2010 Christmas Buying Guide

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4 (ESV)

The Creation Series, A Bible-based Reading Project, 8 Book Box Set
$14.79 at Westminster Bookstore

Think about See Spot Run, except where you learn the Word of God while learning to read.  The publisher lists these for children ages four to seven, but I would say they are perfect for reading to children from birth.  They become good education tools with mom and dad at preschool age.

The eight books are:

• Book 1: God’s World
• Book 2: Light, Sky, Land and Sea
• Book 3: Plants and Lights
• Book 4: Sea Creatures
• Book 5: Birds
• Book 6: Animals
• Book 7: People
• Book 8: A Beautiful Garden

Each book has Bible references, which can be used as memory verses if you so choose. This is part of the note to parents which is in the front of each book. Great study tips to help parents use the books as educational tools.

I highly recommend The Creation Series.

Our Home is like a Little Church
$3.94 at Westminster Bookstore

This short book is written for preschoolers to teach them the home is a place of worship.  It just might serve as a reminder to dads about their duties at home as well.  It compares the pastor at church with the pastor at home (dad).

Jesus Christ the Best King of all
$6.99 from Amazon.com

Kudos to illustrator Fred Apps for creating a picture book about Jesus, without a picture of Jesus!

This is a great exposition of the incarnation written for the very young.  Read it with your preschoolers and kindergartners, first and second graders on their own.

Martin Luther: What Should I Do?
$7.99 from Amazon.com

This biography of Martin Luther is written for children ages eight to twelve and can be read to children much younger.

This short biography is accessible to young children and contains the Gospel so they can understand it.  Grounding your children in the faith includes this type of history which guards us from false teachers coming back into the church and helps us embrace the actual doctrines of our creator.

Jesus Rose from the Dead: The Evidence
$7.99 on Amazon.com

The world loves to poke imaginary holes in our faith.  If you are not grounded in the faith, someone just might be able to knock you off your faith. Safeguard your kids with this great apologetic tool geared for kids ages eight to twelve.  You can use it with younger kids if you work on it with them.

John Calvin: After Darkness Light
$6.99 on Amazon.com

This year was John Calvin’s 500th birthday, help your children appreciate the great reformation work done through John Calvin with this great biography geared for young teens.

The GoBible Voyager, NIV translation
$84.99 on Amazon.com
More info from gobible.com

I do not have a nice mp3 player. I tried loading an mp3 Bible on my phone and on a cheap mp3 player, but it was just a pain.  The GoBible makes listening to the Bible on the go easy.  The Voyager model has an extra 3 Gigabytes of storage so you can store your music or audio books on it as well.  The Voyager can hold 750 songs or over 100 hours of audio books.

It comes with a nice pouch to keep it in good shape.  The headphones are good quality and the sound is great.  Most importantly, navigating around the Bible is easy.  Navigating the Bible with some mp3 players using an mp3 Bible is about impossible.

I was a bit disappointed at first because there was no ESV option.  However, after a little contemplation, I figured that I do not need a rigid literal translation for listening.  When listening to the Bible, I am not in intense Bible study.  The pace is too quick for that and the NIV reads well.  KJV and NKJV versions are also available from gobible.com.

Already have an iPhone or an iPod touch? Consider the GoBible iPhone app.  I’ve not tried it, but the price looks right to me and the hardware GoBible impresses me, so I’d take a chance on the iPhone app.  It runs $23.99, less than half the price of the ESV mp3 Bible on CD.

The Listener’s Bible ESV (mp3)
$49.95 on Amazon.com

Already have a good mp3 player? Consider loading The Listener’s Bible on it.  Read by Max McLean… easy to listen to.

God’s Words from A to Z by Abe and Liza Philip
$12.97 from publisher on CD, or $9.99 download

This is a fun CD which sings through the scriptures. One passage per letter of the alphabet, starting with “All have sinned and fall short of the glory..”

The recording is impressive. The quality exceeded my expectations. The music is indistinguishable from any big label production.  This looks like a great way to help your kids learn to memorize scripture.

From the publisher:

These 26 songs will take you on a journey that begins with our sinfulness, runs to the cross of our Savior and ends with the joy of heaven. The music is energetic and diverse, including jazz, classical, bluegrass, reggae, country, pop, rock, Indian, Celtic and folk.

