Teen People of the Bible

Yesterday I received my copy of Teen People of the Bible by Daniel Darling. Subtitled “Celebrity Profiles of Real Faith and Tragic Failure,” this book examines some of the better-known “teen people” of the Bible, starting with Cain and Abel, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Esau, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Samson, David, Jonathan, Solomon, Daniel, and ending with Esther, Mary, and the boy who offered Jesus five loaves and two fish. The book contains 100 short chapters, each built around a contemporary question–”Why do I feed badly when God blesses me instead of other people?” “Can I be confident and still humble?” “How can I make something good out of the bad situations in life?” “Does God have an answer for my excuses?” “Do the choices I’m making now really matter?” Darling imagines what the biblical character might say to us today, e.g. Joseph, “When bad things happen, you can give up in fear or you can trust God and make the best of it” and Samson, “Guard what you allow before your eyes, and ask God for help in bringing your powerful lusts under the control of the Holy Spirit.” Each chapter contains a brief summary of the biblical material, a section called “Just Like You” that builds a bridge between these ancient stories and today’s world, followed by an additional Bible insight, a short prayer, and a place for writing your own thoughts and personal response. In essence, Daniel Darling has produced a compact, 100-day Bible study for teens packaged in a very attractive format. Youth pastors will find it a helpful tool in their arsenal. And hopefully many students will discover that the stories of the Bible are incredibly relevant to the questions they ask and the struggles they face every day.