Start Small, Go Deep, Think Big

Chuck Singletary is a man I have known for nearly 40 years. He was one of the first leaders I met with the Navigators when I was in the Air Force in Alabama. He later helped found and develop Church Resource Ministries. We have interacted on several occasions over the years. He had an approach to development of a ministry that will serve you well as you engage in leading your family in the Word, “Start Small, Go Deep, Think Big.”

The Bible is both a simple and complex book. You can invest a few minutes or a number of years in a passage and find help and yet not exhaust the value available. It is full of simple stories that have life changing impact. It has language a child understands that at the same time baffles PhDs. It has books of one chapter and books of 150 chapters. It is a library of 66 books written by about 40 authors over a period of about 1500 years. Approaching it can be daunting. Using Chuck’s approach, start small. Start with a story. One of my friends does what we did with our kids. He starts with Read Aloud Bible Stories (there is a second, third, and fourth volume). He reads the story out of the book and then reads the passage in the Bible with his kids. Small, simple. Prepare by reading it and thinking through how it applies to you and your family and what fits the age of your kids (go deep). Set a goal to do this on a regular basis (think big). My friend reports that his kids are now viewing this time as more important than playing in the park with him. They are still young. In later posts we will look at how that works differently with older kids.

 So get started. If you need more ideas, or have some that have worked for you, ask or share.