Texas Bible Bowl will offer three $1,000 scholarships to High School Seniors in 2025. The scholarship is open to High School Seniors participating in Texas Bible Bowl. The essay should include the participant's name, home congregation, and the number of years they have participated in Texas Bible Bowl.
The 2025 essay topic:
Coming Soon!
The essay should be a minimum of 500 to no more than 1,000 words. The essay will be submitted to the Scholarship Committee no later than midnight, Sunday, March 2, 2025. TBB Scholarships will be valid for thirty months from the award date.
The 2025 essay topic:
Coming Soon!
The essay should be a minimum of 500 to no more than 1,000 words. The essay will be submitted to the Scholarship Committee no later than midnight, Sunday, March 2, 2025. TBB Scholarships will be valid for thirty months from the award date.
2024 TBB Scholarship Winners
Essay Excerpts from Previous TBB Scholarship Winners:
“The most prevalent covenant that I have with God (and many others do) is the New Covenant, in Christ. Humanity has fallen so far from God, and the only way that we could have a covenant with him was for his son to sacrifice himself for our sins. When entering this covenant, we must obey the call to confess Jesus’ death and resurrection and join the covenant through baptism. This covenant isn’t simply a one-and-done, I must commit my life and emulate the Lord, and the only reason that God has not renewed this covenant elsewhere as he had intended with Israel and Moses is because Jesus stepped in and took my blame.” -- Kaitlyn Ardito 2024
“It has been such a blessing to participate in Bible Bowl for the last ten years. I have witnessed the journey of God’s people, from the Promise with Abraham to the nation of Israel, then to the life of Christ and the establishment of His church. All throughout the Bible story, God has been working to bring Man back into His presence. But why? I believe the answer is in Revelation 21. In verse 3, John hears a voice saying “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people…” Not only does God want us to be in His presence, He created us to be in His presence! How amazing it is to know that just like Israel, we are God’s treasured possession.” -- Elijah Gibson 2024
“Ezekiel 36:26–27 reads: ‘I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.’ In our new covenant with God, we are expected to show the fruits of our faith, and in return we have the peace of the assurance of our salvation. The old covenants required obedience; our covenant requires faith which in turn produces obedience. These old and new covenant concepts are very much connected. In the time of Moses, Israel was God’s exclusive chosen people. They were His priests, His prophets, His warriors, and His servants. This was the blessing of their fulfillment of their side of the covenant. Today, all true Christians can receive the blessings God promises to His chosen people. We are called to be Christ’s representatives to the world, and thus to be His servants and priests. We are God’s treasured possessions.” - Hudson Manlove 2024
"And he said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.' Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:19). When obeying God’s command to make disciples, we can learn from this instance of Jesus’ method in making his own disciples. At the end of Matthew chapter 3, God himself said he was “well pleased” with Jesus. He is the perfect example of everything we should strive to be. Just like anything else, looking to Christ as an example helps us carry out what God has called us to do." - Jazmine Dearlove - 2023
"Throughout the Bible, we see plenty of people fulfilling Jesus’ command to “make disciples of all nations”. It’s common in the book of Acts because it’s the point of the book, and there are a few stories in the gospels too of people other than Jesus converting the Jews and the Gentiles. God wrote the Bible through people to be our guide, so I believe that’s where we should look first for advice in everything we do, especially for advice on bringing people to Him. " - Will Spain - 2023
"God’s abilities greatly exceed merely understanding our problems. He also understands how to best solve them, and often chooses methods beyond the limits of anything we could invent. For instance, when God understood that Israel and his family would need food during the famine, he didn’t choose a simple solution as we would have. Instead, he gave one which accounted for many more factors. God’s plan saved Joseph from death, and helped him develop from a spoiled favorite child into a strong, humble man with great faith in God." - Malachi Drew - 2022
"Similar to the story of Sarah and Hagar, people like me had tried to assume what God wanted and go about it in their own ways, forgetting just how powerful and big his plans really are. He is such a big God, that typically we are unable to see how he plans on working through difficult times. This is also represented through countless stories in the Old Testament that led to the family tree that bore Jesus." - Joey Georgen - 2022
"If Genesis has taught me anything, it is that this world is full of unraveling, chaos, destruction and sin, but through all of it, God is ever present and ever ready to use his justice, mercy and grace to bring about incredible good through much less incredible people. If we can, to the best of our ability, bear his image in our interactions with others, following the example set by Christ, we can be the ones God uses to see situations and meet needs." - Matthew Kearney - 2022
"In Genesis, God interacts with His people directly many times. From creating man on the sixth day, to his covenants with Abraham. However, we also see God interact with his people indirectly, through signs and putting the right things in play that His people need. God has worked in my life in marvelous ways through His works. I have found God seeing my situation and meeting my needs by putting the right people in my life."- Katie Shanks - 2022
“'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.' (Genesis 1:1) and then, humans messed it up. From the beginning of time God has watched over all living things, especially humans. Throughout Genesis God sees the many actions of people good and bad and deals with them accordingly. Like the people of the earth in chapter six God saw their wickedness and decided to flood the whole earth, or Noah whom he found blameless was saved from the flood. Throughout my life I have experienced many trials and tribulations, but God has been with me through it all, and taught me that I should see others and help them with their needs." - Hunter Wacaster - 2022
"If we are faithful and serve God, no matter the situation on earth, then we may enter the city of our God (chapter Twenty-one verse twenty-seven) and neither will there be troubles, nor sorrows, and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. (Chapter Seven verse eleven and chapter Twenty-one verse four.)" - Benjamin M. Johnson - 2021
"In the Bible there are at least 35 verses from 17 different books that talk about tears. I believe that almost every one of those verses relates to the same message that God is trying to convey to us: that He will wipe away ALL tears. I believe that we have forgotten that message in today’s world with the recent pandemic.
