I have been working on a different type of Bible study. For many years, I have done two to three group Bible studies each year, but after reading Jen Hatmaker's A Modern Girls Guide to Bible Study, a friend and I decided to try it a little differently between group sessions. The difference is this time I don't have a workbook. I don't have a book that tells me what the lesson is about, where to read in the Bible, and what are the questions I should ponder. This time its just me, my Bible and the Holy Spirit guiding me through the books of Peter. . . .and I am LOVING this way. Each day I pull out my study Bible, my parallel Bible (four versions parallel -- helps with the meanings of translated words and concepts), my Webster's dictionary, several guide books, my journal, and my coffee.
Within twenty minutes of me getting started, the little kids insist on getting involved. That means they scurry to the bookshelf to get their Bibles, then they come look at their books at the kitchen table where I am working. That has worked out mostly perfectly except for one thing -- we only had two that they liked, so they fought and I struggled until I gave up and waited until naptime to do my studying. This week Allen and I decided they could each have their own Bible, so I got to go shopping. It was quite a task to find three perfect Bible storybooks -- something not too babyish, but with enough pictures to tell the stories. Something they could use for awhile once they start reading themselves. Something different than the other two so they could tell whose was whose. Something different enough from the others that we could read the same story in all of the books but get a bigger picture than reading just one. I found some and Ben, Maddie, and Jon were so excited to have their own Bibles.
At the same time I got those gifts, I found the perfect gift for Will. He had recently gotten a real Bible at church, so I picked up a canvas bookcover-carrier for it, and I got a set of the rainbow tabs that make it easier to find the particular books in the Bible. When I gave them to him, I asked to make sure he was okay with me installing them for him, and he pulled me aside after dinner to have a very serious conversation: "Mama, you can put most of them [the tabs] in, but please don't put Mark in there." When I asked him why, he furrowed his brow, and thoughtfully answered, "I just don't like Mark's story. Its a scary one." I convinced him that Mark's story was a great one since it was about Jesus and he decided it was okay to keep after all.
The next day, Will rushed in after school and got his new green Bible case so he could see what the newly-tabbed Bible looked like. He spent about an hour thumbing through it, fascinated at how he could find things. He was excited that the Book of Job had a tab that actually read "JOB." He wondered why the Book of Jeremiah was only "JER," so we discussed the abbreviations while the little three played outside. Just like his Mama, Will soon got his paper and pencil and started flipping through the pages, writing, flipping some more. Eventually, his task was complete and he proudly brought me his list. "Mama, this is a list of my favorite books. Sit down so I can read them to you. Mark. Cob [Job with a backward J]. Isaiah. Jeremiah. One The. Two The. And Samuel. Mama, What are there two the's?" That was when I had to hurry him outside so I could call Allen and share the giggles.
Several friends prefer to do Bible studying when the kids are asleep. That's a challenging one for me because I don't like getting up early. But I've discovered something awesome about studying when the kids are awake: I am modelling and they are copying. Although I often have to set my books aside and finish it later, I love that my kids see me in the Word and want to do the same.
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