Review: The Jesus Bible

Nicholas was in need of a new Bible.  His Bible was the International Children's Version, and he was the 5th boy to use it, and it was falling apart.  He was also asking for a different translation--the International Children's Version is wonderful for younger children, but he wanted a translation like his brothers.

Therefore, when I had the opportunity to review The Jesus Bible (NIV), we were both thrilled.  This Bible is intended for ages 9-12.  The subtitle is "Discover Jesus in Every Book of the Bible".  Even the events of the Old Testament point to Jesus, and there are 365 devotions that point to this fact, as well as where Jesus is seen in the New Testament.  In addition, each book of the Bible has an introduction, and part of these introductions include "Where is Jesus in this book?".  The introductions also have other helpful information, such as who the key people are, when it took place, etc.  There is a timeline of Jesus's life, as well as a simplified family tree.

The font of this Bible is an easy on the eyes brown color, and the accent color is red.  Words of Christ are in red.  There are additional helps:  maps, concordance, and lists of the devotions.  It's a nice, sturdy hardcover, and has held up to Nicholas's 8 year old boy ways.  Most importantly, he loves this Bible.  He's talked to me about some of the devotions, and has mentioned that he is learning a lot.  I like that it's pointing him to Jesus.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: Because You Are Strong

Doorposts recently sent their new Bible study book Because You Are Strong:  A Study of Godly Strength for Young Men for review.  This softcover book is intended for young men, ages 10-12 and up.  In addition to the softcover version, is also available in PDF format. 

Because You Are Strong is a Bible study that aims to teach young men what true, Godly, strength is and how to use that strength for God's glory.  Also incorporated in the study are Bible study skills that will serve any student of God's word throughout their life.  Your student will learn to use a concordance, study Greek & Hebrew words, do a character study, study a specific topic in the Bible, use the marginal notes in the Bible, study a verse/passage/chapter of the Bible, and learn how to use many of the free Bible study tools available online.

Because You Are Strong is broken down into 10 studies, plus a review at the end.  Each study is further broken down into 7 days (the final review is only 4 days long).  Each study uses a different study method:

1. Strength for the Race:  Meditating on Hebrews 11-12
2. Strength with No Limits:  A Topical Study on the Omnipotence of God
3. Strength and Wisdom:  A Topical Study in Proverbs
4. Strength and Temptation:  A Character Study of Samson
5. Strength to be Valiant:  A Word Study on "Valor"
6. Strength in Our Weakness:  A Verse Study on 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
7. Strength in the Battle:  A Chapter Study of 1 Samuel 17
8. Strength Serving Others:  A Study of Jesus' Actions in the Gospel of Mark
9. Strength and Gray Heads:  A Verse Study of Proverbs 20:29
10. Strength in the Faith:  A Book Study of 1 John

The questions are not light questions.  Your student will have to look things up, mark up the Bible, paraphrase passages, memorize Scripture, and take notes and draw charts.  They'll have to think about things:  How are young men strong?, Why did the people in Hebrews 11-12 do the things they did?, How is God calling you to be more like Him?, and more.  Critical thinking is definitely required for this study.

This isn't an easy study, but at the end your child will have learned a lot about Biblical strength and how to study the Bible.  There is a lot of writing and studying, but this is well worth it.  I think it's best suited for ages 12/13 and up--my younger boys would definitely be overwhelmed if I handed it to them.  If it's the first study of this type that your student has done, I would suggest working on it together (it would make a fabulous father/son study).  While Doorposts suggests the lessons take anywhere from 5-20 minutes, I found they took 20 or 30 minutes to complete.     

If Because You Are Strong piques your interest, check out a sample here.  Doorposts doesn't leave girls out; while the title of this book and the cover art are geared to males, there are alternate questions for Young Ladies in the back of the book for some of the questions (or there is a study for girls:  Beauty in the Heart).  Priced at $14 for the softcover version (or $10 for the PDF), this is a great study on strength, no matter the gender of your student(s).

For more reviews of Doorpost Bible Studies, visit the Schoolhouse Review Crew.

 

Who Is My Neighbor?

Who Is My Neighbor? is volume 3 of a four volume Biblical worldview series published by Apologia, in conjunction with Summit Ministries.  Volume 1 is titled  Who Is God?, volume 2 is titled Who Am I?, and volume 4 is titled What On Earth Can I Do? (available 2013).  For this review, I received the Who Is My Neighbor? book ($39), Notebooking Journal ($24), and Coloring Book ($8).  This volume focuses on a Biblical worldview of servanthood.

