Husband. Dad. Writer. Blogger. Consultant. Social Media Junkie. Humorist. Minister. Horse Owner. Prez of Kidz Blitz Ministries. Political Prognosticator. Public Speaker. Newsaholic. Author. Lifelong Learner.

I like that about him.  I have followed Roger’s sites (those still running and those long since shut down) for years now ever since I started dabbling in children’s ministry.  His monthly column in K! Magazine is one of my favorites.  Before I had ever met Roger, I felt like we would get along great and have plenty to talk about over a cup of coffee.  There was something about Roger that just resonated with me.  When I attended the first CMX a couple of years ago, my list of “to do” items included meeting Roger Fields, but every time I saw him he just looked too busy, and I didn’t want to disturb him.  Last year though, I didn’t let Roger’s schedule stop me, and I was pleased to get a few minutes of his time just to say hello.

Roger’s work with Kidz Blitz is fairly well known, and when I heard on Twitter and Facebook last year that Roger was writing the history of that organization, I was excited to get my hands on it.  You can only imagine my surprise when I got the book and thought to myself,

“I never knew Roger was a hobo in an earlier life!!!”

I was shocked, but it didn’t deter my want to read his new book Jumping the Track.  I was even more enthused when I received I free copy of it in the mail a few weeks later to review for this blog.  Don’t tell Roger, but I would have paid full price for the book.  What can I say?  I like the word free.  As a conservative, I’m sure Roger can understand that!  Enough about me though, let’s get back to the book.

Jumping the Track is Roger’s story, but it is much more than that.  It is a story of someone willing to forsake security in order to be available to answer God’s call at any time and in any place.  Roger shares how he decided one day to give up comfort and security in order to follow his life’s calling.  There were, of course, bumps along the way, and Roger shares those with the reader in his unique and engaging style.  The message of the book is clear, “God is more important and more powerful than any long term plan you might have for yourself.”  Roger is clear that this book, and this lifestyle, is not for everyone.  I disagree.  While the lifestyle may not be for everyone, and frankly might not be God’s design for everyone’s life, I do believe that this book is for everyone.  Easily readable and captivating, this book will challenge and encourage you whether you are a planner and goal setter or a track jumper.

WIN A COPY FOR YOURSELF!!

Admit it!  You were hoping this review might lead to a giveaway, and indeed it has.  Roger has generously provided me with a second copy of his book (a signed copy no less) to give away to one lucky reader.  Here’s how you can win, but first a little bit of back story.  I am not a track jumper by nature, but last year God led me to create a new ministry formed for the purpose of ministering to children of divorce.  I have no personal or professional experience in this area, but I am trying to follow God’s lead, and I started Divorce Ministry 4 Kids last summer to do just that.  This venture represents the most significant ministry track jumping I have ever engaged in, and it seems appropriate to use this give away to get the word out.  So, you can enter our giveaway by doing any, or all, of the following:

1. Visit Divorce Ministry 4 Kids and comment on any article page anytime within the next week.  I will enter all comments into the drawing.  Make sure to include your e-mail address so I can get in contact with you.
2. Follow DivorceMin4Kids on twitter.
3. Like the Divorce Ministry 4 Kids facebook page.
4. If you are a child of divorce, fill out our 8 question survey for Children of Divorce.
5. Sign up for the Divorce Ministry 4 Kids monthly e-mail newsletter on the front page of Divorce Ministry 4 Kids.
6. Tweet the following: “Help @stocksohio get the word out about DivorceMinistry4Kids.com & win a free copy of @RogerFields new book: http://wp.me/pN5Ju-1mF #kidmin”

That’s up to six ways to enter, please take advantage of all of them.  We will pick a winner sometime next Thursday, February 9, 2012.  Happy track jumping!

Disclaimer: I was provided a free copy of this book in order to compete this review.  That in no way influenced the contents of this review.  Furthermore, I can neither confirm or refute the assertion that Roger was indeed at one point a hobo.  I would suggest you ask him about that.

Related posts:

1. THE BIG GOD STORY by MICHELLE ANTHONY (a Dad in the Middle Review)
2. 9 THINGS THEY DIDN’T TEACH ME IN COLLEGE ABOUT CHILDREN’S MINISTRY by RYAN FRANK (A Dad in the Middle Review)
3. DON’T HUG A GRUDGE by Donna Perugini (A Dad in the Middle Review)

Reading through 9 Things They Didn’t Teach Me in College About Children’s Ministry felt like I was having a conversation with Ryan and some of his closest friends.  The book is an easy read, which is not to imply that it lacks depth and insight, but only that Ryan writes so well that you often don’t realize how much of the book you’ve read by the time you put it down.  Despite how easily reads, and how relatively short each chapter is, the amount of information and practical advice packed into each page is astounding.  This book will not only make you think, it will give you a laundry list of practical ideas that you can start implementing today.  

Published to look like a an old blank notebook you might have used in college, each chapter tackles one important issue related to working in children’s ministry.  I don’t mind ruining the surprise, especially since you can find the table of contents online, so the nine chapters are:

1. How Big Is Your Church?
2. People Over Paper
3. Fighting Staff Infections
4. The World is Flat
5. The Big “Ask”
6. The Starbucks Model
7. Movement Causes Friction
8. What’s That Hum?
9. You Don’t Have to Start from Scratch

Each chapter presents the issue, offers solutions and tips and ends with either a discussion with Ryan’s Facebook friends or an interview with a respected member of the Children’s Ministry Community.  For the record, I am not a full time staff children’s ministry professional.  I volunteer at my church in the children’s ministry and spend a lot of time thinking and writing about it.  That said, while I could not relate personally to some of the chapters, I still found the book extremely engaging and useful which is my way of suggesting that this would still be a good book for children’s pastors to buy for their staffs and volunteers.

Normally, when I am doing reviews like this, I will try to find at least one thing that I didn’t like or thought could have been better.  If I’m being honest, the only thing this book left me wanting was more, and that is not a bad thing.  I’m looking forward to Ryan’s next book.  Who knows, perhaps we’ll have a chance to get that drink in the meantime.

I was provided with a free copy of this book by Standard Publishing in order to do the review.  That fact did not influence my review, and the cool thing is they actually gave me a second copy to give away free to a lucky user.  So, since I am still reeling from losing the Kidmin Blog Madness competition, the first person to send me an Ipad2 gets a free copy of the book.  It seems like a fair trade!  Just kidding, if you want to be entered in the drawing to win the book, just leave a comment below, and I will draw a name at random sometime in the next week or so.  You can comment about whatever you would like, but I think it would be cool to hear stories about things that have happened to you in children’s ministry that you didn’t expect when you first started.

If you can’t wait to win a free copy, you can find out more about the book now, right here.

Related posts:

1. PART 1 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)
2. PART 4 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)
3. PART 2 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)

A beautifully illustrated, simple yet complete guide to help parents teach their children the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

That is some billing to live up to, but I have to tell you, in the end I found this book to be exactly that.  Mr. Leuzarder, driven by the desire to come up with a way for his own daughters to memorize the core truths of the gospel has come up with this resources which should be in the hands of all parents and everyone who works with kids.

The Problem

Before I get into how Mr. Leuzarder solves the problem, it makes sense to define the problem itself.  As parents, or as children’s ministry workers, our chief goal should be to share the truth and power of the gospel with the kids we have influence over.  That said, there is a bit of a dearth [CHECK SPELLING] when it comes to good resources for sharing the gospel with kids.  The result is kids oftentimes get a watered-down, incomplete or inaccurate picture of what the gospel is all about.

Here how Mr. Leuzarder defines the problem in the introduction to the book:

“Many of us are familiar with the term ‘Gospel.’  We have hopefully heard its message in sermons, tracts or on TV.  We understand its great importance because God’s Word tells us that the Gospel ‘is the power if God for the salvation of everyone who believes.’  Understanding this, then, we would all agree that offering this message about the saving work of Jesus Christ to our children, as soon as they able to grasp its meaning, is of utmost importance.

But where do we start?  The Gospel is much more than a few lines out of a tract.  In fact, to properly understand the Gospel we must reasonably understand all that the Bible teaches about the nature and character of God, about man as a created being, his fall into sin and his desperate condition, as well as the work of Jesus Christ to save men from God’s wrath and eternal punishment.  We also need to understand what God expects of His redeemed people and what it means to be an heir to the glories of eternal life.”

The Teaching Process

Now, that is a tall order for any adult to understand all of those concepts.  Thousand-page plus books like Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology have been written to help adults to begin to try to understand all that these concepts entail.  How then can we begin to try to teach these to kids?  I believe it is a three part process (two of which we have some control over):

1. First, we have to understand the concepts ourselves.
2. Second, we must find age appropriate ways to teach these to our kids without diluting the whole counsel of God; and
3. We must pray that the Holy Spirit would act in the child’s life to make the truths personal and relational.

This book attempts to fill a void in the second part of the process, and in doing so also helps to alleviate the first problem as well.  While the book is “simple” enough for adults to teach children, it includes enough depth and scriptural references to also help adults to understand the concepts as well.

The Solution – This Book

This book is broken up into 6 chapters covering 38 outline points which cover the fundamental understandings that a child needs regarding God, the Bible and Jesus.  The book can be used as a tool to simply discuss each of the 38 points or kids can be asked to memorize the 38 points as well as provide a basic explanation, in their own words, of what each means.  Far more than a traditional catechism, this book is not about rote memorization – it is about helping kids to understand each of these fundamental truths.

