.READIT.

Volume 12:

.READIT.

When I was a young kid there was a commercial that showed a bunch of frogs, and one of them was offering books around to the others and asking them to "readit." Of course it sounded like a ribbit. This had to have been over 25 years ago, but I still remember it. So the frog is offering these books, and they are all taking them and enjoying them... and that commercial played its small part in helping me fall in love with reading. The rest is history, haha.

Okay... "illustration two." For the last couple months, I have been encouraging the students in our middle school class to simply read their Bibles. We've gotten journals and the purpose is to give them an opportunity to read something, write a little about it, and bring that back to class, so we can discuss what we've seen from the Word each week. We started by discussing a few things that would help them make their reading time more effective, and came up with a list of nine TIPS (so far). I would like to share those "TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE BIBLE STUDY" with you now, and then ask you to shoot back at me with some additional tips if you have any. Some of them may only specifically apply to our class, but perhaps you can see the spirit with which they were intended, and make the best of it.

1. UNDERSTANDING: Always pray before you read.
- Simply ask God to help you understand what He's teaching you through what you read today.

2. REINFORCING: Take some notes!
- If you don't have a Bible journal, get one. The more you involve yourself in the reading, the more you will remember.

3. PERSEVERANCE: Stick with it!
- It's not always going to be immediately gratifying. True discipleship takes time. Good habits take from 21-30 days to form.

4. ACCOUNTABILITY: Always bring your Bible and journal to class.
- Showing others that you have spent time studying really helps keep you honest.

5. CONSISTENCY: Use a Bible that belongs to you - buy one if necessary.
- It should be worth it, in order to have the tools necessary to grow with God. And it makes it easier to do #6.

6. PERSONALIZE: Underline the stuff that hits you.
- Your Bible should look like you use it. When you come back to a passage you have read, you can see the places where God really spoke to you, and it will remind you that you have been on a journey with God!

7. CONTEXT: Finish whatever book you start, no matter how long it takes.
- The best understanding of the Word comes from taking things in the proper context, and you will get the best of that when you read books, not random chapters.

8. FOLLOW-THROUGH: Participate every time you're in class.
- The whole purpose of doing this is to grow in community, and we intend to discuss the scriptures we've read each week. Tell your peers (in whatever class you attend) something that really struck you. Ask a question about something you might not have understood. And that also means getting yourself TO class each week. Some weeks that will be easy, other weeks you will need to drag yourself out of bed; but God rewards discipline.

9. BITE-SIZE: Read whole chapters.
- With very few exceptions, you can read a whole chapter of scripture in less than 5 minutes. Just as tip 7 speaks of context, you really can't get a good idea of what you're reading if you don't at least read a chapter a day. For some of you that will take some discipline. But you can do it.

(10. more to come...)

Okay, so there it is. I would love to write much more on each of these, but I have always tried VERY hard to keep these things "blessedly brief."

And I know some of you may be beyond these basic tips, but I would especially like to enlist your help in making my class more effective with your added insights... your thoughts on how you have fallen in love with the Word, how you study, how you find nourishment in it. And to those who may not be reading their Bible, I hope to provide some encouragement to you. For HIS sake, for YOUR sake, get up from the computer right now, and go read your Bible! All I can say is what I've said to my class... when I teach, my ONLY goal is to create disciples. And disciples, by definition, must spend time with their master. If you aren't praying and reading the Word, how are you a disciple?

Let’s READIT.

SEVENS: Do not merely listen to the word... do what it says. James 1:22.
Aaron

NOTE to PARENTS: If you have a middle schooler in your house, and they are a part of the Northridge family (or could be), ask them about it. Give them a little reminder once in a while. Get involved in their growth. It can only help. [PS we're still doing this in our class in December! Keep asking your kids to read!]

(Originally published September 7, 2008)