Table of Contents
A Letter to Jesus
Dear Jesus,
The last two weeks have made me realize how important it is to have a relationship with you – especially considering all the recent violence, such as Charlie Kirk’s death and the death of Iryna Zarutska.
The one silver lining I’ve seen is people on social media stating that Charlie Kirk’s death has made them want to know you or go back to church for the first time in years.
But here’s where I’m concerned. Going to church for the first time can be overwhelming and intimidating. I don’t want the newcomers to shut down and decide not to go.
Therefore, I’m surrendering what was once a freelance copywriter website to you, Jesus. The purpose of the new website, Sass, Sarcasm, & Scripture – Finding the Joy in Jesus, is to share my adventures of building a relationship with you, which is similar to stumbling around in the dark and apologizing to the furniture after bumping into it.
My relationship with you, Jesus, has been anything but prim and proper. My prayers are often filled with colorful language and humor.
I hope this blog brings comfort, confidence, and encouragement to those who need it.
Read More: Kids Choir Chaos
The Rules
To whom it may concern,
I really hope you like what I have to say and that if you’re new to your faith, it gives you some comfort in knowing that people who are religious aren’t all prim and proper. There’s so much joy in Jesus, and I hope you find that here.
That being said, there are a few rules.
- I always try to apply humor responsibly, but not everyone shares my sense of humor. Please know the purpose of this blog isn’t to mock Jesus, the Bible, or churches.
- I get yelled at by random memes in my blog. Most notably, Jean Luc Picard of the Starship Enterprise.
- I’m not crazy. According to my therapist, I have an interesting mind.
- When discussing scripture, I may at times apply humor by taking creative liberties with the text. Again, I’m trying to be funny, not insulting.
And there you have it. Now, onward and upward!
The Moms' Bible Study
Some of the best experiences I’ve ever had with studying the Bible have been during Moms’ Bible study groups.
One of the first Bible studies I ever attended was hosted by a friend of mine in Maryland, where my family and I were living. In the beginning, the first Bible study was held at the church, but it was met with some ridicule by other church members.
Some of the older members made snide comments about how we weren’t really praising Jesus or studying the gospel. We were just using the Bible study as an excuse to get together and drink wine.
Read More: The Judgy Moms
I want to make this very clear. We absolutely used this time to praise Jesus and study the Gospel.
And then we drank the wine. But not at the church. At our home afterwards.
The Other Moms' Bible Study
A few years later, my husband’s job relocated us to Georgia, where I was fortunate to discover another Bible study group. Yes, there was wine. Yes, we actually did study the Bible. No, we weren’t at the church while we were drinking the wine.
It was during this Bible study that some incredible memories were made with my girls. I heard somewhere that people should treat Bibles the same way they treat textbooks. With textbooks, people highlight them and write notes in the margins. That’s what people should do with the Bible as well. Why? Because you are studying the Bible.
One night, I was sitting at the kitchen table working on a Bible study. I saw something in scripture that I wanted to highlight. I don’t remember exactly what the verse was, but I believe it was from John.
My youngest came over and noticed I was highlighting the text. She looked at me with these irresistible brown eyes and asked:
Of course, I said yes. Then she and her older sister both joined me in coloring the Bible. It’s one of my favorite memories.
The Warden
The church I grew up in was an interesting experience. Traumatizing is a better way to describe it. Most of the people weren’t friendly. Some were. Worshipping was a passionless business. There was no joy in Jesus.
The worst memory I have is of the youth group director. For anonymity’s sake, I’ll refer to her as the warden. Nurse Ratched is also a good fit, but when I think of the warden, I think of an actual warden.
The warden was very stern. She dressed conservatively. Not a bad thing. Most of her clothes were neutral colors. Her skirts always went past the knee. Again, not a bad thing. She was a very devout woman with little compassion.
The youth group’s routine after dinner was to stand in a circle and pray. Everyone had the opportunity to pray out loud for someone. One evening, a 9-year-old prayed for her friend’s dog because it was being euthanized that night. Most people would think that this was a sweet gesture.
Not the warden. Nope. In front of everyone, the warden said, “Next time, pray for something that has a soul.”
Rumor has it the pastor did speak with her about her comment, but I doubt she realized how insensitive it was or that she might have been in the wrong.
Why am I bringing up this unpleasant memory from my past?
The Reason for the Warden Memory
A few years ago, on a Sunday, the Silver family made their way to church. The two older kids went to their Sunday school classes without a problem. The youngest, however, wasn’t having it.
Against my better judgment, I brought her with me to the adult discipleship class. My husband and I are blessed with three well-behaved kids, and with the exception of her throwing a fit when I tried to drop her off at Sunday school, she was very quiet in this class. It also helped that I gave her a highlighter and let her color my Bible.
In that moment, as I watched my beautiful child coloring passages, my mind went to the warden and what her thoughts would be.
“What are you doing? What would Jesus say if he saw your child defiling the Bible?”
After having that thought, I imagined Jesus walking over to my child and asking her if he could color with her.
No sooner did I have that thought than I was overwhelmed with feelings of joy and love. These emotions were so strong I almost started crying. I felt like Jesus was telling me,
“Yes, Allison. Yes. That’s exactly what I would do. I would sit down and color the Bible with her.”
This is one of the many precious memories I have with my kids, and even though it didn’t really happen, I’ll never forget the time Jesus colored with my child. Wherever He is, there is joy.
Read More: Easy Prayers for Children to Learn
Everything in life is messy. Churches are messy. People are messy. Even faith can be messy. Coloring with highlighters is definitely messy.
While some churches might be strict and very conservative, others aren’t. This is why it’s important to continue visiting different churches until you find one you feel comfortable in. And if at any point it stops feeling comfortable, start shopping around again.
Wherever you go, whatever faith you are, I hope you find a church that makes you feel safe. One that encourages you to color with Jesus.
Oh. And the picture up above is the page of my Bible that my two girls colored with me at the kitchen table. I drew a heart around it so I’d never forget that was the page (they’ve colored a lot of pages since then.)
The Obligatory Call to Action
Find and download this YouVersion Bible App on either Google Play or Apple.
Reasons why I love this app: you can pick whatever translation you like, NIV, King James, etc. And you can invite your friends to join you in the app.
Would you like to join me? Scan the QR code with my name on it – Allison Silver!
If you’re on a cell phone, it will be at the bottom of the page. If you’re on a desktop, it will be on the right sidebar. If you’re on a tablet, I have no idea where it’ll be.
Also, the app includes an audio version, allowing you to listen to scripture while you’re on the go.
And last but not least, You can find free Bible study plans, like The Bible Recap – Tara Leigh Cobble
The Bible Recap – Tara Leigh Cobble will take you through a chronological reading of the Bible in one year.
What does chronological reading mean? I’m so glad you asked. Instead of reading the Bible cover to cover, you’ll skip around a bit. For example, you’ll read a few chapters of Genesis, read the entire book of Job, and then finish Genesis.
Then, the creator of the Bible Recap, Tara-Leigh Cobble will explain to you – in the YouVersion Holy Bible App – what you just read. The video summary can be found under the Devotional section at the beginning of each lesson.
I started the Bible Recap earlier this year and never finished. I can’t think of a better time to start and I love to do it with you!
So what do you think? Will you join me for the Bible Recap challenge? Let me know in the comments!
