Currently Reading: Bible Story Books

I have been trying to make a conscious effort to surround my kids with Bible stories and verses lately. A couple of weeks ago we had a really rough week and I thought to myself, "These kids need more Jesus in them!" Since then we have learned a few memory verses together and read a whole lot of stories. Here are a few of my favorite children's books that I thought I would pass along.

The Jesus Story Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name - we received this as a gift through Dylan's preschool and I love the way this one tells the Bible in the framework of one great story - very intriguing to little ones and cool artwork too!

Read Aloud Bible Stories - there are actually 4 or 5 books in this series. Each book has 4-5 stories in it and it's a larger coffee table sized book. These books were given to us by Nana T. I still remember reading the Easter story to Ella for the first time and then having her repeat back the entire story almost word for word - this author does an amazing job retelling Bible stories in a simplistic and repetitive yet beautiful way.

Five Minute Devotions for Children - I heard about this book during a MOPS meeting last year and I just received it from amazon.com the other day. This book is great for 3-4-5 year olds as each devotion describes an animal and how it was created by God and then relates it to a child's life. My kids wanted to read straight through the book in one sitting. (Note: I searched high and low for this book and finally ordered it on-line; yesterday I was at Target and turned around and there it was! So check Target first!)

Since I have been more intentional about reading Bible stories to the kids and learning verses together and talking about what it all means, I do believe there has been more peace in our house. It is so easy for me to get caught up in the day to day business of life. It is a constant battle to slow down, listen, get down on the floor, and remember to hold each of my kids close every day. We are far from perfect, but the moments I have shared with my kids these past few weeks have been priceless.

currently reading:

I got this book for Christmas and I've been reading a few chapters every night before bed. It's a book about nothing and about everything, all at the same time, about embracing the little things in life and finding God at every turn. Shauna and her husband Aaron both worked at and attended our church (Aaron was the worship leader), and I got used to seeing them around. Now that they're no longer there, I realize how much I miss them.


My friend Katie told me about this cookbook and brought some amazing muffins made from a recipes in this book over on New Year's Eve. The idea behind this book is that you make fruit and vegetable purees and "hide" them in your kids' food. They're eating things they like and you're making sure they get their vegetables and everyone is happy (or so the author, Jessica Seinfeld - yes, Jerry's wife - says). It's involves a little more planning, but I'm going to give it a shot.

Currently reading...

Blue Like Jazz. I think I'm a little behind the times and I missed the buzz the first time around, but Donald Miller spoke at our church a couple of weeks ago and I enjoyed what he had to say. If you start reading now, we can finish together and then discuss. Not to spoil the fun, but I'm really liking it so far. It's brutally honest, but I think that's what makes it brilliant.

Katie's Book Club, Part II

We just started a new series at our church called God is Green...yes, we are talking about all the environment stuff that seems to be all over these days. I have never considered myself to be much of an environmentalist (aside from trying not to blatantly litter), but I am being challenged to reconsider. The speaker this morning, Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth, author of Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action, shared his personal journey of integrating his faith and his sense that something needs to be done about the declining state of the natural world around us. I haven't actually read his book yet, but I plan to. Here's the synopsis from Amazon, in case you're interested. You can also visit his site at http://www.servegodsavetheplanet.org/.

"Five years ago Dr. J. Matthew Sleeth and his family lived in a big house, had two luxury cars, loads of money, and lots of stuff. As chief of the medical staff at a large hospital, Sleeth was living the American dream--until he realized that something was terribly wrong. As he saw patient after patient suffering from cancer, asthma, and other chronic diseases, he began to understand that the Earth and its inhabitants were in trouble. Feeling helpless, he turned to his faith for guidance. He discovered how the timeless lessons of personal responsibility, simplicity, and stewardship taught in the Bible could be applied to modern life. The Sleeths have since sold their big home and given away more than half of what they once owned. In Serve God, Save the Planet, Sleeth shares the joy of adopting a less materialistic lifestyle, and reveals what was easy and what was hard about the changes his family has made. Drawing on science and religion, Sleeth builds a bridge between environmentalists and mainstream Christians. He and his family are harbingers of the creation care movement, which calls on all those who love God to love our planet. Sleeth shares how material downscaling led his family to healthier lifestyles, stronger relationships, and richer spiritual lives. Serve God, Save the Planet is more than a book: it is a prescription for taking personal responsibility for global survival."