Something I love

If you don't own the Jesus Storybook Bible you have to get it. Whether you have kids or not. It is absolutely amazing. I pretty much tear up every time I read something out of it. It's that profound. This bible presents the Gospel in every story. The stories are well written. The illustrations are beautiful. I love this bible.



I want to share a few lines from it that are especially wonderful. This one is in the story about Creation. (And they are much more powerful in the context of the rest of the story, but I guess you'll just have to read it yourself to see that.)

"But all the stars and the mountains and oceans and galaxies and everything were nothing compared to how much God loved his children. He would move heaven and earth to be near them. Always. Whatever happened, whatever it cost him, he would always love them."

This one comes in the story about Noah and the flood.

"God's strong anger against hate and sadness and death would come down once more- but not on his people, or his world. No, God's war bow was not pointing down at his people. It was pointing up, into the heart of Heaven."

I think this bible focuses exactly on what we should be teaching our children. I feel like so many bible stories for kids focus on all the "great" things the famous characters of the Bible did, with a moral of, "so go out and be like Noah, or David, or Abraham".

The problem with teaching kids to be like these bible characters is that these guys had issues. Noah ended up drunk and naked in front of his son. Abraham lied to a ruler, saying that his wife was his sister. Twice. David, well, he stole another man's wife and had her husband purposely killed on the front lines of the battlefield. Yeah, these were quality guys.

These guys desperately needed a Savior, just like we do. I believe that's what God wanted us to learn from their stories, which is why I love, love, love the way this bible focuses so much on that truth. I love to think that from his first memory of reading bible stories together, Joel will be learning about God's grace and mercy in sending Jesus to die for our sins.

His mom can sure use the reminder as well.