My family did find the announcement at the beginning of each verse, read by a young child, to be somewhat distracting. We would have preferred the music play all the way through, perhaps sining the scripture citation to avoid the breaks in the music.

Abe and Liza Philip have some other CDs for adults as well.  Their lyrics are Christ centered.  The music has a modern sound, but has theologically rich lyrics that are rare to find in modern music.  Check out My Savior’s Love is Greater Still as a great example of their style.  Great stuff!

More albums from Abe and Liza at philipmusic.com

Music from Sing The Word
CDs range from $8.95-$14.95

Sing the Word is a great alternative to the Christian pop music found on your radio dial.

Pictured here is the album, A New Commandment, a CD targeted for kids ages 6-7, but I have no problem listening with my 3 year old.  The first song is Psalm 1, with a great tune and a voice that kids love.

The Harrow family’s music is expository, letting the scripture create the music.  A very unique trait in the days where shallow praise music reigns.

When browsing Sing The Word’s website, be sure to look at the album The Quiet Time Collection, which consists of calming songs chosen from their entire series geared for children 0-7.

Seeds of Character
$15 pre-order from Seeds of Worship

I have not heard this one yet, but I am a fan of all the earlier CDs.

Pre-order the Seeds of Character album and receive:

* Christmas card with a download card with 6 Seeds songs
* Full Seeds album by Easter 2011 (shipping April 1). This includes the famous Seeds buy-one/give-one packaging–two identical CDs providing you an extra to share with friends near or far.

Church leaders and Christian parents are beginning to put more emphasis on the role of the family in the spiritual development of children. This is a good development. Everyone can agree that when the church and parents work together, its the next generation that benefits.

This page is a list of practical resources to encourage families to worship together at home. A regular time of family devotions can change the spiritual climate and make a lasting difference in the lives of children.

Training Parents to Lead Family Worship

Family Worship Guidebook (PDF) – This is a simple 10 page booklet I wrote to help families in our church begin the practice of having devotions together at home. I used it as part of a coaching process, but it could be helpful as a simple printed resource as well. It includes four sections. 1.Basic information to help you get started 2.Principles for family worship 3.Three sample plans for family devotions 4.Additional ideas for after you start. You have my permission to print multiple copies of this resource for your ministry.

Family Worship Workshop Notes (Zip File) – This is an unedited collection of lesson plans, worksheets, and other material I created to teach a 13 week parents Sunday School class about Family Worship. Once you unzip these files, you can edit them in Microsoft Word as you like. At some point I will revise this material to post on the website, but if you are teaching your church about Family Worship this will be a helpful resource.

Resources for Family Worship

Resources from Sojourn Kids – Jared Kennedy has complied an impressive list of resources to teach young children to love God. This is mainly a list of links to printed materials, but you can download their excellent SojournKids Family Worship Guide (PDF). This list is very comprehensive and has suggestions for music, catechisms, story Bibles, family devotional books, and Bible memory. They also suggest specific resources for different age groups of children. You should also check out their new children’s book that teachers about family worship.

Printable Family Devotions

Family Worship for Easter – Print off this simple devotional worksheet to help parents and children celebrate Christ’s resurrection together at home.

Family Devotions for Summertime – These 5 on-the-go devotionals make it easy to take your faith along this summer on family outings.

Family Devotions You Can Eat – Some fun devotionals related to food & cooking themes in the Bible.

Family Devotions for the Big City- Try these creative ideas for a talking about God with your kids when you travel to big cities.

Free Music for Family Worship

One simple way to lead music during family devotions is to sing along with an appropriate worship song video on the Internet. Here are a few of my favorite. These are all free to watch via YouTube.

• “Don’t Let Anyone Look Down On You” Video — This is a scripture song based on 1 Timothy 4:12.
• “Do Not Be Anxious” – Another great Bible verse song from Philippians 4:6-7.
• “Cast Your Cares on the Lord” — This is one of my personal favorites from Psalm 55:22.
• “Books of the Bible Song” — This is a fun way to learn the books of the Bible,
• “Revelation Song” a song for gown-ups but kids love it too
• The Baptist Catechism Set to Music – Here are little doctrinal questions that some families have found a helpful way to learn Bible truth via song. I mixed the first nine into videos so you can sing along while reading the words.

