// May 15th, 2009 // No Comments » // Family Life
Heather and I have been looking for a good kids Bible for a long time. We’ve read lots of them, and we have owned a few as well. It’s frustrating to see a lot of what is on the shelf at the christian bookstore in the “Children’s Bible” section. After perusing tons of them and I’ve been disappointed by most of for various reasons. For example, I’ve read at least two of those “Bibles” that fully exclude the cross altogether. Can it seriously be called the Bible without the cross?
I’ve also noticed a general trend to sanitize some of the more intense areas of scripture for the kids. Sin gets minimized. The price paid for sin gets minimized. Christ’s suffering on the cross, etc. The result is that our kids get moralistic tales, sort of a Hebrew version of Aesop’s Fables. We lose Jesus as the Hero, Rescuer and King of humanity.
And if you do find one that has decent content, it’s written like a textbook and the only thing your kids learn from it is that the Bible is boring and is for adults only. That’s not exactly what we are going for here!
Recently Heather’s sister recommended a Bible they have been using with their kids. It’s called, “The Jesus Storybook Bible“. We picked it up and read some of it together in the Barnes & Noble and it nearly brought me to tears in the isle. It’s written by Sally Lloyd-Jones and it is masterful. She has a beautiful instinct for how “each story whispers His name” from Genesis to Revelation. It is so doctrinally rich, I call it a commentary for kids. I’m not kidding. It really does read that way. She has a whimsical way of focussing each story onto Jesus and bringing out the essential elements of the story that will build a solid doctrinal understanding.
But, don’t let the word “doctrinal” and “commentary” fool you. Her writing is beautiful and captivating for both the kids and the parent. It’s not sing songy like so many others, but it has a wonderful whimsy and rhythm to it that is a lot of fun.
The illustrations are increadible as well. They were created by Jago, and they really match the playful and rich writing of Lloyd-Jones.
This is a real gem! I recommend anyone getting it, even if only for yourself. You might have to read it in private for fear of what your friends will think of an adult reading a children’s Bible, but I think it’s a worthy price to pay. ;-) I find myself picking it up all the time and reading it. I usually keep reading after my kids have gone to bed because it really is that well done.
“I would urge not just families with young children to get this book, but every Christian–from pew warmers, to ministry leaders, seminarians and even theologians! Sally Lloyd-Jones has captured the heart of what it means to find Christ in all the scriptures, and has made clear even to little children that all God’s revelation has been about Jesus from the beginning–a truth not all that commonly recognized even among the very learned.†~ Dr. Timothy Keller
Here’s a link to an excerpt from the book along with the illustrations.
I’m on vacation. It’s odd to me that we don’t ever realize how much we needed something until we have it (or lose it). Having nothing to do but rest and play for a week, I’m realizing that one of the things that rest (sabbath) does is it keeps our work in perspective.