One of the things that we are all so good at is worrying. God tells us not to worry but at the same time I think we are given this trait to be challenged. This pandemic and the recent winter storm really brings out the best in us when it comes to showing how much we fret about the future. We worry about next year or will we get sick or how much water and toilet paper we have. Even though we still worry about what will happen in the near future with our countless struggles, we still need to remember the good news about God relieving us of our fear. Instead of dwelling on the present, we should wake up and realize that God will always be with us and comfort us." - Abby Garner - 2021
“I can’t often see how God’s plan will play out, but “this God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true” (2 Sam. 22:31). I have seen this verse exemplified in my life and those of others time and time again, in times. I continue to believe that God is the only true rock for us; solid and unchanging, yet caring for us in a way that no one else can. “He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him”(2 Sam 22:31). Whether hearing my prayers for healing and strength, providing me with wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ, or speaking through his Word to calm my doubts and fears, God has been my strong refuge for my whole life.“ - Mattie Drew - 2020
“The first year I moved to Texas, I was hesitant to compete for Bible Bowl, seeing it as only a stressful competition. But after competing last year, I realized there was a lot more to it. There were some things I would have never discovered if I hadn’t explored outside of the popular realms of the Bible. Digging into the Word the way I did, encouraged me to be more curious and open-minded. Throughout my life, Jesus has made me realize the importance of being patient with people and unfortunate events life throws at me. Most of the time, the unfortunate events turn out to be custom-made events that God gives me to grow and learn from. So altogether, he’s influenced me to appreciate the good times and to depend on him during the bad. I’ve found that I can always take comfort in prayer, which is something even Jesus did before being arrested. I cling to Him and know everything will be alright. Thanks to Him I do not doubt my future, and I know that He’ll always take care of me.” – Kennedy Lewis - 2019
“’I believe in the sun not because I can see it, but because by it I see all things.’ This quote by author C.S. Lewis reminds me of the theme of this year’s essay “How Jesus Influences Me.” Though I cannot see Jesus in the same way I can the sun, because I am a baptized believer I can see things through His eyes which influences my daily actions, thoughts, and heart.”
