Every vacation should be memorable; bringing in FUN Bible experiences related to your vacation locale and activities can make your next vacation and the associated Bible stories unforgettable.
If you like the idea, but don't think you can do this for your family by yourself, consider joining Connie Neal for a vacation where she will do the planning and teach you how to do it in the future.
Here's why and how to create your own Family, Faith, and Fun Vacation:
1. Kids - even teens - long for recreational time with their parents.
T. Suzanne Eller recently discovered that 99% of teens would choose a weekend with their parents over a $200 gift certificate at their favorite store (see her book Real Issues, Real Teens). Kids deeply desire their parent's attention and shared fun experiences. In my decade as a youth pastor, I found that it was much easier praying with kids if I'd spent the day playing with them.
2. We remember experiences far more than what we only see or hear.
So, make the most of family vacations by using any exciting activities to reinforce Bible lessons. We miss a huge opportunity if we keep vacation fun separate from Bible teaching. You could just read a devotional at day's end, but integrating Bible teaching with exciting activities makes the teaching unforgettable.
3. Connect your vacation with biblical faith:
a.) Identify a theme related to your vacation locale or activity.
b.) Make a connection between that theme and a Bible story. Engage your children's imagination with what it might have been like to have had experiences described in the Bible. Play related games, take photos of a dramatic moment in the Bible using your locale as a backdrop, read Bible stories tied into the kind of place you visit. Here are some examples:
Ocean/beach = Bible beach scenes. Imagine an army coming to enslave or kill you unless the entire ocean opens before you to let you escape. Read Exodus chapter 14. Explore tide pools and count all the different kinds of sea creature God created:
Genesis 1:21
So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
. Surprise them with a picnic of 2 small fish and five barley rolls. Have your kids try to count up to 5,000 men, imagine trying to feed them all, and then read
Matthew 14:15-21
That evening the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away so they can go to the villages and buy food for themselves." But Jesus said, "That isn't necessary—you feed them." "But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!" they answered. "Bring them here," he said. Then he told the people to sit down on the grass. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he gave the bread to the disciples, who distributed it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers. About 5,000 men were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children!
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
.
Nature/animal life/ zoo = Read
Genesis 1:1-2
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.* The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
:20. Imagine God asked you to make up names for all the animals and take turns making up new names for each animal you see - the funnier the better. Read reflections on nature in
Psalms 19:1-6
The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard.* Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
and Psalm 8.
Battlefields = battles of the Bible. Read stories of great Bible battles in Joshua chapters 2-6 (Joshua at Jericho), 1 Samuel 17 (David vs. Goliath), Judges Chapters 2-8 (Gideon vs. Midianites).
Monuments = Bible monument moments.
1 Samuel 7:12
Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means "the stone of help"), for he said, "Up to this point the LORD has helped us!"
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
(Ebenezer stone commemorates victory over the enemy and God turning favor toward his people), Joshua chapter 4 (twelve stones commemorating the twelve tribes that crossed the Jordan River).
Vineyards = Bible stories and metaphors about vineyards.
Genesis 9:20-28
After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard. One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers. Then Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. As they did this, they looked the other way so they would not see him naked. When Noah woke up from his stupor, he learned what Ham, his youngest son, had done. Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham:"May Canaan be cursed! May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives." Then Noah said,"May the LORD, the God of Shem, be blessed, and may Canaan be his servant! May God expand the territory of Japheth!May Japheth share the prosperity of Shem,* and may Canaan be his servant." Noah lived another 350 years after the great flood.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
(Noah's drunkenness and bad results),
Leviticus 19:9-10
"When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. It is the same with your grape crop—do not strip every last bunch of grapes from the vines, and do not pick up the grapes that fall to the ground. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the LORD your God.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
and
Deuteronomy 24:19-22
"When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don't go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all you do. When you beat the olives from your olive trees, don't go over the boughs twice. Leave the remaining olives for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. When you gather the grapes in your vineyard, don't glean the vines after they are picked. Leave the remaining grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Remember that you were slaves in the land of Egypt. That is why I am giving you this command.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
(God's care for the poor by requiring vineyard owners to leave some grapes for them), 1 Kings 21 (King Ahab stealing Naboth's vineyard after Jezebel has him murdered and God's justice). Discovery of great grapes in the Promised Land
Numbers 13:23-24
When they came to the valley of Eshcol, they cut down a branch with a single cluster of grapes so large that it took two of them to carry it on a pole between them! They also brought back samples of the pomegranates and figs. That place was called the valley of Eshcol (which means "cluster"), because of the cluster of grapes the Israelite men cut there.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
.
Castles - even at Disneyland = Bible stories about God being the king and us as his children, therefore royalty. Read or memorize
1 Peter 2:9-10
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,* a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. "Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people.Once you received no mercy; now you have received God's mercy."*
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
, Read Psalm 45, The book of Esther or Daniel where God's people were in the royal court, the coronation of King Solomon in 1 Kings 1, how God sees his people like the crown jewels,
Zechariah 9:16-17
On that day the LORD their God will rescue his people, just as a shepherd rescues his sheep.They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown. How wonderful and beautiful they will be! The young men will thrive on abundant grain, and the young women will flourish on new wine.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
.
Water skiing = Jesus and Peter walking on water,
Matthew 14:22-32
Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and cross to the other side of the lake, while he sent the people home. After sending them home, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. Night fell while he was there alone. Meanwhile, the disciples were in trouble far away from land, for a strong wind had risen, and they were fighting heavy waves. About three o'clock in the morning* Jesus came toward them, walking on the water. When the disciples saw him walking on the water, they were terrified. In their fear, they cried out, "It's a ghost!" But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage. I am here!*" Then Peter called to him, "Lord, if it's really you, tell me to come to you, walking on the water." "Yes, come," Jesus said. So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw the strong* wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. "Save me, Lord!" he shouted. Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. "You have so little faith," Jesus said. "Why did you doubt me?" When they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
. If you have life vests, you might imagine what it was like for Peter to step out of the boat at Jesus' command as each of you try to walk on water by stepping out of a boat.
Parasailing, ballooning or other up-in-the-air activities = Bible stories of people going up in the air miraculously. Read about Jesus' ascension in
Mark 16:19
When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
Acts 1:1
In my first book* I told you, Theophilus, about everything Jesus began to do and teach
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
Timothy 3:14-16; Elijah taken up in 2 Kings 2; the mysterious disappearance of Enoch in
Genesis 5:21-24
When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
,
Hebrews 11:5-6
It was by faith that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying—"he disappeared, because God took him."* For before he was taken up, he was known as a person who pleased God. And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt)
.
4. Create games or a party experience to reinforce the learning themes (even within your hotel room or in the tent) if you have the time, imagination, and energy. For example: if you're on a battlefield or camping in a tent you could pretend you're among the soldiers in King Saul's army who are afraid to go out to fight the giant. You could make up the Top Ten excuses for not going out to fight. Compare scars and tell stories of your worst injuries, maybe spin yarns about how you got the scar in battle - maybe with the fierce puppy. Make a safe sling shot; practice using it against lions and bears (preferably stuffed) as David did to prepare for his victory over Goliath.
5. Use media and photography to reinforce memories & understanding. Find age-appropriate videos related to the activities. If you're at a battlefield you could show Veggie Tales Dave and the Giant Pickle or Josh and the Big Wall for younger kids. Have kids dress up to reenact a dramatic moment from the story. Take pictures at an apt location. The vacation photos will forever commemorate the related Bible story.
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About The Author
Connie
Neal
Connie Neal is the author of What’s a Christian to Do with Harry Potter? and The Gospel According to Harry Potter.
