All posts in Reviews

Action Bible New Testament and More! {Review and Giveaway!!}

By Lindsey | March 27, 2013 | Bible Study, Books, Reviews | 2 Comments

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.

ActionBibleHandbook

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.

GIVEAWAY!!

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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Easter Songs We’re Singing!

By Lindsey | March 22, 2013 | Easter, Holidays and Events, Music, Reviews | No comments

Is your church planning a big Easter Egg Hunt this year?

Last year, we did a station-based event and this year, we’re planning on using an idea from Ministry to Children. With this plan, kids will work together with their parents to complete a resurrection booklet and make their own set of resurrection eggs. To finish off their experience, they will be visiting Miss Lindsey’s Moving Picture and Song Station (that’s me!) where they’ll watch this cool Easter Video and sing some songs before being showered with candy.

Easter Egg Hunt

Here’s what’s on our playlist for the big day!

Hosanna Rock from Yancy’s Little Praise Party

O Happy Day from Radio the World (Tru Curriculum)

I’ve Got The Joy by Go Fish Guys

Ain’t No Rock

Big House by Uncle Charlie

1,2,3 Jesus is Alive by Yancy (found a cool video at Worship House Kids to go along with this)

What’s on YOUR playlist?

Leave me a comment and tell me about it!

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Jesus Music Box: New Release from Yancy {Giveaway}

By Lindsey | March 8, 2013 | Ministry Ideas, Music, Reviews | 2 Comments

Are you ready for some tunes from Yancy? I have to say, I’m a pretty new convert to Yancy’s music — but we’ve been loving what we’ve used so far. This new album is described as “all about making Jesus loud in your life.” Some of the songs include: “Not Ashamed”, “Better Than the Best Thing”, “Be Careful” and “Our God Reigns”.

I took a listen to these 12 new songs and I’m a fan. Yancy’s style of music is the perfect style for pre-teens or older in worship or for listening as a family in the car. Sometimes I find it hard to use her stuff in our worship time because we have younger kids (our group starts at age 4), but we often use the videos as transition pieces and the kids really like the material. Still, there are probably 3-4 songs that all our kids could pick up on pretty easily. I like how the “Jesus message” is loud and clear in this album and the music points to God. We actually used the “Better than the Best Thing” song during our Summer Blast program and the kids still beg for that song!

The videos are a lot of fun too — original and engaging to look at, but not too distracting. I especially like the “As Long as I Live” video where the little music notes are dancing across a rumpled piece of paper. Very fun.

Get Yours Today!

Order your copy today and be the first on your block jamming out to this awesome new music! http://yancynotnancy.com/store/cds/new-jesus-music-box/. Be sure to use the free shipping code: yancylovesme.

Want to win a Ministry CD/DVD Combo Pack?

Enter using the Rafflecopter below.

Contest ends on Friday, March 15th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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What’s in the Bible: Volume 10

By Lindsey | March 6, 2013 | Easter, Holidays and Events, Movies, Resources, Reviews | 5 Comments

Once again, I am astonished by the amount of information Phil Vischer and the crew have packed into this volume of “What’s in the Bible”. The usual cast of Buck Denver, Sunday School lady, the Pirate, and the rest of the gang do a great job of uncovering all kinds of questions and answers about what was going on between the Old Testament and New Testament. Historical background, cultural details, and all kinds of great information is laid out in order to give the viewer a much full picture of the New Testament and Scripture in general. Check out the trailer:

The level of information is pretty intense and in-depth. There was stuff I didn’t even know and I’m a Bible major! The ideal age group for this would probably be age 8 and up, but the younger crew might like some parts of it. Phil and the gang do a great job explaining the information in a way that’s easy to pick up and easy to remember. For example, check out this video snippet about the Four Jewish Groups of Jesus’ day on this page. You can check out a bunch of other video clips too and read the transcript if you want!

Coloring Pages

There are also a TON of coloring pages that accompany this volume. The coloring pages are high quality and are perfect for the Easter season coming up! There are a few specific Easter-themed like crosses, the empty tomb, and Jesus praying in the garden — so check them out!

In conclusion, I’m always impressed with the videos in the series, but this one really took it over the top. It is such a great resource for Sunday School teachers, parents, and Children’s Ministry people everywhere! If you haven’t picked up your series yet, please use the code below and do so today!

Be sure to use this What’s In the Bible coupon code when you do your shopping!

Of course, you could also enter the giveaway on this blog and try to win yourself a volume or two! Susan at What’s in the Bible kindly provided me with a Volume 10 (Life of Jesus) and Volume 1 (In the Beginning) to give away. Just leave a comment below telling me your favorite Bible Story. You can grab a bonus entries by tweeting once a day too (no need to tell me about it as long as the @lrwhitney shows up in the tweet).

Thanks and happy learning!

*UPDATE: CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR PARTICIPATING! *

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Faith Begins at Home {Journal Notes}

By Lindsey | February 5, 2013 | Books, Ministry Ideas, Reviews | 1 Comment

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360 Degree Leader {Video Book Review}

By Lindsey | January 18, 2013 | Books, Reviews | No comments

Hey folks! Since I’m obviously never going to get around to TYPING a review for this book, I thought I’d do a video review of it instead. Turns out, that’s MUCH faster!

What About You?

What great leadership books have you read recently?

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