“ I cannot imagine a life that does not follow Jesus, any more than I can imagine the darkness of the earth without the sun. I will forever strive to live out the Bible verse I learned long ago “Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.” (Proverbs 20:11)” - Casey Lay - 2019
“My teen years have been my best but also the hardest years of my life. I have grown in my knowledge of what love, trust, faith, patience, and perseverance are throughout these years. I came to my family through adoption. When I was taken from my dysfunctional biological family and placed into a loving, godly, caring family, I had to adapt to new rules. I had to listen and obey, and the way we did things was different from what I had experienced before. It was great being in a family that cared for and loved me, but it was hard to let go of the past. It was hard knowing I had been given up on, and I used to think that if I could change the past, I would. But, I don’t want to change the past. Jesus had me start my life like that for a reason. Growing in my knowledge of Christ has helped me realize that there will be good times, and there will be bad times. Jesus tells us in John 16 that there will be tribulation in the world, but He doesn’t leave it at that. He tells us that He has overcome the world. Jesus has influenced and continues to influence me to look on the bright side of life.” - Samuel Hamblett - 2019
“In 1 Samuel, we saw how Hannah and Samuel stood out. How can we learn from these stories and use that knowledge to stand out in our own life? From Hannah, we learned not to give in to anger and that when you put your trust in God and not in other people, all that you need will come. From Samuel, we learn that sometimes you can feel like the only one who trusts and follows God. But even when you seem like the only one, and you let your light shine, people will see it. They will come to you and will find comfort in the Lord. The world sees we are different and that He is the reason we Stand Out.” - Alyssa Sandefur - 2018
“The most prevalent covenant that I have with God (and many others do) is the New Covenant, in Christ. Humanity has fallen so far from God, and the only way that we could have a covenant with him was for his son to sacrifice himself for our sins. When entering this covenant, we must obey the call to confess Jesus’ death and resurrection and join the covenant through baptism. This covenant isn’t simply a one-and-done, I must commit my life and emulate the Lord, and the only reason that God has not renewed this covenant elsewhere as he had intended with Israel and Moses is because Jesus stepped in and took my blame.” -- Kaitlyn Ardito 2024
“It has been such a blessing to participate in Bible Bowl for the last ten years. I have witnessed the journey of God’s people, from the Promise with Abraham to the nation of Israel, then to the life of Christ and the establishment of His church. All throughout the Bible story, God has been working to bring Man back into His presence. But why? I believe the answer is in Revelation 21. In verse 3, John hears a voice saying “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people…” Not only does God want us to be in His presence, He created us to be in His presence! How amazing it is to know that just like Israel, we are God’s treasured possession.” -- Elijah Gibson 2024
“Ezekiel 36:26–27 reads: ‘I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.’ In our new covenant with God, we are expected to show the fruits of our faith, and in return we have the peace of the assurance of our salvation. The old covenants required obedience; our covenant requires faith which in turn produces obedience. These old and new covenant concepts are very much connected. In the time of Moses, Israel was God’s exclusive chosen people. They were His priests, His prophets, His warriors, and His servants. This was the blessing of their fulfillment of their side of the covenant. Today, all true Christians can receive the blessings God promises to His chosen people. We are called to be Christ’s representatives to the world, and thus to be His servants and priests. We are God’s treasured possessions.” - Hudson Manlove 2024
"And he said to them, 'Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.' Immediately they left their nets and followed him.” (Matthew 4:19). When obeying God’s command to make disciples, we can learn from this instance of Jesus’ method in making his own disciples. At the end of Matthew chapter 3, God himself said he was “well pleased” with Jesus. He is the perfect example of everything we should strive to be. Just like anything else, looking to Christ as an example helps us carry out what God has called us to do." - Jazmine Dearlove - 2023
"Throughout the Bible, we see plenty of people fulfilling Jesus’ command to “make disciples of all nations”. It’s common in the book of Acts because it’s the point of the book, and there are a few stories in the gospels too of people other than Jesus converting the Jews and the Gentiles. God wrote the Bible through people to be our guide, so I believe that’s where we should look first for advice in everything we do, especially for advice on bringing people to Him. " - Will Spain - 2023
"God’s abilities greatly exceed merely understanding our problems. He also understands how to best solve them, and often chooses methods beyond the limits of anything we could invent. For instance, when God understood that Israel and his family would need food during the famine, he didn’t choose a simple solution as we would have. Instead, he gave one which accounted for many more factors. God’s plan saved Joseph from death, and helped him develop from a spoiled favorite child into a strong, humble man with great faith in God." - Malachi Drew - 2022
"Similar to the story of Sarah and Hagar, people like me had tried to assume what God wanted and go about it in their own ways, forgetting just how powerful and big his plans really are. He is such a big God, that typically we are unable to see how he plans on working through difficult times. This is also represented through countless stories in the Old Testament that led to the family tree that bore Jesus." - Joey Georgen - 2022
"If Genesis has taught me anything, it is that this world is full of unraveling, chaos, destruction and sin, but through all of it, God is ever present and ever ready to use his justice, mercy and grace to bring about incredible good through much less incredible people. If we can, to the best of our ability, bear his image in our interactions with others, following the example set by Christ, we can be the ones God uses to see situations and meet needs." - Matthew Kearney - 2022
"In Genesis, God interacts with His people directly many times. From creating man on the sixth day, to his covenants with Abraham. However, we also see God interact with his people indirectly, through signs and putting the right things in play that His people need. God has worked in my life in marvelous ways through His works. I have found God seeing my situation and meeting my needs by putting the right people in my life."- Katie Shanks - 2022
“'In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.' (Genesis 1:1) and then, humans messed it up. From the beginning of time God has watched over all living things, especially humans. Throughout Genesis God sees the many actions of people good and bad and deals with them accordingly. Like the people of the earth in chapter six God saw their wickedness and decided to flood the whole earth, or Noah whom he found blameless was saved from the flood. Throughout my life I have experienced many trials and tribulations, but God has been with me through it all, and taught me that I should see others and help them with their needs." - Hunter Wacaster - 2022
"If we are faithful and serve God, no matter the situation on earth, then we may enter the city of our God (chapter Twenty-one verse twenty-seven) and neither will there be troubles, nor sorrows, and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. (Chapter Seven verse eleven and chapter Twenty-one verse four.)" - Benjamin M. Johnson - 2021
"In the Bible there are at least 35 verses from 17 different books that talk about tears. I believe that almost every one of those verses relates to the same message that God is trying to convey to us: that He will wipe away ALL tears. I believe that we have forgotten that message in today’s world with the recent pandemic.
