Meet Titus Alexander, a member of the 2024 National Bible Bee Alumni Service Team!
Here are some quick facts to help you get to know Titus:
Where he’s from: Copley Ohio
Age: 19
NBB Participation: 2011-2014, 2017-222 (ten years)
Fun Facts:
- Titus has thirteen siblings four older and nine younger.
- He has had one fish as a pet.
- His hobbies include, playing chess and Geoguessr, reading sci-fi/fantasy books, and memorizing Scripture.
- He is the only person in his family to have been to the Pacific Ocean.
- He has never broken a bone.
- The Wingfeather Saga is one of his favorite book series.
- He currently attends Patrick Henry College and is planning to obtain a degree in Classical Liberal Arts and a minor in Philosophy. He intends to pursue a career in teaching and possibly go to seminary after college as well.
Hi Titus! Welcome to the National Bible Bee Blog! We hope you can share some insight with us!
How did your family become involved with the National Bible Bee?
- My family first heard about the NBB in 2010, Bible Bee’s second year, through WORLD Magazine. My parents thought Bible Bee sounded like a great way to invest our time in Scripture. I was too young to participate at the time, but my older siblings competed and loved it!
How many years did you compete in the NBB? And did you ever make it past the preliminary rounds?
- I participated in the NBB for 10 years from 2011-2022 (our family skipped 2015-16). In 2018, I advanced to the Semifinal round for the first time and eventually the Final round. I did the same in 2019 and 2020 and also advanced to the Semifinals in 2022. I never expected to do so well when I first started Bible Bee, but God was very gracious to me and used the hard work I put into the competition to bless me.
That’s amazing! Indeed, God is good! What is your favorite NBB theme or study passage from the years you participated?
- My favorite NBB theme is Worship from the 2019 study. That year, we studied many psalms in-depth and also studied the book of 1 Peter. Both the Summer Study and the Nationals study were a huge blessing to me and I grew much closer to the Lord by studying His Word on my own and with others. Worship became to me not just an action but the only way to live life with God. I grew in my prayer life and my personal Bible study so much that year because of Bible Bee, so I definitely look back on the theme of Worship with fondness.
Do you have a favorite memory from the years you participated in the National Bible Bee?
- There are so many favorite memories I could mention, but one that has stuck with me since aging out of the competition is the encouragement I received from parents and contestants concerning the study materials I made each year. When I was a Bible Bee contestant, I made lots and lots of Quizlet sets and Google docs related to the book or passage we were studying and shared them with other contestants. Mainly I was trying to aid in my own studying, but I also wanted others to benefit from what I made as well. I didn’t ever expect how much people would come to appreciate the study tools I made, and hearing from contestants and their parents at Nationals just how much I had been able to help them was super encouraging to me and motivated me to keep producing study materials each year.
That’s great! I love that you were able to help out so many people, especially since it helped with your studies as well. You were on the AST last year. What was your favorite part of being on the AST? And why did you choose to apply again?
- Getting to come to Nationals and help out staff while interacting with all of the contestants and their families was definitely my favorite part of serving on the AST last year. Helping over the summer and fall virtually was wonderful, but Nationals felt like the culmination of all of our efforts, and it was very rewarding. I really felt as if I was able to make an impact on the lives of the contestants I was helping and encouraging. Also, the Bible Bee staff were absolutely wonderful and a real joy to work with during the week. That whole experience was probably the main motivator for me to apply for the position again, along with my love for helping both new families and veterans during the summer and fall studies.
Thank you for taking the time to share with us about yourself. Before we go, how would you encourage someone who is participating in the NBB Summer Study for the first time?
- To any first-time participants, I want to express how excited I am that you have chosen to spend your time studying and memorizing God’s Word. It’s an investment in eternity, something that will stay with you and bless you for the rest of your life. I would encourage you to start slow and do what you can, not pressuring yourself to take on too much but also challenging yourself to see how much you can accomplish. It’s important to be intentional about the Summer Study – too much time away from the study can make it harder to get back into it. Progressing along at a steady pace and filling out the Discovery Journal day by day is the way to go. Most of all, be open to how the Lord wants to mature and grow you through this study. If you ace the Qualifying Test but miss out on spiritual growth, you’ve fallen far short. Keep your mind focused on what is truly important, and God will bless your efforts.