More Resources

Faith Focused Family Church Bulletin Insert – You can print this off to encourage parents in your church with 5 practical ways to integrate faith into the home.

Why Use a Children’s Catechism? This article used a Q & A format to explain what is a catechism and how it can help children learn about God.

10 Easy Bible Memory Verses for Children – Here is a collection of short and easy to learn Bible verses. You can work on these together as your Bible devotion during family worship. Simply ask questions to help the children understand the verses while you learn them.

Family Worship Ideas for Christmas & Advent – Try these simple ideas to focus your home of Christ during the holiday season. Includes suggestions for meaningful traditions to encourage kids to love God.

Family Discipleship in the Summertime – Here are some practical tips to help parents be consistent in their spiritual leadership during the summer break. This would be helpful to print and distribute around your church before school lets out.

“Barnabas Bear” Family Ministry Idea – This is a creative approach to stay connected with kids who are away from church during their family vacations. It also provides a visual reminder to the kids and parents to keep up with their devotions while away from home.

2010 Connecting Church & Home Conference: Read our notes from each session and even listen to the conference audio. We also have notes from the 2009 conference.

This was written by Tony Kummer and was first published as “Practical Ideas for Family Worship” on Ministry-To-Children.com

Q: Who made you?

A: God made me. (Genesis 1:26, 27; 2:7; Ecclesiastes 12: 1; Acts 17:24-29)

from A Catechism for Boys and Girls

What is catechism? The term “catechism” is one that may well bring up images of a strange, outdated method of instruction. But catechizing has been a time-honored and effective practice throughout Protestant as well as Catholic history (though the catechisms of each obviously differ dramatically in content.) There are some very good reasons to consider using a catechism in teaching children, both at home and at church. First, a little history and explanation of what a catechism is and does.

For an example of an old-school catechism, you might want to check out my video clips from the Baptist Catechism set to music.

Catechism comes from a Greek word used in the Bible, katacheo, that simply means “instructed” (Luke 1:4). Catechism is a question and answer method of instruction in basic Christian doctrines; it forms a framework for personal interaction with the Scriptures. The series of questions and answers develops a fundamental understanding of God, sin, salvation, prayer, the Bible, the church, and heaven and hell; each answer in the catechism is supported by Scripture references.

Socrates and other philosophers made great use of this method of teaching. Martin Luther and other leaders of the Reformation dealt with the terrible ignorance of Scripture and doctrine prevalent in their day by making catechisms and catechizing. Charles Spurgeon urged and promoted the use of catechisms, saying that “if we could revive, more and more, the use of a good catechism…we should be doing a world of good. The way to secure the masses would be to secure them when young.”

Three Reasons To Catechize

Here are several good reasons to consider implementing a catechism style of teaching with your kids at home and at church:

1. A catechism encourages the unity of essential beliefs among God’s children. Many people want to know what constitutes a true Christian essential teaching. What are the primary teachings of the Christian faith? Catechical instruction can help promote unity among Christians by helping establish the fundamentals of the faith.

2. Catechism promotes a faster, deeper understanding as verses are tied to appropriate questions. Children are helped to tie verses to meaning through the use of questions and answers. Children begin to understand the usefulness of God’s Word as they see how clearly it answers important questions.

3. Catechism stimulates and motivates learning, because most children, especially younger ones, love to answer questions. Questions are a teacher’s most useful ally, because through them one gains access to precious minds. As Jesus showed, questions are invaluable when teaching truth!

Instruction in the catechism can often begin in a church simply by integrating it with current curriculum. If you’d like further information, see A Catechism for Boys and Girls online here, and the Shorter Catechism for younger children here. You can also download a wonderful Kids 4 Truth PowerPoint presentation, from which I quoted above, here.

“It is worthwhile to be a Shorter Catechism boy. They grow up to be men. And better than that, they are exceedingly apt to grow to be men of God.” B.B. Warfield

The Catechism About Catechisms

This is a little Q & A about catechisms that I wrote in the form in catechisms. I’m adding it here to Jeri’s excellent introduction to catechizing children. ~ Tony K.

