Kids know the value of a promise.

Each
gospel-centered story highlights God’s tale of redemption through Jesus and the
unexpected and surprising ways that God’s grace and mercy are revealed
throughout the Bible. Children will hear the good news of God’s love for them
clearly expressed in ways that will speak to their young hearts. Brightly
colored illustrations by Trish Mahoney highlight the stories and add fun
teaching elements of counting, opposites, patterns, and object recognition to
keep even the youngest child’s attention. Every story also ends with a question
that parents and caregivers can use to further reinforce the message.
Below Jared Kennedy
answers questions about The Beginner’s
Gospel Story Bible.
What makes your book different from other
Bible storybooks?
Some Bible storybooks miss the meaning of individual
passages because they focus on the big picture. Even more often toddler story
books miss unifying biblical themes because they’re focused re-telling
individual stories. A few Bible storybooks—like the ones by Marty Machowski and
Sally Lloyd-Jones—do both well, but they aren’t geared toward early readers.
That’s what makes this book different. Through the faithful re-telling of key
stories, toddlers and early preschoolers will hear the good news of God’s love
for them clearly expressed in ways that will speak to their young hearts.
As I mentioned, there are a number of
excellent gospel-centered resources for young children—great story books and
curriculum, but few of them focus on toddlers and first readers. When teaching
this age group, I found myself reaching back to resources from the seventies
and eighties—storybooks by Ella Lindvall and Ken Taylor. I saw a need, and I
wanted to provide a more contemporary resource for ages two to five.
Can children that young really learn the
gospel?
Yes. Jesus said, “Let the children come to
me.” He meant kids of every age. You see, children often learn the language of
faith before their faith is fully realized. As soon as kids start talking, we
can help them learn a beginning vocabulary of faith.
What do you mean by “a beginning vocabulary
of faith”?
In The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible,
kids will learn the name of Jesus as well as the names of other key Bible
characters. They’ll also learn basic Bible words like sin, promise, Jesus,
Savior, pray, and forgive.
What are the special features that will help
keep beginning readers engaged?
In all 52 stories, one key truth is
highlighted in bold letters. Each story also ends with a question that parents
and caregivers can use to further reinforce the truth. Brightly colored
illustrations highlight each story and add fun teaching elements of counting,
opposites, patterns, and object recognition to keep the youngest child’s attention.
Does the book have a central theme?
Yes. The
Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible traces God’s perfect promises through the stories
of the Old and New Testament. Our youngest children will see how our good and
all-powerful God always keeps his word (Num. 23:19). The way he fulfills his
promises is better than anyone could have imagined!
One for every week of the year. In addition
to being a helpful resource for family devotions, I wanted this book to be a
helpful tool for Sunday School and children’s ministry classrooms as well.
Since there are 52 stories, you might consider teaching one story per week as
part of a one-year Bible curriculum for toddlers and young preschoolers.
When I’m telling stories to young children,
what should I do to keep the gospel central?
As you read the story, help the children
identify with the characters who need God to save and rescue them. Then, as you
tell the story, make God the main character. Keep who he is and what he does to
rescue and save front and center as you tell it.
What kinds of things did you learn about
God’s Word or about yourself while you were writing?
One Bible truth I didn’t know is that the Ark
of the Covenant went in the midst of the people (Jos. 6:9) when they marched
around Jericho (not out in front as I originally wrote down in a first
draft—thank God for good editors!). That fact illustrates a key truth for me.
To accomplish what God has called me to as a parent and a Christian, I
desperately need God to go with me—in my midst—every day. I pray this book will
encourage that kind of desperate faith for you and your family too.
Learn
more at www.gospecenteredfamily.com
and www.newgrowthpress.com.
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