In August, I noticed that two new devotional books were going to be published by Crossway in September. One is entitled God's Mighty Acts in Creation and the other is God's Mighty Acts in Salvation, both by Starr Meade. I was very curious what these two books would be like. I've read many books for kids that try to engage kids by either watering down the truth or simplifying concepts so that much of the Bible's truth is missed.
God's Mighty Acts in Creation is about how all of Creation points to God. In our culture, children are inundated with the belief that man has made everything that we have created our own world. Science sets out to prove that God doesn't exist. As parents, we need to help our children see God in the world around us. Rather than proving that God doesn't exist, science points to all that we don't know and the amazing complexity of His Creation, our world. But, we need to help them see this. This devotional is a wonderful way to help children learn to open their eyes.
When I first began reading God's Mighty Acts in Creation, my family was traveling on a long trip to my brother's wedding. I read the second entry to my husband that includes a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. When I finished reading, he commented on how impressed he was at how the author was able to explain the poem at a kid's level. My husband is not easily impressed. I was impressed as well. Honestly, I hadn't read the poem before and Ms. Meade's explanation helped me understand it.
All that said, though, this book will probably still surprise you. It is not simply a book about light and darkness, plants, animals, and people. It is a book about seeing God. One of the entries about plants talks about how life changes, but that the things that really matter don't--God and His Word. Knowing and remembering this can help us accept the changes in our life and seek what really matters. Many important spiritual truths are woven into this book.
The second book is God's Mighty Acts in Salvation. This devotion is based on a collection of talks she gave to the children at her church while her pastor was preaching from Galatians. She addresses a variety or points from Galatians including who wrote Galatians and to who, Paul's authority, freedom in Christ, salvation plus nothing, faith producing works, and real fruit. I loved the entry that she wrote about Abraham and Sarah and how Sarah thought God needed help in keeping the promise He made about them having a child. It is in reference to Galatians 4:28. This entry addresses the false teacher that Galatians were listening to that they had to work to enjoy God's favor.
Very rarely as I read these books, I did come across an example that was not exactly the way I would have put it to my children. The example that comes to my mind from the book about Salvation was just a little more blunt than the way I have been teaching my children to say things. I know I sometimes am particularly sensitive to blunt speech, often to a fault I think. Starr Meade's heart is very apparent through all of her talks and there is love and grace in the entries in this book.
I highly recommend these two books. I think that they would be most appropriate for 8-12 year olds. The truths are definitely relevant for a 13 year old and 7 year old as well, so if you are wondering if they would be right for your family, you can read samples from these books on Amazon.
It is such an encouragement to me as a parent to find good books that I look forward to reading with my children that I know will help them understand the truths that I so dearly want them to know in their hearts.
Please note that I was given complimentary copies of these two books for review by Crossway Books.
All that said, though, this book will probably still surprise you. It is not simply a book about light and darkness, plants, animals, and people. It is a book about seeing God. One of the entries about plants talks about how life changes, but that the things that really matter don't--God and His Word. Knowing and remembering this can help us accept the changes in our life and seek what really matters. Many important spiritual truths are woven into this book.
Very rarely as I read these books, I did come across an example that was not exactly the way I would have put it to my children. The example that comes to my mind from the book about Salvation was just a little more blunt than the way I have been teaching my children to say things. I know I sometimes am particularly sensitive to blunt speech, often to a fault I think. Starr Meade's heart is very apparent through all of her talks and there is love and grace in the entries in this book.
I highly recommend these two books. I think that they would be most appropriate for 8-12 year olds. The truths are definitely relevant for a 13 year old and 7 year old as well, so if you are wondering if they would be right for your family, you can read samples from these books on Amazon.
It is such an encouragement to me as a parent to find good books that I look forward to reading with my children that I know will help them understand the truths that I so dearly want them to know in their hearts.
Please note that I was given complimentary copies of these two books for review by Crossway Books.
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