I believe that teaching a Biblical worldview is very important.  Everyone has a worldview, or a compass for guiding their thoughts and actions, whether they want to admit it or not.  The choices and decisions we make are filtered through this worldview.  The "What We Believe" series will help you teach your child (ages 6-14) how to view the world and make decisions through the light of Scripture.  

Who Is My Neighbor? is broken down into 8 lessons:

• Does Anyone Really Need Me?
• How Can I Make a Difference?
• Who Is My Neighbor?
• Why Did God Make Families?
• What Can I Do For My Country?
• Why Can't We All Just Get Along?
• Who Is God's Family?
• Why Does the Church Need Me?

Each lesson is further broken down into 12 parts.  The lessons are very flexible and easily adaptable to your family's schedule, though there is a sample schedule that demonstrates how to do each lesson in three weeks, doing the curriculum two days per week.  Since the lessons are flexible, you could easily do more or less each day, depending on your needs.

The book is written directly to the child.  This means older students can read it to themselves, but younger students might need you to read it to them.  The stories are engaging and the text is thought provoking. Who Is My Neighbor? takes the lessons, verses, and stories from Scripture to the next level by having you and your children engage with the text and apply it to every day life by answering the big questions listed above.

The Notebooking Journal is in full color, and a beautiful place for your child to record their thoughts and ideas as you go through Who Is My Neighbor?.  There are over 200 pages of hands on activities, questions, puzzles, and pages to draw and interact with what is being taught.

The Who Is My Neighbor? coloring book is a great way to keep younger children engaged during the lesson.  I know my boys can focus better when their hands are busy, and coloring is a great way to accomplish that.  

My family thoroughly enjoys the "What We Believe" series.  I love that my boys are being challenged to really think about why we should act and behave in certain ways; not because of a legalistic worldview, but because as children of God we are called to honor Christ in all we say and do.

For more reviews of Who Is My Neighbor?, go here.

Disclaimer:  As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are mine.

God's Great Covenant: New Testament 1

God's Great Covenant:  New Testament 1 is the 3rd book in a four book chronological Bible study series by Classical Academic Press.  The first two books focus on the Old Testament and the last two books focus on the New Testament (the fourth books is currently in production).  God's Great Covenant:  New Testament 1 teaches the Gospels, and is intended for children in fourth grade and up.  There is a Student Book ($26.95), Teacher's Edtion ($29.95), and mp3 Audio Files ($9.95) available for this program (all 3 can be purchased as a bundle for $56.95).  I received the Student Book and Teacher's Edition for review.

This program has 36 weekly chapters, and they are broken down into 4 units:

• Unit I:  Jesus, the Son of Man, Has Come...To Live Among His People
• Unit II:  Jesus, God's Servant, Has Come...To Proclaim the Good News
• Unit III:  Jesus, the Messiah, Has Come...To Teach About God's Kingdom
• Unit IV:  Jesus, the Son of God, Has Come...To Conquer Sin and Death

Each unit begins with a short introduction explaining the theme of the unit.  Lessons follow the same pattern, though the four review chapters are slightly different (view a sample lesson here).  Each chapter begins with a Memory Page.  This page contains the Theme of the chapter, the Scriptures referenced, a Memory Passage, Key Facts, and what Prophecy Jesus fulfilled.  The Memory Page is followed by a Story Time page.  This page contains the Bible story for the chapter, and is usually a couple of pages long.  Following the story are Worksheets.  The worksheets contain several questions that require the student to think and interact with the text.  There are multiple choice questions, crossword puzzles, word scrambles, fill in the blank questions, and there are plenty of open ended questions that will challenge the student to really think about the lesson and apply it to their life.  Each unit concludes with a review lesson and a Memory Passage worksheet, a devotional, and a story from Simon (a fictional character who gives a snapshot of daily life at the time of Jesus).

The Teacher's Edition contains an exact copy of the Student Book, but the pages from the Student Book are shrunk down, leaving room in the margins for a ton of notes that expand on the text.  These notes give great information on the historical, geographical, cultural, and theological context of the stories and passages covered. You can view a sample chapter here.

This is another fabulous product from Classical Academic Press.  I love that the lessons pull from each of the gospels, instead of just covering the account from Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John individually.  The questions on the worksheet don't allow the student to simply gloss over the text--they have to work and think and wrestle with the text to come up with an answer.  I'm thrilled that this program doesn't assume that children are incapable of thinking deeply about Scripture.The quality of the product is what I've come to expect from this publisher, and well worth the money.

For more reviews of God's Great Covenant:  New Testament Book 1, go here.

 Disclaimer:  As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are mine.