During last night’s session at the Gathering Conference, Albert Tate told us that we simply must hear Bishop Kenneth Ulmer preach before we die. He even went as far to say that if we get to heaven without hearing him, that we should ask for a 20 minute extension so we can catch a sermon. I didn’t want to take that chance, so I tuned in one of his youtube videos this morning. Want to catch it yourself? Check it out below!
Have you checked out the Action Bible by David C. Cook yet? This amazing comic book style version of the Bible is packed with excitement and really focused on Scripture. Check out the promo video below:
We’ve used the Action Bible quite a bit with our preteens at church, so I was excited to check out the new books including The Action Bible New Testament and The Action Bible Handbook.
My original Action Bible is packed (have I mentioned we’re in the middle of a move?), so I’m not sure if the New Testament is the same as in the original, but I imagine it it. Even so. sometimes it’s nice to have a smaller book to pass onto a friend. One of the things I really love about the Action Bible is the portrayal of emotions. I especially love this feature as I read through the life of Jesus. As the hip hop artist D.A. Truth states, “Christ was not a hippie picking lilies with his friends”, but too often that’s exactly how he is portrayed in children’s material. I love that Jesus exhibits a multitude of emotions in this New Testament including anger, determination, compassion, sorrow and more. It really brings home the point that Jesus was fully human while still being fully God.
I also like that Scripture references are given at the start of each story in case you want to read the full narrative. Kids seem to really enjoy the comic book style writing of The Action Bible and I’m sure this version will be a big hit too.
I was super excited when I saw the Action Bible Handbook. I’m a huge fan of Cool Bible Tools and this one is perfect for the older kid in your ministry. It covers a number of things from the Bible, including many people and places. It also explains (and gives references) for a few animals and concepts too. I like how it gives page numbers for the Action Bible and references if you’re using an actual Bible. I wish there were a few more pictures in it, but I know that cuts down on the amount of material. All it all, a great tool and I’m sure our preteen class will really enjoy using it.
Now for the fun part! Are you interested in your own copy of the Action Bible? Enter via Rafflecoptor below! Contest ends April 5th, 2013.
I am always on the lookout for good preteen Bible. This is sometimes a tough age for kids and we want to make sure that the Bible they are using is engaging and easy to understand. My friend Sherrie recommended I take a look at the Quest Study Bible from Zondervan. It’s a regular NIV Bible but in the margins, there are questions and answers — things that people might ask as they are reading to the passage. sonogram was kind enough to send me a review copy and here’s what I thought:
This seems like it would be a great Bible for preteens or teens. It has a lot of interesting facts and answers a lot of common questions teens would have while reading through the Scripture. I really enjoyed reading it during the past week and even learned a few things by reading the question and answers in the margin. Currently, the price of the NIV Youth Quest Study Bible: The Question and Answer Bible
You may remember my review for the Toddler Bible back in February. We’ve been reading this book on and off throughout the year and though my 2 year old (almost 3) still really enjoys it, you can tell she is ready to move on to something different. And as Sam Luce says, it’s best to stay “one Bible ahead” of your child. So of course, when I heard Gilbert Beers (the author of the Toddler Bible) had come out with a Preschool Bible, I jumped at the chance to review it.
Many of my observations are the same at the Toddler Bible — let’s take a look!
(currently $12).
Interested in your own copy? Leave me a comment and tell me your fave Bible story for a chance to win. Oh yeah, if you follow me on twitter, that’s a bonus entry (leave another comment). Contest ends November 17th, 2012.
UPDATE: CONTEST HAS ENDED.
A Different Way Blog (Giveaway too)
Steven Knight (Giveaway too)
Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressions are my own.
A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Tyndale House Publishers to see if I’d like to take a look the Little Angel’s Bible Storybook. I’m always interested in checking out new kids’ Bibles — both for my own two kids and as a resource for parents in our Children’s Ministry program. So of course, I signed up to check it out.
When it arrived, I was struck by one thing on the cover — Roma Downey’s somewhat sultry face on the cover. I don’t know.. maybe it’s the smoky eyes or the little half smile — it just doesn’t seem like an appropriate picture for the cover of a kid’s Bible. Frankly, no person’s picture should be on the cover of the Bible. What are we trying to focus on here?