One of the things that we are all so good at is worrying. God tells us not to worry but at the same time I think we are given this trait to be challenged. This pandemic and the recent winter storm really brings out the best in us when it comes to showing how much we fret about the future. We worry about next year or will we get sick or how much water and toilet paper we have. Even though we still worry about what will happen in the near future with our countless struggles, we still need to remember the good news about God relieving us of our fear. Instead of dwelling on the present, we should wake up and realize that God will always be with us and comfort us." - Abby Garner - 2021
“I can’t often see how God’s plan will play out, but “this God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true” (2 Sam. 22:31). I have seen this verse exemplified in my life and those of others time and time again, in times. I continue to believe that God is the only true rock for us; solid and unchanging, yet caring for us in a way that no one else can. “He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him”(2 Sam 22:31). Whether hearing my prayers for healing and strength, providing me with wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ, or speaking through his Word to calm my doubts and fears, God has been my strong refuge for my whole life.“ - Mattie Drew - 2020
“The first year I moved to Texas, I was hesitant to compete for Bible Bowl, seeing it as only a stressful competition. But after competing last year, I realized there was a lot more to it. There were some things I would have never discovered if I hadn’t explored outside of the popular realms of the Bible. Digging into the Word the way I did, encouraged me to be more curious and open-minded. Throughout my life, Jesus has made me realize the importance of being patient with people and unfortunate events life throws at me. Most of the time, the unfortunate events turn out to be custom-made events that God gives me to grow and learn from. So altogether, he’s influenced me to appreciate the good times and to depend on him during the bad. I’ve found that I can always take comfort in prayer, which is something even Jesus did before being arrested. I cling to Him and know everything will be alright. Thanks to Him I do not doubt my future, and I know that He’ll always take care of me.” – Kennedy Lewis - 2019
“’I believe in the sun not because I can see it, but because by it I see all things.’ This quote by author C.S. Lewis reminds me of the theme of this year’s essay “How Jesus Influences Me.” Though I cannot see Jesus in the same way I can the sun, because I am a baptized believer I can see things through His eyes which influences my daily actions, thoughts, and heart.”
“ I cannot imagine a life that does not follow Jesus, any more than I can imagine the darkness of the earth without the sun. I will forever strive to live out the Bible verse I learned long ago “Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.” (Proverbs 20:11)” - Casey Lay - 2019
“My teen years have been my best but also the hardest years of my life. I have grown in my knowledge of what love, trust, faith, patience, and perseverance are throughout these years. I came to my family through adoption. When I was taken from my dysfunctional biological family and placed into a loving, godly, caring family, I had to adapt to new rules. I had to listen and obey, and the way we did things was different from what I had experienced before. It was great being in a family that cared for and loved me, but it was hard to let go of the past. It was hard knowing I had been given up on, and I used to think that if I could change the past, I would. But, I don’t want to change the past. Jesus had me start my life like that for a reason. Growing in my knowledge of Christ has helped me realize that there will be good times, and there will be bad times. Jesus tells us in John 16 that there will be tribulation in the world, but He doesn’t leave it at that. He tells us that He has overcome the world. Jesus has influenced and continues to influence me to look on the bright side of life.” - Samuel Hamblett - 2019
“In 1 Samuel, we saw how Hannah and Samuel stood out. How can we learn from these stories and use that knowledge to stand out in our own life? From Hannah, we learned not to give in to anger and that when you put your trust in God and not in other people, all that you need will come. From Samuel, we learn that sometimes you can feel like the only one who trusts and follows God. But even when you seem like the only one, and you let your light shine, people will see it. They will come to you and will find comfort in the Lord. The world sees we are different and that He is the reason we Stand Out.” - Alyssa Sandefur - 2018