The Kids

The Kids

Sunday, January 23, 2011

The Jesus Storybook Bible

We have a variety of children's Bibles in our house (namely thanks to my mom, who likes to buy them for the kids), but my personal favorite is The Jesus Storybook Bible.  It is written in such a way that even adults can learn from it.  Allow me to share the the opening section, titled "The Story and The Song."

God wrote "I love you"-He wrote it in the sky, and on the earth, and under the sea.  He wrote His message everywhere!  Because God created everything in His world to reflect Him like a mirror-to show us what He is like, to help us know Him, to make our hearts sing.

The way a kitten chases her tail.  The way red poppies grow wild.  The way a dolphin swims.

And God put it into words, too, and wrote it in a book called "The Bible."

Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do.  The Bible certainly does have some rules in it.  They show you how life works best.  But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing.  It's about God and what He has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy.  The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes at all.  They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose).  They get afraid and run away.  At times they are downright mean. 

No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes.  The Bible is most of all a Story.  It's an adventure story about a young hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure.  It's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne-everything-to rescue the one he loves.  It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

You see, the best thing about this Story is-it's true.

There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all of the stories are telling one Big Story.  The Story of how God loves His children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story.  And at the center of the Story, there is a baby.  Every Story in the Bible whispers His name.  He is like the missing piece in a puzzle-the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.

And this is no ordinary baby.  This is the Child upon whom everything would depend.  This is the Child who would one day-but wait.  Our Story starts where all good stories start.  Right at the very beginning...

It then goes on to Genesis and begins to tell the stories we all know, each pointing to Jesus.  It is beautifully written and brings up things that I never realized before, even in my four years of taking Bible classes in college. 

Abby has read it cover to cover a couple of times already.  When she "preaches" to us (like this morning, since Nick and I are too sick to take them to church today), she always refers to this Bible.  I strongly recommend this version to anyone with kids, or even for those of you without children-it's a lovely devotional to keep with your "grown-up" Bible.

Thanks for reading my little book plug.  I will return soon with more stories about how my kids (and their parents)are examples of those fallen heroes who need their prince to come and rescue them.

1 comment:

Bryan Zug said...

The CD's that come with the deluxe edition are priceless. Such a great dramatic reading that breaths life into the passages.