Monday, March 11, 2024

Navigating Hard Things: Lessons from Esther

Moving 2,000 miles across the country took its toll on our family. Starting over was hard for my husband and me, but even more so for our then-8-year-old son. Leaving behind a life he loved, with friends he cherished, and a school he thrived in, hurt. Rather than a smooth landing in our new town, that first year threatened to crash our boat onto the rocky shoreline.

Life is filled with challenges and unexpected twists. Learning to navigate hard things as a family is not as simple as following a paint-by-numbers kit. But we can glean truth from Scripture to help our family walk through the ups and downs that come our way.

Read full article at vianations.org.

Friday, March 1, 2024

God's Big Picture Bible Storybook: 140 Connecting Bible Stories of God's Faithful Promises

Brief overview: 

New Testament scholar N.T. Wright walks kids through 140 Bible stories, including portions from the Psalms, Proverbs, Old Testament books like Isaiah and Daniel, and letters from Paul in the New Testament.

Recommended age range: 6-10

Strengths: 

  • A good stepping stone for kids toward diving deeper into Scripture and gearing up to read and understand the Bible.
  • Includes biblical references to show where each Bible story is pulled from. (And kids can opt to read those Scriptures alongside the written story.)
  • Helps kids connect different parts of the Bible to other portions using a visual element and page number to another biblical text in the storybook.
  • Brings clarity to biblical history and provides context for kids to track with the biblical narrative in deeper ways.
  • Illustrations bring the Bible stories to life in fresh ways.

Additional Notes:

  • No discussion or comprehension questions provided. 
  • Includes maps at the back.
  • I received a free copy of this storybook Bible so I could provide an honest review.