Comments on: The Bible Story

By: henryjz

henryjz — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:06:47 +0000

Thanks! I'm glad the conversations here are a benefit to you. I'm also glad you're jumping in to them. What are some ways you see kids appreciated the bigger story of the Bible?

By: Annette

Annette — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:38:28 +0000

I have been reading your blog for over a month now and really enjoy your contributions. It is great to have children's minstry discussed in an intellegent and academic (in the best sense of the word) way. I am currently studying a course on biblical theology and it struck me that this very much applicable to your comment. What is important for adults is also important for children. If biblical theology encourages adults to see the Bible as a whole story, as the progressive revelation of God, then the same is true for our children. Thank you so much for your blog and the inspiration and challenge i find here.

By: henryjz

henryjz — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:26:17 +0000

Great to hear. Let us know how what you are doing goes come the Fall.

By: TL Baker

TL Baker — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 03:23:30 +0000

Hey Henry,
I'm just tapping into the world of blogging now- and I'm enjoying reading yours! This concept of seeing the Bible as a whole is huge for me, and the reason why I'm making major changes for our Sunday mornings. Every time I discover a new connection, or see another way God was setting our world up for redemption from the very beginning, I get excited to keep reading or learning more– and that's something I really want to share with kids, or atleast lay the foundations for. However, like you said, this requires a much more systematic approach to teaching or curriculum… or atleast having a good handle on what the kids are learning year to year, and figuring out how the stories, lessons and units can be connected. This has lead me to putting together a "scope and sequence" of my own for my kids. I'm still working on it, but I'll be kick-starting this September with the new plan. (I'm sure I'm not the first person out there to come up with something like this… but I haven't come across anything that's set up just right for my church. ) Now that I have this basic outline, I absolutely can't wait to get started– and as I look through individual lessons, with a better understanding of the whole, knowing that the kids will also be getting a picture of "the whole", I get really excited about teaching the stories… again. What a great God we serve!

By: Henry Zonio

Henry Zonio — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:52:06 +0000

Thanks for your time. How cool to have a Bible translator come!

By: Jill Nelson

Jill Nelson — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:29:48 +0000

Great post, Henry! Glad I could help in the thinking process. I think seeing the Bible as a whole, not fragmented, is key in kids wanting to know and understand it better. As they see how it all fits together–how it's all leading toward redemption–the reality of God is so much greater. It's not just an encyclopedia of great stories, or a best of collection. It's all true, and it all matters. I loved how we were able to start this past year with looking at where the Bible came from–who all had a part in writing it, the languages, the years it took, the elements that prove its truth. We even had a Bible translator come talk to the kids about how we have our copies of the Bible today. I was really surprised by how fascinating the kids found this. It seemed to prepare them well for then seeing the big picture of it.