Giving Away the Word...

Hello, friends!

One of my favorite things to do in ministry is to give away bibles. There's something really fun and spectacular about meeting a student who is interested in reading the Word but doesn't have the Word to read, then being able to fill that need for them. I know that there are tons of Bible reading apps and they are all great; I use one myself. Still, there's something really beautiful about having the Word in your hand and flipping the pages. It makes the reading experience that much more real.

Yesterday, at Lincoln, I was able to give away my Bible. I've been meeting with a student for the past few months, after she became a Christian at Lincoln. It's the Lent season and when we last spoke, she said that she wanted to spend the Lent season hanging out with Jesus more. I checked in with her to see how that was going and she said it was hard over Spring Break because of all the time with family. We then talked about how she connects with Jesus, she talked about how she liked to pray and that was her main form of connection. When I asked her about reading the Bible, she said that it was hard for her because the Bible she had was hard to understand. I'm not sure if she meant because it wasn't a good translation or because it's just a tough read but I asked her if she wanted a Bible. Then, I pulled out my trusty "giveaway" bible and showed her my quick guide on how to spend some time in the Word in just a few minutes.

When I say, "my Bible" what I really mean is my giveaway Bible. This isn't a Bible that I received as a gift for my baptism or that I've had since I was a kid. These are Bibles that I buy especially to giveaway. I always carry one with me when I'm on campus because you never know when the opportunity to arise.

I've learned that while you can't judge a book by its cover, the cover can still matter a lot when giving away Bibles. I like to give away Bibles that look nice, usually imitation leather and small. I have cases of those big paperback bibles that say HOLY BIBLE on the front and the words are the exact same but I've found that when the Bible looks good and is small enough to fit into a backpack, students are much more likely to carry it around and actually read it. I once had a student who, every time he saw me on campus, would come up to me and say, "guess what I have in my backpack." The answer, of course, was the Bible I gave him.

Reading the Word isn't hard to do but can be intimidating at times. When I'm teaching students how to just get into the habit of reading the Word, I teach them two quick methods: the 4 R's and the 3 Q's.

The 4 R's:
- Read: Pick a passage and read it. Using the subheadings found in your bible is a great way to start.
- Repeat: In your own words, summarize what you just read
- Reflect: Think about what questions you had or any thoughts and emotions that came up in you as your read
- Respond: In light of your reflection, how do you want to respond to what you just read?

The 3 Q's:
- What does this passage say about God?
- What does this passage say about me or humanity?
- What is one thing I can do to put this passage into practice?

Usually, being able to break down reading the Bible into quick bites and a system helps students get over their fear of reading the Bible. It's always great when they come back to me later and talk about what they're reading and the questions they have. In fact, after giving this student my Bible yesterday, we did 2 mini Bible studies where I showed her the 4 R's and 3 Q's and she responded to it really well.

Friends, if you're interested in helping me buy some new Bibles to give away, I'd love to partner with you in this endeavor. Because I get nicer looking Bibles, the prices range from $15-$20. If you're like to help me buy more Bibles for students, you can click the link here, and donate!

Have an excellent day!

~Adam