Thoughtful

When a friend of mine became a believer, I learned how very little she actually knew about the Bible.  Stories that most consider common knowledge, such as David and Goliath or Peter walking on water, are new and fresh for someone who was not raised in and around church.

Because these stories are not always told to adults in church, or told in a manner that everyone already knows what is going to happen, I suggested to my friend that she purchase a book of Bible stories for children.

I realize that reading a children’s Bible storybook is not the same as reading the Bible itself, but it was a quick way for her to familiarize herself with stories that others heard year after year in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School.

In some ways, it is a blessing to have grown up hearing the stories of how God interacted with us over the years, but it does have its drawbacks.

I cannot remember the first time I heard the story of David and Goliath.  David goes to battle against the giant that one else dares fight, and he wins, in the name of God, by the power of God, using only a sling, a stone, and then the sword of the defeated enemy.

I cannot remember the first time I heard the story of David and Goliath.  I don’t know how I felt when I realized that an untrained David was going to go up against the giant man Goliath.  Was I excited when David cried out that he was fighting in the name of the Lord?  Did I cheer when I read of David’s amazing victory?

The last time I read this story, was I excited when David cried out that he was fighting in the name of the Lord?  Did I cheer when I read of David’s amazing victory?

What do you do to make the stories of the Bible feel fresh when you’ve heard and read them dozens of times?