The six chapters that make up the book are:

1. God
2. The Bible
3. Sin
4. Jesus
5. Repentance and Faith
6. Counting the Cost

Each chapter includes several truths related to the topic.  For example, the chapter on Jesus includes:

• Jesus is God’s own, dearly loved son.
• Jesus came into the world to die for sinners and rescue them from hell.
• Jesus was a man just like us.
• Although He was tempted like us, He never sinned.
• Jesus willingly took on Himself the punishment we deserve for our sins.
• All the wrath and punishment God had for believers’ sins was used up on Jesus.
• Jesus rose from the dead.
• Jesus ascended into heaven.
• Jesus is coming back again.

Each truth is further broken down into a series of discussion points that you can use to talk to your child about that truth.  Take, for example, the truth that “Jesus is God’s own, dearly loved son.”  That truth is accompanied by the following discussion points:

• By Him and for Him all things were created.
• Jesus is fully God and fully man.

Each truth and each discussion point is footnoted with a verse (or verses) from the Bible which are listed at the end of each chapter to support the assertion.  Each of the 38 points is also accompanied by a beautifully illustrated picture to help your kids, or you, in memorizing the truths.  The pictures are presented in order at the back of the book as a memorization review tool.

The target audience of this book is kids ages five and up and the adults who influence them.  That said, I think it is a great primer for any Christian regardless of whether or not you have kids!

My Recommendation

If you have children or teach children, this book ought to be part of your library.  I have yet to come across a book which so completely, and still concisely, presents the truths of the Bible is a way geared towards kids.  I will be using this book in my own study and with my own kids to make sure that they have the fundamental knowledge necessary for a solid foundation in the Christian faith.

A Final Word of Caution

Mr. Leuzarder offers one final word of caution in his book that I think we should all take to heart:

“Having out children embrace Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior based on a clear knowledge of the Gospel is the most important concern of a Christian parent…But, we must at the same time recognize that in out zealousness to see our children saved we can subtly pressure them into making a decision to follow Christ in order to please us, rather than God who knows the heart.  The consequences of a profession of faith made under pressure, and not from a sincere heart can be serious, and in time

As a parent and someone who works with kids, I understand the desire to get our kids to make a commitment to Christ.  God gives us such a great love for our kids that we want nothing more than to know that their eternal destiny is secure.  That said, I have also seen the effect of a premature declaration of faith and the difficulty in overcoming that later in life.  Like the author, I would urge you to make sure that your children have a full understanding of the Gospel and the truths presented in this book.  If they feel God tugging at their heart, be available to talk to them and explain things.  If they understand and are ready to make a true commitment, rejoice in that and celebrate with them.  But, never, never should you pressure them to make that commitment before they have a full understanding.  The consequences can have eternal implications!

Related posts:

1. 9 THINGS THEY DIDN’T TEACH ME IN COLLEGE ABOUT CHILDREN’S MINISTRY by RYAN FRANK (A Dad in the Middle Review)
2. DON’T HUG A GRUDGE by Donna Perugini (A Dad in the Middle Review)
3. SPIRITUAL PARENTING by MICHELLE ANTHONY (A Dad in the Middle Review)

In the very first chapter of the book, Ms. Anthony explains the basics of spiritual parenting:

“In this book we will explore what it means to seek God as our primary audience – to please Him alone with our parenting and seek Him alone for the strength and power to do so.  Spiritual parenting is not perfect parenting – it’s parenting from a spiritual perspective with eternity in mind…Not only do I need to learn how to rely on God (since His Word makes it clear that He alone is the one who changes hearts), but I also need to learn how my children are fearfully and wonderfully made in order to best guide them on the path that God has designed specifically for each one.”

This is not a book about controlling our children’s behavior so that we are not embarrassed or inconvenienced by their behavior (a very man-centered approach to parenting) it is about parenting in a way which brings honor and glory to God and set our kids on a spiritual path towards God.  Ms. Anthony describes her own goals for passing on a transforming faith to her kids:

• a faith in which kids would know and hear God’s voice;
• a faith in which they would desire to obey God; and
• a faith in which they would obey God not by their own power but by the power of the Holy Spirit.

As a parent, the following sentence really hit home for me:

“What you believe and where you aim your heart determines the direction and outcome of your entire life for eternity.”

Therefore, the faith and spiritual condition of our children is eternally more important that their temporal behavior.  That is what this book is about, and it is a book which has the power to transform the way you parent and your relationship with God.  The books combines theologically sound parenting advice with thoroughly practical techniques on how to implement that advice and real world stories and examples that demonstrate the need for, and fruit of, spiritual parenting.  This is a book I would recommend to all brand new parents and any parent who desires to parent their kids for the glory of God.

This book is also firmly grounded is a truth that all parents, and all those who work with kids, should understand.  There is no greater teacher or determiner of a child’s path than what they see modeled and lived out in front of them.  Ms. Anthony explains:

“Our children need to see that faith matters, that it’s relevant to our daily situation, that it’s real.

So, what about behavior?  Most parents, rightly or wrongly, are interested in the behavior of their children.  What does this book offer to those parents?  First, and foremost, it offers an admonition:

“…remember that one of the nonnegotiables for spiritual parenting is that it’s not my responsibility to control my child’s behavior…behavior isn’t something we simply manage – otherwise our Christianity is nothing more than what Dallas Willard refers to a ‘sin management.’”

There is hope though, and that hope comes through a full understanding of what it means to have faith (a goal in spiritual parenting).  Ms. Anthony writes:

“In order to pass on our faith to our children, we need to understand what biblical faith is and how it is connected to action…So faith in our lives and our children’s lives must have this expression of obedience for it to be alive.  Perhaps the fullest definition of faith comes from its meaning in the original Greek.  The word pistos embodies three things: possessing a firm conviction, making a personal surrender, and demonstrating the corresponding conduct.”

In the end, the goal of Spiritual Parenting is to lead our kids down a path where they eventually end up in the Kingdom of God.  In response to the love of Jesus’ that saves them and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, they begin to desire to obey the will of God and act in ways consistent with His will.  It is not a quick fix, but it has eternal impact.

And that, my friends, brings us to the end of Chapter 1.  I was hooked and the rest of the book lives up to expectations.  Chapter 2 lays the foundation for a relationship with God – a transforming faith. This is the kind of obedient faith that leads to a desire to obey God which is then accomplished through God’s spirit and not through our own power.  In order to create space for the Spirit to be at work in our children’s lives, Ms. Anthony lays out 10 environments which we, as parents, should cultivate in our children’s lives to allow the Spirit room to work towards an obedient faith and spiritual transformation.  Each of ten environments is dealt with in more detail in the remaining chapters of the book.  They include the environments of:

• Storytelling: involves sharing God’s big story from the Bible with our kids.  It means telling them the full story of God as reveal in His Bible and stressing that God is at the center of the story.  By grounding our kids in the Biblical story, we move them from a self-centered view of the world to a view which is others-centered and revolves around God.
• Identity: is an environment in which we reinforce for our kids who they are because God made them.  Ms. Anthony reminds us that we, as parents, often understand that our kids are made in God’s image but we spend time trying to create them in our image.  Our kids need to know who they are in Christ.
• Faith Community: is all about getting our kids involved in the local church.  God created us to live in relationships and community, and they are vitally important to the spiritual growth of us as parents and our kids.
• Service: does not ask “What do I need?”  It asks “What needs to be done?”  From working at home to serving those who are not as fortunate, we must foster an environment of service in our families.
• Out of the Comfort Zone: God did not create us to live safe lives.  We grow when God stretches us beyond what we rare comfortable with.  Yet, so often as parent, we want to solve all of our kids’ problems and not give them the same opportunity at growth.
• Responsibility: involves encouraging our kids to take responsibility for the gifts, talents and financial resources that God has given them.
• Course Correction: An environment of course correction is the opposite of punishment.  It is not about getting a desired response or obedience.  Instead it involves feeling pain, building up in love, and giving a vision of a corrected path which leads towards healing.
• Love and Respect:  As aptly explained in 1 Corinthians 13, faith without love is empty.  This environment of love and grace enables kids to receive and give grace.  Children must be respected because they are made in the image of God.
• Knowing: It is critical that our kids know and our known by God.  It is important that, in this world which denies the existence of absolute truth that we model our belief in God’s truth.
• Modeling: Kids learn what they see.  We must model an active and transforming faith for our kids.

This book is a must read for all Christian parents.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of Spiritual Parenting by the publisher in order to do this review.  That did not, in any way, influence the content of this review.

Related posts:

1. THE BIG GOD STORY by MICHELLE ANTHONY (a Dad in the Middle Review)
2. SPIRITUAL PARENTING DVD CURRICULUM (A Dad in the Middle Review)
3. CONNECT WITH YOUR KIDS – By Jim Wideman (A Dad in the Middle Review)

From the very name of the book “Big God Story,” I liked the focus of this book.  It is not a book about a bunch of historical guys who did awesome things, it is a book about how God has worked throughout history to accomplish his plan.  The first words of the book summarize its intent:

This is not just any story.  It is a true story, full of mysterious people and secret plans and last-second escapes.  It’s God’s Big Story, and every part tells us about His promise to love us.

This is a book that every parent should read to their children.  It is a review and an outline and a story and a starting point for a deeper review and study of the Bible.  It is a framework that presents the meta-narrative of the Bible in a way kids can get.  It will remind them of stories they have already heard and prompt them to ask questions about stories which are referenced that they might not fully know.  It is the perfect way to get kids interested in, and excited about, the Bible.  Most importantly though, this book keeps the main thing the main thing.  This is a book about God.  It’s about God’s plan and God’s work and God’s grace, and those themes are presented throughout the book.

As I do with most books I review, I subjected it to the most extreme test I know.  That “what do my kids think about it” test.  My seven year old daughter took the book and read it herself.  Her response, “it was good.”  That might not seem like a rousing review, but she is a very discerning reader.  My three year old made me read it to him over and over again.  Each time through he recalls a little more and asks even more questions.  I love a book which is great for my older kids to read on their own and also captivating when read to a pre-schooler.