Picture taken from the listing on Amazon.com
On page 16, we meet all the little angels including Uriel, the angel of creativity and Hayley, the Animal Facts Angel. Umm, yikes. Not only is this completely unbiblical, but I think it shifts the focus away from who the Bible is really about — God. There seems to be an obsession in our culture with angels and the power and protective nature of angels, but really – angels only do what God tells them to do. They are his servants and they exist to glorify God.
Maybe it’s because Roma Downey WAS an angel on her hit show, Touched By an Angel, but I just think the whole angel-craze is a little much. Apparently, its a big theme for her though, based on the fact that she’s got an entire Little Angels Series.
Beyond all that, the text in the Bible seems to be accurate. Sure, it’s paraphrased, but I it sticks closely to Scripture. I like that at the end of each story, there is a little box entitled “I learned that…” that gives some kind of practical application for kids. There are also suggested follow up activities, prayers, and coordinating memory verses with each story —- LOVE LOVE LOVE this feature!
The stories themselves seem to be filled with just enough details to give some depth to each account, but not too much to make a kid grow restless. I like that there is dialogue as well as narrative and the stories seem to flow very well one to another. The pictures are colorful and fun to look at, without being overwhelming or distracting to the reading. Although, I think the Jesus character has the exact same expression in almost every one of his accounts. Another plus –each story lists the coordinating Scripture passage, so if you wanted to look it up in an actual Bible, it would be easy to do so. This Bible covers all of the Old Testament and the New Testament through the book of Acts. It skips over all the epistles (ugh), like so many Bible storybooks do, and then ends with Revelation.
If you can get past the angel stuff at the beginning, this is really a great resource. The angels themselves aren’t actually mentioned anywhere else in the Bible (little icons of the angels are pictured, but easily overlooked), so if it was me, I would just rip out pages 16-17 before giving this to someone! All in all, worth a look, especially for a child in the 3-5 range. Grab your copy of Little Angels Bible Storybook
Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
There’s nothing like a good story, and the Bible is full of them! This fall, we are starting “The Story” curriculum by Zondervan and I’m thrilled. Ever since my time at The Gathering Conference, I’ve been increasingly convinced that we need to be putting more emphasis on “The Big God Story” (overarching meta-narrative of the Scriptures). When I saw this Bible in the Amazon Vine program, I snatched it right up. I am completely impressed.
In the beginning pages, there are 6 lessons for small groups to go through together. At the start of each lesson, there is a tag that you can scan with your smart phone and Randy Frazee does a short video introduction or devotional. The first video lesson started with a famous football speech, so my husband was instantly a fan! I thought the videos were great and I love the fact that the editors took the time to be “up to speed” with today’s technology. I can see this sort of thing being a great resource for morning devotions.
There are 36 (I think) key stories in the Bible that help form “The Big God Story”. Of course, everything in the Bible contributes to the overall story, but sometimes a person (especially someone just picking up the Bible for the first time) can get overwhelmed trying to read the Bible from cover to cover. This Bible helps guide you to the 36 key stories, giving a brief devotional type write up at each passage with a “God’s Story” and “Your Story” section. Then it tells where to turn for the next key story, both as a Scripture reference and page number. It’s very helpful and non-threatening to a beginner and enlightening to a long-time reader.
There have been some translation differences since the 1984 NIV, but it seems the translations are more accurate. I would definitely recommend this resource. In fact, I’m so thrilled with it, I’m giving away a copy at our next Kids for Christ Family Fun night!
What’s your favorite resource for getting into God’s Big Story?
*I was provided with a free copy of this book from Amazon Vine. The opinions expressed are my own.
Lindsey Whitney is the Children’s Ministry Director at East Lake Road Alliance Church in Erie, PA. She manages the Children’s Church program, mid-week Kids for Christ program as well as special events and mentoring programs. She has an excellent volunteer team and is grateful for all the support and encouragement the church members provide. Lindsey has been married to her wonderful husband for over five years and together they have two fun, energetic kids. She operates a family home day care and loves the interaction with kids she has both in the home and at church. She operates Growing Kids Ministry, a Children’s Ministry blog and recently served as one of the contributing authors on KidMin1124. She has been published by Children's Ministry Magazine and Stuff Christians Like and hopes to do more writing in the future. In her spare time, she loves to see the sites in Erie, watch the Steelers with her husband, read books and magazines, visit with family and sneak in a few stops at the local coffee shop. You can find her on Twitter @lrwhitney or on Facebook. You can also email her directly at lindsey@growingkidsministry.com.
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