Help for a friend

[MedicMan]

Hey there guys,

I've been talking to one of my friends, and recently she's been telling me that she'd like to become a Christian, but has problems with reading the Bible - she's a slow reader, and doesn't have a long attention span.

I was wondering if anyone here could suggest some short passages that I could give her, by way of introducing her to the Bible? To help her start reading it, that kinda thing.

God bless,
~MedicMan~

 

[Foolish_Fool]

Whichever verses you use, I'd suggest the NIV for poor readers since it is in modern english. It's by far the easiest to read. I consider myself a pretty good reader but literal translations or the NKJV make me pause and reread paragraphs due to the convoluted language.

 

[latebloomer]

You and your friend could start with a children's storybook Bible. Read the stories, then look up the passage in a regular Bible. That would introduce her to the major themes and characters of the Bible as well as help her get comfortable with her Bible and help her learn how to find passages--what is where. Another possibility is for you and your friend to read together--you could read to her, then discuss. Or a recording. She could listen to a CD and read along.

The Bible is a big book and can be overwhelming at first. My large print copy has over 1900 pages not counting the extras in the back. Break it down. 66 books. A book could be 50 pages or just one or two. One book at a time, a chapter or two a day, until reading becomes a habit. I've heard it takes 30 days to form a habit. I'd start with the Gospels.

Another thought. Children's books are almost always printed with large print. Since you say your friend is a poor reader, it might be helpful to her to use a larger print edition.

 

[rejectreality]

Yeah, learning the themes and people in the bible first might help. I know it's for children, but Vegetales does point out a lot of the OT people and their stories, albeit in a different way than most would think of. There are also a lot of good movies about the life of Jesus and other OT people. Those would be good. Other than that, John 3:16 is obviously the passage that kinda sums up everything. And then the Gospels are good too, though maybe too daunting to begin with. I hope you find the right solution and can help your friend on her walk with Christ.

God bless

 

[WashedClean]

I agree with Latebloomer, great ideas.

I was also going to suggest The Message version of the Bible, which is written in very contemporary language. The only thing is, I've heard people complain that it isn't 100% accurate or a good translation from the original texts. But it's easier to read in general.

An audio Bible would also be a good idea, as Latebloomer mentioned.

 

[BrotherDave]

Hi MedicMan,

That is wonderful that your friend is attempting to read the Bible! I also applaud your support.

There is nothing more important than being in an environment where God works out his salvation plan. That environment is the Word of God. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God ((Romans 10:17, Eph 5:26, Eph: 1:13). God teaches us through the Bible (John 16:13, 14) as His spirit witness with ours (Ro 8:9, 14, 16). In addition to reading she could listen to the gospel through radio, tapes, cds…

God works in the hearts of individuals (Psalm 62:1,5). We all have a personal relationship with the Lord (Phil 2:13). God does all the work of salvation. He calls his sheep (John 10:3, John 6:37, Romans 1:6) they hear his word and he gives them a new soul in which they sincerely desire to do God’s will. It is only by God’s grace (Eph 2:8, Eph 3:7) and mercy (Eph 2:4) that He opens eyes and ears and grants understanding and wisdom to those he desires.

So, thankfully our salvation is not a result of something we have to do. Make sure your friend understands this so she does not become frustrated. This is why everyone (intelligent or not, with good hearing or deaf, able to read or not…) should be in an environment where the gospel is being preached as often as possible. This is the environment in which God works. God does not require understanding. Faith comes by hearing. He can give a person the spiritual ears to hear and can save him if it is His will to do so. Then understanding will come.

So carry on and tell your friend to just trust in the Lord. Pray for understanding and be in the environment in which God works as often as she can. She could be doing something at home or riding in a car with the gospel being preached or psalms being sung through the radio and God could increase her understanding and strengthen her desire to live for the Lord. This is how we grow in grace. But she must not be impatient. God works from his own timetable.

God Bless,
Dave

 

[latebloomer]

I'd suggest NIV or NLT. When I was a teenager, I read the Living Bible, and I understand NLT is an improvement on that. I'm not real familiar with it, but it is supposed to be easy reading. If this friend is a teenager, like MedicMan, maybe a study Bible aimed at teenagers or young adults.

