@KatyKauffman28

“God is boring.” Three words that have subconsciously shaped my desire to write Bible studies.

A fourth grader in VBS uttered those words. We were trying to settle the kids down for the Bible lesson, and a little guy in the middle of the room objected with this statement. Everything within me cringed when he said it, and the teacher proceeded to tell him that God was the least boring person ever. His innocent question was, “Why?”

We spent the whole week telling the class why. We picked different aspects of God’s nature—Savior, Father, Friend, and Lord—and let the kids come up with ways that such a person would work in their lives. At the end of the week, we asked the class whether they thought God was worth knowing. The little guy in the middle of the room thought so.

Bible studies should be anything but boring—they should be infused with punch, zip, and wow. We write Bible studies so that our readers may not only come to know God more, but love Him more as well. The whole point of eternal life is knowing God (John 17:3), an adventure which starts now and lasts for all eternity. The greatest action we can ever take is to love God with our whole selves and then to love others (Mark 12:30-31), and Scripture shows us how to do that. The Bible is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12), yet it matters how we present it. When we are mindful of how we write about Scripture, our readers will come to grasp even more who God is, how to love Him, and how His word applies to their lives.

Just the Right Ingredients

A Bible study that is infused with punch, zip, and wow includes just the right ingredients for reader appeal and life transformation. When we write our Bible studies with punch, we make a point and we make it well. We include the right amount of insights proven by definitions, commentary notes, and illustrations. When we write with zip, we streamline our flow of thought so that our words hit the heart and sharpen the mind. We choose just the right words and cadence to drive our point home. When we write with “wow,” we deliver a unique approach to Scripture that etches its message into our readers’ memory, and we share fresh insights or practical how to’s that help them with present challenges.

Just the right ingredients also include a balance of story and explanation. Too much story, and the book won’t feel like a Bible study. Too much explanation of Scripture, and it will feel like a commentary. With a conversational, friendly voice, we can blend both tools for heart impact, and keep the study animated and inviting.

The heart of Bible study that keeps readers turning pages is application. Writing Bible studies with punch, zip, and wow means that we have application for the reader on every page. We plant takeaway for them at the end of our lead-ins, in the paragraphs that explain Scripture, and at the conclusion of each day’s reading. We keep them engaged with how God’s sacred words speak into their modern lives with all of its ups and downs, joys and heartaches. We keep the felt need of our study always before them, and answer their questions and provide solutions to problems with what God says about the situations they are likely facing.

Want to Practice with Me?

At the conference in May, I’ll be teaching two classes on writing Bible studies with punch, zip, and wow. The first class will be for those who are new to the Bible study genre, although they may have written in other genres. We’ll talk about how to get started by pinpointing the main idea of a study, and we’ll discuss the class members’ ideas. We’ll talk about lead-ins and practice them. We’ll walk through what makes a Bible study full of personality, insight, and relevance.

The next class I’m teaching is a “Going Deeper” practicum. We’ll take time to write 200-500 words in class, using a passage of Scripture and its relevant definitions and commentary notes. We’ll talk about how to make our writing “sing,” so that its melody and lyrics are memorable to readers. I’ve asked on the Class Listingpage, that conferees who wish to take this class would e-mail me if they want to attend. I’ll then ask them what specific things they would like to focus on with the remaining time we have.

If you’re headed to the 2019 conference and you write Bible studies or want to, I hope you’ll consider taking one of these classes or both of them. Together we can have a strong voice for God and His word in this world, and we can do it with punch, zip, and wow!

Katy Kauffman is an award-winning author, an editor of Refresh Bible Study Magazine, and a co-founder of Lighthouse Bible Studies. Her first compilation, Breaking the Chains, won a 2018 Selah finalist award. Her second compilation, Heart Renovation: A Construction Guide to Godly Character, uses the metaphor of house renovation to show how God renovates our hearts. Katy’s writing can be found at CBN.com, thoughts-about-God.com, the Arise Dailyblog, PursueMagazine.net, and two blogs on writing. She loves spending time with family and friends, making jewelry, and hunting for the best donuts. Connect with her at her blog, The Scrapbooked Bible Study, and on Facebookand Twitter.