Heartprints

A Bucket List of Questions on Spiritual Topics

Let’s talk for a moment about the proverbial summer bucket lists. Maybe yours include sidewalk chalk, sprinklers, and blueberry cobbler. Perhaps they include something bigger like a special family vacation to Yellowstone National Park or snorkeling in Maui.

Either way, we all know time is finite. Consider this:

  • You have only 13 summers left before your kindergartner goes off to college,
  • Just 8 more summers with your 5th grader, and
  • Only 4 more summers with your freshman.

How will we make the most or our summers? What memories will we create?

For my family, this often means pulling out our Cuisinart ice cream maker for numerous concoctions. I can tell you we’ve tried most of the traditional flavors like dark chocolate, peach, and vanilla. We’ve also gravitated toward the more unusual…like kiwi flavored or one of my personal favorites—green tea ice cream.

In all the summer revelry, however, I often find myself coming back to one blogger’s list of 60 faith questions she wants to discuss with her kids before they leave home. She divided her questions into five categories: (1) The Bible, (2) Prayer, (3) Church, (4) Serving, and (5) Christian Living.

If you find the idea of spiritual conversations overwhelming, perhaps start simple. Think of simple questions like: “What did you enjoy about church today?” or “If you could eat breakfast with anyone from the Bible, who would it be?”

Then over time bridge to harder questions. Here are a few examples taken from the above-mentioned blog:

  • How often should you pray?
  • Why are many prayers “unanswered”?
  • What does it mean to serve others?
  • How do you get out of a pattern of sin?
  • What are some of the most noted apparent contradictions in the Bible and what are possible explanations?
  • Why does it matter if Christians go to church (can’t you just be a Christian at home)?
  • How important is it for Christians to share faith with others?
  • What is the difference between being a “good” person and being a Christian?

One question I particularly like: “Why does it matter whether or not Jesus was literally raised from the dead?”

Answers may involve turning to apologetic resources for help or simply reading words form the apostle Paul:

“And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty” (1 Cor. 15:14).

The questions each of us come up with may vary, but make time to decide which ones are essentials for your family. If we don’t make a bucket list of questions, chances are high that most won’t get answered.

Sarah is the author of Bathsheba’s Responsibility in Light of Narrative Analysis, contributor to Vindicating the Vixens, and contributing editor for The Evangelism Study Bible. Some of her previous ministry experiences have included teaching and mentoring of adults and children in a wide variety of settings. Her small claim to fame is that she has worked with children of every age range from birth through high school over the past 20 years. She and her husband Ben reside in Richardson, Texas with their four children.

One Comment

  • sonshine

    Summer ideas

    What excellent suggestions! This is a great resource. Thanks for culling the ideas and sharing what you chose. Sounds like a summer-fall-winter-spring as well. 

    Gaye a.k.a.Sonshine!