Some parts of the Bible, no matter which translation, are harder to read and understand than others. I'd suggest starting with one of the Gospels, probably Matthew first. John is great, but some of the reading is more difficult. I'd read Acts right after Luke. They go together. Most of the Psalms are fairly easy to read and a lot are very short. After Gospels, maybe some of the shorter Epistles. Romans is not easy reading but full of the essentials of Christianity. Most of the first half of the Old Testament is not too difficult reading, Genesis through 2 Chronicles. It's easy to skip over the geneologies and repetitive parts. If the Bible has subtitles or headings, those parts are usually marked. MedicMan's friend could skip from one story to the next and catch up on the details the second time through.

 

[latebloomer]

Great advice, BrotherDave.

 

[vespasia]

Have a look for the Bible in Basic English.

It was written for those with learning difficulties and is useful for those who struggle with communication.

Some bibles are printed in different type colours, some are helped by 'dyslexia rulers' http://www.dyslexia-inst.fastnet.co.uk/dysinst_dev/product.php?PRODID=1412
It has also helped those with other SpLD

Also look at the typeface used. Some are eaiser to read than others.
If you can find the right colour/typeface/size it might make it easier to read for longer.

E-sword and bible gateway online are also useful as you can set your 'pute to put them in various colours, contrasts and typefaces til you get what works for you.

[I have a blue printed large type NKJV because I need to study for prolonged periods and whilst I have a laptop its not always convieniant to use]

 

[artgaldayna]

I would also suggest the NIV. It is both accurate and easily understandable. Though Romans is an important book filled with great information, I recommend John because she may understand more of it. I hope you encourage her and can answer her every question! I feel it is important to help her when she wants help. What a privilege!

 

[MedicMan]

Thanks for all the advice guys, this is all good stuff I'll let you know how we get on - she's still considering whether she wants to start reading the Bible or not at the moment lol.
Latebloomer, yeah, she's 15 so a bit younger than me

~MedicMan~

 

[jazzypooh]

Whichever verses you use, I'd suggest the NIV for poor readers since it is in modern english. It's by far the easiest to read. I consider myself a pretty good reader but literal translations or the NKJV make me pause and reread paragraphs due to the convoluted language.

i agree.

when i first began to read the Bible, i too had trouble understanding the language especially the KJV. so i went to the NIV, and that helped me out a lot. so your friend could start there. and also, before he/she reads make sure that they go into prayer and ask the Holy Spirit to explain the scriptures to them. that's what i do all the time, and pretty soon they'll be able to have a better understanding of the Scriptures... even the KJV. lol

 

[MedicMan]

Hehe I know what you mean about the KJV. One of the youth workers at my church insists it's a brilliant translation though... I think it's because his name is James ;-)

~MedicMan~

 

[jazzypooh]

lol

i think people love that translation so much out of tradition. it seems like everybody grew up off of that translation. not to mention it was the 1st English translation. so i think thats really the reason so many people love it so much. we do so much out of tradition. but personally, i hate the KJV. i read from the NKJV because everyone at my church uses the KJV and i don't wanna be too far away from them in classes, etc. but in my opinion, it limits the scriptures because of the time period that it was written in. i prefer more expressive translations like the Amplified and NASB, but for new Christians or those who have trouble understanding/reading, the NIV would definitely be the best choice. that's where i started out at.

God bless you and your friend! i pray that God strengthens the both of you in your faith.

 

[latebloomer]

Back in the olden days--early 1970s--the recently published Good News for Modern Man New Testament and Living Bible were very popular among teenagers. My Sunday School Bible that my church had given me was KJV, so it was amazing to be able to read it in modern language I could understand. But those two bibles are both paraphrases, not translations. Nowadays my church gives the kids NIVs.

On the other hand, as a teen, I had an adult friend raised on KJV. When she started studying Shakespeare at school, she had no trouble understanding the language because she was already used to reading Elizabethan English.

I like to think of children's storybook Bibles as the Sunday School lessons I grew up with printed in book form.

 

[jazzypooh]

yeah that's true.

i grew up on the KJV and i would breeze through Shakespeare novels and the rest of my classmates would look at me strange...