I would definitely recommend this book to any parent and to anyone interested in giving kids a solid foundation in biblical truth and the story of God as presented in the Bible.  This is definitely not a “read it once and put it back on the shelf” type book.  It is a resource we will go back to time and time again.

There is also a great companion site at http://www.davidccook.com/BooksKids/biggodstory/ which provides even more insight into the book including things like story backgrounds, word definitions, conversation starters and activities for a number of the stories included in the book.  These will be an additional great resource for parents who want to use the book to go deeper with their kids.

Michelle Anthony is the pastor of family ministries at Rockharbor Church in Costa, Mesa California, and family ministry architect for David C. Cook publishing.  Check back next week when I will review Ms. Anthony’s other book – Spiritual Parenting.

I was provided with a free copy of this book for purposes of doing this review.  That did not in any way influence how wonderful I thought this particular book was.

Related posts:

1. SPIRITUAL PARENTING by MICHELLE ANTHONY (A Dad in the Middle Review)
2. CONNECT WITH YOUR KIDS – By Jim Wideman (A Dad in the Middle Review)
3. DON’T HUG A GRUDGE by Donna Perugini (A Dad in the Middle Review)

All week, we have been reviewing and commenting on Ivy Beckwith’s newest book called “Formational Children’s Ministry.” You can find previous installments in this review here:

• PART 1 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)
• PART 2 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)
• PART 3 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)

In the last three installments in this series, we introduced Ivy Beckwith’s newest book, “Formational Children’s Ministry,” and looked at the importance of story and ritual in transforming kids. Today we will continue our chapter-by-chapter synopsis and review of the book looking at the transformational power of relationships beginning with family relationships, and I will offer my overall review of the book. Finally, I have included links to various reviews from other blogs which were posted as part of the book blog tour.

Chapter 9 – Soul Care Through Family Relationships

This chapter addresses the importance of the family in nurturing the spiritual development of children. Although family has been alluded to in earlier chapters, this chapter is dedicated the relationships a child has within the family including some of the struggles that families in our culture face which stand in the way of forming good relationships. The chapter speaks extensively of the busyness of families in our culture which does not allow enough time to form deep relationships.

Ms. Beckwith also addresses one of the areas that I see as a major, and negative, impact on children in our culture today. She writes:

When we view children as more mature than they are and believe that they have a sophisticated understanding of the world, this causes them to grow up faster because they are asked to shoulder more and more responsibility for themselves. When parents begin to see their kids as older and more emotionally mature than they really are, the parents may sense they can pull back from parenting, leaving the children more and more on their own to make their own decisions.

As a church, we must find ways to help families nurture solid relationships within their unit to help in the spiritual development of children.

In one little chapter, Ms. Beckwith hits on two issues faced by kids which are near and dear to my heart. We live in a culture that prides itself on being busy, and we are imposing that busyness on our kids. The result is often to raise busyness to the status of idol in our lives and the lives of our kids. When they are signed up for so many things that God and his church become secondary rather than primary, it is time to rethink our priorities.

Secondly, Ms. Beckwith addresses the premature and forced maturation of children in our society. We force our kids to grow up way to quickly and they miss out on childhood. I think she makes a profound point when she identifies the selfishness in some parents in not wanting to parent anymore as a potential cause for some of this phenomenon. Parent should, and must, be active in their children’s lives as a guide and an authority and an example.

Chapter 10 – Facilitating Spiritual Formation through Community Relationships

In addition to family relationships, a child’s spiritual formation is also impacted by community relationships. Ms. Beckwith points to the “age-stratification” of the church today and posits that “Age stratification happens because we’ve turned the church into a place where we go for ‘what we can get out of it.’” Ms. Beckwith argues that churches today are fundamentally broken in this area, and we must strive as a church to eliminate the “age-stratification” that exists and allow for inter-generational relationships to flourish.

There is much to be gained in the church community by promoting interactions amongst different age groups. Adults have much to offer to the children of a congregation in terms of wisdom and insight. Likewise, the children of a congregation have much to offer the adults in terms of modeling child-like faith and innocence. While I see benefits in providing age appropriate lessons to children versus adults, I do think that churches should actively seek out opportunities to promote inter-generational opportunities and relationships.

Chapter 11 – Facilitating Spiritual Formation through Peer-to-Peer Relationships

The final method of spiritual formation addressed in the book comes through peer-to-peer relationships. Ms. Beckwith notes the importance of strong peer-to-peer relationships amongst children then addresses some of the problems in the church and culture today that limit these from forming such as:

• Irregular attendance
• Larger churches and children’s ministries
• Lack of attention from parents
• A lack of children (numerically, and especially in emerging churches)

Obviously, there are a number of factors which prevent and/or discourage regular attendance in today’s church. Ms. Beckwith hits on many of these issues and stresses the importance of weekly attendance in terms of building solid peer-to-peer relationships. I would have liked to see more practical ideas in terms of how to overcome these obstacles.

My Overall Observations and Recommendation

I think Ms. Beckwith offers some useful suggestions and practical ideas in this book that would be beneficial to anyone working in Children’s Ministry, and for that reason alone I would suggest that you pick it up and read it. That said, the overall tone of the book is that Children’s ministry today is fundamentally broken and needs a complete over hall. While I think many of her suggestion could be useful improvements to any children’s ministry, I am reticent to throw out the baby with the bath water when it comes to effective children’s ministry. I do applaud Ms. Beckwith’s efforts to continually look for new and better ways to do children’s ministry. In the end, we share a common goal of reaching children with the gospel of Christ!

Though I am sometimes furnished with free review copies of books for the purposes of reviewing them on this blog, that was not the case with this book. The money to purchase it came directly out of my wallet, and as always that did not affect my review in any way.

Other Reviews of “Formational Children’s Ministry”

As promised, the following is the entry from March’s Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol including references to the other reviews of this book:

• Day 1 – Larry Shallenberger
• Day 2 – Michael Novelli
• Day 3 – Liz Perraud
• Day 4 – Henry Zonio
• Day 5 – Barabara Graves
• Day 6 – Lori Bethran
• Day 7 – Matthew Guevara
• Day 8 – Sam Luce
• Day 9 – Amy Dolan

Related posts:

1. PART 1 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)
2. PART 3 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)
3. PART 2 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)

Welcome to our third installment in this week’s review and commentary on Ivy Beckwith’s newest book called “Formational Children’s Ministry.” You can find previous installments in this review here:

• PART 1 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)
• PART 2 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)

In the last two installments in this series, we introduced Ivy Beckwith’s newest book, “Formational Children’s Ministry,” and looked at the importance of story in forming kids. Today we will continue our chapter-by-chapter synopsis and review of the book looking at the formational power of ritual.

Chapter 6 – The Transformative Power of Ritual

In this chapter, Ms. Beckwith argues for the beneficial nature of ritual as a means of providing a foundation for faith. She shares how, through her own struggles with her faith, she utilized various rituals in order to keep her grounded in the faith as she worked through her own questions and doubts. She argues that:

…ritual has the ability to transform our beliefs about right and wrong, good and evil, and put those beliefs into action.

This chapter, however, is not limited to “religious” rituals. Ms. Beckwith also concludes that those of us in Children’s Ministry should be concerned with family rituals as well. Ms. Beckwith argues that utilizing rituals holds a number of benefits in the spiritual formation of children. These include:

1. Making changes and transitions in life more manageable.
2. Facilitating the transmission of values and beliefs.
3. Contributing to the establishment and building of a family identity.
4. Providing support and containment for strong emotions.
5. Assist young children in establishing their own identity.

Ms. Beckwith ends the chapter with a number of practical suggestions and ideas for creating rituals related to various holidays.

I have to admit that I started this chapter with some pre-conceived notions. When I read ritual in a church context, I immediately start to think of the preference of religious rituals over relationship – something that has plagued the “Christian” church throughout history and something that the Bible is clear is not pleasing to God. My predisposition against ritual in the church tends to make me skeptical of anyone propounding the benefits of ritual.

That said, I think Ms. Beckwith is certainly on to something here. When rituals are used blindly as a substitute for faith, that is clearly not a good thing. However, where ritual is used as an expression of, or an avenue back into, faith there can certainly be benefits.

Furthermore, at the family level, I think rituals (or traditions) do have the benefits which Ms. Beckwith itemizes. Much of what I remember and cherish from my own childhood when it comes to holidays has to do with the traditions of my family. With my kids, I have continued some of those traditions, and we have also started our own traditions. When all members of our family are looking forward to the same tradition, it helps to bring us together as a family around a shared experience.

Chapter 7 – Children in the Worshipping Community

This chapter examines worship as a means of spiritual formation. Ms. Beckwith details a number of characteristics of worship that make it a transformational experience. These include:

1. Worship is inconvenient. As worshippers, when we are forced to make time to worship our Lord, we show what is most important to us in life. Ms. Beckwith argues that when we as a church go out of our way to make worship overly convenient to everyone, we take away the opportunity for that worship to be truly spiritually transformational.
2. Worship provides a sense of identity. In corporate worship we cannot hide from our identity as Christians. Ms. Beckwith explains that, “When families attend church and worship services together, the children have the opportunity to see their parents live out a priority of both faith and family.”
3. Worship involves us in rituals. In this arena, Ms. Beckwith notes that children are often more willing to step outside of the “comfort zone,” and when adults see them during worship showing enthusiasm, they may be more likely to join in themselves.
4. Worship slows us downs. Ms. Beckwith argues that kids need role models to show them how to relax and slow down from the fast paced world that we live in.
5. Worship allows us to engage in hospitality. When children are in worship with adults, it forces adults to show them hospitality.
6. Corporate worship encourages generosity. Ms. Beckwith argues for the pressure that comes with being in a position where generosity is performed in front of others. In her words, in this circumstance “the pressure is on.” She explains that “Sometimes the only reason we do the right thing is because others are watching.”

Ms. Beckwith argues that by excluding kids from worshipping with their parents and other adults, we rob them of this spiritually forming and transforming activity. In response to those who would argue that worship must be done differently if kids are involved, Ms Beckwith says,

Involving children in the worshipping life of the community does not mean we need to dumb down our worship or change the flow of the service. Children understand far more than we know, and the simple presence of children in worship is far more important than whether they understand everything that is said or done.

I think Ms. Beckwith is on track with this chapter. Worship is a formational experience. It is a chance to worship our God verbally as a community, and I think kids would benefit from joining their parents in worship. Worship is a fundamental part of experiencing a relationship with God, and I believe that it does our kids a disservice when we exclude them from the opportunity to see their parents modeling worship. While I believe there is also a time and place for kids to worship on their own, both parents and kids will benefit and grow spiritually when they are allowed to worship together.

I do disagree with Ms. Beckwith somewhat when she says, “the simple presence of children in worship is far more important than whether they understand everything that is said or done.” She argues that worship doesn’t need to be dumbed down to involve kids which I do agree with. Kids are capable of understanding way more than we give them credit for. That said, I think worship should be for the entire community, including kids. So, some element of the worship service should be geared directly towards them. The goal is to have kids engaged in worship whether that it is “kids’ church” or “big church.” If they don’t understand everything that is OK, but if they understand nothing that is not. Perhaps Ms. Beckwith and I don’t disagree much on this after all.

Chapter 8 – Facilitating Spiritual Formation through Spiritual Disciplines

In this chapter, the author notes:

Many of the traditional spiritual disciplines can be practiced meaningfully by children.

She goes through the spiritual disciplines and discusses how they can be done with children. These include:

• Meditation
• Prayer
• Fasting
• Simplicity
• Solitude
• Service

I was a little bit weary of some of the methods of meditation described by Ms. Beckwith, but perhaps that is more a result of my misunderstanding than her intent. So long as meditation is based on filling ourselves up with the Word of God, I think it is fine. When meditation is more about letting go than filling up, I think we run the risk of being unbiblical in our meditation. That, however, is another issue for another day.

I think Ms. Beckwith is spot on when she argues that these spiritual disciplines are useful for kids. I think part of our role as those involved in Children’s Ministry is to give kids a foundation for practicing their faith which would include these spiritual disciplines.

Related posts:

1. PART 1 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)
2. PART 4 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)
3. PART 2 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)

Last time, we began our summary and review of Ivy Beckwith’s newest book called “Formational Children’s Ministry.” You can find previous installments in this review here:

PART 1 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)

Today we will move into several chapters of the book in which Ms. Beckwith dives into transforming children through the use of story beginning with God’s story and moving on to other stories which are also important in the spiritual transformation of children.

Chapter 2 – The Child and God’s Story

Beginning with this chapter, Ms. Beckwith unpacks what it looks like to shape children using story, ritual and relationship. Chapters 3 through 5 deal with story. Chapter 6 through 8 deal with ritual, and chapters 9 through 11 examine transformation through relationships.

Ms. Beckwith notes that approximately 80% of the Bible is comprised of stories and that story is critical element in teaching kids about God. Ms. Beckwith argues that, rather than allowing the stories to speak for themselves, we in children’s ministry have taken the stories of the Bible and infused them with our own interpretations. By doing this, she argues, we have robbed the stories of their power to shape individuals in an inherently personal way. She berates Children’s Ministry in particular for what she calls the “Aesop-fableization” of the scriptures by whereby “life applications” and “points” are included in the curriculum along with each Bible story.

Ms. Beckwith writes off as ineffective one of the traditional methods of presenting Bible lessons which is known as “hook, book, look, took.” In this method, each lesson starts with an attention getting hook, then goes to the book for the Biblical story, followed by the look which involves the exposition and explanation of the story and ending with the took representing the take away or life application for the lesson. She points to several negative characteristics of these types of lessons including:

• The fact that they are linear. Ms. Beckwith argues that kids today are not primarily linear thinkers and instead advocates “lessons that include kinesthetic, intuitive, affective and ‘loopy’ ways of processing information.”
• She argues that this method of teaching, “take[s] little interest in the various contexts into which the Bible story is dropped.”
• Finally, she contends that these types of lesson don’t allow the story to speak into the individual lives of those kids being taught.

She concludes that this linear method of teaching doesn’t “allow the kids to enter into and engage with the story in a way that lets God Spirit permeate their hearts and minds with what God wants them to know about God from that story on that particular day.”

Ms. Beckwith argues that the reason for this linear method of teaching is essentially because it is “easy.” It requires less creativity on the part of churches, and she contends that churches stick with this method because it is easier for “untrained volunteers” to teach these types of lessons and easier for curriculum publishers to write them.

In summary, Ms. Beckwith notes that “Bible stories are not vehicles for getting us to propositional truth about God. Bible stories are already truth about God.” She advocates a method which she calls “Prepare, Engage, Reflect.” The preparation involves the telling of the Biblical story followed by an invitation for kids to enter into a “safe environment” for engagement. Engagement involves various activities which allow the child to retell and interact with the story. Reflect is a time for questions and conversations about the story.

Ms. Beckwith argues that we must allow the Biblical story to stand for itself and trust that the kids we lead will enter into the story and thereby interact with God. By drawing specific applications out of the stories, Ms. Beckwith concludes that we do not allow kids to “explore the story in ways that are meaningful to them.” She cautions against leading kids to an individual application. She concludes by noting:

To treat it [the Bible] as just another how-to book about moral living is to deny it its supernatural power and deny our children the opportunity to enter into the richness and beauty of the ancient text.

I found myself a little bit torn as I read this chapter. While I agree wholeheartedly with some of the theoretical points made by Ms. Beckwith, I felt that her painting of an analytical model of teaching with broad negative strokes may have been a bit overstated. As with many things when it comes to reaching kids, I believe we can accomplish a lot more by adopting a “Both/And” philosophy rather than an “Either/Or.” In other words, we need totally strike analytical teaching from a repertoire in order to adopt of storying type of approach. Instead we can draw elements from both to present the most effective spiritual guidance to the kids we minister to. I applaud Ms. Beckwith’s efforts and longing to find the best way to teach God’s children and share that with other’s with a similar passion for kids. That said, she seems to take very much of a “it’s this way or no way” mentality, and I find that I fall more into the “the truth is somewhere in the middle” camp.

The Bible is indeed replete with stories, and being an effective storyteller is critical to teaching God’s children. I am also passionate about finding new, creative and fun ways to teach those stories to children. That is one of the reasons for my series called Tips for Teaching a Large Group of Children. If the formal education model involves merely standing in front of kids lecturing, I agree that it will be ineffective. I also agree that moralizing the stories of the Bible and turning them into something meant only to teach a moral lesson is dangerous. The Bible is God’s revelation to us about himself and his relationship with us. It is God’s story, and we should never present it as anything less than that. The Bible is exciting and alive, and part of our role in children’s ministry is to find way to convey that sense of excitement to the kids we teach.

Furthermore, the Bible is far more than a set of moral codes and laws, and we should not limit our teaching of the Bible to moral platitudes. God help us if we ever use His Word and our position merely to get kids to behave the way we want them to! That said, one of God’s intended roles for his Bible was to serve as a guidebook for our lives. We need only read the introduction to Proverbs to realize that, and to avoid any sort of application when we tell kids stories from the Bible ignores one of the reasons God gave us the Bible in the first place.

That is not to say that we must reduce everything we teach to a single pre-selected application. Rather, as teachers and shepherds of God’s Word to these kids, we must teach them how to apply the principals of the Bible to their own lives. It is true that not every application will be specific to every kid in the classroom, but God speaks to us through His word, and part of our job is to help these kids learn how to hear what God is saying. Now, don’t mishear me, I think Jesus must be at the center of all that we teach, but to exclude any practical application just because that might amount to teaching morality seems to be a stretch.

Finally, I know a lot of dedicated, and hard working, children’s ministry professional and volunteers who would take umbrage at the idea that the only reason they teach a certain way is because it is easy and doesn’t require much thought.

Chapter 3 – The Child and the Story of God’s Church

In this chapter, Ms. Beckwith postulates that helping children to know where they fit in the unfolding of larger church history is fundamental to their spiritual formation. She argues that many churches, and most Children’s Ministries, ignore this vital part of God’s story. Children need to be taught their place in the larger history of Christianity to help them feel as if they are not alone in this journey.

I couldn’t agree with Ms. Beckwith more on this point. I think church history is sorely neglected in churches across this country and particularly in Children’s Ministry. There is a temptation as a Christian to feel like you are the first one going through this. By helping kids to understand that they are part of a much bigger history filled with Christ followers, we help to provide them with a context within which their own faith has developed. Out time with the children we minister to each week is limited, and think we are often tempted to cut out anything about church history because:

1. It’s hard to make it fun; and
2. Many of us are not as well versed in it as we should be.

Chapter 4 – The Child and the Story of the Faith Community

Another part of the “story” which Ms. Beckwith argues is essential to imparting God’s story to kids is the story of their local church. Ms Beckwith offers a variety of practical ideas for imparting the story of your local church in kids’ lives.

In addition to the story of God in general, and the church in particular, Ms. Beckwith argues that children must be told the story of their particular faith community (i.e., the local church). While I can see where this would help to “ground” the kids and give them some sense of the specific family to which they belong as children of God, I hesitate to view this particular part of the story as nearly important as the story of God or even the story of the history of the wider church. That said, to the extent that the history of their local church helps children to understand that they are part of a local church family, that is definitely an important part of their spiritual maturity.

Chapter 5 – The Child and the Story of Faith

The next portion of the overall “story” which Ms. Beckwith argues is critical to a child’s relationship with God is the story of their faith. This story includes their testimony and how God is continuing to work in their lives. She defines it as:

…the ability to identify where the Spirit of God breaks into one’s life on a daily basis; being able to speak to a foundational belief or understanding about how God works in the world and, more specifically, in one’s own life; and being able to frame explanations of why one lives the way one does because of one’s encounters with God and God’s story.

Ms. Beckwith argues being able to articulate our own faith story helps us to see where we fit into the story of God, and that in order to understand, and be able to articulate, their own story, children must see the adults in their lives model the sharing of their own faith story. This is where she sees a breakdown because, as she points out, many adults are not able to share their own faith story. In order for kids to feel comfortable with speaking about their own faith story and empowered to share it with others, they need to be around parents and other adults who are comfortable talking to them about matters of faith. In order to accomplish this, Ms. Beckwith says that those of us in Children’s Ministry must be intentional about getting parents together with their kids to talk about matters of faith from a very early age.

There is an awful lot of truth in what Ms. Beckwith has to say in this particular chapter. Many Christian have trouble telling their own faith story, and even those who do generally can offer only a “testimony” of how they “came to Christ” and struggle to tell the story of how God has continued to work in their lives since that time.

This inability to convey a faith story is then passed to children who also then lack the vocabulary and training to talk about their own faith story. As those in children’s ministry, we must consistently model the telling of individual faith stories by sharing our own story with the kids we lead and helping them to formulate their own stories. Furthermore, we must encourage parents to talk to their kids about their own faith stories. As with anything else, it will be much easier for kids to learn this skill when it is consistently modeled for them both at church and at home.

This ends Ms. Beckwith’s (and my) discussion of the transformational power of story. Story is an important element in teaching and discipling kids, and it is one that cannot be ignored. This book does a great job of laying out the different elements of story that should be addressed in teaching kids about God. If nothing else, I hope that this book will help to further the discussion of utilizing story as a means of reaching and discipling kids.  Tomorrow, we will begin our review of the chapters from Ms. Beckwith’s book dealing with the transformational power of ritual.

Related posts:

1. PART 1 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)
2. PART 3 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)
3. PART 4 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)

Formational Children’s Ministry was the subject of a book blog tour several months back in which many prominent Children’s Ministry bloggers offered their opinions of the book. The book was already on My 2010 Reading List, and reading the reviews of others from the blog tour encouraged me to move the book to the top of my reading list. It was a rather quick read, and I have been planning on posting my own review here on Dad in the Middle for quite some time. As I started to summarize and review this book, I realized that this article was getting quite long, something I am not unaccustomed to here on this site. Nonetheless, I decided to break this review into several parts and post it as a series rather than one review. As I said, the idea of teaching kids the Bible through story is something near and dear to my heart, so several posts seem quite warranted. Plus, last week was Vacation Bible School at my church, and breaking this article into several parts allowed me to take a little break from writing during this busy week.

In the final post of this series, I will include links to the other reviews (from the Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol) so that you can read the opinion of several others in addition to my own review. In order to adequately review the book, I thought it necessary to first include an overview of the book which I have done chapter-by-chapter. Following the description of each chapter, I will offer my own thoughts (in red) where applicable. At the end of the review, I will offer my overall thoughts on the book and recommendation.

Synopsis of the Book

The basic premise of this book is that the model currently used in Children’s Ministries around the world (which Ms. Beckwith calls the formal education or schooling model) is inherently broken and needs to be revamped in order to meet the needs of kids today and effectively teach them God’s word. She begins the book with a search for a new and better model for transforming kids spiritually. While I am not a “throw the baby out with the bath water” kind of person, I believe Ms. Beckwith’s stated purpose is admirable. To the extent that there are ways to better reach kids with the gospel of Christ, I am all for exploring them!

Chapter 1 – The Search For A New Model

While Ms. Beckwith acknowledges that kids need a certain amount of foundational information (such as instruction in how to use and navigate the Bible), but she also draws the somewhat sweeping conclusion that,

…schooling, or formal education, is not the best methodology for growing kids into faith, which is, at heart, a relationship with God.

She proposes what she calls a “formational model” of children’s ministry. This book is based around three characteristics (as revealed in the subtitle of the book) of the formational model of teaching children. These are:

• Story
• Ritual
• Relationship

While I agree with Ms. Beckwith that faith is, first and foremost, about a relationship with God, I worry that the approach presented in this book might discount the importance of the foundational knowledge of God. In Deuteronomy 6 and throughout the Old Testament, God commands the Israelites to teach things to their children so they will know what he has done. While I agree that Children’s Ministry need not mimic formal education in order to teach about God, I think it is presumptuous to throw it out all together. Instead, I think it is our role as ministers to children to utilize the best of whatever approaches are available to reach kids. To paraphrase the words of Paul, we must become all things to all people in order that we might reach some. To the extent that there are positive aspects of the formal education model, I would want to spend some time examining the effective aspects of that model rather than throw them out all together.

This ends part one of our look at, and the introduction to, the newest book from Ivy Beckwith called “Formational Children’s Ministry.” Tomorrow we will look at a number of chapters which unpack transforming children through the use of story.

Related posts:

1. PART 4 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)
2. PART 2 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)
3. PART 3 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)

Sam starts with a great summary of the importance of redemption:

One of the greatest messages we can give to every family we come in contact with is the message of redemption. In kids’ ministry, today, we deal with more broken hearts and broken families than ever before. I believe every family needs to experience the power of redemption.

In a ministry where so many focus on fun and games, I was happy to see Sam bring it back where it really belongs…to the redemptive power of Christ.  That is the power we want to see in the kids we minister to.  In a hurt and broken world, and in the hurt and broken little hearts that we see each weekend, we long for the redemptive power of Christ to work in their lives.

From there, Sam moves to a very practical discussion of why the idea of redemption is critical to our ministries:

Oftentimes, parents stay at arms length away from our ministries because we can set the bar so high they feel they can’t reach it. The message we need to be sending to the parents who attend our churches and to those who have yet to attend is that we are not looking for perfect families because they don’t exist.  Our goal in kids’ ministries needs to be helping families understand that following Christ is a process where we fail and He redeems.

So many in our society strive to present the image of the perfect family.   And, those of us who don’t live up to that image, can easily succumb to guilt and even despair.  In children’s and family ministry, we must help parents to understand that there are no perfect people and no perfect families.  Church must be a safe place for imperfect people.  It must be a place where parents can come for biblical advice on how to run their families without fearing being transparent in their family life.

With all that insight, I actually found the last thing Sam wrote to be the most important of all:

When our kids grow up understanding true forgiveness and real redemption they will never settle for cheap grace.

Our God did not come to Earth and die on a cross for cheap grace, and it cheapens his work in human history when reduce our teaching to his children to that level.  Our job is to help them, not just understand the redemptive power of Christ, but to experience that power.  If we can do that, I am confident that we will have accomplished our purpose.

Questions for further discussion

The stated purpose of this book is to elicit further conversation.  I have included some of my thought above, but like other chapters I have included a listing of additional questions to spark further conversation.  Here are the questions I came up with:

1. Is there anything that you are doing or teaching that you feel cheapens the presentation of the grace of God?
2. What does your church do to attract imperfect families?
3. What systems do you have set up in your ministry to address the broken hearts and broken families of the kids you minister to?
4. What examples of the redemptive power of Christ have you seen in the kids you minister to?
5. How do you explain the idea of redemption to younger children?

By the way, I borrowed the images for this post from the actual e-book which you can download here for free! The stunning artwork was developed by Imago.

You can find a link to this, and all the other articles I’ve done related to this book, on my What Matters Now in Children’s Ministry Page.

Related posts:

1. PART 4 of 4 – FORMATIONAL CHILDRENS MINISTRY by IVY BECKWITH (A Dad in the Middle Review)
2. What Matters Now in Children’s Ministry (My Official Review)
3. What Matters Now in Children’s Ministry – Infectious by The Lads

When Larry Shallenberger announced several months ago that he was planning on doing a book blog tour to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his book, I eagerly signed up.  I don’t know Larry personally, but I do follow his comments on Twitter and read his blog, so I kind of feel like I know him even if he doesn’t follow me on Twitter.   Based on that presumption of relationship, and the generally laid back nature of people in children’s ministry, I will refer to him as Larry throughout this review.

Anyhow, I knew that regardless of what the book was about, Larry’ has a great sense of humor and an easy to read writing style, so I knew reading his book wouldn’t be a complete waste of time.  That said, when I found out the topic of the book was leadership, I got just a little bit leery.  It’s not that I don’t like reading about leadership or being a leader.  I actually do, but the world has plenty of books on leadership, and I have read a bunch of them.  It seems the everybody who has ever been a boss or started a ministry or had people report to them has taken it upon themselves to write a book on leadership.  After a while, they all just seem to say the same thing – do it my way and you’ll be OK, and it ultimately all runs together into a fuzzy blurry haze in my head.  Besides that, I already have a group of people whose writings, podcasts, etc. on topic of leadership I devour.  They include people like Andy Stanley, Jim Wideman, and others who I have grown to trust in this area and have learned a lot from.  With all due respect to Larry, I wasn’t sure what he could offer that hadn’t either already heard or wasn’t getting from some of the other resources I was reviewing.

There’s an old, slightly cliché, saying that “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”  I agree in principal, and Larry’s book turned out to be a prime example of this for me and another reason I try not to let pre-conceived notions totally guide what I choose to read.  Now, I’ve never recommended that someone not read this book, but if it hadn’t been for this blog tour, I’m not sure I ever would have read it either.  Had that happened, I would have missed out.

What was my overall impression?

Larry’s book opened my eyes, and my heart, to ideas and theories that I had never even considered.  It is written in a style that I personally found compelling and engaging with plenty of practical advice thrown in for good measure.   Not only is this book one I learned from on my initial read through, it is one that I am certain to refer back to time and time again.  With those general observations out of the way, let’s a little more detailed look at the book itself.

How is this review different from other reviews?

I know what you’re thinking – even if you won’t admit it.  10 reviews in 10 days by 10 different people, why should I read yours?  You think you have issues?  I found out that my review was going to be number 7 of 10.  I didn’t get to lead off with the epic home run that leave people wanting more.  I don’t get to close with quips of wisdom.  What on earth was I going to write about that would be different than everyone else?  Here’s what I decided – I would write I want.  It’s kind of freeing in a way.   I decided to do with this book what I do with many of my reviews here on Dad in the Middle (especially the good ones) and feature a whole lot more content from the book than my own personal opinion while still offering some insight into what I got out of it.  Hopefully this will give you enough information to discern whether or not you want to read it for yourself.  I hope that you will as the book will give you a ridiculous amount of additional detail not available in this review.

Who is this book written for?

The book is written specifically for those of us in children’s ministry.  Indeed, the subtitle is “Discovering Your Leadership Style in Children’s Ministry.”  That said, the principles throughout this book are just as applicable to any other ministry and to life in general.  As someone with a passion for children’s ministry though, I appreciate that the focus of this book is squarely on children’s ministry and children’s ministry leaders.

What is the basic premise of the book?

The books starts by dispelling what Larry calls “the myth of the perfect leader.”  He notes that we, as a society, spend our time looking for and/or trying to be the perfect leader – the leader who bring everything to the table and is capable of juggling all the balls which leadership invariably throws at us.  Other people compare us to this mythical leader, and more importantly, we compare ourselves to this mythical leader and find ourselves lacking.  I know that, in my own life, this is something that I have been guilty of many time.  Larry explains that there is no such things as the perfect leader.  That’s not the way God made us, and:

When we try to be someone God didn’t wire us to be, we make it very hard for God to use us.

Imagine that!  In trying to lead the ministries God has called us to, we try to be more than God has made us to be and end up doing less than God has enabled us to do.

Larry has quite cleverly and effectively positioned this book on leadership around something those of us in children’s ministry can relate to – an object lesson.   In this case, Larry explores leadership styles as they relate to putting on a play and then examines how those styles relate to children’s ministry.  Now, I’ve never put on a big production in Children’s Ministry, but the analogy itself is so illuminating that I still found it helpful and educational.

What are the different facets of leadership?

Larry follows up shattering the myth of the perfect leader by noting five stars that any children’s ministry leadership team needs to have to be truly effective.  He notes that no one leader can possibly bring all of these stars.  They are:

1. Describing the Promised Land – a destination towards which your ministry is heading – a vision
2. Providing Road Maps – strategic plans and listing of core values
3. Tending to the Tool Box – making sure the right skills and resources are available
4. Keeping the Ministry “Heart-Healthy” – tending to heart of the ministry ensuring positive outlook and optimism
5. Providing Muscle – ability to get things done

The purpose of this book is to examine leadership styles and what we can bring to the table in terms of the five stars of leadership.  In addition to that, it offers advice on how to train ourselves to be better leaders in areas where we are not and understand the other facets of leadership so that you can surround yourself with the right types of people to have a five-star ministry.  Larry points out the following:

We tend to surround ourselves with people who think like we do.

Instead, in order to be effective leaders, we must surround ourselves with people who compliment our strengths and make up for our weaknesses.  There is much to be gained by understanding the leadership styles presented in this book.

Who doesn’t love a test?

I have to admit it.  I love tests.  I really do.  I like personality tests, gifting tests, political affiliation tests, etc., etc., etc.  Give me a series of seemingly random questions and then reduce it to a profile about me, and I love it!  So, when I wandered past Chapter 1 of the book and found Chapter 2, I was ecstatic!  I know you think I’m embellishing my reaction, but I’m really not.  I also imagine you’re thinking, “Really, we’re only on Chapter 2?  I thought this was a review not the actual book!”  I promise, it’ll pick up.

Anyhow, Chapter 2 is “the dramatic leadership assessment test” in which you answer 48 questions with an indication of how often they apply to you.  Fill out the number grid, add up the numbers and this test will rank six different leadership styles as the apply to you (with your highest score being your most prevalent style, and so on).

So, what are the leadership styles?

If I’m being honest, it was this test that really peaked my interest in the book.  Larry’s work went from being some abstract, albeit good, principals about leadership to something very personal – what is my leadership style?  After filling out the test, I couldn’t wait to jump to the chapter describing my most prevalent style, which I did.  I actually read all six in order of decreasing prevalence from my own test results.  The ones which matched my profile were interesting.  It’s always fun to see how well they actually match up to you, and they were spot on in this case.  Much to my surprise however, I learned just as much (maybe more) from reading the bottom three as the top three.  It’s was insightful to learn about people with leadership styles which represent my weaknesses and figure out who and how to incorporate those into my leadership style.  I think this is where Larry has really hit it out the park with his book, and I think this is why this book becomes much more of a reference work for constant review than just a one-time read.

So, Chapters 3 through 8 each describe one of the leadership styles.  Each chapter start with a reference to the ongoing Production object lesson followed by a profile of the leadership style, a biblical case study, a contemporary case study, and specific ideas and practical application about how to lead with each style whether or not it is your strength.  Each chapter ends with a prayer based on the leadership style and some questions for discussion.  Before I list the styles, I should say that the parts of each chapter which I enjoyed the most were the biblical case study and the contemporary case study.  My leadership style (which I’ll discuss later) says I like to go to the Bible to learn about leadership and kids, so it’s no surprise that I enjoyed the Biblical case study for each leadership style.  However, I also enjoyed the contemporary case study in which Larry interviewed and shared the perspectives of the likes of Jim Wideman, Karl Bastian (the Kidologist), Craig Jutlia and others.

So, without any further delay, here are the six leadership styles as Larry defines them along with a brief explanation of each:

What were my results?

Well, thanks for asking.  I actually took the test twice.  The differences were only minor, but I spent more time reflecting on each question the second time, so here are the results from that test (including scores for each style out of a potential total of 24):

1. Drama Coach (21)
2. Director (20)
3. Stage Manager (17)
4. Production Assistant (17)
5. Stage Hand (12)
6. Theater Manager (11)

After review the types, I have to say that this assessment was pretty spot on for me.

What else is in the book?

The final chapters of the book include brief summaries of each type of leadership style, an assessment sheet for discerning your own strengths and weaknesses, suggestions for teaching your team about different leadership styles and the epilogue to the production narrative that runs throughout the book.

What didn’t I like?

I always feel compelled to include this section in my reviews or people just don’t believe the disclaimer below.  So, what didn’t I like about this book?  Well, despite looking far and wide, I couldn’t find anything in the book about sarcasm or long winded explanations – both of which are included amongst my leadership gifts.  Other than that, I couldn’t really find anything I didn’t like.

What disclaimer?

This one.  I received a free copy of this book (actually two) from Larry in order to participate in this book blog tour.  While I appreciate the free copy, it did not in any way impact the contents of this review.

So, this all sounds awesome, what do I do next?

If you already own the book, go read it again.  If you don’t, you can purchase it here. .

Shouldn’t you be giving one away?

Now, that’s a good idea!  Larry actually gave me a signed copy to give away.  If you want to enter, do one of the following:

1. Leave a comment below; or
2. Send the following tweet – RT @stocksohio is giving away a free copy of Lead the Way God Made You. Find out how you can win: http://wp.me/pN5Ju-110 #kidmin #cmconnect

Winner will be drawn from all entries before 9:00 AM, Wednesday, July 14, 2010.

Will this review ever end?

Yep.  I’m done now!

Related posts:

1. DON’T HUG A GRUDGE by Donna Perugini (A Dad in the Middle Review)
2. THE BIG GOD STORY by MICHELLE ANTHONY (a Dad in the Middle Review)
3. CONNECT WITH YOUR KIDS – By Jim Wideman (A Dad in the Middle Review)

We have now come to the final chapter of Spurgeon’s book of advice to those who work with kids both in church and as parents.  In this final chapter, Spurgeon continues to examine what we can learn from the story of Elisha and the Shunammite woman’s son.  He turns first to the location where the dead boy was placed and the method by which Elisha raised the boy.  Spurgeon notes that:

“The great secret lies in a large measure in powerful supplication.”

Elisha went into the room, shut the door, and prayed to the Lord.  As teachers and workers in Children’s Ministry, our power must come from God, and that power comes in large part through prayer.  Spurgeon explains:

“So it is with you; every real teacher’s power must come from on high. If you never enter your closet and shut to the door, if you never plead at the mercy-seat for your child, how can you expect that God will honour you in its conversion?… You will see your children converted when God gives you to individualise their cases, to agonize for them, and to take them one by one, and with the door closed to pray with them and for them. There is much with more influence in prayer privately offered with one than in prayer publicly uttered in the class—not more influence with God, of course, but more influence with the child. Such prayer will often be made its own answer; for God may, while you are pouring out your soul, make your prayer to be a hammer to break the heart which mere addresses had never touched.”

Spurgeon pleads that we pray individually for the kids in our ministry.  Find out their needs and pray for them.  Pray with them.  Recognize their greatest need (for Jesus Christ) and pray earnestly for that.

Following prayer, Elisha’s next step was to take action (which Spurgeon refers to as the means).  Prayer and means must go hand-in-hand.  Spurgeon elaborates on the necessity of action:

“Means without prayer—presumption! Prayer without means—hypocrisy!”

In order to raise a child from spiritual death, we must feel that death deep within our souls:

“God would have you come into contact with that death by painful, crushing, humbling sympathy…If you would raise that dead child, you must feel the chill and horror of that child’s death yourself… I cannot believe that you will ever pluck a brand from the burning, without putting your hand near enough to feel the heat of the fire. You must have, more or less, a distinct sense of the dreadful wrath of God and of the terrors of the judgment to come, or you will lack energy in your work, and so lack one of the essentials of success… Depend upon it, when the death that is in your children alarms, depresses, and overwhelms you, then it is that God is about to bless you.”

Elisha’s means was to lie on top of the boy in order to revive him.  He physically put himself in the position of the boy in order to bring about the resurrection.  Likewise, we must find a way to put ourselves in the position of children in order to lead them to salvation:

“you must next strive to adapt yourself as far as possible to the nature, and habits, and temperament of the child. Your mouth must find out the child’s words, so that the child may know what you mean; you must see things with a child’s eyes; your heart must feel a child’s feelings, so as to be his companion and friend; you must be a student of juvenile sin; you must be a sympathiser in juvenile trials; you must, so far as possible, enter into childhood’s joys and griefs. You must not fret at the difficulty of this matter, or feel it to be humiliating. If anything difficult be required, you must do it, and not think it difficult. God will not raise a dead child by you if you are not willing to become all things to that child, if by any possibility you may win its soul”

In order to teach kids, we have to understand them.  We have to put ourselves in their position.  We must understand their culture, their fears, their desires and their routines.  We must learn to think like they think and speak such that they can understand.  In order to be effective in children’s ministry we must become keen observers of kids and their world.  Spurgeon explains the type of person necessary to do this work:

“He is no fool who can talk to children; a simpleton is much mistaken if he thinks that his folly can interest boys and girls. It needs our best wits, our most industrious studies, our most earnest thoughts, our ripest powers, to teach our little ones. You will not quicken the child until you have “stretched” yourself; and, though it seems a strange thing, yet it is so. The wisest man will need to exercise all his abilities if he would become a successful teacher of the young.”

Working with kids is not easy.  I actually find the challenge of it to be one of the most exciting parts of this ministry.  If it comes too easily to you, you are probably not investing as much of yourself as you should.  Children’s Ministry should be such that it requires you to stretch yourself in order to succeed.

The result of Elisha’s actions was that the boy was raised.  That should be our goal as well:

“Here, then, is the secret. You must impart to the young your own soul; you must feel as if the ruin of that child would be your own ruin… Never be satisfied with finding your children in a barely hopeful state, What you want is not mere conviction, but conversion; you desire not only impression, but regeneration. Life, life from God, the life of Jesus. This your scholars need, and nothing less must content you.”

Salvation and discipleship are our goals, and we must never lose sight of either.  I hope this synopsis (and Mr. Spurgeon’s book) have convicted you, helped you and provide you with some ideas to further succeed in Children’s Ministry.  God bless you, and may God bless the children in your ministries.

Links to Complete Text

If you’re interested in reading the complete text of “Come Ye Children,” it can be found on at: http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/cyc.htm

The complete text of Chapter Twenty-Three can be found at: http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/cyc23.htm

<<LAST TIME: Chapter 22 – The Shunammite Woman’s Son

Return to the Come Ye’ Children (A Synopsis) index page.

Related posts:

1. The Shunammite Woman’s Son (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 22)
2. Obadiah and Elijah (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 19)
3. Witnesses for God Converted in Youth (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 17)

About the Book

The quip on the back of the book describes its purpose quite clearly:

Jim Wideman has put together a practical resource to help us slow down and ensure that we are establishing the types of connections with our kids that will allow us to disciple them and help them to establish a Biblical worldview.

About the Author

Jim Wideman is a fixture in the Children’s Ministry community as the author of numerous book, a frequent conference speaker, a mentor and a prolific blogger.  I’ve made no secret that I am a huge fan of his work.  He offers sounds advice in an engaging way, and I was excited to get my hands on this book.

Brother Jim starts this book with a history of how he came to be in children’s ministry in the first place.  Years ago, he was working in children’s ministry when he was asked to cover the children’s ministry.  He began to pray that God would raise someone up with a vision for the children’s ministry, and much to his surprise, the person God raised up was him.  He explains:

“Over the years I’ve tried to quit so many times that it’s not even funny. But I can’t – I just can’t rid of that vision.  Ministering to children is the driving force of my life.”

And, thank goodness for that.  For decades now, he had spoken into the lives of children and those of us who work with children, and this book is no exception.  One of the other things that resonates with me about Jim Wideman is that he is also a father, and by all accounts a very good one.  He has two grown girls and unashamedly explains that is he reaches every child in the world but not his own, he will be a failure.  As a father of four, this resonates with me.

Brief Review of the Book

Teaching Our Kids to Be Problem Solvers

The first chapter in this book starts by defining the two types of people in this world.  There are people who see a problem and wait for someone to solve it – the followers.  The second group of people are leaders, and this is the type of person we should strive for our children to be.  The book starts with an explanation of what a leader is.  Jim offers a great concise definition:

“A leader is a person who comes face-to-face with any type of challenge or problem and solves it.  He or she looks to God’s Word for directions and approaches the situation by faith.  As a result, this person can handle anything.”

He then proceeds to offers some of the signs to look for in a leader/problem solver:

• Choosing your problem
• Having the right attitude
• Training through adversity
• Looking for Biblical examples

As parents, we should strive to teach our kids how to be problem solvers.

Rooting Our Children in the Things of God

From there, he moves into the things we can do as parents to make sure our kids “are established in the things of God.”  By doing so, we will give them the tools to make decisions and develop a biblical worldview.  As much as I would like to share the details of each of these steps, for purposes of this review, I will just list them.  I encourage you to get the book and delve further into each step.  With that said, here are the 12 steps Brother Jim offers to root our children in the things of God:

1. Make Jesus the king of your household
2. Love your spouse the way you want your kids to love their spouse
3. Spend time with your kids
4. Be consistent in discipline
5. Allow your children to be different as God has created them
6. Encourage your kids to develop their unique giftings
7. Become a student of your child’s world
8. Admit your mistakes and correct it when you’re wrong
9. Talk to your kids about everything
10. Make your home somewhere that your kids’ friends are welcome
11. Don’t teach your children to be rebellious by rebelling against authority yourself
12. Don’t exasperate your children

What makes this book great is more than just this list.  For each items in the list, Jim offers detailed and practical advice on how to accomplish it.

My Recommendation

I have already hinted at it.  OK. OK.  I’ve already come right out and said it.  If you are a parent, or someone who works with kids, you should read this book.  If you are in a position in children’s ministry to recommend a book to the parents of kids in your ministry, this would be a great one.  Jim Wideman is a great resource when it comes to the things of children’s ministry, and this book proves that he is equally adept at providing advice to parents on raising their kids.  Buy this book.  Read it.  Read it again.  Make lists of the suggestions in this book, and find a way to implement them in your own life.  If you do, you will be a better parent, a better person and a better follower of Christ.

Related posts:

1. GOD’S KIDS WORSHIP MODERN CD 3-PACK (A Dad in the Middle Review)
2. GOD’S KIDS WORSHIP DVDs (A Dad in the Middle Review)
3. THE BIG GOD STORY by MICHELLE ANTHONY (a Dad in the Middle Review)

In 2 Kings 4, we read the story of Elisha and the Shunammite woman.  The Shunammite woman was a wealthy woman who always invited Elisha in to stay in her house when he passed her way.  Elisha stayed so often that she eventually convinced her husband to build a small room on the roof for Elisha to stay.  The woman had no children, and in return for her hospitality, Elisha pronounced to her that she would have a son within the next year.

When the woman’s son had grown he began to complain of a headache and eventually died.  The woman put him in the room on the roof and set off to go find Elisha.  When Elisha heard the news, he sent his servant (Gehazi) ahead of him to lay his staff on the boy.  On his way to the boy, Elisha met Gehazi who eas returning to tell him that the staff had failed to awaken the child.  When Elisha arrived and found the boy still dead, he went into the room, laid on top of him and revived the child from death.

In this chapter and the next, Spurgeon explores the lessons to be learned from this story.  Although this story deals with the actual physical death of a child, Spurgeon notes that those of us in Children’s Ministry deal with the spiritual deaths of children.  That is a reality that is important for us to recognize.  Spurgeon explains:

“Unless you have a very clear sense of the utter ruin and spiritual death of children, you will be incapable of being made a blessing to them. Go to them, I pray you, not as to sleepers whom you can by your own power awaken from their slumber, but as to spiritual corpses who can only be quickened by a power divine… May you never be content with aiming at secondary benefits, or even with realising them; may you strive for the grandest of all ends, the salvation of immortal souls. Your business is not merely to teach children to read the Bible, not barely to inculcate the duties of morality, nor even to instruct them in the mere letter of the gospel, but your high calling is to be the means, in the hands of God, of bringing life from heaven to dead souls.”

That is the arena that we deal in – the spiritual life or death of the kids we leave.  Obviously, God can do anything with, or in despite of, our efforts, but we must recognize that a failure on our art could result in the eternal spiritual death of a child.  Our aim in Children’s Ministry is resurrection.  We do not seek physical resurrection as Elisha does but spiritual resurrection of the kids in our ministries.  We seek their resurrection from spiritual death to eternal life.  That said, we must recognize that we are in no position to raise kids from spiritual death on our own.  Like Elisha, we must rely solely on the power of God to actually accomplish the resurrection of these kids.

