Shadrach, Meshach, and Travis (and other ridiculous stuff kids say)

In my years of working with children, whether its at a camp or elsewhere, I've realized that there is a reason why we teach and reteach bible stories in Sunday school and elsewhere. The majority of the time, when kids "remember" a Bible story I've asked them about, they have never ever heard that version before. Whereas the Biblical accounts I've heard several children present are completely random, I've noticed that there are some basic constants in the ideas that young children present:

1. Names in the bible are interchangeable and sometimes just aren't important. It's impressive how many kids know the story of David and the Lion's Den and Daniel and Goliath. I didn't even know that one. Maybe they just saw those stories in dreams and visions like Jonah and the Coat of Many Colors. Or hey, got a friend named Travis? Lets throw him in that furnace with Shadrach and Meshach in the gripping story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Travis. You can probably guess which one was adopted.

2. Modern-day examples just aren't as plausible. While teaching a bible study to a group of 5th graders, I tried to come up with a modern day example of Daniel and the Lion's Den. I can't remember all the details, but somewhere in the story we had broken the law and been thrown in the lion's exhibit in the zoo. However, each kids had objections to how much danger they were actually in. One, in a gross underestimation of the size of a lion's appetite, said he would just feed the lion his shoe so it wouldn't be hungry anymore. But, in fairness, a good pair of Nike's with velcro straps are just what lion's crave after a hard day of prowling.

3. Veggie Tales is a legitimate translation of the bible. The VTT (Veggie Tales Translation) does contain some accuracy, but I don't know if it qualifies as being parallel to a bible translation, what with the Chocolate Bunnies and singing asparagus. In the future, emphasize to your kids and little siblings that Veggie Tales is a creative retelling of the Bible, but not a shot-for-shot remake. Great for a rainy day, though.

All in all, kids say some crazy funny stuff when you take the time to share Bible stories with them and invest in them. Consider the rewards of sharing the Gospel with kids. You get to impact the next generation of Christ followers, and get some really good laughs when you do it. Trust me, it's worth it.