Q: What is a catechism? A: A simple way to learn Bible truth.

Q: In what does a catechism primarily consist? A: A catechism contains questions and short memorable answers.

Q: How might a person instruct their family in right doctrine. A: The diligent use of a catechism.

Q: Does the catechism method ensure right doctrine? A: No, only biblical answers ensure right doctrine.

Q: Do all catechism teach Roman Catholic doctrine? A: No, many protestant catechisms have been written.

Q: Are catechisms only for children? A: No, both young and old can benefit from orderly instruction.

Q: Does the use of a catechism detract from the authority of Scripture? A: No, a good catechism will explain and uphold the Word of God.

Q: Do catechisms make children bored? A: No, a wise teacher may use this form with great benefit for children.

Q: Are catechisms educationally appropriate for modern children? A: Yes, the curiosity of an active mind is drawn to answer questions.

Q: Will using a catechism cause my children to become Puritans? A: By the grace of the Lord, a catechism may convert one’s children.

Q: What are the best catechisms? A: The Westminster Shorter Catechism and the Heidelberg Catechism are praiseworthy.

Q: Do these teach the errors of the pedo batistss? A: Yes, a wise teacher will also use the Baptist Catechism. (a revision of the Westminster Shorter Catechism.)

Q: Can I learn the Baptist Catechism through song? A: Yes, the servant of God, Jim Orrick, has produced them on CD.

Q: Are their any exceptional collections of catechism? A: Yes, many books contain catechisms. Truth and Grace Memory Books 1-3

Q: Where can a person learn more about catechisms? A: The internet has many resources. Wikipedia Article. Tim Challies on the Benefits of Catechisms. An Encouragement to the Use of Catechisms by Tom J. Nettles. James P. Boyce “A Brief Catechism of Bible Doctrine”. Tom J. Nettles A Catechism for Boys and Girls.

Q: What catechism does Tony Kummer’s children learn. A: The Kummer children use the The Baptist Catechism , Big Truths for Little Thinkers, and A Catechism for Boys and Girls (preschool age catechism).

#1 Pray: Begin by asking for God’s help. Omitting prayer will lead to an attitude of pride and leave your lesson spiritually weak. So stop reading now and pray for God’s help … really.

#2 Read: Start as early as possible to read the Bible passage you will be teaching. I like to read through the passage several before crafting my lesson. This step is foundational. You can’t teach what you don’t understand. Make notes of difficult words or ideas. Write down anything that God uses to deepen your love for Him.

#3 Focus: Ask yourself, “What is this passage saying about God?”You must discover what God is saying about himself in the passage.Children don’t need Bible facts. They need to know God. Everything about your children’s church lesson must be focused on God.

#4 Apply: Discover the connection of the passage to daily life. After answering the BIG GOD QUESTION you are ready for application. If the passage teaches that God is strong to save his people, how does this apply to the children? Resist the temptation to bend the passage around your application. Be crystal clear. Use real life examples.

#5 Draft: Write an initial draft of your lesson. This is an essential step for me to know where I am going with the lesson. I need a concrete plan. I rarely use my notes when I teach but having them give me the freedom to teach.

#6 Check: Compare your lesson to a doctrinally solid children’s story Bible. I only use these sources after I’ve written my children’s church lesson. I usually find ideas illustrations and object lessons from these sources.

#7 Supplement: Find relevant supporting material for your lesson.There are many free sources for coloring sheets, children’s ministry activities or Sunday school games available. I’m a member of Kidology – for $44 per year they may be the only supplemental resource your need. You can also find some ideas from my post on children’s Sunday school lessons.

#8 Feedback: Seek input from others. Once your lesson is complete, ask your pastor or fellow children’s ministry volunteers to review it. They might have a great idea to contribute.

#9 Evaluate: Review your lesson after you’ve taught it. In my ministry I’ve often learned best from trial and error. This step will take some discipline, but constantly examining your children’s church lessons will make you a better teaching. Be sure to thank God for what works and ask for wisdom to learn from your mistakes.

