by Katy Kauffman @KatyKauffman28

It’s beautifully disguised—my little pitfall in the backyard. The fun project? Planting flowers of every season in our back shrub bed. The problem? We took out too much dirt. 

In our zeal for this new project, my family removed weeds and clumps of stubborn grass from a twelve-foot-square area. We had to remove buckets and buckets of red clay and replace it with potting soil for our colorful treasures. Then we planted the flowers and covered the area with two inches of gorgeous cedar mulch. And then it rained.

Do they have swamps in north Georgia? You can’t see it, but underneath all that mulch, rainwater becomes trapped by the brick walls of the house and the curved concrete of the sidewalk. Without adequate drainage and enough dirt to absorb rainwater, the ground tends to stay soggy after a hard rain, making it difficult to walk on top of the mulch. So watch your step. Because otherwise, down you may go! 

When we start writing Bible studies, we’re excited about the process—studying Scripture, listening to God, and writing down goodies to share with others. If we’re not careful though, we can stumble upon some common pitfalls which make navigating our studies a little difficult for our readers. Avoid a few of the stumbles I made when I started writing and help your readers to journey through your book and enjoy every bit of it. 

Avoid these common pitfalls when you write about Scripture: 

Pitfall #1: Retelling a Bible story without giving application 

We can get so wrapped up in the beauty of a story or passage that we simply insert it into our writing and move on. But if we share a Bible story without giving any application, we cause the reader to miss out on a blessing. Scripture is powerful and life-changing on its own, but it matters how we present it. The heart of Bible study is application. How is God’s Word relevant to life today? What insights and application can you share with your readers that will help them to appreciate the Bible even more and live it out? Don’t forget the application with every story and passage you share.  

Pitfall #2: Not using lead-ins 

Every time I hear Dr. David Jeremiah preach, I anticipate how he will begin his sermon. He always finds a story to introduce his topic and get his audience thinking about his main point. 

When we write, we may have a tendency to dive into our main Bible passage. But if we start with a lead-in, we have a better chance of capturing our reader’s attention. We can begin our writing with one of five ways—a story, a quote, a question, an intriguing statement, or an illustration (metaphor). Plan your lead-ins carefully, and take advantage of an intriguing beginning to capture your readers’ attention. 

Pitfall #3: Not sharing definitions in a conversational way 

I am a definitions girl. I love them so much, but I have to be careful how I share them in my writing. If we can share definitions conversationally (in normal prose), we avoid sounding like a robotic dictionary, and instead come across as a friend giving insight. Keeping a warm, down-to-earth tone may help the definitions to “stick” better in the readers’ hearts and minds.   

Pitfall #4: Sharing too much personal history without offering reader takeaway

It’s easy for writers to get caught up in telling a story, especially when it’s a personal one. But if we spend most of our word count sharing a story and only giving one line of takeaway at the end for the reader … oops, down we go! We have found a common pitfall, and the way to get back up is to shorten our personal “history” in the story and expand the application for the reader. 

We can shorten long stories by giving details that are directly related to our main point. Also, if we can start with the action or with the problem, we can grab our readers’ attention right away and cut out unnecessary details and distractions. 

Every time we share a personal story, we need to relate it to our readers. How can what I lived and learned help my readers to know God more? Trust Him more? Avoid the pitfalls I found? Overcome a problem? Giving enough takeaway will ensure that everything we share is directly tied to our readers and what they’re facing. Our stories are important, and so is how they affect those who read them. 

Which of the four pitfalls do you think is the hardest one to avoid when we write Bible studies? We all may encounter them at some point, but if we can recognize them, we can give our readers sure footing as they travel through our principles and ideas. 

Katy Kauffman is an award-winning author, an editor of Refresh Bible Study Magazine, and a co-founder of Lighthouse Bible Studies. She loves connecting with writers and working alongside them in compilations, such as Feed Your Soul with the Word of God, Collection 1 which is a 2020 Selah Awards finalist. She recently started The Lighthouse Connection, a monthly writers’ newsletter including writing tips, inspiration to write, and news of submission opportunities.

In addition to online magazines, Katy’s writing can be found at CBN.com, thoughts-about-God.com, and three blogs on writing. She loves to spend time with family and friends, take acrylic painting classes online, and do yard work in the morning sun. Connect with her at her blog, Winning the Victory, and on Facebook and Twitter.