We have read The Jesus Storybook Bibleso many times that sadly, my kids think THAT is the Bible. And there are some Bible stories they don’t know because we’ve never read them! I’m always on the lookout for new Bible storybooks that aren’t too cheesy or watered down.

This week I got the The Beginning Reader’s Biblefrom Thomas Nelson*. And oh, wow, do I love it! It’s gorgeous–a huge book that’s perfect for laps and for sharing with lots of eager eyes. It even has a bookmark (which Lydia looooves).

It’s actually a real-life Bible with scriptures not stories. The difference is each “story” is told in just a handful of actual scriptures. We chose to read Nehemiah (which the kids didn’t know!) and the story was a collection of about 30 scriptures taken directly from the book of Nehemiah. The kids got the basic gist of the story and heard the actual words of scripture, too. (The scriptures are taken from the International Children’s Bible which I don’t know a lot about because I usually use the New International Reader’s Version. But so far, so good.)

We’ve begun reading this as Asa’s bedtime story. Then the next day we’ll do an activity based on the story. This is super easy because each story comes with a scripture to memorize, a scripture to pray (LOVE THIS) and an activity labeled, “Do God’s Word”. (LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS!)

For Nehemiah, the activity was to make a wall out of pillows and then get inside and pray–thanking God for protecting and surrounding us like a wall. So, we collected some every single pillow in our house and made a wall.

After we read the story again, we decided to get out our swords and build the wall with one hand on our weapons! (4:17-18)

We hopped inside our wall again and held hands. I had the kids repeat a prayer (which is like the cutest thing ever when a 2.5 year old is repeating things like “Nehemiah” and “protection”). They stayed inside the wall for at least an hour–they played with animals, pretended to go night-night and even played doctor.

I loved that they felt comfortable in their little wall. I pray they always feel the protection and comfort of God their Father!

Wanna win this gorgeous new book for yourself? Tommy Nelson is giving 1 away today!

Enter to Win (do one or all, leave a separate comment for each)

• Leave a comment. What’s your kids’ favorite Bible storybook?
• Tweet it! Include @impressyourkids & link to this post http://bit.ly/BeginningBible
• Share on Facebook. It’s easy – just click the “Like” button at the bottom of this post!
• LIKE Impress Your Kids on facebook (see sidebar) or tell me that you already do.

Contest ends Friday March 4.

Disclosure: I received this book as part of the Tommy Mommy Club. As always opinions are my own.

It’s Valentine’s Day. The day to show love to others. The best example of true love is when God gave his Son, Jesus to us. John 3:16 says that God loved the whole WORLD so he GAVE His Son. The whole world includes every person from all time. Every tribe. Every tongue. Every race. Every gender. Every age.

Are you sure? Are you sure a relationship with God isn’t on hold until you’re “old enough”? Isn’t something as big as following Jesus reserved for someone who understands the magnitude of the decision? Well, let’s see what the Bible has to say about it:

Deuteronomy 6:5-9
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

This blog is based on the above scripture. I do crafts and teach Bible verses not because I want to homeschool my kids’ education but because GOD COMMANDED ME TO DO SO. God’s first directive is to tell the people to love Him with all their heart and soul and strength. His next command is to tell their children. And I think the next three sentences are specific instructions on how to impress kids with Gods Words—talking about them all the time, everywhere; keeping them forefront of actions and thoughts and having them before your eyes at all times.

And why would God command this? Why would He want us to be so specific and tactile with our children? So they can become followers of Him as adults? I think not. He wants a relationship with them as soon as possible!

source: dame music

Picture three candles…one short, one medium and one tall. Just like a little candle family–the Daddy Candle, the Young Adult Candle and the Kid Candle.

Each one gives light–but really which one is the most important? Well, anyone would say the tall one. Because it will give light the longest, right? But is that candle the Daddy Candle? No. The tall candle is the child. A child has over 70 years to burn and shine for God. You and I are the shorter candles…we are into the second half of our life. Relatively speaking, we have a short time to burn for God.

Don’t you think He wants our children’s candle lit for a lifetime?

Just because a child doesn’t intellectually understand sacrifice, redemption, justification and love it doesn’t mean he can’t have a relationship with God. In fact, God used children all throughout the Bible. He will use your children, too. Not because they understand Jesus and their relationship but because their hearts are turned toward Him.

