God’s Word is so precious, and something we don’t want to take lightly. The truth that is in the Bible will benefit anyone who takes the time to read it, study it, or memorize it. The National Bible Bee Competition (NBBC) is a great way to prioritize spending time in God’s Word this summer.
Larrissa Chavez, a mom of three National Bible Bee (NBB) participants, and Angel Maritnez, an NBB participant for the past 5 years, were interviewed about why they signed up for the Summer Study.
Why did you choose to participate in Summer Study?
Larrissa was already looking for a Bible study to do with her kids for the summer months when she found NBB: “When I looked into it I really liked the memory aspect of it. I wished I had memorized more when I was a child, because those verses really stick with you when you’re a child a lot more than when you’re a teenager or an adult. Once we started [the Summer Study], I was blown away by the depth of the study.”
While the study is age appropriate, the participants are still learning deep things like Greek words, Hebrew words, and cultural studies. Larrissa said, “I was learning along with them!”
What tips do you have for studying/helping your kids study for the summer study?
Angel encouraged, “First of all, definitely pray about it and seek the Lord’s guidance and will in the studying. We do this for him and his glory. Don’t lose sight of the reason why we study God’s Word.
Time management was very helpful for Angel when studying for NBB. He offered the following tips: “I like to take my verse cards almost everywhere. That helps me keep up with my studying. When we would go on walks I would take my cards with me and study them. Your brain adjusts to the amount of verses in the [NBBC], and you learn to love to memorize. Don’t rush it because you can definitely overwhelm yourself with the amount of studying that can be done.”
Studying with siblings and other people has really helped him too. “The first year I qualified, I started my own study meetings. It really helped with studying, and I also got to meet a lot of new people, which was something I didn’t expect.”
Larrissa and her husband, Danny, have six kids, three of whom have participated in NBB since 2022. Something that has helped their family is to study for NBB around the same time each day. They work on the Discovery Journal in the morning, just like they do with school during the rest of the year. “It helps to couple it with something you’re already doing, like breakfast, or snack time. It really only takes around 20 minutes a day.”
The Summer Study includes multiple verse passages that have to be memorized for the competition. In regards to the memory passages, Larrissa advised, “For the longer passages, do one verse at a time.” Get in the habit of memorizing the first few verses, which will give you momentum to keep going.
What has been your favorite part of NBB?
Both Larrissa and Angel commented on the community aspect of NBB. Larrissa said, “The fellowship really blesses not only my children, but also me. Being around like minded people is really encouraging. It’s the Living Word, and you’re all affected by it differently.” You can learn things about a passage of Scripture that you didn’t catch when you were studying it on your own.
Larrissa’s kids, Caleb, Evelyn and Lauren, mentioned how they enjoyed the games that they played in the host group, like Bible jeopardy or Kahoot.
Angel responded, “You get to dig deeper into Scripture in a way that you haven’t before. The Discovery Journal goes into the background and context of the passages. It changes your whole perspective of the verses.” When you just read through the Bible, you don’t always get the same perspective that you do when you study it in depth.
What was your favorite passage that you memorized for NBB?
Evelyn, Larrissa’s daughter, studied Ruth and John, and she liked both!
What is one thing you’re looking forward to this year?
Evelyn, Larrissa’s daughter, is excited about the discovery journal. Caleb, Larrissa’s son, is excited about playing Jeopardy again!
What has been one of your favorite verses that you memorized?
Evelyn and Caleb, Larrissa’s children, both have fun memories of memorizing Philippians 1:6. “Who being in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
How have you seen God’s Word impact you/your family?
Angel said that before participating in NBB, he would just read parts of the Bible or memorize verses here and there. NBB helped him to see Scripture as a whole, and weave all the passages together. “The whole Bible is one story showing God’s plan of salvation for mankind. I seemed to know a lot about the Bible [before participating in NBB] but when I came to NBBC, it was completely different. People knew how to dig deep into the Bible and apply it as well.”
Larrissa said, “It’s a witness to others. It’s a priority for our family and people see that.” Some of Larrissa’s younger kids were involved in other activities that sometimes had schedule conflicts with their NBB local group. As a family, the Chavez’s decided to go to the host group, because they felt like it would help them keep God’s Word a priority. People will notice when something like spending time in God’s Word is important to you. Whether that’s from participating in a competition like NBB, or in your own way with something else.
Why would you encourage someone to participate in NBB?
Angel said, “NBB really helps you to grow closer to God by digging deeper into the Bible. You see the Bible come to life in a way you have never seen before. You’ll see the community of believers that love to study the Bible. It’s almost not even a competition. You get so many friends that are encouraging you, praying for you, and sharing things in the Bible that you have never thought of before.”
Do you participate for the competition or just personal devotionals?
The neat thing about NBB is that you can do it at whatever pace you want. Larrissa said, “We set more of a family goal rather than a competition goal, and whatever happens from that is great. If we do well in the competition, that’s great, but if not that’s still great!”
God says His Word will never return void, and that is so true! Whether you win the National Bible Bee Competition, or spend five minutes a day reading the Bible, it’s amazing what God’s Word will do for you and your family.
Written by NBB Alumna: Victoria Hoverson