This was written by Tony Kummer and was first published as “How To Write A Children’s Church Lesson From Scratch” on Ministry-To-Children.com. Tony says he uses this 9 step process each week to create his Children’s Church lessons. One thing Tony doesn’t discuss is selecting your text. I like teaching systematically and I often use a Catechism for selecting the scriptures for a lesson. Consider working through A Catechism for Boys and Girls.

Be sure to read the review of Seeds Family Worship. After you read the review, come back here and leave a comment. A random comment here on this post will win a free copy of the first Volume, Seeds of Courage. Be sure to make sure you leave a way for me to contact you in case you win.

Seeds Family Worship takes scripture and puts it to contemporary music. It has me tapping my foot and it has Delilah running around and dancing. We have The Baptist Catechism set to music, and it has proven the concept quite well. Often I find myself singing a bit of the catechism in my head before answering a question. Although we have not listened to the same Seeds Family Worship CD several times yet, I suspect the same thing will happen with the scriptures once we do. Delilah has already reminded me not be anxious after listening to the song on Philippians 4:6-7. I can think of no better way to hide God’s word in my family’s hearts.

2009 Christmas Buying Guide

“Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4 (ESV)

The Children’s Story Bible. 3 Volume Paperback edition. By Catherine Vos.

The New Children’s Bible by Anne De Vries. Hardcover.

Catechism

The Baptist Catechism Set to Music

Truth and Grace memory books

Dangerous Journey

Recommended by Jim Elliff and Steve Burchett in an interview on Children’s Ministry. They tell us:

One “world-class” book for your use is Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. For years a rendition of this book for children, Dangerous Journey (Zondervan), has been a favorite of ours for the excellent graphics and choice of story portions. Along with this excellent tool, a DVD using the book itself is available.

Sammy and His Shepherd

Learn About God (6 Book Set) (Board Book)

God Never Changes

God Is Faithful

God Is Kind

God Has Power

God Is Everywhere

God Knows Everything

Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers 4 Book Set (Hardcover)

Includes: The Trinity, The Gospel, The Scripture, and The Mission.

This is a set of books Delilah will get getting for Christmas this year. I am quite excited about them. These are very important doctrines, explained in a way our young kids can understand. The entire book on the trinity is available for preview. The book ends with the Constantinopolitan Creed of A.D. 381 quoted in full. I am impressed.

Publisher’s Description: The Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers series introduces children ages four to eight to the fundamental teachings about God based on the Bible. The most foundational teachings of the Christian faith are presented in this four-book set at a level preschool and elementary children can understand. Colorful illustrations compliment every page of orthodox Christian doctrine, creating an enjoyable learning experience for the child. In contrast to self-centered theology and watered-down Bible storybooks, the Big Thoughts for Little Thinkers series promotes God-centered theology with simple and precise teaching while offering stability and a strong, lasting connection with the faith.

Music

If you only get one CD, be sure you have the Baptist Catechism set to music. But if you are looking for more, consider these hymn books with CDs. Each comes with a nice hardback book including the music sheet, a story, scripture, and a prayer for each song. This is a great way to really get some meaning out of the hymns.

Hymns for a Kid’s Heart, Vol. 1 with CD

Hymns for a Kid’s Heart, Vol. 2 with CD

Christmas Carols for a Kid’s Heart, Book with CD

Passion Hymns for a Kid’s Heart with CD

UPDATE: The Cecil and Friends series has been removed from this list. When putting it on this list I had only read one from the series. After reading the rest of the books I am forced to retract my recommendation due to images of Christ.

Reformation Trust children’s books are refreshing. Theological sloppiness is common in children’s resources, but I’ve come to trust the material from Reformation Trust to be sound. I asked the author of Sammy and His Shepherd, Susan Hunt, how she ensures theological accuracy in her book. Susan Hunt is the wife of a retired PCA pastor whom gives support and helps with theological accuracy. In other cases Susan Hunt gets additional review from other pastors, friends, or the elders of her local church. In the case of Sammy and His Shepherd, she “had great confidence in the theological oversight of the Ligonier editors” and didn’t see the need for additional oversight. I agree her confidence was well placed as I too have come to trust the theological oversight of the Ligonier editors.