Grab your Bible, paper, notebook, index cards, and markers. Let’s explore together, one (uni) verse at a time!
MAPPING THE VERSE
The Bible is an amazing story of God’s love! When we look closely, we can read the story of His love on every page. Choose a Bible verse. What does it tell you about God’s love? Draw a heart on a piece of paper and write the Bible verse along the outside outline of the heart shape. Inside the heart, write what this verse helps you understand about God’s wonderful love for you. Did you know that God’s love for us is so
amazing that we will spend eternity exploring it with Him and each other? And we can start that exploration right now!
WORD BY WORD . . .
Choose a verse and write each significant word (or pair of words) on a different card or slip of paper. For example: Be – still – and know – that I – am God – Psalm 46:10. Arrange the words in the correct order to make the verse. Pick up one card at a time and write or draw any ideas that will help you understand the word better. Shuffle the cards and arrange them again in the correct order to help you memorize the verse.
JUST ONE WORD . . .
Choose a Bible verse and write it on a small card. Think about the most important message in the verse and sum it up with only one word, like Hope, Peace, Forgiveness, Praise, or Wonder. Write your chosen word on the back of the verse card. Decorate the word in your favorite graphic style. Take this word with you throughout your day, and let it inspire and comfort you.
RE-WRITE
Read a verse carefully and slowly. You might like to read it in different Bible versions to help you understand it better. Then write the verse in your own words, applying it to your own life. Keep these verses in a notebook. Re-read them occasionally and see if you would change them again. Writing the verse in our own words can help us to think about the meaning more deeply.
PICTURE IT
Give each person a sheet of paper. Invite everyone to choose a favorite Bible verse that others might know and to illustrate it with a picture or a series of pictures, like a cartoon story. Show your pictures to each other and try to guess the verse that has been illustrated. Or make your own series of pictures into a little book. Write your ideas and thoughts about the verse on the back of the picture.
LOVE STORY
The Bible is an amazing story of God’s love! When we look closely, we can read the story of His love on every page. Choose a Bible verse. What does it tell you about God’s love? Draw a heart on a piece of paper and write the Bible verse along the outside outline of the heart shape. Inside the heart, write what this verse helps you understand about God’s wonderful love for you. Did you know that God’s love for us is so amazing that we will spend eternity exploring it with Him and each other? And we can start that exploration right now!
CRAFT A VERSE
Gather your craft materials or your construction toys. Choose a Bible verse that inspires you to make something. For example, you could make something to illustrate each of the verses in Psalm 23 using craft materials, toys, and things you can find in nature. You can work on this on your own and then show it to your family. Or each of you could illustrate one of the verses by making a scene or object. Why not
photograph your creations, add the Bible verses, and share them with others?
CHAPTER AND VERSE
Whenever we read a verse in the Bible, it’s good to read the whole chapter—and even some of the previous chapters. Reading around a verse helps us understand it better. Prayerfully read a whole chapter from one of the Gospels and then focus on one of the verses that inspires you. Choose one of the ideas in this feature to explore the inspiring verse.
WORDS OF LOVE
As you read the Bible, collect all the verses that describe God’s love for you. Write them on index cards or the pages of a special notebook. Write the verse in the middle and give the page or card a title with one word that describes the love in the verse, such as comforting, forgiving, patient, or kind. Underneath the verse or on the back of the card, write about a time when you experienced God’s love or the love of another human being in that amazing way. You can find verses about God’s love in many places. Start by checking out Psalm 23, 103, 139, 145; 1 Corinthians 13; Ephesians 3; and 1 John 4.
PLAQUE
Choose a Bible verse that encourages you. Design a poster, picture, or plaque using that verse and decorate it in your favorite style. Place it where you will see it often. Or turn it into a keyring or something else you can carry wherever you go to remind you of God’s loving care when you face challenges.
WISDOM FOR LIFE!
Solomon was one of the wisest men who ever lived. The book of Proverbs is filled with many wise and even funny verses! Choose one verse to discuss as a family. Wonder together what it meant in Solomon’s day. Write out the verse from the Bible and then write at least one way in which the wisdom applies to your lives today. You can turn some of the verses into creative cartoons! Find your favorite way to explore the meaning of the many interesting verses.
