I really have no excuse for not reading the Scripture with my children. In my role at LifeWay, I see firsthand the research that says Bible reading for a child is the biggest influence on their spiritual maturity. And I always get an early glimpse of resources we offer churches and parents to help pour the Word into kids. But having resources and using them are two different things. I do not always disciple them as I should. I fall short as a father and pray for His grace to empower me to be the dad I should be.
The same is true for all of us. Having knowledge and access does not mean we utilize the resources we have. The problem in American Christianity is not that we don’t own Bibles, but that we don’t read the ones we have. Christian parents in America have unparalleled access to tools to disciple their kids, but many fail to use the tools. So to try to be helpful, here are the three Bible-engaging resources Kaye and I have been using with our daughters the last several months, the resources that have helped us get our girls in the text.
It’s All About Jesus Bible Storybook
My current bedtime routine with Evie is four-fold: we read a Bible story together from this book, sing a hymn, pray, and then hug, kiss, and hug and kiss at the same time. It’s amazing! It takes 5-10 minutes to read each story, and each story points to Christ. Great tool for giving an overview of the Bible while also looking continually at Jesus.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB) for Kids
This is the Bible Eden and I are reading together. We have been working our way through the gospel of Mark, which has some confusing parts. I love the CSB because the translation team invested years working hard to ensure the translation is faithful to the original manuscripts while also being as readable as possible. A readable translation is obviously very important when reading with your child.
Armor of God for Kids
My wife Kaye is a public school teacher and leads a Bible study before school at a house down the street from the school. Between 50 and 60 kids come every time they meet and they are working through this great resource from Priscilla Shirer. It can be used in a group setting or as a family. Kaye brought our girls through it this summer and they loved doing the “homework,” which helped get them in the Word.
