Questions and Answers (Summer 2020)
The following represents a select number of actual questions recently sent in to the ministry (lightly edited for brevity, clarity, and anonymity).
If you have a question you’d like to ask, feel free to send it in here: https://www.expositoryparenting.org/contact
Question: What Bible suggestions/recommendations would you have for an almost 5 year old and a 2 year old? The 8 year old is probably ready for straight text.
Answer: Here some recommendations:
For a 2 year old: My First Read And Learn Bible (https://www.amazon.com/My-First-Read-Learn-Bible/dp/043965128X)
The emphasis at this age is just on regularly opening the Bible and getting excited about Jesus and Bible time. I'd keep it at 2-3 minutes max.
For a 5 year old: The Beginner's Bible: Timeless Children's Stories (https://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Bible-Timeless-Childrens-Stories/dp/031075013X)
The emphasis at this age remains on establishing a pattern of regular Bible time, as well as introducing names, places, etc. Begin to emphasize God's law (i.e. the 10 Commandments) to establish moral conviction as well as (and more importantly) to prepare their heart for their need of Christ. Be sure to fold in catechism questions during Bible time as often as you can. I'd keep at 5-10 minutes max.
For an 8 year old: Egermeier's Bible Story Book (https://www.amazon.com/Egermeiers-Bible-Story-Egermeier-Paperback/dp/B00YDJ3P38)
At this age, shoot for more in-depth discussion, and remembering facts and situations from the particular passages (the questions at the back of this storybook Bible are great to guide). Aim for 15-20 minutes max.
With that said, if you think your 8 year old is pretty sharp (and perhaps has a few years under his belt learning factual info from Stoybook Bibles) and has the attention span for a full text Bible then jump into a full text with the NASB Children’s Bible (https://www.amazon.com/NASB-Childrens-Bibles-Steadfast/dp/1937212351). At that point you’d be looking to work your way through full exposition. Utilize lots of real-world examples in order to break down the spiritual concepts. Engage in lots of discussion, ask plenty of questions, drive home systematic theology using the memorized catechism, never forget to preach Christ from the text, and think of a couple points of application. Be sure to have a clear outline of the passage in your head, and a developed understanding of the passage so you can communicate effectively (remember: “a mist in the pulpit is a fog in the pew" applies at home as well). Plan on anywhere from 20-45 minutes.
Question: Just curious... do you bounce around from book to book (obviously completing each book), Old Testament to New Testament or start with old or new and just go verse by verse then book by book in order?
Answer: There is a bit more flexibility in the New Testament, since many of the books were circular letters written in a very short period of time, but for the Old Testament you definitely want to go straight through (and I don't necessarily mean in canonical order). For the New Testament, I've arranged it so that you work your way through from life of Christ to end times in a circular fashion, and there are a number of reasons why I established the arrangement below: 1) to avoid repeating the Gospels back to back, 2) allowing the span of subjects to reach your kids at different ages as they develop, 3) saving an in-depth discussion of Mark's non-canonical ending (Mark 16:9-20) for later in their life, 4) starting with Luke for a seamless transition to Acts. Also, you definitely want to finish the Old Testament (with the exception of a few books that you might teach at other times, like Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and the Psalms) before going into the New Testament. The foundation of prophecy and fulfillment is too large to jump straight to a New Testament book and expect it to be as meaningful and understandable. Here's a rough outline that you might follow—and yes, this will take years to complete of course. Expect upwards of 10-12 months to teach through the longest book (Jeremiah), and you can estimate the others based on that.
OT:
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Joshua
Judges
Ruth
1 Samuel
2 Samuel
1 Kings
2 Kings
Ecclesiastes
Obadiah
Joel
Amos
Jonah
Hosea
Micah
Isaiah
Nahum
Zephaniah
Habakkuk
Jeremiah
Lamentations
Ezekiel
Daniel
Esther
Ezra
Nehemiah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
1 Chronicles
2 Chronicles
(Proverbs)
(Job)
(Song of Solomon)
(Psalms)
NT:
Luke
Acts
Romans
1 Corinthians
1 Timothy
1 John
1 Peter
2 Peter
John
Ephesians
2 Corinthian
2 Timothy
James
Hebrews
Jude
1 Thessalonians
Matthew
Colossians
Galatians
Titus
Philippians
2 John
2 Thessalonians
Mark
Philemon
3 John
Revelation
Question: Do you have a particular Bible curriculum you’d recommend for high school? (Other than reading through the Bible of course)
Answer: I think you nailed the truth on the head: I would have to recommend teaching (not just “reading with”) your high schooler through the Bible. And the curriculum would be these study guides: https://www.expositoryparenting.org/ntstudyguides. Have him or her read the same chapter each day, while also working through the guides related to that chapter, then at the end of the week, teach through the chapter addressing the questions your son or daughter answered in the guide as well as providing your own insights. Only a select few NT study guides are completed at this point, but more will be on the way.