This is our job. To turn our children’s hearts to God. It is not an activity done in vain, either. Here’s another verse to look at, probably one of the most famous child-rearing scriptures in the Bible:

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (KJV)

However, I don’t think this version actually has the right emphasis. Read this one:

Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it. (NIV)

source: steve webel

Do you see the difference? It’s a picture of a child set on the right track and never leaving it. Not a train being derailed and then coming back after being wrecked.

As a parent, it is our job to couple, to partner, to join and to follow God in starting our children off on the right track. When we do we will see them follow Him for their entire lives. We will see them place their trust in Him because it is the path they are on. We will hear them pray The Prayer because they have been praying prayers their entire life. We will watch them submit their life to God because it’s the journey they’ve been on since birth.

God commanded us to IMPRESS God’s Word on our kids’ hearts. He told us to SET OUR KIDS on the right path. Not so they would eventually discover Him as adults, but so they could cultivate that relationship for a lifetime.

Salvation for Kids: Part 1 and Introduction

I have been thinking about this Salvation series for two weeks now. And the more I think about it, the more nervous I get. I have never been shy about posting about Jesus on my personal blog–but the one time I did a real “theology” post it was so nerve-wracking I never did it again! I’m hoping this series comes across more helpful and less theology.

Today I want to talk about three scriptures. Three things Jesus says about kids. Three ideas that show Jesus’ desire to have a relationship with children. Let’s begin…

Matthew 18:2-6
He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. ³ And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴ Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵ And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.⁶ “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

We’ve all read this scripture before. We’ve all said it and hoped to emulate it–yes, we want the child-like faith. But do we realize what that verse meant? Especially at the time it was spoken?

Jesus’ disciples were arguing about who was the greatest in the kingdom. Can you imagine how much joy that brought Jesus? I’ll tell you–none! I can picture Jesus rolling his eyes and saying, “Guys! Are you kidding me? All this time with me and you still wanna know how to be the greatest?” Then he shakes his head and motions to one of the little boys hanging around. This little guy skips over to Jesus and Jesus gives him a high-five then tousles his hair. “Here he is. The greatest in the kingdom. If you want to enter heaven you need to be just like him.” To which the disciples are alternately scratching their heads and wistfully remembering their childhood. Jesus shakes them out of their revelry when he says, “By the way, if any of you causes one of my youngest disciples to mess-up it would be better for you to TIE A BOULDER AROUND YOUR NECK AND THROW YOURSELF IN THE OCEAN.”

*whew*

Jesus doesn’t just look at a kid see a future grown-up. Or an empty-headed little twerp. He sees a significant person–worthy of emulation, protection and relationship. Jesus expected children to have a relationship with Him–and expected others to recognize and help with that relationship.

Mark 10:13-16
People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.

photo by me. book by Dennis Jones.

This is my favorite passage about Jesus. I love how kids are trying to get to Jesus (or at least their parents are bringing them) and the disciples try to block them. They want the sick, needy and important people to get to Jesus first. But when Jesus sees this he gets TICKED. (He does. Look up the word “indignant” if you don’t believe me.)

Jesus wants the kids near Him—to know Him, to love on them and bless them. These kids weren’t trying to get anything from Jesus, they just wanted to be with him. And Jesus wanted the kids to have open access to Him. He wanted a relationship with them. And He wants a relationship with our kids, too. Oh, I want to LEAD my kids to Jesus and not hinder them!

Matthew 10:40-42
Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. ⁴¹ Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. ⁴² And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”

This is a strange passage because at first it seems to be about hospitality–taking care of a prophet, or a righteous man, giving water to a child. But at closer look, the part that sticks out is “these little ones who is my disciple”. Jesus is looking at kids and saying they are his disciples. Like CURRENTLY a disciple! (Also seen in Matthew 18:2-6.) Just as a prophet or a righteous man is worthy of hospitality (and of issuing a reward) so is a child! Why? Because they are DISCIPLES of JESUS! This is a given for Jesus–kids ARE disciples and followers of Him!

And if we receive a reward for giving children cold water, how much more will our reward be if we offer LIVING WATER to our children?! I shiver to think about it!

These verses get me excited. I am partnering with Jesus. I am leading my kids to Him because that’s what HE WANTS! Jesus not only desires kids to have relationship with Him, He assumes it. And He expects adults to facilitate it!

Thoughts?

As a disclaimer, I *did* go to college for Bible and Theology. But I am not an expert. Nor do I get excited arguing theology and apologetics. I’m just a mom. So, if you like to argue, this is not the place. I want Impress Your Kids to be a place where others are encouraged and empowered to raise our kids for God. If you attack my readers (or our topic), I will delete and/or block you. {Sorry, nice people. It had to be said.}