Fill the Stage

Daniel Dignan

Fill The Stage

Helping students live well

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1 Kings

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Have you ever wondered what the Old Testament historical book Kings is for? It’s a dramatic account of ancient Israel’s kings and prophets, tracing Israel’s descent from superpower to servitude in Babylon.

The drama is thick. Overwhelmed by his role, Solomon asked God (i.e., the Creator of the Universe) for wisdom and led Israel into a golden age. God warned Solomon that if he obeyed His Word, God would establish his royal line forever. But if he forsook God and went after idols, Israel and the temple would be destroyed. (1 Kings 9:4-9)

Solomon started well, but his heart split between God and idols. As a result, his kingdom split in two, and future kings led the people into idolatry and injustice. But because of Solomon’s father, King David, God promised hope: that David’s kingly line would not be destroyed.

As the kings led their people away from God, God spoke to them through prophets such as Elijah.

Tim Chester’s short commentary, 1 Kings For You, helpfully highlights the text’s theme and meaning: “the power of God’s Word” (144). In an age that rejected God and His Word, Elijah called the rulers and people back to God, sometimes in shocking ways.

Elijah’s ministry shows that God’s Word brings judgment to those who reject it and hope to those who seek God. The lessons for our day are vast and significant: Will we read the Bible, take God’s words seriously, and find real hope and happiness? Or will we reject it and seek our own way?

Elijah’s life and struggles also provide lessons. He experienced fear, doubt, and depression. He experienced mountaintop successes and deep lows, to the point of despair. But he remained faithful to God’s Word, and God used him in his generation.

Most importantly, Tim Chester’s commentary helps us see the connection between the Old and the New Testaments: David’s line culminating in Jesus of Nazareth, who obeyed God’s Word, died for His people, and rose again, so that all who follow Him will receive the hope and blessing God’s Word promises.

Lastly, 1 Kings For You is a light commentary appropriate for middle and high school students interested in studying the Bible. It helps readers understand the meaning and consider how to apply it to their lives.

John Martin (1789-1854), The Raven Feeding Elijah

Enjoying God

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Have you ever wondered what it takes to be happy? This book explains how to experience God’s love, happiness, and joy in daily life.

In times of pleasure, hardship, prayer, failure, pain, temptation, and more, God engages with us and can be known and enjoyed in fulfilling ways.

For application, at the end of each chapter, the author gives an action step and thought-provoking questions. Recommend reading one chapter per week.

Tim Chester is a British pastor and an author.

Confessions

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Except for the writers of the New Testament, Augustine of Hippo, Algeria (a.k.a. Saint Augustine), is the most influential church father. His theological-philosophical writings, second to the Bible, shaped Christendom and the West for centuries.

Born in Algeria in 354 AD, Augustine became a professor of rhetoric, teaching ambitious young men how to argue in the Roman law courts. He became a Manichean, and lived a carnal lifestyle, but grew intellectually dissatisfied and spiritually unfulfilled with his religion and life. Through the Christian influence of his mother Monica, and Ambrose, the influential bishop of Milan, he converted to Christianity after reading a Bible passage in a garden.

In his breathtaking spiritual autobiography Confessions, Augustine explained and confessed his early thoughts and sins, revealing the intellectual shifts and divine intervention that led to his Christian faith and conversion. He famously prayed “…you made us for yourself and our hearts find no peace until they rest in you.”

Lastly, after the Visigoths sacked Rome, Augustine wrote The City of God, which contended for the truth, benefits, and happiness of Christian teaching and God’s coming city.

Confessions is a must read for high school students. Strong 8th-grade readers could also benefit, but recommend they focus on the first half of the book.

Life With Jesus

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Are you a Christian or curious about Christianity, but not really sure what following Jesus is about? Recommend this booklet for teens. Topics include God’s good news, church, union with Jesus, suffering, reading the Bible, prayer, money, dating and romance, and sharing the good news.

Chapters contain a life scenario, Bible passage, study questions, and a brief explanation. Suitable for new and mature Christians, and those who are curious.

Tim Chester has written many books about the Bible, including: 1 Samuel For You, 2 Samuel For You, Isaiah For You, and Enjoying God, and more.

The Briefing

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As a supplement to your student’s education, I recommend The Briefing from Dr. Albert Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and Boyce College in Louisville, Kentucky. This is the best daily analysis of major news and events from a Christian worldview. Hundreds of thousands listen every day, including many middle and high school students.

It’s broadcast daily on podcast and video formats.

The Briefing

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The Remains of the Day

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Based on a book of the same title, this movie is about a man who was dedicated to his job, but tragically ignored what was most important. The story is set in England just before World War II, and shows the consequences of feckless leadership. Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson’s acting is a tour de force. Highly recommended for 11th and 12th grade students.

Secretary Rubio’s Athens Speech

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Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a speech near the Acropolis of Athens about America’s ancient Greek heritage. He connected classical Greek contributions with Western realities such as the quest for truth, exploration, and the pursuit of excellence. Secretary Rubio emphasized the need for pride, strength, and courage, warning that many in the West lost the will to survive, while enemy militaries grew strong, and that the West is at a crossroad of decision.

A serious speech. I recommend it to middle and high school students.

The Hobbit

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Part of Bilbo did not want to leave his Hobbit hole. Not for a mountain of treasure or his friend Gandalf. He could not stand the thought of adventures: “Nasty disturbing uncomfortable things! Make you late for dinner!” But Bilbo’s adventurous side got the best of him.

J.R.R. Tolkien’s prequel to The Lord of the Rings is a delightful children’s tale about courage, written two years before World War II. Deeply influenced by the heroic, ancient story of Beowulf, Bilbo confronts a dragon and many other perils.

Who can forget Bilbo’s escape from the Misty Mountains and goblins? His encounter with the giant spiders and their sticky webs? Their journey through dark Mirkwood? Bilbo’s descent into the Lonely Mountain’s side door and down the dark, hot tunnel? And Thorin Oakenshield’s injustice and redemption? With every step, Bilbo’s courage grew, though he often longed for home, tea, and chair.

Bilbo did not start with courage. But like a muscle, it grew with use. And love of the good fueled it. Though not a warrior and underappreciated by his party, Bilbo rose to the occasion, surprising all with his resourcefulness, conviction, and bravery.

A beloved tale with lessons in courage in every chapter, the story climaxes in an epic battle for the Lonely Mountain’s treasure. Tolkien’s personal experience of World War I deepened his writing of battle. Tales of sacrifice, maneuver, charge, desperate action, gloom, and hope permeate the story and reach readers young and old alike.

Tolkien tells a timeless tale of courage: it comes from the unlikeliest of places and can turn the tide for the good.

The Elements of Rhetoric

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A young person should keep a few short books handy. The Elements of Rhetoric is one of them. It provides a crash course in writing and speaking well.

Good persuasion has been cast away, and with it, much beauty and good, the author believes. The author covers the elements of persuasion: logos, pathos, and ethos, or the grammar, logic, emotion, and character of the speaker. Then, the author turns to the considerations and mechanics of planning, organizating, and delivering a speech or essay. Special attention is paid to devices that make a speech easier to hear.

The book is memorable, harmonizing rules of speech with examples and drawing on greats like Cicero, Augustine, Shakespeare, and Dickens. Importantly, it provides practical exercises for students who want to improve.

It’s a beautiful and enlightening work. The author is clearly a practitioner and teacher of the topic, and shares much wisdom about speaking truthfully and beautifully. Highly recommended gift for middle and high school students.