"Show Them Jesus" by Jack Klumpenhower

  

      

      When we think of Sunday school lessons we think of David and how he believed God and was able to be brave when faced with great opposition. Lessons like this one are important and Sunday school or Church Camp is the only time some of these kids get to hear about the importance of being obedient to God. But as author Jack Klumpenhower points out in his book "Show Them Jesus" most of the teachings our kids are hearing are meant to instruct them on what they should be doing and how they should be living, when what these kids really need is the good news of what God has done for them in Jesus. It's not that we aren't teaching the Gospel to the children but we often resort to a single day dedicated to presenting it rather than mixing it in every lesson. Let me give my own example from the story above. Davids obedience to God's word led him to conquer Israel's enemy. Where is the Gospel in this story? In Israel there was none who fully trusted God  except one who God raised up to be king. This man was faithful to God and rescued his people from the Philistines. Sound familiar?  The teacher could also point out that though David was clearly not perfect and made many mistakes, God would later raise up another King who was perfect and saved His people from their greatest enemy,  sin and death. 

       It's not that teaching obedience to God is wrong. Paul lists a whole group of things we are to do in Romans 12 but if you notice in verse 1 he says "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to..." The "mercies of God" is a reference back to earlier in Romans where Paul talks about our salvation in Jesus. Our lessons on obedience need to be an outflow of our teaching the Gospel and though we usually have this in mind, if we're not regularly showing what God has done for us, our teaching beginnings to produce a sort of Christian moralism. Kids either become puffed up with pride because of the good job they have done or overwhelmed by guilt because they can't live up to God's standard. The Gospel is the cure for both of these problems.

      Klumpenhower does a great job arguing all these points through out his book and at the end of each chapter he includes answers to all the objections I'm sure many of you have. The book is laid out into two sections.  The first section is about what the Gospel is, it's importance, and why it needs to be foremost in our teaching children. The second section is on how to implement this "good news teaching" into the classroom and at times like lessons at camp or the devotion time at home. This book is aimed at everyone who ministers to kids and teenagers and not just the teachers but anyone with kids in their life.
   Each chapter is filled with thoughtful instruction and great personal examples from the author's experiences. The chapters end with questions one might have towards the teaching and a well presented answer addressing each concern. I found the examples to be very helpful because we often learn from watching others and Jack is not shy about his mistakes, presenting his failures to the reader allows discussion on how things could have went better.

      This book's aim is that of the apostle Paul "to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified". That doesn't mean we don't teach the rest of the Bible but that we present it in the glorious light of the cross. Our teaching should reflect our confidence in the sovereign power of God through the preaching of the Gospel both to save the lost and sanctify us into the image of His son.

      I highly recommend this book to anyone involved in the ministering of children. Jack Klumpenhower is a thorough teacher and a real delight to read. Grab a copy of "Show Them Jesus" and begin to be to show Jesus to your kids and become partners in the gospel today.

I received this book from New Growth Press in exchange for an honest review. 

Alby's Amazing Book by Catalina Echeverri

      Imagine that your small child is cuddled up on your lap and anxiously waiting story time with mommy or daddy. You now have a choice to make about which book to read but more often your child has already grabbed their favorite title and you sit down to read the same story for the umpteenth time. The repetition doesn't bother you because you love to see your child enjoy reading but if you are like me you cringe because what you want is to get your child excited about reading the Bible and not obsessing over some child size story of Frozen! 
     I can't promise that this book will become your child's newest obsession but I am sure that your kids will enjoy it and you will rejoice to find something that teaches about the joys of reading God's Word.
    This book is aimed at younger children and those with little to no reading abilities. The words are few but not without purpose. The story is about a squirrel named Alby who loves to read. His desire to read comes from enjoying the many adventures he can find reading a book. Alby's favorite book is the bible. Alby has many reasons why he prizes this book over other books but two are presented by the author 1. The great stories found throughout the scriptures give Alby hours of fun and amazing adventures  2. (My favorite) Alby loves the bible above all the other books because Alby knows the Author!
   The story is kind of cheesy if you are a thirty year old man but wonderful if that man is the father of a young child. There is also real value in the illustrations created by Catalina Echeverri  Each page is filled with characters or objects in unique presentations giving your children many different small things to look at and enjoy. Through out many pages there is a unique background where Catalina places passages of scripture behind the words and pictures. The set up is unlike anything I have ever seen and the colors and designs are beautiful, words cannot do it justice, you will have to see it for yourself. I sat down when I received this book and read it to my four month old infant, she has no idea what I was saying but she stared at the combination of colors and characters on the pages and quietly listened as I narrated the story.

We read to our children with hope that they will grow up and enjoy reading but our greater hope is that our young ones will early on learn and yearn for that amazing book authored by the Almighty God. Get a copy of "Alby's Amazing Book" by  Catalina Echeverri and begin to encourage your little ones toward the word of God.

I received a copy of this book from The Good Book Company via Cross Focused Reviews in exchange for an honest review.