Bored With the Bible?

BORED WITH THE BIBLE? 

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.- I Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

I hear a few things quite often as a youth pastor, but two make me most sad.   I hear from students something like, “…the Bible is boring…” and from parents, I hear the worried, “…I can’t get my kids to read the Bible….”

There is, in fact, a growing trend of Biblical Illiteracy. While there is a “fondness of the idea of the Bible,” fewer and fewer people are reading it.   What are we, as children’s workers, youth pastors, and parents, to do? How do we get this generation back into reading God’s word? It is more than just having it available because it is more accessible than ever, thanks to o, your devices. The Bible is literally in almost everyone’s hands.

We know all of this. I am not here to beat you up or make you feel guilty about these facts; instead, let me offer some hopeful hints and help for families.

ENGAGEMENT

“Now these Jews were nobler than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining (engaging) the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”- Acts 17:11

Engaging your children and family in the scripture should be done with creativity. Think of ways to move beyond the simple sit-and-read time. Allow your young children to draw, sculpt, and engage in practices that match their creativity. Consider a book like “Scripture Doodles” or “Destroy This Devo” for creative ways to study and engage in Bible study. Older children can use a Color Coding system to engage with what they are reading.

Engagement needs to happen through conversations with you and other family members. Your child will engage more in Bible reading when they can ask questions and even bring their doubts to you. One of the biggest reasons children of all ages, but especially pre-teens into teen years, disengage with the Bible and their faith is because they do not know how to talk about their faith. These conversations over the scriptures and faith do not have to happen just in one setting.

Engaging in scripture doesn’t just happen at home but also in your family’s community. You are “growing with.”

EXCITEMENT

“The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy (excitement) to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”- Psalms 19:8

We all know the word of God is inspired (II Timothy 3:16), but do our children find it inspiring? We must ensure that the Bible is more than just a collection of inspirational sayings; we plaster it on a t-shirt or plaque on our wall. We need to ensure that we continue allowing them to study to find daily inspiration!

The Bible IS interesting; children and teens just don’t know. There are exciting and amazing stories in the Bible; it is just a matter of allowing them to discover and study them. The Bible is full of exciting weird stories. Look around for books like “Amazing Stories for Young Believers” or your tween/teen, “The Loser Club.”   Spend time talking about and sharing these and other stories from the Bible. Even as a family, look around for great movies based on Bible characters, then spend some time studying that person to see what the movie gets correct and incorrect.

All the way through the teenage years, young children are in emotional, social, mental, and spiritual stages of investigation. It is the perfect time to get them excited about learning how to study the Bible for themselves.   Learning now will create a life-long excitement and habit. Resources like “The Bible Made Easy” for children and “The Beginners Guide to Understanding the Bible” can help your teen.

There are many great versions, paraphrases, and apps out there to engage and excite your children. In the paper form, there are traditional translations, relevant paraphrases, and even comic book/graphic novels to introduce young believers to the Bible. There are a wide variety of apps for every device; YouVersion, is the most popular, but there many other apps out there just for teens.

As a youth pastor, take the time to research and help your students, as well as their families, become excited about the Bible! This may even start with your teaching style and how you construct your lessons.