Question: I am a new follower to your ministry and am so happy to have found y’all! It’s a breath of fresh air! My husband and I are 23 & 24. We have been married since we were 19 and are wanting to intentionally start trying to have a family in the near future (Lord wiling)! I see that a lot of your resources are geared towards parents, but do you have any recommendations for married couples who are looking to start a family, but do not yet have children? If so we would very much love to see what books/resources you know of!
Answer: First, welcome! Glad you're following along with the ministry! Second, kudos on the early marriage! Third, I assume since you're new you have not yet read the book Expository Parenting (which is fine). That being the case, let me briefly summarize what we're all about: based on various Scriptures such as 2 Tim. 3:16-17, 2 Pet. 1:3, et. al., we're convinced that Scripture is all your kids need to solve any personal/moral/spiritual/worldview issue they would face in life. Thus, in order to fully equip your kids for adult life (undoubtedly the goal of every parent), the task is straightforward: deliver the entire Bible to them verse by verse before they leave home. With such an enormous task, there is obviously much that goes into how to accomplish that (hence the book and this ministry), but that's the end goal. With that in mind, the best thing I could recommend to you would be to use all of your extra free time to really learn the Bible well—well enough to teach. Beyond learning at your own local church, which should be teaching you books of the Bible verse by verse, check out the website (expositoryparenting.org) for all kinds of articles, resources, and recommended ministries that can help you with this. Beyond that, in terms of your own preparedness, I might also recommend the book Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. If you can discipline in love, and teach your kids the entire Bible, you are set. There’s no need to chase all of the endless “tips and tricks” for parenting since God has given us all that we need in the Bible. Please let me know if this helps. The fact that you are looking to prepare beforehand indicates that you are probably going to be great parents. Just remember that there's no way to truly be prepared until you actually have the kids, but God will give you the grace you need for the moment.
Question: I am in need of encouragement again. I would like to know how to discipline my children while exhibiting self control? The Bible talks about exhibiting self control a lot. Sometimes, not always, when I tell me kids to do or not to do something, they ignore so then I yell, essentially throw a fit and then they do it. I have a strong feeling this isn't right. I would like to be consistent but they are unreliable: sometimes they obey, others they don't. I'm lost and not sure what to do.
Answer: One of the biggest keys for discipline is to keep it simple: corporal punishment for direct defiance; other forms of punishment for lesser disobedience/carelessness. If you are against spanking your kids, as sadly many are (thanks to the infiltration of liberalism into the church), there is little else that I could help with. Proverbs 13:24 says, “He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” The book Shepherding a Child's Heart is very helpful for this; I highly recommend it. And all discipline should be explained within the context of the Gospel, meaning the goal as you reprimand your kids is not moralism (“You have been bad. You need to start being good”) but rather redemption (“You have sinned, but Jesus is a great Savior who can forgive you.”). Finally, it must be noted that the main goal of this ministry is to help equip parents to teach their children God's Word verse by verse. So if you aren't doing that, I can’t offer any other solution to change your child’s heart. The Bible is what does that (cf. 1 Pet. 2:23, John 17:17). You can't change hearts in your power. So, if you aren't teaching them the Bible, start today. As God works on their hearts, much of the disciplinary problems will be preemptively taken care of through that, and in a much more meaningful way.
Question: Any suggestions on how to find a biblical church? I wish there was a database somewhere. We are having the most difficult time . . .
Answer: The following two church-finder databases may help get you off to a good start, but I would still recommend interviewing each church individually to find out about their doctrinal perspectives, reviewing their past sermons online to see if they truly preach the Word verse by verse, and if possible, sit in on a few actual services.
The Master’s Seminary church-finder: https://tms.edu/find-a-church/
Founder’s Ministry church-finder: https://founders.org/church-search/