I love useless knowledge. I could read random bits of trivia all day. One of the reasons that I love Sacred Scripture so much is because there are so many random, seemingly unimportant details found in its pages. They fascinate me. Nothing is unnecessary, however. Every iota of Scripture was inspired and breathed by the Holy Spirit. Everything is important and everything, everything is useful if we pray about it long enough.

Over the past several years I’ve spent a lot more time sharing the “random” stories of the Bible with teenagers. Teens can’t get enough of it. Balaam’s talking donkey (Numbers 22) , Elisha and the she-bears (2 Kings 2), or Eutychus’ nap during St. Paul’s homily (Acts 20), to name a few.

I don’t spend a majority of time on them, but they do peek the teens’ interest. They leave the teens wanting more. They begin great conversations. They elicit good questions. They insure that Bible study can be fun and not just formational.

Below are just ten “random” verses, details, facts and tidbits, for instance, that I find really interesting.

Did you know?

1.    Abraham had two nephews named Uz and Buz (Gen 22:21).

2.    Hezekiah is not a book in the Bible.

3.    God said that the people in Nineveh didn’t know their right from the left (Jonah 4:11).

4.    A live dog is better than a dead lion (Eccl 9:4).

5.    The Lord whistles (Isaiah 5:26, 7:18).

6.    Paul got snake bitten when building a fire, then mistaken for a god (Acts 28:1-6).

7.    Job’s three “friends” were names Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar (Job 2:11).

8.    Job’s wife thought he had bad breath (Job 19:17).

9.    Xerxes had people read his resume (record of his reign) to him to help him sleep (Esth 6:1).

10.    The Levites had a mandatory retirement age of 50 (Number 8:25).

Any number of these types of facts can be usefully used, woven or shared during a Bible study or icebreaker game.

If I were smart, I’d probably end here. But we know that’s not going to happen…

The more I prayed about these, the more I found the “randomness” quite useful to me, personally. These facts can be incredibly valuable in evaluating your own ministry, if you contemplate them long enough.

For example:

1. Abraham had two nephews named Uz and Buz (Gen 22:21). Did you also know that Timothy’s mom was named Eunice and his grandmother, Lois (2 Tim 1:5)?

You might not know Abraham’s or Timothy’s family tree. Do you know the names of your teens? Do you know their families?

2. Hezekiah is not a book in the Bible. Hezekiah was, however, a king who reigned 29 years in the southern kingdom of Judah.

Almost three decades of service and most people know nothing about him. Is your goal to serve or to be recognized?

3. God said that the people in Nineveh didn’t know their right from the left (Jonah 4:11).

You are not the first person to get annoyed with people who “don’t get it” and you won’t be the last. If so than look closely, Jonah, you might be headed for your own Nineveh. But don’t lose heart the Jonah was surprised by Nineveh’s humility and penitence when he delivered the message. You might be surprised by people, too.

4.    A live dog is better than a dead lion (Eccl 9:4).

You’re better off having fewer Core Members who are there for the right reason than many who are there for the wrong reasons. Strength in numbers isn’t always reflected in overall strength (lion) or in quantity…but in loyalty (dog).

5. The Lord whistles (Isaiah 5:26, 7:18).

You should, too. It’s hard to be whistle when you’re stressed and hard to stay stressed when you whistle.

6.    Paul got snake bitten when building a fire, then mistaken for a god (Acts 28:1-6).

The Lord is most likely doing amazing things through you…but you’re not a god. Keep your head about you. Stay humble.

7.    Job’s three “friends” were names Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar (Job 2:11).

Do you know who your teens’ friends are and where those friends stand with God?

8.    Job’s wife thought he had bad breath (Job 19:17). 

Fresh breath is a relational ministry must. This is part of loving thy neighbor – brush frequently and use mints as needed.

9.    Xerxes had people read his resume (record of his reign) to him to help him sleep (Esth 6:1).

If you can’t sleep ask your spouse or a friend (over the phone) to read your last Life Night teaching to you. If that doesn’t work (that’s good news), than read the minutes from your last parish staff meeting.

10.    The Levites had a mandatory retirement age of 50 (Number 8:25).

If you’re under 50 and worn out by ministry, shoot for at least 50 years old as a retirement age (heck, the Levites did it). If you’re about 50 and still enlivened by ministry, realize you’re not a Levite and work even longer. If you’re past 50 and tired – keep going – you’re a trend setter, and we need your wisdom!

And if you didn’t smile – not even once – in the course of this blog than take the rest of the day with pay…you just might be taking yourself (and possibly the ministry) way too seriously.

God laughs (Gen. 21:6, Ps 2:4) and you should, too.
God is love (1 John 4:8). Live in that love. Share that love.

It’s not about having random knowledge, it’s about realizing that anything can point creation back to the Creator.

I hope you had fun reading this because I sure had fun writing it.

Love in Christ,

Mark Hart (connoisseur of all things random)