Intentional Parents

When my children were young, I noticed that we would mention an extended family member in a conversation but the children wouldn’t know who we were talking about. Since they saw those family members only occasionally, they didn’t remember them.

A Prayer Photo Album really helped in that situation. I collected a photo of each member of our extended family and compiled those photos in a photo album, one family or individual per page. We also included some friends who lived near or far away, as well as missionaries that our family or church supported.

Each day we would pray for one or two of those friends and family. We would open the album, look at the next photo in the book, and tell that person’s name. If it was a family’s group photo, we reminded the children of everybody’s names. Then we prayed for that person or family.

This practice was a great reminder of absentee relatives or friends. The next time we mentioned one of those people, the children had a face to go with the name. But it also helped to establish the habit of praying for others.

We soon discovered that the Prayer Photo Album could get a bit monotonous if we didn’t know what was happening in those people’s lives. We would have to pray a “generic” prayer for each one, and that got old after several days in a row. So the album was also a great motivation to keep in touch with family members and friends.

These days, with all the social networking Internet sites or even just e-mail, staying in touch can be pretty easy—if you make it a priority. You could make it a point to contact, say, the next five people in the book to find out what is going on in their lives. You wouldn’t necessarily have to ask, “How can we pray for you?” Once you know what is happening in their world, you will have a pretty good idea of how to pray. But feel free to let them know that you are praying for them regularly, if you think it would encourage them.

A Prayer Photo Album—a simple and effective way to value friends and family, plus instill the habit of praying for others.

Here’s a great Proverbs Bible study you can do all together as a family, or assign to your older children to do as an independent study, during the new year.

Step 1: Pick a topic that the book of Proverbs addresses.

Some good possibilities include friends, parents and children, our speech, a fool v. a wise person, pride and humility, money, our relationship with God, food and drink, self-control, handling temptation.

Step 2: Read a chapter of Proverbs each day for a month and look for verses about your selected topic.

An easy way to keep track of which chapter to read is to look at the date. On the 1st of the month, read chapter 1; on the 2nd, read chapter 2; and so on. Since most months have 31 days, you’ll be able to get through all 31 chapters quite simply.

Step 3: Write down what you find out about your selected topic.

Whenever you see a verse that relates to your topic, write down what it says about that topic. And be sure to note the reference (chapter and verse).

Step 4: At the end of the month, look back through all your findings and summarize them.

Read through the truths that you have found during the month. If you are doing this study as a family, discuss your topic and try to state your findings as general guidelines for life. If your older children are doing the study on their own, they can write their summaries.

Step 5: Select another topic for the next month and repeat Steps 1 to 4.

This Bible study is a great way to get the wisdom from Proverbs into your hearts and minds, as well as develop a habit of daily Bible reading. It’s a simple study that can bring profound results.

You can easily make a notebook in which to keep track of your topics and record your findings and summaries. If you would prefer a professionally designed notebook with instructions and encouragement, Wisdom for Life: A Proverbs Bible Study is available on our sister site.

Let’s make 2009 a year of getting God’s wisdom into our hearts and minds—and our children’s.

Tommy came home from the neighbor’s house where he had been playing. “Mom, is Grandma an angel now?”

“Why do you ask that, Tom?” his mother replied.

“Well, Daniel said that his mom is an angel now.” Daniel’s mother had died in a car accident last year.

“Oh, I see.” Tom’s mother selected her words carefully. “Grandma is in Heaven with the Lord and His angels, but she did not turn into an angel, dear.” Whispering a prayer for wisdom, she continued explaining.

We’ve all faced moments like that—maybe with different questions, but similar moments. If your child is too young to ask such questions now, be assured that those opportunities will come.

And those teachable moments are prime opportunities, but let’s not depend solely on teachable moments to impart truth to our children. As we’ve discussed before, our children need a deep reserve of Bible knowledge in their hearts and minds as well as day-to-day discipleship in “real time” as situations occur. If you haven’t already read that article, you can find it on our Web site.

Today let’s talk about some ideas for intentionally building that reserve of Bible knowledge—Bible doctrine. Don’t panic. “Doctrine” simply means “teaching.” We want our children to have a clear understanding of what the Bible teaches. Here are some tested and tried ideas for endowing our children with that knowledge of Bible doctrine.

Memorize a Catechism

Many families in past generations taught their children a catechism. A catechism is a summary of Bible doctrine written in question-and-answer form. Many catechisms have been written, with just as many variations in wording and teaching. The trick is to find one that represents your beliefs accurately. You might ask your pastor for his recommendation.

Once you have found a catechism you like, you can memorize it just as you would go about memorizing a Scripture verse. Ask the question and help your child memorize the answer. After you have memorized it, continue to review it as you add the next one. Lots of families use this Scripture Memory System to review the questions and answers (along with other Scripture memory passages) throughout the month.

Another activity that can help a child become familiar with a catechism is to have the child copy the questions and answers in his best handwriting. Please don’t make this activity a punishment. Simply set the timer for five minutes and have the child give his best effort for those few minutes. When the timer goes off, put the paper and pencil away for the day. Then do it again either daily or three times a week or whatever. Just remember that the goal is not to see how quickly the child can copy it; the goal is to help the child slow down to pay attention to the words (and to develop within him a habit of giving his best effort in his assignments). You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much progress those consistent concentrated efforts will produce.

