Family Discipleship Part 2: The Jesus Storybook Bible--NOT Your Typical Children's Bible

 Last week, I promised to share a resource that's been helpful and useful to our family in discipling our children. As promised, this week I want to tell you about The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name by Sally Lloyd-Jones, an absolutely fantastic book that is SO MUCH MORE than just another typical story Bible!


In nearly twelve years of parenting, we've collected a shelf full of children's story Bibles. From board book versions, to The Beginner's Bible to Egermeier's, our collection runs the gamut. So when I kept hearing chatter about this new Jesus Storybook Bible I really didn't pay much attention, thinking we didn't need yet another one.


I finally decided to get it for my 4 year old, mainly because the Deluxe Edition comes with a CD and I was looking for more audio stuff she could listen to at bedtime.

Wow.

I LOVE it.

In my personal experience, most children's bibles...in fact, most typical Sunday School curriculum and Christian material aimed at children...does a pretty poor job of connecting all the "stories" in the Bible into one BIG story that points to one Person. There are exceptions, but for the most part, Biblical events are portrayed as completely separate events: Noah's Ark, David and Goliath, Daniel in the Lions' Den, and so on. There's rarely an explanation of how these events are connected...other than that they're all in the Bible! I know in my case, I was an adult before I began to really understand the flow of the Bible and how the same theme runs all the way through...from the Old to the New Testament. 


Well, the subtitle of The Jesus Storybook Bible is "Every Story Whispers His Name" for good reason! 

Here's the publisher's description:

The Moonbeam Award Gold Medal Winner in the religion category, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the Story beneath all the stories in the Bible. At the center of the Story is a baby, the child upon whom everything will depend. Every story whispers his name. From Noah to Moses to the great King David—every story points to him. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle—the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together. From the Old Testament through the New Testament, as the Story unfolds, children will pick up the clues and piece together the puzzle. A Bible like no other, The Jesus Storybook Bible invites children to join in the greatest of all adventures, to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the center of God’s great story of salvation—and at the center of their Story too.

 Author Sally Lloyd-Jones has a true gift with words and ability to weave the story together in a beautifully understandable way. In fact, it's not at all surprising to me that some prominent theologians have recommended the book not just for kids but for ADULTS!


Dr. Tim Keller said: 

“I would urge not just families with young children to get this book, but every Christian.” 

Pastor Tullian Tchvidjian agrees: 

"Even though it's a children's Bible, The Jesus Storybook Bible is, in my opinion, one of the best resources available to help both children and adults see the Jesus-centered story line of the Bible."

I was hooked from the moment I read the Introduction:

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’re 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 rescues the ones 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 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 the puzzle–the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture. In the Jesus Storybook Bible, every story whispers his name. It tells the story beneath all the stories in the Bible. 

 The illustrations by Jago are gorgeous and go beautifully with the text. Here's a couple of sample page spreads: 

I'm so glad now that I decided to add yet another children's story Bible to my shelf! In fact, I'm probably going to clear most of the others out. 


I HIGHLY recommend The Jesus Storybook Bible and it's Deluxe Edition for EVERY family to read about "God's never stopping, never giving up, unbreaking, always, and forever love" throughout the Bible, no matter the age of your children!


Linked with Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family

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• Family Discipleship: A Review of Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham