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GOD'S GREAT STORY: A Daily Devotional for Teens
JON NIELS0N
One-Year Devotional Helps Teens Establish Daily Scripture-Reading Habits
Young adulthood is often a pivotal stage in the life and faith of a believer. Christian teens are confronted with many challenges, making it harder for them to adopt effective Bible-reading habits. How can teens maintain a deep and fruitful relationship with Scripture while managing busy schedules and exciting new stages of life?
God’s Great Story by Jon Nielson unpacks Scripture from Genesis to Revelation, helping young adults grasp God’s full narrative and form helpful reading habits to keep a strong relationship with the Lord. Designed to be read in a year, each of the 365 daily devotionals includes a summary, a practical application, and a guide for personal prayer and meditation. Readings build off of each other to help readers grasp God’s grand story of redemption and the full saving work of the Son.
*Fruitful Devotionals: Readings expand on the overarching narrative of the Bible to reveal God’s full redemption narrative
*One-Year Plan: Lays out a plan to read the whole Bible from Genesis through Revelation in one year
*Appeals to Teens: Helps teens form daily Bible-reading habits to bring into adulthood
A BIBLE STUDY METHOD
The theological principles that inform our understanding of and approach to God’s word lay the groundwork for any Bible study method you choose to use. Your attitude toward the Bible is the most important thing; the specific methods are secondary. But the methods are important! A very simple Bible study method is the observation/interpretation/application model. This method is a helpful one for people who are just beginning to study the Bible. It’s easy to remember, and the three “sections” are clearly divided and defined. Here’s how it works:
• Observation. The basic question in this section is, “What do I see?” At this point, you are focused only on making observations about the text. This section is helpful because there are no wrong answers; you can make observations about a biblical text even if it’s your first time reading the Bible. Sometimes it can feel as if you’re just stating the obvious—but this step is very important. Make sure you don’t miss anything that’s going on in the passage.
• Interpretation. The next move, according to this method, is to begin interpreting the passage. First you asked, “What do I see?” Now you are asking, “What does it mean?” It’s usually helpful to tackle parts of the passage bit by bit, working through the things that it is teaching and communicating. The goal in this section, though, is to settle on the main point that the passage seems to be getting across. You’re trying to summarize the “big picture” of the passage in one sentence. Put a sentence together, ironing out a simple and clear summary of your interpretation.
• Application. Finally, the last step is to ask the question, “What does this mean for me?” Here you move on from mere interpretation and begin talking about what difference the passage from God’s word should make in the way you think and live. This is a very important place to get to, and it can easily lead into prayers that are very focused on the teaching of the Bible passage. Work toward real, practical, and tangible applications of the passage. You can ask questions like, “What does that really look like in my life today?” or “How should this affect my mindset as I go about my day tomorrow?”
One benefit of this three-step method is that you will very quickly get used to the progression and get better at working through the steps. This method can work very well, especially as you understand the “big story” of the Bible, with the gospel as the center.
ENDORSEMENTS
“God’s Great Story is an absolute treasure trove for teenagers. This daily devotional is a guided journey through the pages of the Bible, delivering bite-sized pieces of good news each day. I have been using the book with my own family for some time now and see how it helps reduce the intimidation factor that some feel when attempting to read through the Bible on their own. The practical prayer prompts and meditations at the end of each reading are helpful additions, making it easy for students to personally engage with the word of God. But what I like most about God’s Great Story is that it encourages our teenagers to get into the Scriptures for themselves, and that’s where the Holy Spirit does his best work.” -Trent Casto, Senior Pastor, Covenant Church of Naples, Florida
“Our teenagers’ valuable attention spans are pulled in different directions, and powerful narratives attempt to explain the world to them. However, there is only one story that deserves their thoughtful consideration and assigns meaning and value to everything they can see and everything they can’t see. Teens need to know this story and the one who wrote it. In a season of life when time seems to stand still, God’s Great Story is a devotional that will help teens get to know the one who stands above time.” -Gloria Furman, author, Labor with Hope and Missional Motherhood
“Any devotional worth its salt should motivate readers to understand and read the word of God themselves. I believe that Jon Nielson’s book God’s Great Story does exactly that. This book provides a very helpful structure for daily Bible reading to see how the story fits together to point us to Christ. If you have teenagers in your life, I’d highly encourage you to get this book for them. If you are a teenager, dive in and let this book guide you toward a lifetime of learning to live in this great story.” -Chris Bruno, President, Oahu Theological Seminary; Global Partner, Training Leaders International
“Devotionals are often either overwhelming or underwhelming. Here is a devotional aimed at young men and women that delivers perfectly. Nielson manages to emphasize the importance of Scripture reading while also informing the reader, pointing to Christ, upholding holiness, and emphasizing grace. This devotional equips theologically and stirs devotionally. As a pastor of a university church, I would be delighted if every one of our students began their day upon their knees with the Bible in one hand and Nielson’s devotional in the other hand.” -Jason Helopoulos, Senior Pastor, University Reformed Church, East Lansing, Michigan
“The statistics are out there—America’s youth are in crisis. Both young men and women are experiencing frightening levels of depression, suicide, drug abuse, and confusion about themselves and the world around them. Worse, many (even those who are seemingly well-adjusted and happy) are drowning in a sea of apathy and ignorance about the only thing that can set their feet on solid spiritual ground: God’s word. None too late comes this thrilling book by Jon Nielson. Breaking down God’s story into a compelling play of five acts, God’s Great Story helps our teens (and perhaps their parents) navigate their way through the Bible in a year to see the big picture of redemption—and their place in it. I highly recommend this wonderful, much-needed resource!” -Chris Castaldo, Senior Pastor, New Covenant Church, Naperville, Illinois; author, The Upside Down Kingdom: Wisdom for Life from the Beatitudes
CWN-1023 ddg
BRAND NEW TITLE RELEASED IN OCTOBER 2023
 SGCB Price: $12.95 (list price $23.00)
THIS IS VERY SOLID 400 PAGE PAPERBACK VOLUME
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