Create a Doctrine Notebook

While memorizing someone else’s summary of Bible doctrine may be a good start, ultimately, we want to train our children to recognize and remember doctrine themselves as they read or hear the Bible. A great way to encourage that habit is to compile a doctrine notebook. You can easily create one as a family. Or you might want to have each of your older children make his or her own notebook. Here’s how it works.

Some scholars in days gone by have categorized Bible doctrine into ten main areas. These ten categories can be helpful as we teach our children:

1. the Bible,
2. God,
3. Jesus Christ,
4. the Holy Spirit,
5. man,
6. sin,
7. salvation,
8. angels (including fallen angels and Satan),
9. the church,
10. future events.

Grab a three-ring binder and insert lots of paper and ten dividers. Label the dividers with the ten doctrines listed above. Then just start reading the Bible. As you find a verse that teaches something about one of those ten doctrines, flip to that section of your notebook and record that truth (along with its reference).

For example, if you began reading in Genesis 1 you would discover a doctrine teaching in verse 1 about God. You could record “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1)” as the first entry in your notebook in the doctrine of God section.

As you continued reading, you would discover a teaching about the Holy Spirit in verse 2 to record in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit section.

From verses 3-25 you could record all the specific things that God created, or you could simply summarize that first chapter of Genesis by recording “God is the creator of everything (Genesis 1:1-25)” in the doctrine of God section. It’s your notebook; you decide what to write.

Verse 27 could be recorded in the doctrine of Man section since it teaches us that mankind is made in the image of God.

You can record doctrine discoveries from personal devotional reading, sermons, family devotions—whenever and wherever Scripture is read or heard.

As a bonus, once you or your child has read through the entire Bible, looking for and recording doctrine discoveries, go back and read through all the truths in one section of your notebook and try to summarize them on a separate sheet(s) of paper. If you write summaries for all ten doctrines, you will have composed your personal doctrinal statement.

As you have probably noticed, the doctrine notebook is not a quick project. It can be a multiple-year, if not lifelong, pursuit. But what a great habit to instill in our children: keeping an eye out for and systematically recording Biblical truths as they read and hear Scripture!

It’s easy to make your own doctrine notebook, but if you would prefer a ready-made one, two versions are available at our sister site, Simply Charlotte Mason.

The e-book version will give you professional-looking pages that you can print from your computer and put in a binder. You can print as many copies as you need for yourself and/or your children.

The printed version is ready to go, with a professionally designed cover and sturdy spiral binding (so it will lay flat for easy writing).

However you decide to do it, take advantage of one or both of these simple ways to intentionally teach your children Bible doctrine: the catechism and the doctrine notebook.

Making the decision to homeschool can be a lot like unraveling a sweater. Once you begin to question the established status quo in schooling and education, you almost feel like you’re pulling on a loose strand of yarn. You begin to notice more and more aspects of society around you that, up until now, you had accepted as “givens.” Before you know it, you begin to filter everything through an is-this-really-best-for-my-family-and-closest-to-God’s-original-plan mindset, regardless of how long any tradition has been around or how popular it is.

I have received several e-mails from parents who are going through that “unraveling” process with the traditional church. They have become convinced that teaching and learning take place best in a multi-generational, one-on-one setting as you walk through daily life together. They have embraced the concept that the father is the spiritual leader and shepherd of the family members. But soon they notice discrepancies between those beliefs and the way many churches today are set up: where the family is divided and each age group is isolated to do its own thing, where the father is not recognized as responsible for and capable of teaching his family the Word of God, or where man-made academic standards are regarded as more important than heart attitude or relationship with God.

So, many parents are making tough decisions about which traditional church activities they will participate in. They are trying to determine which activities will equip them and encourage them as parents to fulfill their God-given responsibility and privilege of discipling their children. Several years ago, we made two such decisions about church activities: (1) We will worship and listen to our pastor’s teaching together as a family; (2) We will not send our children to Sunday School or Youth Group.

Are we saying that every family should copy our convictions? Absolutely not. But we thought you might like to hear how we came to the decision not to send our children to Sunday School, just in case you’re wrestling with this issue yourself.

Maybe the Sunday School at your church is different, but we haven’t found one that meets these criteria:

• Does it emphasize one-on-one discipleship in everyday life instead of using a traditional classroom approach?

  We believe that learning one-on-one with us during everyday life is the best way for our children to learn; that’s why we chose to homeschool. We don’t want our children treated as just one of the crowd and expected to know all the same information and progress at the same pace as all of the other children in the class. Therefore, if we don’t think that a traditional classroom set-up is the best atmosphere for teaching school subjects, why would we use it for teaching the most important subject of all: Bible?

• Does it encourage socializing and learning from all ages rather than fostering a sense of isolation and an attitude of superiority toward just those your own age?

  Inter-generational worship is so important! And being able to get along with and learn from people of all ages is true socialization. For more on inter-generational living, see this post.

• Does it instill a high respect for God’s Word, or does it cheapen the value of God’s Word by emphasizing treats and trinkets as a reward for memorizing Scripture?

  Memorizing Scripture should be a lifelong privilege, not a trick done for trinkets. Here is the easy system we use for memorizing and reviewing hundreds of Bible verses as a family in just five minutes a day: Scripture Memory System.

• Does it promote unity and encouraging one another instead of fostering competitiveness?

  I see nowhere in Scripture that we should pit the children against each other as to who can memorize the most verses or find a Scripture passage fastest. Community, helping each other, and unity are the heartbeat of Jesus’ and Paul’s desires for the church.

• Do we know quite well and trust the people who will be teaching our children, as well as all material they will be teaching?

  I hear too many “cute” stories about children misunderstanding what they were “taught” in Sunday School. And I have first-hand experience with having to correct Biblical errors that my children picked up in Sunday School before we made the decision to pull them out. These errors were not the fault of the material being used, they were the fault of an uninformed teacher. In addition, last-minute substitute teachers or guest speakers can really wreak havoc, and chances are you’ll never hear about it at the time. It would be bad enough if a school teacher were teaching the wrong history or math facts, but we’re talking about teaching God’s Word here! How important to make sure our children learn it accurately.

• Will the material the children are expected to learn at Sunday School support and complement our plan for learning the Bible at home or fight against it?

  I guess it comes down to “What is the purpose of Sunday School?” If the purpose is to teach the Bible, we have a plan for teaching our children the Bible five days a week, plus listening to the pastor teach it on Sundays. And we can discuss what was taught because we are all experiencing it together. It’s so nice to be able to make sure the children are learning the Bible accounts in order as a part of real history, and that we can customize the “lessons” to fit our children’s knowledge of the Bible!

And therein lies the key: If you are not going to send your children to Sunday School, you must make the commitment to disciple them and teach them the Bible every day of the week at home. Please don’t remove the one without replacing it with something better! Yes, it will take work on your part. But isn’t God’s plan wonderful? As you accept the Lord’s design to teach and disciple your children, you will be encouraged and challenged to continue growing and learning yourself!

Please hear our hearts: We love our pastor! We love our brothers and sisters in Christ who make up this local congregation. And we’re thankful for the freedom in Christ that allows us to walk down the path to which the Lord has called us for His glory. Don’t be afraid of unraveling the sweater if God calls you to, but do it prayerfully and lovingly as the Lord leads you one step at a time down the path He has planned for your family to walk.

Q & A

Q: Have you found any church activities that will equip and encourage you as you disciple your children?

A: Absolutely! We love activities that we can participate in together as a family. For example, if there is an adult Sunday School class that focuses on a topic that interests us and that we would like a little help in teaching (for example, creation vs. evolution), we will attend it as a family. We have also integrated a sermon series on a specific Bible book by reading and studying the same Bible book at home during the week as a family. At another time, the girls and I attended a four-week women’s Bible study on the tongue. And we love the idea of age-integrated small groups where the children can listen to adults sharing what God is doing in their lives, share out of their own lives, and pray together with believers of all ages. These small groups are also great places for the children to make new friends of all ages.

Q: How did children learn the Bible before Sunday School?

A: Parents were responsible to teach them. You see this truth throughout Scripture and throughout history. Then in the late 1700s, Robert Raikes organized a school for poor children. These children’s parents had dropped the ball; they were not teaching their children academics or the fear of God because they themselves were strangers to those concepts. Therefore, Raikes established schools for these children to attend on Sundays (their one day off from working in factories), where hired teachers taught the children to read, took them to church, and instructed them in the catechism. However, these schools were for the poor, illiterate children with unbelieving parents. Most literate Christian parents still taught their children Bible at home through daily time in the Word. Unfortunately, as the compulsory public school attendance movement gained ground in the mid-1800s, even Christian parents eventually came to believe the lie that they were unqualified to teach their children or began to embrace the convenient idea of handing over their God-given responsibility to someone else. Now society commonly views the Sunday School as the primary agent for teaching all children the Bible, regardless whether they are from a Christian or non-Christian home.

This morning the girls and I started our day as we do most every day: breakfast together. Then towards the end of the meal, someone usually asks, “Whose turn is it for verses?” Today it was my second-oldest’s turn. We listened and stumbled our way through Hebrews 12:1 and 2; those are the verses we are currently working on memorizing. Then we recited together Romans 1:16, Lamentations 3:22-26, Luke 14:11, Genesis 1:1, and Psalm 46 — verses we have already learned. Tomorrow we’ll work on Hebrews 12:1 and 2 again and review other verses from our little index-card box.

It takes about five minutes per day, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Why? Glad you asked. Here are just a few reasons.

Reason 1: Memorizing Scripture as a family builds unity instead of competition. We all memorize the same passage, and we don’t move on to a new passage until all family members can recite the current one together. If one person memorizes faster than another, it doesn’t matter. In fact, the one who has already memorized the verses helps the others by reciting the verses clearly and correctly every day until the others have learned the Scripture as well. Hiding God’s Word in your heart in this way reinforces the messages contained in it: community, rather than competition; helping the weaker brother or sister, rather than leaving him or her in the dust; using your gifts to help others, rather than feeding personal pride.

Reason 2: Memorizing and reviewing Scripture as a family makes sure everyone retains all the verses, not just temporarily stores them in their short-term memory. The beauty of the system that will be detailed later in this e-letter is that every month you review every verse you’ve memorized. And isn’t that really the goal: to remember Scripture? A verse memorized and then forgotten doesn’t seem to measure up to the standard of hiding it in our hearts.

Reason 3: Memorizing Scripture as a family models the importance of hiding God’s Word in your heart at every age — adults included. I grow weary of adults who make excuses for themselves for not memorizing Scripture. Sure, it gets harder as you grow older, but so does getting out of bed in the morning! If we want our children to really comprehend the value of God’s Word, we must model that importance by putting forth the effort to continue learning it and, yes, memorizing it. What a testimony to God’s daily grace and priority in our lives as we focus our minds on His words even when it’s not easy!

Reason 4: Memorizing Scripture as a family emphasizes memorizing for the right reasons. God’s Word is of so much more value than to be tainted by bribing a child to memorize it for trinkets or treats! We memorize Scripture because it is more valuable than gold or silver and more desirable than sweets (Psalm 19:7-11). The simple system outlined below makes memorizing as a family a pleasant exercise, not at all cumbersome or dreary. No need for bribes; it is a natural part of family life.

Reason 5: When you memorize Scripture as a family, you can select verses as God directs for your family members, family mission, and family ministry. What a great opportunity to share how God is using His Word to speak to your heart as you explain how you came to select the next verses to be memorized!

The best part about all of this is that a simple Scripture Memory System makes family memorization easy and habit forming. Details are in the Resources section below. I encourage you as intentional parents to make family Scripture memory a priority in your home.

Q & A

Q: Shouldn’t I give my young children only short phrases to memorize?

A: Young children have much more capacity to memorize than people give them credit for. They are constantly listening and imitating. It’s been our experience that the younger children can usually memorize a passage quicker than we older people can. Don’t sell them short.

While we’re talking about young children, let me just mention that I usually didn’t have to force the youngest siblings to recite along with us. They joined in automatically as soon as they could because they wanted to be a part of this family activity. As of today, my youngest daughter, who has autism, still isn’t joining in and she just turned eight. But I’m trying to rest in the fact that she is hearing God’s Word every morning and He has promised that His Word will not return void but will accomplish His purposes (Isaiah 55:11). It’s getting into her heart and mind even if she is not saying the words aloud. So don’t worry about at exactly what age your child should begin reciting with you. Make this memorization time beneficial for you, and allow the children to join you as they are able. Don’t pressure them. They will benefit from hearing God’s Word every day whether they recite aloud or not.

Q: What verses or passages should we memorize?

A: Memorize any verses that God lays on your heart. Over the years we’ve focused on the verses and character trait definitions in A Child’s Book of Character Building; we’ve learned the Proverbs verses mentioned in Wisdom and the Millers; we’ve incorporated verses from special forty-day emphases at our church meetings; we’ve memorized psalms that I learned as a child; we’ve added verses that explain salvation, emphasize the deity of Christ, and encourage Christian living; we’ve also thrown in verses that relate to what we’re studying in school at the time, like the Ten Commandments; and we have a lot of verses from Peacemaker Ministries materials.

If you would like a list of verses to get you started, I’ve posted one at our sister site, Simply Charlotte Mason.

Giving our children the gift of The Bible is foundational to all the other gifts of intentional parents. And, as we have discussed in other posts, Bible teaching can and should be done at all ages. Now, those of you with little ones toddling around the house, don’t panic when you read the rest of this post. Children progress to deeper levels of Bible teaching and study as they mature. We’ve found it helpful to think of these stages as the Great Stories Level, the Guided Studies Level, and the Independent Studies Level. Just concentrate on the level at which your children are right now and keep the others in mind for future reference.

Great Stories Level

The Great Stories Level can start when the child is still a baby. Reading to a child helps develop language skills and strengthen the bond between child and parent. Reading Bible stories can do all that and more. Lay the foundation now. Take every opportunity to surround young children with the great stories in God’s Word. We talked about the Great Stories Level in this post.

Guided Studies Level

When the children can write words easily and read with comprehension, they are ready to transition into the Guided Studies Level. These short Bible studies should introduce the child to the basics of how to study the Bible and affirm that he can understand the Bible on his own. As this level’s title (Guided Studies) asserts, the parent should walk the child through these studies a step at a time — helping, guiding, and encouraging him. We talked more about the Guided Studies Level in this post.

Independent Inductive Studies Level

Once the child is quite comfortable with and has experienced long-term success in the Guided Studies Level, start the transition into Independent Studies. “Independent,” you know, means (eventually) without your step-by-step guidance. You’ll still be discussing her findings, but you won’t be holding her hand throughout the entire process. “Independent” also means learning to study the Bible without the step-by-step guidance of a writer or published materials.

You may have noticed that the official title of this level includes the word “inductive.” Don’t be intimidated by that term. “Inductive” simply means to study the Bible by observing what it says, interpreting what it means, and applying its truths to daily living. Several types of inductive studies are great for people just getting their feet wet at this level: word studies, topical studies, book studies, and character studies. Go ahead and help your child do these types of studies until she feels confident approaching them on her own.

• Word Studies

In a word study you select a key word and learn all you can about that word as it is used in the Bible, for example “grace” or “sacrifice.” The steps for an inductive word study are:

Observe —

(1) Select a key word that is used in Scripture.

(2) Find the verses in which that word occurs. Use a concordance book or software program to locate the verses. Use a Strong’s Concordance or a similar resource to find out the meaning of the word in its original language; e.g., Hebrew or Greek.

(3) Read the verses and write a short summary of how the word is used in each. In some instances you may need to read several surrounding verses to understand the context of the verse in which the word is mentioned.

Interpret —

(4) From your summaries, create a definition of the selected word.

(5) Read the word’s definition in a dictionary and a Bible Dictionary, comparing those definitions to your own definition. Expand or revise your definition as you see fit.

Apply —

(6) Determine what your response should be to your findings. Do you need to make an adjustment in your thinking or daily living habits?

• Topical Studies

A topical study is similar to a word study, but instead of selecting a word, you select a topic, for example “how to handle money” or “what kind of friends to look for.” The steps for an inductive topical study are:

Observe —

(1) Select a topic.

(2) Find the verses or passages that address that topic. Use a concordance book or program to locate the verses. Look for key words or related words. For example, if you wanted to study “how to handle money,” you could look for words like “money,” “steward,” “wealth,” “poverty,” or “rich.” Use a Strong’s Concordance or a similar resource to find out the meaning of each word in its original language; e.g., Hebrew or Greek.

(3) Read the verses and write a short summary of what each verse or passage says about your selected topic. Don’t forget to read surrounding verses in order to understand the context.

Interpret —

(4) Put together your summaries and explain what the Bible says about your selected topic.

(5) If desired, read a Biblically sound book on the same topic. Expand or revise your summary as needed.

Apply —

(6) Determine what your response should be to your findings. Do you need to make an adjustment in your thinking or daily living habits?

• Book Studies

It is always profitable to study a book of the Bible in its entirety. Beginners will find it easiest to start with a shorter book, like Jonah or Philippians. The steps for an inductive book study are:

Observe —

(1) Select a Bible book.

(2) Read through the entire book in one sitting.

(3) Record the book’s writer, recipients, and time setting. See if you can find out what was happening in world events during that time period.

Interpret —

(4) Summarize the book’s main idea in one sentence; see if you can find one verse that presents that main idea too. You want to succinctly answer the question Why did the writer write this book?

(5) Read the book again in sections, summarizing each paragraph or chapter.

(6) Try to outline the book in the form of an acrostic to help you remember the book’s contents. For example, Jonah has four chapters, so you could use the word “fish” (F-I-S-H) to summarize the book. You would think of a summary phrase for chapter one that starts with the letter F; chapter two’s phrase would start with the letter I; and so on.

Apply —

(7) Determine what your response should be to your findings. Do you need to make an adjustment in your thinking or daily living habits?

• Character Studies

A character study takes a familiar “face” from the Great Stories Level and brings it closer so you can get to know him better. The steps for an inductive character study are:

Observe —

(1) Select a Bible character.

(2) Find the verses or passages that mention your selected character. Use a concordance book or program to locate the verses. (If you select a common name, like John, make sure the passage mentions the person you are studying and not a different person by the same name.)

(3) Read the verses and write a short summary of what each verse or passage says about your selected character. Don’t forget to read surrounding verses in order to understand the context.

Interpret —

(4) Put together your summaries and explain what the Bible says about your selected character. Look beyond mere actions to motives, attitudes, and character traits.

Apply —

(5) Determine what your response should be to your findings. Do you need to make an adjustment in your thinking or daily living habits?

These types of independent Bible studies can require a significant amount of time. Help your student learn that a few minutes of study consistently and faithfully invested every day can reap great rewards. Once your child has mastered the techniques of the Independent Inductive Studies Level, he will be prepared to study the Bible on his own for the rest of his life.

Q & A

Q: I don’t know Hebrew and Greek; how can I teach it to my children?

A: Ah, you noticed that the Independent Inductive Studies Level begins to incorporate the use of Bible reference books and encourage the student to go back to the original languages of the Bible in order to understand subtle shades of word meanings. Here’s a secret: you don’t have to know Hebrew and Greek if you have the right tools. This would be a great time to invest in some good Bible reference books or software such as Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, Vine’s Bible Dictionary, a Greek-English lexicon, an Interlinear Hebrew-Greek-English Bible, or any of the Zodhiates Word Study Helps, as well as a good commentary, such as The Bible Knowledge Commentary by Walvoord and Zuck. These resources should be available at your local Christian bookstore.

"Andrew knows almost all the Bible stories; we’ve read them together since he was a baby. I think he’s ready for something more," Andrew’s mom commented.

"How are his writing skills?" Barb asked.

"Oh, he’s comfortable writing a few sentences or a short letter," came the reply.

"Yes, it sounds like he’s ready to move on to the Guided Studies Level," Barb affirmed.

Remember the three levels involved in teaching the Bible to toddlers through teens? Great Stories Level, Guided Studies Level, and Independent Studies Level.

When children are small, they love to hear stories. So we read them the great stories of the Bible. Once they have a good foundation in those stories and are comfortable with writing, they can move on to the Guided Studies Level. At this level they begin to learn sound Bible study methods as we, the parents, guide them through some Bible studies. In other words, we do the studies together. Once they learn how to accurately study the Bible, they can graduate from guided studies to independent studies and are prepared to study the Bible on their own for the rest of their lives.

The Guided Studies Level is a transitional level. In it the child is moving from a "feed-me" state to a "show-me-how-to-feed-myself" state. And what a blessing you will experience as you walk with her each step of the way!

A guided Bible study involves three basic steps: observe (what does it say), interpret (what does it mean), and apply (how can I live it). If you think about it, you do those three steps naturally. Imagine that you receive an e-mail from your sister, Deb, that says, "I got my airline tickets today. I should be arriving at your airport on the 5th at 1:37 PM. Can somebody pick me up? I get to stay for a week. Looking forward to seeing everybody!" First, you read the e-mail until you’re sure you’ve got the details correct (observe). Then you check your calendar and write in the information because you understand that Deb’s e-mail means that she is coming for a visit (interpret). When the day arrives, you get her bed ready and you plan your schedule around picking her up at the appointed time (apply).

You do the same three steps in Bible study: observe, interpret, and apply.

Step One: Observe (What does it say?)

The key to this step is to read the passage. Now, that key sounds obvious until you realize how many mistakes are made because people didn’t pay attention to what they read. So read the passage several times and ask the basic five W questions: Who, What, Where, When, Why, (and go ahead and throw in How). If you’re dealing with a longer passage, divide it into paragraphs to keep it in manageable chunks. Most Bibles have the paragraphs marked.

After a few studies, once you and your child get comfortable with the W questions, you can look for a few more observations like comparisons and contrasts; "if . . . then" or "since . . . therefore" statements; and word definitions. Write down all your observations so you’ll have them for Step Two.

Step Two: Interpret (What does it mean?)

Review all your observations and ask yourself, "What is the main idea of this passage?" See if you can write that main idea in one sentence. That sentence doesn’t have to contain all the details you found in Step One, but it certainly should not contradict them.

Step Three: Apply (How can I live the main idea in my life?)

Make sure your child understands the significance of James 1:22-25. Don’t just study the Bible for knowledge, live what it says. This step can be discussed gently, but don’t force the child to come up with a pithy "application to real life." Pray together and ask the Lord to remind you of this passage the next time you encounter a situation in which you should apply its principle. Then walk with your child throughout the day’s events and talk about what passages God reminds you of in various situations and how you responded to His Holy Spirit’s promptings. That’s discipleship–encouraging each other to live God’s Word in everyday events.

What an important heritage to pass on to our children! Sadly, many parents neglect this important responsibility and privilege. They think it’s the youth pastor’s job or the Sunday School teacher’s job. But Scripture says it is the parents’ job to teach God’s Word to the children. (See Deuteronomy 6:5-7.) Just think: if one generation of parents neglects to pass on this spiritual skill, their children grow up thinking they aren’t qualified to teach their own kids. They too miss out on this blessing, and all because they’ve never seen it done. Just a few short years ago parents’ teaching their children the Bible was the norm, and many great heroes of the faith grew up in that atmosphere. Let’s reclaim this wonderful privilege and make a commitment to intentionally guide our children in studying the Bible.

Q & A

Q: I don’t have a Bible degree; how can I teach my children to study the Bible?

A: God doesn’t require you to have a degree. If you have a love for God and His Word, a determination to learn His Word yourself, and a desire for your children to love and learn it, you’ve fulfilled the requirements. (See Deuteronomy 6:5-7.) If you’re wondering "How do I do this?" you’ll find help in the numerous Bible study guides and books available. But if you’re wondering "Am I qualified to do this?" yes, you are.

The main requirement is a desire and a determination to make personal Bible study a top priority in your own life. You can then pass along with enthusiasm the truths God is revealing to you and the skills you are learning. But you must make the commitment; you must determine whether studying God’s Word is more important to you than watching TV, for example.

Q: At what age should I move my child from the Great Stories Level to the Guided Studies Level?

A: There isn’t a magic age at which you should make the transition; each child is unique. Instead of focusing on age, focus on developmental skills and readiness. First, make sure the child is well grounded in the Great Stories Level and is very familiar with those Bible accounts. Second, assess the child’s reading and writing skills. The child should be able to read the passage with ease, so his concentration and energy will be devoted to thinking through the Bible study steps instead of struggling through the mechanics of sounding out words. Also make sure the child is comfortable writing short paragraphs, around two or three sentences or more. Again, you want the child’s efforts to be focused on the thought process of the study, not on each letter’s formation.

“R-r-r-r-ing. R-r-r-r-ing.”

Ellen wiped her hands on a towel and picked up the phone. “Hello?”

“Hi, Ellen. This is Lori.”

“Oh, hi, Lori,” Ellen answered, smiling inside. She liked her little chats with Lori. They kept her on her toes.

“Do you have a minute to answer a few questions?” Lori inquired.

“This is a good time. Ask away,” returned Ellen.

“Well, I was wondering about the comment you made last week. The one about teaching the Bible to your children and not just leaving it up to the Sunday School classes at church. How exactly do you do that?”

“Good question.” Ellen replied. “We start with reading Scripture, praying, and memorizing Bible verses or passages at breakfast each day.”

“I’m scared all ready!” exclaimed Lori.

“It’s not that hard, really. I read aloud a Bible story while the kids eat. Then I read or recite a Bible verse or passage aloud and the children join in on the part(s) they remember. We finish with praying together. The whole thing takes about 10 or 15 minutes.”

“That doesn’t sound so hard,” admitted Lori.

“It’s not hard when it’s a habit. We also make sure we have plenty of good Bible story books for our pre-schoolers and young readers. When they ask for a story, we often read to them about Jesus or Old Testament action stories. We want them to be as familiar with Bible characters as most children are with TV characters.”

“I guess I am teaching my kids about Sesame Street every day, now that you mention it,” Lori admitted.

“Exactly. Then as they get older we help them do relevant Bible studies a couple of days a week and discuss their findings together. For example, my oldest daughter is reading through Proverbs this month, looking for verses that deal with anger. We’ll discuss what she discovered all together as a family,” finished Ellen.

“Do the older children think they don’t need any teaching or sermons from church, then?” inquired Lori.

“Oh, no. We often correlate our weekly studies with the book of the Bible that Pastor is teaching on. The children actually have extra motivation to listen and learn more on Sunday mornings,” Ellen explained.

“So, give me a typical weekly schedule for your Bible teaching at home.”

“Let’s see, it goes something like this.

Every morning: read the Bible, memorize verses, and pray at breakfast.

Every day: read Bible story books to younger children.

Two or three days a week: help older children with Bible study.

Once a week: meet as a family to discuss their study findings.

Yep, that about covers it,” summarized Ellen.

“Now I feel overwhelmed again!” Lori hesitated.

“Just pick one part and do it until it becomes a habit,” Ellen advised. “After that one gets established, add another part. You can do it! It’s too important not to.”

Bible teaching in the home can and should be done for all your children no matter their ages. But, as Ellen described above, the method of teaching will progress as the children mature. Don’t feel overwhelmed. The scenario above painted the big picture so you could see how the individual components fit in. As Ellen advised, select just one part of the big picture to start with. Choose one component that applies to your family during this season of life and begin doing it until it becomes a habit. If you add components one at a time, you’ll soon discover how easy and effective it is to teach your children the Bible at home.

The main components of the big picture are Scripture memory, prayer, and Bible teaching. The Scripture memory and prayer can be done with all the children together. We’ll talk about an easy strategy for Scripture memory another month. The Bible teaching component can be broken into three levels: start with the Great Stories Level, then move to the Guided Studies Level, and end up at the Independent Studies Level. Once your children master the Independent Studies Level, they should be set for a lifetime of Bible study on their own.

This month let’s talk a little about the Great Stories Level. We’ll discuss the other two levels in future e-letters.

Young children love to hear stories; God made them that way. And God also gave much of His Word in narrative (story) form. It makes sense, then, to read the great stories of the Bible to our young children.

The Great Stories Level can start when the child is still a baby. Reading to a child helps develop language skills and strengthen the bond between child and parent. Reading Bible stories can do all that and more. Take every opportunity to surround young children with the great stories in God’s Word. Your goal is that the child will be as familiar with Bible characters as with children’s television program characters.

May I offer two tips? (1) Use your voice to make the story come alive. Use an enthusiastic voice for exciting parts, a saddened voice for sorrowful parts, a loud voice for proclamations, a quiet voice for secrets—you get the idea. Unfortunately, many adults have a hard time reading with good inflection because they’ve never heard anyone read like that. Think of yourself more as a storyteller, than a reader. Please don’t be guilty of making the Bible appear to be a boring book. (2) Resist the temptation to wax eloquent, preach, or expound on the moral of the story at this level. The Word of God is living (Hebrews 4:12). Introduce your child to God’s Word, then get out of the way and let Him use it to work in your child’s heart. You may be surprised at the depth of insight a child can have.

That’s it. Not much more to say about the Great Stories Level. It’s pretty simple: read the great stories of the Bible to your young children. Happy reading!

Q & A

Q: What are the age guidelines for your three levels of Bible teaching?

A: I don’t like to outline specific ages for each level; some children are ready to move on to the next level earlier or later than others. You, as the parent, will be able to tell when each of your children is ready for more. Guide them through these levels at their own pace, helping them feel confident that they can understand the Bible each step of the way.

Q: It’s a struggle to get my toddler to sit through a chapter of the Bible. Do you have any suggestions?

A: Yes, I have a few suggestions.

• Remember that, in addition to getting God’s Word into your child’s mind and heart, you are also influencing your child’s attitude toward the Bible. Try to make daily Bible reading something special to look forward to, rather than something to be endured.
• Young children (and some adults) can sit better if their hands are busy. Try to accommodate busy hands with little, quiet toys, if needed. If the toys get distracting, quietly take them away for that session and keep reading.
• Make daily Bible reading enjoyable and special by cuddling on the couch together as you read.
• You might supply special low-mess, finger-food treats—like raisins, cereal, or pretzels—for the child to munch on as he or she listens.
• Above all, be sure that you don’t limit that child’s exposure to the Bible to those daily specific times. Permeate your child’s life with Bible stories and verses.

Krista can quote about 500 verses. She knows the books of the Old and New Testament in order, both Biblically and chronologically. Name any Bible character and, chances are, she’ll be able to tell you who that character was and which Bible book records any accounts about him or her. However, Krista is often downright mean to her siblings. She criticizes her parents and talks back to them incessantly. Her best friend, Ann, is furious because she just found out that Krista has been lying to her.

Krista has Bible knowledge but has never been discipled to live what she knows.

Daylon is a great friend and son. His heart is tender toward the things of the Lord. He tries to help his younger brothers and sisters. His parents have taught him to always tell the truth, and his tennis coach is impressed with his diligence and sportsmanship. However, Daylon recently found himself in a discussion with a new neighborhood friend, James. James wanted to know what the difference is between his religion and Daylon’s beliefs. Most of Daylon’s answers were vague and peppered with “I think the Bible says somewhere . . .”

Daylon has been discipled to live in a Biblical way but doesn’t have Bible knowledge.

Bible knowledge and discipleship: the two keys of giving your children the Bible. We are doing our children a disservice to give only one or the other; we must give them both.

Both of these keys are outlined in Deuteronomy 6:5–7: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

First, you, the parent, must love God with all your being and embrace His Word in your heart. Let it permeate your mind and dictate your attitudes and actions. Then you must teach God’s Word diligently to your children (so they know what it says [Bible knowledge]), and you must talk about it all day in every situation you encounter (so they learn to live it [discipleship]).

Bible Knowledge

I like to approach Bible knowledge in three stages that cover toddlers through teens. The first stage is the Great Stories stage. Young children love to hear stories; God made them that way. And God also gave much of His Word in narrative (story) form. It makes sense, then, to read the great stories of the Bible to our young children. Read with enthusiasm and drama. If the child’s emotions are involved in the story, he will remember it. Our young children should know Bible characters as well as – or better than – they know the popular TV or action figure characters of the day.

The second stage is the Guided Studies stage. As your children become confident readers and increase in reading comprehension, use simple inductive Bible studies to begin teaching them how to study the Bible. Work through the studies with them; guide them. Learn together, and help the child discover that he can understand the Bible “on his own.”

Once the child is proficient in guided studies, she can graduate to the Independent Inductive Studies stage. At this level the child can independently complete an inductive Bible study geared toward young adults or older adults. Your role then becomes an encourager, an answer-er of questions, an accountability partner, and a supplier of doctrinally sound, interesting studies. And once your child reaches this stage, she will be equipped to continue studying the Bible for the rest of her life.

Discipleship

Discipleship is not as easy to categorize into nice, neat stages; it is a lifelong pursuit. Discipleship means seeing God’s hand in everything that happens to you during the day and responding in a way that pleases Him. Our children desperately need to learn discipleship. A disciple is a “learner” or a “follower.” Probably the best way to train your children in discipleship is simply to live your own life of discipleship before them; then talk about what you’re thinking while it happens.

For example, when you are driving to an unfamiliar location, simply pray aloud, “Lord, please help me to find this place.” Then when He guides you to it, thank Him aloud. Nothing elaborate or preachy. Make communication with God as natural as breathing.

When your family made plans that have to be altered at the last minute, acknowledge that the children may feel disappointed, but encourage them with the positive truth that God must have something better in mind. Again, a simple statement, not a doctrinal thesis.

If conflict arises between children, and they are using unkind words from unloving hearts, remind them lovingly and with a sad countenance that their actions and attitudes are grieving God’s heart. Pray with them, asking God to help them show sincere love to each other.

Please, please don’t use God’s Word as a club or cattle prod to beat your children when they fail. Rather, show them how precious and valuable God’s wisdom is; how applicable God’s Word is in today’s circumstances and society; how dependable and trustworthy God’s principles are.

The examples above may seem too simple or too short to make an impact on your children. But if you follow those examples and make brief Biblical comments the habit every day when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up, your children will experience hundreds of discipleship moments every week. You will be training your children to think and live Biblically.

Q & A

Q: I take my children to Sunday School and church; we even have family devotions. Isn’t that enough?

A: To put it bluntly, no. Sunday School, church, and family devotions might be times to impart Bible knowledge, but those times cannot take the place of parents’ applying Scripture to everyday situations as they happen. At best, a Sunday School lesson or sermon can only explain how to apply Scripture if/when the listener might ever happen to encounter the situation described. Parents who live life with their children are the key to “striking while the iron is hot” and presenting the Biblical truth when it can be applied immediately. There’s no substitute for God’s method of discipleship.

Q: What can I do with my 18-month-old in church? How can I teach her to be quiet and not cause a disturbance?

A: Train her to sit on your lap in short increments at home. (Practicing during family devotions is one good way to train this habit.) When you’re sitting in church, give her a boundary in the chair row or pew: mom’s knees to dad’s knees a few seats apart. Let her play with quiet toys within that boundary. Start with 15 minutes in that setting, then take her out and give her a short break to run. Come back in to the service for 15 minutes, then take her out for another short break. Increase the time she stays in the service by incremental steps; for instance, after a few weeks of 15 minutes, go to 17 minutes in the service before giving a break, then go to 20 minutes a couple of weeks later, and so on.