);

Oriental Trading

I was recently reading a study conducted by the Barna Group and was surprised to read that Americans desire more bible reading.  Fifty-eight percent of adults wish they read the bible more often, but most say their bible reading is about the same as it was a year ago.  (Barna Trends 2018)  This is not a big surprise though.  Think about it.  How often are goals set at the first of each new year and when you come to the next year you find yourself writing the same goals all over again because you did not accomplish them?

We may not be able to change this overnight, but I believe we can begin working on this very thing with our children now.  If we begin with kids, the idea is they will grow up continuing to read their bibles.  But how do we get kids to read this old, outdated, archaic, boring book?  Wait just a minute!  That’s what kids think of the bible but it’s all wrong!  For starters, it may help to read a bible version that reads more like a story, bringing the bible to life in a kids mind.  When it reads like a story, it begins to make sense and they enjoy it.  Have you ever read the story of Abimelech in Judges 9?  I just taught on this and had so much fun with it because the whole story is dripping with sarcasm.  When kids see and hear the sarcasm, the people become real to them and the story itself is humorous and interesting. Plus, they read about people hiding out in towers but the enemy burns it down and they die.  It’s like movies they see and enjoy.  If we can help kids see that the bible is enjoyable like the movies they watch, wouldn’t it be awesome to see them desiring to read more scripture?

For younger kids, you may try this to get them interested:

For those leaving the elementary program and entering into middle school, this may be a great option:

Remember, the goal is to get kids picking up a bible to read and WANTING to read it because they enjoy it.  If they enjoy it, they are more likely to stick with it, remember it and share it with others!

 

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