Childhood memories are some of the best. Profound, emotional, significant. Our experiences growing up shape us – sometimes in surprising ways.

I have been contemplating one such memory. It ties into my latest book. As in… the book wouldn’t be a book without this event in my childhood.

My family had a devotion called “Family Bible Study.” My mom, dad, my three siblings and I would sit around the kitchen table and do a family activity oriented around the Bible.

The summer when I turned twelve years old, my dad decided that as a family we would do a study from the Old Testament. He picked a survey of the kings of ancient Israel. I’m sure he dreamed up the idea. I don’t think what happened next could have come from any book.

Our kitchen table sat tucked into a little alcove between the refrigerator and the dining room. It had long vinyl banquette style seats and no one ever wanted to scoot all the way to the end. Dad tacked up a poster-sized piece of paper on the wall at the end of the table, next to the least desirable spots. Then we all piled in around the table to see what would happen next.

We started off reading the Bible. When we began the study, I’m pretty sure the Bible story we read was about the selection of Saul as the first King of Israel. When we were all done, he shared some thoughts about Saul, the man, and why it was such a big deal that he became the king.

We kids all nodded along, not entirely sure where he was going with this devotional. But then he made us leave the table so he could climb to the back of the alcove to reach the poster. In itself, that was a big deal because mom and dad always sat on the other end so they could get up easily and go to the stove or sink. Seeing him climb back into the far corner was truly amazing for us.

Then he took a black marker and wrote across the top of the poster in all caps:

SAUL

Next to Saul’s name, he wrote the duration of Saul’s reign, 40 Years, and the years that he reigned, 1050BC-1010BC. Then as a family, we had to decide if Saul was a good king or a bad king. Based on what we had read, we agreed Saul was not good, so he wrote a big bold “B” next to Saul’s name.

What happened next was a stroke of genius for biblical education. All summer long, we worked our way through all the kings of Judah and Israel. And at the end of each lesson, Dad would climb in to the back of the kitchen alcove and write the king’s name, length of reign and the years of the king’s reign. Then, as a family, we had to decide if he was a good or bad king.

Before our eyes, the poster slowly filled with the names and dates of kings. We read the stories and debated the merits of each king in order to put the famous G or B next to their names. We saw the kingdom split, then reunite, then divide again. The column of kings on the left all ruled the kingdom of Judah, while the kings on the right all ruled the kingdom of Israel. And Saul was at the top of the list.

The dinner table didn’t look the same when the study ended and the poster paper came down. I felt sad to look at the table and just see the wall at the end.

For that summer, the kings were our friends, and sometimes enemies. Saul hunted David in the Judean wilderness and we thought we were reading a Western cowboy novel. We loved the two boy-kings who came to the throne while still our age. Ahab and Jezebel earned our ire for their blatant wickedness. We were shocked and saddened when the kingdoms were conquered.

Those were wonderful days. I can’t tell you how much I wish I had a single polaroid photo of that poster as dad filled it out. But, alas, no such record exists. Only in my memory does the story come back to life.

That summer I learned so much. I felt like I had a front-row seat to the events of the Bible. I learned about Israel. I became familiar with the divided kingdom. I fixed firm dates in a timeline of God’s faithfulness to His people. I saw obedience rewarded and wickedness punished.

It’s been 45 years since that poster graced the back wall of our kitchen nook. And the lessons and truth that I learned that summer have served me well every year since. It laid a foundation of knowledge that has informed my faith and propelled my study of the Bible. Because of what I learned in that simple study, I was set on a path of biblical literacy and study capability that I treasure.

When I had children, I wanted them to gain a similar appreciation for the Bible and for the kings of Judah and Israel. I didn’t have the poster, but from memory, I reconstructed the study, piece by piece. And in our family room, we walked through the stories one by one. We learned about all the kings and debated whether they deserved a G or a B.

I loved every moment. I got to swap roles with my father to lead the family through the journey of discovery and faith. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

We didn’t have a kitchen nook. I didn’t fill out a poster with the names. But we had a printed genealogy chart on copy paper that we used. The times had changed. The format adapted. But the stories were the same that day as when I sat in the kitchen alcove.

About a year ago, I was cleaning my office and came across a copy of the Family Bible Study. It reminded me of the time with my girls. It reminded me of the poster on the wall in the kitchen. I knew I needed to share it again.

So I wrote a rough draft of this manuscript and published it for my small group at church. They served as my guinea pigs as we debated the qualities of the kings and expressed frustration over the similarities between “Syria” and “Assyria”. They went through the entire study, patiently pointing out my typos and formatting problems. They gave me feedback about what worked and, more importantly, what didn’t.

I’m grateful to that small group for their patience with me. For their willingness to try something new. For the grace they showed me when the mistakes were obvious (and many).

The result, of course, is a book. And my prayer is that in it, a lightbulb will go off in your life. You’ll see God through fresh eyes. You’ll understand a huge part of the Old Testament with a new heart. And that you’ll take the application to heart and discover new maturity in Christ.

Twelve-year-old me would be so proud. I hope it changes your spiritual life as much as it has changed mine.

___

Writing those words brings tears to my eyes.  The memories are so dear.  The impact on my life so profound.

You are the first to know about this book:

So far I’ve got it available on my website.  I’ll get it out to Amazon and the usual stores over the summer.