Boyhood and Beyond
My husband enjoyed using it for family reading
Boyhood and Beyond is a wonderful resource for young men ages 7 and up. My husband enjoyed it so much that he used it for family reading and discussion. Practical Happiness is just as wonderful. We can’t wait to get Created for Work. I heartily recommend anything that Bob Schultz has written. You won’t regret the investment of time or money.
Claudia
Tivoli, NY
Balancing the Sword
Balancing the Sword is for a serious fill in the blank kind of kid or adult. It overwhelmed even my most dedicated workbook oriented child. I think it is very thorough, but there is so much out there I think is better.
The Big Picture Story Bible
“Who’s the main character in the book of Joshua?” I asked the girls I teach on Wednesday nights. It was a trick question, and most of them caught it. While a few said, “Joshua,” most answered, “God!” In our Bible survey course we’d already discussed how GOD is the main character in every part of the Bible, even in Esther where He is not mentioned by name at all.
One of my purposes in teaching this class is that the girls will begin to see the big picture of what God is doing throughout time. It’s easy for children to gain a decent familiarity with Bible stories and still lack a cohesive idea of how it all fits together. Sunday school materials, especially for the younger crowd, often don’t help here, emphasizing discreet Bible stories but not showing man’s need for redemption, or explain what God was doing in the Old and New Testaments to call out and redeem a people for Himself. As I wrote in an earlier post, some books and S.S. curricula are even omitting the Fall and man’s sinful nature, as if this is too difficult or troubling for four year olds to grasp!
I don’t think my children are that unique, and none of them have had any trouble recognizing their own sinfulness. Rather than be discouraged by the fact that they do wrong things, even little ones can be encouraged that there is a solution for their dark hearts. And without knowledge of our sin, we have no need for a Savior. In addition, in Children’s Bible story books, sometimes truth is sacrificed in order to create an easy to understand text.
Enter The BIG PICTURE Story Bible. This book is unlike any other Bible story book I have even seen! Rather than just retelling lots of wonderful Bible stories, the author here, in simple words, shows God’s redemptive plan from Genesis to Revelation. Yes, you will read of Adam and Eve, Noah, Moses, David, Lazarus, Nicodemus, and John, but throughout you will see God shining as the main character. You will read of how God kept his promises over and over and how Jesus fulfilled everything that God had written about and planned from long ago.
As wonderful as the text is, the pictures are just as compelling. Bold and colorful, they have lots of kid appeal without resorting to sentimentality. (The angels who announce the birth of Jesus to the shepherds almost look frightening! But not enough to upset your three year old.) I love what the end cover says about the author: As a church-planting pastor and father of five, David Helm joined his confidence in God’s Word and his respect for the spiritual capacity of children to write this book.
Don’t sell your young children short spiritually. Read them God’s Word straight up, but when you look for Bible story books be selective. The BIG PICTURE Story Bible is a great addition to any family’s library!
The Big Picture Story Bible is available at Timberdoodle.com.
Bartholomew's Passage
Not as good as Jotham’s Journey
When our family had such a great experience using Jotham’s Journey, we read Bartholomew’s Passage the next year. The sequel is definitely not as good as the first! The storyline is much weaker, and there were a number of times where some quick editing of the lesson had to be done as we did not agree with the theology being presented. After finishing the book, we decided this was nice to go through once but not a book to keep in our family library. If you choose to use the book, keep in mind that you will need to preview the lesson portions and edit out liberal theology.
Jotham's Journey
Jotham’s Journey was one of the best stories to read during Christmas season as it fleshes out the feel of what it would have been like to actually be there when Christ was born and the story is so exciting (some parts are a little scary) my children couldn’t wait to read the next one. The reflections at the end of each chapter truly bring Christ into the season. Years after reading this book, the part of the “runaway” crying out for Jehovah still speaks to my heart.
