Tuesday, March 1, 2022

USE YOUR WORDS: HOW ORAL BIBLE STORYING CAN SERVE YOUR FAMILY

Looking at the car dashboard clock, I had just enough time to read to my boys before pulling out of the driveway. I flipped through my Bible to Mark 4, and read the parable about the sower who casts seed that fell on the path, on rocky ground, among thorns, and on good soil.

Setting the Bible on the passenger seat, I shifted our vehicle into reverse and headed toward my kids’ school.

“Who wants to go first?” I asked, glancing in the rearview mirror.

“Me! Me!” my preschooler squealed from the back seat. He launched into telling the story until he got stuck.

“What happens next?” I prompted. My preschooler turned to his seven-year-old brother.

“Other seeds fell among thorns,” his sibling prompted.

“Oh yeah,” my four-year-old said, and then confidently resumed. When he had finished, my oldest son launched into the parable. Once both boys had taken a turn, I told the story. Whenever I couldn’t remember a spot, one of them jumped in to nudge me back on course.

Incorporating Bible storying into discipling my children came from hearing how missionaries sometimes utilized this tool on the field. What started as a desire to memorize Scripture together and redeem the time in the car on the way to school, has transformed into some of my favorite moments with my kids each week.

Read the rest of my article on Gospel-Centered Family.