| Taking Advantage of the Bible Bee Opportunity |
2009-02-09 |
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Galatians 2:20). Phil Walker memorized that verse as a young man in high school and credits it with not only bringing him to a saving faith in Jesus Christ, but also with helping him develop a love for Bible memory and the desire to encourage others to love it as well. Phil, a Christian school teacher and long-time champion of Bible memorization, finds it unimaginable that any Christian school, upon hearing about the Bible Bee, would not want to be involved. Accordingly, he has sent e-mails to the over 9,000 (yes, that’s over 9,000) contacts he has acquired over the years, which include regional overseers and administrators from ACSI (Association of Christian Schools International), acquainting them with the Bible Bee. He wants to make others aware of what he sees as a tremendous chance to fight the growing problem of Biblical illiteracy and to instill in students a love for God’s Word. Of course, there is also the incentive of the combined $260,000 that Bible Bee is awarding to the top finalists at the National Contest to consider. Phil commends the Bee for using the “obvious value of money to help the next generation discover the less obvious value of God’s eternal truth--a truth which claims to be worth much, much more than money or anything money can buy.” He hopes this prize money will be an inspiration for potential contestants to sign up and believes that the long-term impact on the contestants is worth every penny the Shelby Kennedy Foundation is offering. Phil hopes that hundreds of Christian schools around the country will be inspired and encouraged by the Bible Bee to take full advantage of the opportunities they have to make Bible memory a vibrant part of their curriculum, knowing that for many parents giving their children grounding in God’s Word is precisely why they have chosen to enroll their children in a Christian school. “We often talk about the Bible being taken out of public schools; however, being a Christian school, there are no rules against us. We have the freedom to teach God’s Word; what are we doing with that freedom?” A typical Christian school can have the same students for up to twelve years; it should be a priority to evaluate how much of the Bible is being taught, and more importantly, how much of that knowledge students are retaining. To combat Biblical illiteracy, Phil has developed an extensive Scripture memory program at his Christian school in Clinton Corners, New York. The K-12 school, comprised of approximately eighty-five students, has a unique Bible memory program which calls for its students to memorize God’s Word starting in kindergarten. What sets this program apart from similar ones is that as the students are promoted to higher grades, they not only have new Bible verses to learn, but they also review all of the verses they’ve put to memory in previous years. Phil believes this strategy of repetition is the most effective way to have students memorize for life, not just cram for a grade. In his crusade to encourage others to make God’s Word a priority, Phil is utilizing a number of creative tools. One such tool is Facebook, a social networking site on which he is hosting a group called “Bible Bee – I Can’t Wait.” There you can find opportunities to connect with others involved in the Bible Bee and check out links to Bible memorization tools and other resources. One link on the site introduces visitors to Scripture songs, which Phil believes may be the most effective and enjoyable tool available to help the Bible “stick” in a child’s heart and mind. Phil uses a number of songs that are already in circulation and also has a couple of songwriters ready to write even more songs after the Bible Bee announces the passages that will be used in this year’s contest. He also has included links to information about several camps he will be running this summer, specifically designed to help contestants who will be participating in the Bible Bee. Phil feels it is a tragedy that so many Christians today are merely floating along, unsure of what the Bible really says about God. Bible memory helps those of all ages, and especially children, learn actual answers that come directly from God’s Word, arming them with His truth and not just with theories or answers pulled from Christian culture. He’s excited to see the impact of the Bible Bee on all of the contestants who will be involved, but especially on those students he sees day in and day out, those he’s investing his life in. That’s because Phil knows the Scripture they memorize now will impact them for the rest of their lives, just as Galatians 2:20 impacted his. Check out Phil’s sites for more information: His Facebook group, “Bible Bee – I Can’t Wait” http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=101543350152&ref=mf# His Scripture Memory site http://www.scripture-memory-support.org/ |
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