I cheered when I opened “The Bare Bones Bible Handbook for Teens” by Jim George. As a youth pastor and one who loves kids and the Bible, and as one who wants to put those two loves together, this resource book is welcome indeed. It is well written and well thought out giving essential facts for each book of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.
The best way to get teens on fire for God and on the discipleship road during High School and beyond is to get them into God’s Word. If a student can get the vision that God has a personal interest in him or her, and that He can speak into their every day lives, they will never be the same. God’s Word will make them hungry for more of God’s Word.
The challenge of course is to get them into God’s Word. This handbook is a wonderful Bible study tool that can help a young Bible student make sense of every book of the Bible, as well as understand how the book’s message is relevant in their life. It makes the Bible accessible to even the beginning Bible student.
Here’s how George does it. First an overview of the theme, dates, author and setting of the book is given. George then gives an excellent introductory paragraph that not only supplies needed information about the contents of the book, but also sells its value to the reader.
Listen to this great “teaser” about Genesis: “As the first book of the Bible, Genesis lays the foundation for everything that is to follow, including the key truths God wants you to know in order to make sense of your life. Throughout the pages of Genesis you experience the awesome power of God in his creation…” Isn’t that great? Genesis is now a personal message to each teen, and as they read Genesis, they will be looking for the personal message they can take home from it.
George then includes an annotated outline of the major themes and stories of the book. In the next section called “Putting Meat on the Bones”, George shares his own commentary of the story and purpose of the book. The next section called “Fleshing it Out in Your Life” applies the lesson of the book to the teen. George presents excellent thought questions that the teen can wrestle with and journal through. I really love these two sections because they help the student to process the book and apply it to their own lives.
The next section is called “Life Lessons from…” It provides a few short bulleted conclusions about the messages of the book. What is God trying to teach me? There is also a short section that gives specific references to help find familiar passages, then the short 4 pages chapter closes with a biography of a famous Bible personality, a relevant map or just a cool tidbit of information.
George includes a list of major themes of each book at the end of the handbook, as well as practical Bible study tips, and a one year Bible reading plan. This book has everything, yet is surprisingly lean. For all the information it provides it is not too bulky or hard to handle.
This is an excellent tool for teens. Parents and youth leaders, you are going to want this book on your student’s shelf. It would be a great confirmation present! I already have a list of who I want to give this handbook to!
Reviewed by Joan Tyvoll
