Discover why teaching teenagers how to read Scripture matters more than ever. Learn practical ways to help youth engage the Bible with curiosity, ask better questions, and explore different perspectives through meaningful Bible study.

What if faith is less about having all the right answers and more about staying open to wonder? In this article, Common Ground Curriculum explores why wonder questions help children engage Scripture beyond memorization and into relationship with God. By asking questions like “I wonder how Jesus felt?” kids learn that faith is not black-and-white certainty, but a lifelong invitation to curiosity, imagination, and discovering how God is still moving in the world.

For years, Vacation Bible School has been a beloved summer tradition in many churches. And for good reason. VBS has helped generations of children learn Bible stories, build friendships, and experience God's love.

But several years ago, at Hayes Barton Baptist Church, Children's Minister Sarah Mears began asking a different question:

What if summer ministry could grow out of the gifts and passions already present in our congregation?

That question led to a new approach: Art Camp.

Churches are made up of human beings trying to love God and one another well—and sometimes, that gets messy. Feelings get hurt. Words are spoken in frustration. Callings are questioned. Old wounds quietly grow beneath the surface until eventually something breaks open. This is not new to the church; even Paul wrote letters to struggling, divided communities trying to find their way back to grace and reconciliation. Sometimes conflict belongs to no one person and everyone at once. And in the middle of it all, we often don’t know what to pray, what to say, or how to begin again.

There are parts of Scripture we tend to skip over. Not because they don’t matter—but because they ask something of us we’re not always ready to give. The book of Lamentations is one of those places. It doesn’t rush toward resolution. It doesn’t tidy up the pain. It sits in it. And if we’re honest… we’re not always sure what to do with that.