Chaplain's Chat

Regular Bible reading is essential for individuals and families to grow in their Christian faith and life. This article aims to provide some ideas and resources to support this endeavor. 

Bible Reading

One technique that students in Senior Primary learn is a routine called ‘Pray-Read-Think-Pray’. The first step is to Pray - before sitting down to read the Bible it is a good idea to STOP and prepare yourself to hear from God. A simple prayer asking God to help you understand what you are reading and for a desire to do what is says. The second step is to Read – read slowly through a section of the Bible. The third step is to Think – what does the passage say? What does it mean? How can I apply it to my own life? The last step is to Pray – This prayer can focus on what you have just read – saying: thank you for … ; sorry for …; please help me ….

Devotionals

For people (like me) who would benefit from a bit more structure and guidance in their Bible reading, a printed or online devotional is a great addition. These will often follow a specific book of the Bible or theme to grow your knowledge and understanding. They also have a written reflection to support the ‘Think’ section described above. I have used a great variety of these for many years for both individual and family Bible reading. I am currently using a devotional written by Michael Jenson from St Marks Anglican Church Darling Point which is emailed each weekday morning - stmarksdp.org/daily-devotional/. I am also currently using a daily devotional called Today, with my family which we read (most) nights after our evening meal - todaydevotional.com/. This is written for an adult audience so it was not suitable when our children were young. As a family we found it helpful to use material appropriate to their stage. Good picture Bibles and kids devotionals were read and re-read with our children when they were young. The ‘Adventures in Odyssey’ series are known for their radio dramas, but also produce a kids’ devotional in digital and printed formats. For a full year of devotions written exclusively for Australian families, see Bible Bites. A great devotional written for a high school aged audience is Vision 180. This is free and can be accessed on a phone or other electronic device for personal and independent reading.

The 555 Challenge

Youthworks (Anglican Children’s Ministry) have developed a tool to help families engage with God and each other in an achievable way: five minutes a day, five days a week, for five weeks. Watch a short explanatory video for the 555 Challenge. Sign up to the 555 Challenge and you’ll receive a weekly email with five short Bible passages, a few simple questions, prayer suggestions, and a Spotify playlist. Find out more and sign up here.

Series 1, God to the Rescue, explores how God is faithful to his promise to rescue us from sin. From creation to new creation, we see God working out his rescue plan through our Saviour and King Jesus Christ. 

The Chaplain’s Chat will have a break through Term 3 as I take long service leave.

Mr Stuart Martin

School Chaplain