Recently I taught a workshop on reaching hurting and addicted teens. While discussing how we can encourage and support, we explored ideas that would help the teen connect strongly to Christ. One way we do that is by showing them that God’s words in the Bible can be extremely relevant and exciting for them today.

Daniel Darling has written a great book that can help all teens discover that. It’s called Teen People of the Bible–Celebrity Profiles of Real Faith and Tragic Failure. Daniel kindly offered to answer a few of my questions about his book.

What most inspired you to write Teen People of the Bible?

I was looking for good devotional resources for a few teens I was mentoring. I thought to myself, why would a teen read the Bible? What is in there that would inspire them? Then I thought, why aren’t we telling teens the stories of teens in the Bible? And so it snowballed from there.

Your subtitle describes the book as “celebrity profiles of real faith and tragic failure.” Sounds intriguing. Tell us more.

The Bible contains both–stories of real faith and stories of tragic failure–and it doesn’t airbrush anything. Teens can learn from these lives, warts and all. They can learn from the tragic mistakes of people like Samson and Salome, can be inspired by people like Joseph and Daniel, and can find hope in the redemption of people like Rahab.

Explain how you make these profiles practical for today’s teen.

We really talk about real issues teens are facing. Young people today, like the young people in the Bible, are faced with enormous pressures and struggles. So, each day we profile a moment in the life of a teen in the Bible and then discuss how this might be played out in the life of a 21st century teen. I also include a thought-provoking question each day, a prayer, and a lot of space for journaling.

How did you choose the 100 questions that you address in the book?

For each day, I really tried to discover the big question that young person was facing in that moment. Amazingly, the big questions haven’t changed in the thousands of years that separate people like David and Rebekah and Daniel from teens today.

What are some of the ways you envision this book’s use for readers?

I’ve talked to a lot of parents and a lot of youth pastors who have given this book to their teens as a gift. One mom said that her son has never in his life read the Bible on a consistent basis. She gave him Teen People and didn’t make any demands. She told me later that he read it through—all 100 days—and began reading through it again. In fact, one night, he stopped watching a movie and went to his room to, as he said, “Talk to God.”

I’ve also worked with many youth pastors. Some are using this as a curriculum. Others are using it as a giveaway to new believers. Some offer their teens the 100-day challenge of reading it straight through.

Any final thoughts you want us to know about you or your book?

I just want to encourage parents to set their sights high for their young people. Teens can have a real, vibrant relationship with God. Teens can read and understand the Bible. God’s Word is filled with the real-life stories of teens. We profile close to 30 teens in this devotional book. If you’re interested, you can download a free study guide that lists characteristics of every teen in the Bible. My website is www.danieldarling.com.

Thanks, Daniel!