Talking About The Bible

This post is from Moms Take Ten episode 72, God In Our Daily Interactions–Talking About The Bible, which you can listen to wherever you listen to podcasts or at https://sites.libsyn.com/403493/god-in-our-daily-interactions-talking-about-the-bible

Welcome to part 2 of our miniseries, God in Our Daily Interactions. Last week we discussed how to play the Bible. This week, we are talking about talking about the Bible.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 says, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

The Bible is something we get to speak to our children about, and read to them from. This is a command, yes, but also a privilege and pleasure. Those of us who are believers of Jesus know how life changing the truths of Scripture are. We are testimonies of the living and active nature of the word of God. We have found hope, joy, guidance and even correction in its pages. We believe it, and we want to invite our children to believe it too. 

As our children grow and mature, the way that they think and learn changes also. From simple words and phrases to abstract thought, we can meet our children where they are at as we speak to them of God’s word. This miniseries is designed to be packed with practicals, more a list of resources than a conversation. So as we go through, make note of anything you might want to try with your family. There are links in the show notes as well.

In part 4 of the For Fathers series, Michael Loosa referenced the book Family Worship by Donald Whitney. That book talks about regular family Bible reading, prayer and singing. There are numerous kids Bibles out there and family devotions to help guide that time. I know people who eat breakfast and then have family devotions because their kids’ minds and bodies are working best in the mornings. Other families will pull out the Bible during dinner while everyone is seated around the table. You can read a single verse or an entire chapter. You can work through the Bible chronologically or topically. There are so many ways this could look for your family!

When our kids were younger, and with some sensory challenges, having them sit and listen to the Bible was simply not an option for us. It was always so stressful and we felt worse for doing it, which misses the point entirely of making the gospel appealing to our children! So we purchased the Jesus Storybook Bible on audible. Our kids would climb into their beds and play, roll around, or even chat, as the story read over them. It amazed us how much they learned from listening like that, even when it seemed like they weren’t paying attention. And it made the time much more enjoyable for them.

Then, in separate moments, particularly through Bible play, we would draw out what they had listened to and learned.

Reading books is something that my kids love to do. They will curl up on the couch with me and read three, four, even ten books at a time…although sometimes we do have to read upside down to mix things up. We love Tales that Tell the Truth series by The Good Book Company. Some are Bible stories and some are biblical truths but all capture my children’s attention, and the illustrations are so good. Will, God’s Mighty Warrior by Sheila Walsh has been a great picture book series for my boys. The Courageous Series by Voice of the Martyrs teaches how people lived out their faith and also helped spread the gospel. The Secrets of the Hidden Scrolls series by Mike Thomas is similar in concept to The Magic Treehouse series but focuses on key biblical events. There are several instagram accounts like GoodBookMom and FillYourHouseWithBooks that daily share wonderful, Christ centered or wholesome books for all ages and stages of childhood and adolescence if you want more ideas.

Those accounts can speak much better to content for older children and teenagers than I can. However, I do want to mention two series. The Trailblazer Books are great for upper grade school to middle school. They are historical fiction books that teach about Christian heroes through the experiences of the children that would have interacted with them. For teenagers, the Heroes of the Faith series are worthwhile.

When we are driving, the majority of the time we are listening to audio books or story podcasts. Sometimes we go old school with Adventures in Odyssey. Our library had an Adventures in Odyssey cd set that was all Bible stories. My kids were fascinated by them and it gave them great content for their Bible play. I had a couple moments where I was concerned that the content would be a bit heavy (think Sodom and Gomorrah) but the details were handled sensitively and the emphasis was on other parts of the story. God’s Big Story is a podcast that isn’t updated very regularly any more but the content that is there is really well done and clearly designed with kids in mind. The Lamplighter Kids podcast features a different value each episode through really cute stories. Though God is never mentioned, the creator is a Christian, the values are biblical, and we can talk through the content with our children.

That is really the point, isn’t it? Whether the tool that we are using is specifically biblical or not, we can use those opportunities to talk about God and his word. We can ask questions about whether or not what we just read or listened to aligns with what God teaches. We can ask what it teaches us about God and us. We can help our children learn to think critically about what they believe. Even things that are coming from a Christian worldview can be examined for what they are teaching us. Something that I don’t like about Adventures in Odyssey or The Secrets of the Hidden Scroll is that way that the characters, particularly the siblings, speak to each other. So we bring that up with our kids and ask them how the characters could have said things differently, or if their words were building the other up or tearing them down.

I really enjoy dialogue. A couple of years ago, we discovered the card sets from The Daily Grace Co. We love these! Each set has a different theme it builds upon for conversation. We have worked through these during dinner, and are currently using them as part of our bedtime routine. Some of their sets are: The Attributes of God, The Armor of God, Gospel Conversations, and Theology for Kids, which is the one we are currently using. These cards have prompted wonderful conversation and helped my kids think through the Bible in practical, daily life situations. Conversations can be as brief as a couple of minutes, or longer if your children really want to dive in. You can even make your own card sets based on what you want your family to be focusing on at a specific time—like the fruit of the spirit, aspects of love listed in 1 Corinthians, the names of God, etc. 

Or have standard questions that you ask throughout your week like, what has God been teaching you? What have you been reading about God this week? What did you learn at church? We can normalize these conversations by leading with our own stories. “Hey, I was reading the Bible this morning and this stood out to me!”

Short conversations or long, talking about the Bible is such a beautiful way to connect with our children and help them connect to God.

There are lots of ideas! I’m sure you have your favorite resources that you have been using as well. Find me on Instagram @lyssastoko and share what they are! I’d love to hear from you. Next week, in our conversation on Seeing God Around Us, we will explore how to help our kids see and discuss God right where we are at. Talk to you then!