My mom’s best friend, Rhea Briscoe (daughter-in-law to Stuart and Jill Briscoe), has been a spiritual mentor to me ever since I can remember.
Preacher and Founder of Snowdrop Ministries, it’s safe to say that whether Rhea was on stage leading her weekly Bible study, speaking to large groups of women at conferences around the country, or shopping with me on a Saturday, I always gleaned a lot from her presence.
One thing in particular that’s stuck with me throughout the years is something that her mother used to say to her:
“You are the only Bible some people will ever read.”
Every time I heard this growing up, it would often lead to a time of reflection … How often do I read the Bible? How long do I read it for? How well do I know and live out His Word?
Interestingly, a recent broadcast of “The Book” shared that teenagers were asked these exact questions in the Barna Group 2016 Teen State of the Bible research.
Seven out of ten said they not only own a Bible – but one in four said they read the Bible at least once a week. Majority said that it was for more than 15 minutes at each sitting, and 50% said that they access the Bible via smartphone!
I’m often frightened by just how much the younger generations (mine included) use and cling to technology, but what I don’t tend to think about are the ways in which the digital age positively influences teens to engage with this Book of books!
David Kinnaman (president of Barna Group) said:
“The Bible remains a highly regarded and well-read text among the vast majority of American teens.”
Thankful that as technology continues to advance, so does the opportunity to read and meditate on Scripture. In fact, each feature of “The Book” delivers the history, narrative and impact of the Bible straight to my iPhone and inbox every weekday (you can sign up for this here)!
And by airing “The Book” on your station, it’s not just teens, but people of all ages that are encouraged to engage with the Bible daily.
So as we step further into 2017, my prayer is that we’d seek to live out His Word faithfully and honorably as we just might be the only Bible that some people will ever read.
Great message Haley! It took me a lot of years to sit down and faithfully read God’s word. I think that maybe if I had had it more accessible through technological means, I might have started reading it more just because it would have been a different way of accessing it. Thank you for sharing and getting God’s word into the hands and heats of so many. You are a blessing!❤