense forest, then began to climb with slow turn, but unnoticed b/c xian/hopeful were busy pushing thorns/branches out of way, thicker and thicker until could go no further
 * c) Suddenly net thrown over them, too off cloak (hairy/nasty beast, laughed w/ gleaning teeth, then disappeared into forest, couldn’t move

Day 11
1. Flatterer’s Net
 * a) “we’ve being tricked” one in shining robe came up, “were you not warned,– disguised himself as one of light to deceive you, why did you not read the note?”

2. shining one slashed net, broke like spider’s web
 * i) on lash each, “remember, I sometimes punish those I love”
 * ii) led them out, “go now, and beware of evil counsel”

3. meet Atheist “let us be careful of him”
 * a) “being looking for 20yrs, no such place, 20yrs wasted!”
 * b) “we have heard and do believe” “then look for it fool!” “lord himself put us on this trail…. We walk by faith and not by sight”

4. Enchanted Ground
 * a) Field full of flowers, slower and slower, heavy feet “need just a little nap” “no hopeful, fall asleep never wake up again.” “shepherd’s warning, tell me how you came to faith”

Day 12
1. Ignorance
 * a. Slowly following behind, invited but “would rather walk alone. Se my own pace to CC” from Conceit, neighbor of vain confidence. “come in at gate?” “Why would go all the way there only to return the same way.”
 * b. “b/c you did pass through the wicket gate, nor loose your burden at the cross, you were not given anything to show at the gates of CC. W/o token showing you’re a guest, you will not be invited in”
 * c. “I have lived a good life. The king will accept me for these things.” “your goodness counts for nothing at gates, need Jesus to represent you!” “he will accept me if I obey Him!” “your righteousness = dirty rags. heaven is Better than anything you could ever earn/deserve” “you have your belief,. I have mine.”

2. Kings Meadows
 * a. Trail left harsh, desolate country side, had flowers, doors in the wall on the trail with entrances to gardens/orchards/
 * b. Gardener “welcome to the kings meadows. Take a break, eat, rest. The king has put these meadows here for your enjoyment and any pilgrims as they finish their journey to the CC”
 * c. 3 shining ones show up “we are here to take you to the CC. You are at the end of your journey, before you enter there is one last test you must pass through.” “will you go with us” “we will go w/ you, but you must win over test by faith”

3. The River of Death
 * a. Walked to together until came in site of CC (gold, precious stones, so bright could not stare at it long, giant gate made of a single pearl)
 * b. Before the castle on a mtn, there was a deep wide river w/o a bridge
 * c. “how get across?” “by your faith, will find river floor solid/soft as your faith is”
 * d. Christian went first, sank to chin “help, going to drown!” Hopeful went in “look, I can stand, so can you” Christian flayed, hopeful tried to help him “I’m being punished for my sins” “not punishment, the test we were told about” Christian remembered ‘test” and prayed for faith, found bottom,

4. Enter Celestial City
 * a. Went up the long hill to city, met my huge party of people (dance/sing/clap)
 * b. At gate Moses/Enoch/Elijah, asked 1) wicket gate 2) certificate from the cross
 * c. Upon hearing, the king himself ordered the gates opened
 * i. “Well done, you good and faithful servants, enter into joy of your King”
 * d. beheld things never seen with mortal eyes “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (city shone like the sun, walked streets of Gold, moved into custom made mansions)

5. Christiana Sets out to join her husband.
 * a. Rumors of Christian at CC (appolyon/despair/valley of death, CC)
 * b. Missed him, regretted treating him harshly, he begged her so much to join him “I could have gone with him!!” wakes in middle of night, grabs kids and runs out to field “what must I do to be saved?!”
 * c. Guidance (Evangelist) shows up w/ scroll written in gold, personal invitation from the king to join him at CC, “how do I start?” “see yonder wicket gate?…”

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