Spurgeon offers the following words of encouragement to those of us who work with kids:

“And you, devoted, anxious, prayerful teacher, remain no longer a common being, you have become, in a special manner, the temple of the Holy Ghost; God dwelleth in you, and you by faith have entered upon the career of a wonder-worker. You are sent into the world not to do the things which are possible to man, but those impossibilities which God worketh by His Spirit, by the means of His believing people. You are to work miracles, to do marvels. You are not, therefore, to look upon the restoration of these dead children, which in God’s name you are called to bring about, as being a thing unlikely or difficult when you remember who it is that works by your feeble instrumentality.”

Secondly, Spurgeon points to the failed attempt of Elisha in sending his servant ahead of him to try to raise the boy.  Elisha had previously been the servant to another well know prophet – Elijah.  In 1 Kings 17 we read the story of how Elijah had resurrected a widow’s son.  If Elisha had followed the example of his teacher Elijah from the beginning, he would have known that sending his servant ahead would not be effective.   In the same way that Elisha should have followed the example of his teacher Elijah, Spurgeon argues that we must follow the example of our Master and Teacher Jesus Christ:

“With far more force may I say to you that it will be well if, as teachers, we imitate the modes and methods of our glorified Master, and learn at His feet the art of winning souls. Just as He came in deepest sympathy into the nearest contact with our wretched humanity, and condescended to stoop to our sorrowful condition, so must we come near to the souls with whom we have to deal, yearn over them with His yearning, and weep over them with His tears, if we would see them raised from the state of sin. Only by imitating the spirit and manner of the Lord Jesus shall we become wise to win souls. I am afraid that very often the truth which we deliver is a thing which is extraneous and out of ourselves; like a staff which we hold in our hand, but which is not a part of ourselves, We take doctrinal or practical truth, as Gehazi did the staff, and we lay it upon the face of the child, but we ourselves do not agonise for its soul. We try this doctrine and that truth, this anecdote and the other illustration, this way of teaching a lesson and that manner of delivering an address; but so long as ever the truth which we deliver is a matter apart from ourselves and unconnected with our innermost being, so long it will have no more effect upon a dead soul than Elisha’s staff had upon the dead child.”

Our teaching must follow the example of our Lord and be the result of an internal torment at the notion that a failure on our part may result in the eternal death of a child.  Absent that conviction, a rote teaching of doctrinal and biblical principals will not be effective in winning children to Christ.  Elisha’s servant Gehazi’s response to Elisha upon the failure of his staff to resurrect the child was to tell Elisha that it had failed to “awaken” the boy.  He seems to have missed the actual status of the boy.  Spurgeon notes that as teachers we must understand the true depravity of the kids we teach in order to be effective:

“God will not bless those teachers who do not grasp in their hearts the really fallen estate of their children. If you think the child is not really depraved, if you indulge foolish notions about the innocence of childhood and the dignity of human nature, it should not surprise you if you remain barren and unfruitful.”

Finally, Spurgeon notes that Elisha’s example should teach us that we must persevere even when we fail.  Elisha’s first effort, sending his servant, did not succeed.  That did not deter him from carrying on with his mission which eventually resulted in the boy being resurrected.  Spurgeon’s provides the following advice about failure:

“The lesson of your non-success is not—cease the work, but—change the method. It is not the person who is out of place, it is the plan which is unwise. If your first method has been unsuccessful, you must improve upon it. Examine wherein you have failed, and then, by changing your mode, or spirit, the Lord may prepare you for a degree of usefulness far beyond your expectation.”

Rather than allowing our failures to discourage us, we must look upon them and learn from them.  We must dispose of that which does not work and press on towards the goal of winning kids for Christ.

Links to Complete Text

If you’re interested in reading the complete text of “Come Ye Children,” it can be found on at: http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/cyc.htm

The complete text of Chapter Twenty-Two can be found at: http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/cyc22.htm

<<LAST TIME: Chapter 21 – Abijah’s “Some Good Thing,”—II

Chapter 23 – The Shunammite Woman’s Son—II: NEXT TIME>>

Return to the Come Ye’ Children (A Synopsis) index page.

Related posts:

1. The Shunammite Woman’s Son – II (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 23)
2. Obadiah and Elijah (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 19)
3. Witnesses for God Converted in Youth (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 17)

Introduction

In the February installment of The Children’s Ministry Blog Patrol (February 2010), I featured an article from the blog of Donna Perugini.  That lead a brief exchange via e-mail in which she mentioned that she had written several children’s books.  She was kind enough to send me a free copy of one of her books titled “Don’t Hug a Grudge” for me to review for Dad in the Middle.

About the Author

Before jumping into the book, I like to know a little bit about the author.  Ms. Perugini’s blog indicates that she taught children the Word of God over 30 years.  Her blog indicates that her approach to teaching the Bible included “cutting it into bite-sized pieces and making it fun and entertaining.” In addition to Don’t Hug A Grudge, she has authored three other children’s books.  They include:

• Do Angels Go Camping
• The Flight of Orville Wright Caterpillar
• The Adventure of Amelia Airheart Butterfly in Bye! Bye!

In addition to being a writer Ms. Perugini is a wife, mother to three children and grandmother to four children.  She teaches a women’s bible study at her church and enjoys pottery and sculpting.

About the Book

This book, originally published in 1987, teaches children how to recognize a grudge and the harmful effects of holding on to that grudge rather than forgiving.  The reading level for this book per Amazon is ages 4-8 thought the message would be beneficial to all ages.  In fact, is one of our e-mails, Donna indicated that her intended target for this book is ages 8 to adult and that many adult bible study groups have used the book for their material.

For those of you who are familiar with the Veggietales series, the concept of this book reminds me of Larry Boy and the Fib from Outerspace though it was written well before that video.  In the Larry Boy video what starts as a small fib grows into a massive monster when not dealt with.  In this book, a little grudge grows into bitterness and resentment.  The books artfully explains how a grudge works its way into your life, takes hold and grows.  After a while, as the book points out, a grudge turns into resentment which begins to take over your life.  Finally, if not dealt with, that resentment grows to bitterness which impacts our relationships with others and our relationship with God.  Throughout, the book is clear the holding a grudge, bitterness and resentment are all sins and encourages the reader to be “washed by the Word.”  These pages offers scriptures reflecting God’s view of grudges, bitterness and resentment.

Things I Liked

There is much to like about this book.  The illustrations are wonderfully done and compliment the text well.  The representation of the grudge, resentment and bitterness as monsters is genius.  The little grudge appears first as a “baby” monster which is down-right cuddly at first then begins to take on a more sinister look as it is nursed.  To me, bitterness has the look of a young elementary age monster complete with a ball cap.  The image of resentment riding on our back hanging on as we carry it is a powerful picture of what resentment does in our lives.  Finally, Bitterness appears as an older more mature monster.  The images of the children throughout the story are also exceptionally well done.

This book pulls no punches.  This book is clear that “God hates Grudges, Resentment and Bitterness.” I like a book for kids that does labels sins for what they are and doesn’t try to sugar-coat it for it for kids.  God hates sin, and I think it is important for kids to understand that.  Without a proper understanding of sin, and their own sin, kids will never get to the place where they see their need for a Savior.  The verses included in the book are also a wonderful resource.  I think this book sets a great pattern for children to learn early and then apply throughout their lives.  That pattern is:

1. Identify the issue or action in question (in this case the holding of a grudge).
2. Consider the implications of that issue or action (in this case the metamorphosis of the grudge into bitterness and then resentment).
3. Go to the Bible for guidance (be “washed by the word”).
4. Implement what the Bible suggests (in this case forgiveness).

In doing so, this book lays a foundation that kids can use to confront any problem they may be facing.

Things I Thought Could Be Better

There were just a couple of things about the book which I wished may have been a little different – one substantive and one stylistic.  On a substantive layer, I appreciate that the book does not underestimate kids or talk down to them.  However, I felt that it lacked a good explanation of what a grudge really is.  It explains how they grow and how they work, but it never really defines what it is for kids who may not know.  Stylistically, this book is multi-lingual and every word is reflected in both English and Spanish.  While I appreciate the effort to make the book accessible to more people by making it multi-lingual, having the story reflected in both English and Spanish causes many of the pages to appear very cluttered.  I also found some of the text difficult to follow the first time I read the book because of all the characters on the page.

What My Kids Thought

With any book for kids, I like to run it by my kids and get their reactions.  My two year old son loves the book.  He particularly likes the illustrations.  My seven year old daughter liked the book and really like the pictures, though she did say that she still didn’t understand what a grudge was when the book was done.  My almost nine-year-old son (he prefers that language to eight year old) enjoyed the book and appreciated the lesson.  He also liked the scriptures included in the text.

My Recommendation

I would definitely recommend this book for parents and those who work with children.  Despite portions of the book seeming cluttered because of the multi-lingual format, the message is important for kids, and the presentation is strongly grounded in the Word of God.  The book pulls no punches when it comes to calling sin what it is, but it also provides kids with a better way through forgiveness.

More Information About the Book and the Author

If you are interested in obtaining this books, check out the author website at www.DonnaPerugini.com.

Ms. Perugini has also created a line of ceramics with the characters from her other books.  For more information, check out www.DonnaKPerugini.com.

For further information on Donna Perugini check out the following:

Blog:                 DonnaPerugini.blogspot.com
Twitter:           @DonnaPerugini
Facebook:      Facebook Fan Page

As her blog, Ms. Perugini has included some fun resources related to her books including coloring pages related to each book at http://donnaperugini.blogspot.com/p/coloring-pages.html.

Related posts:

1. THE BIG GOD STORY by MICHELLE ANTHONY (a Dad in the Middle Review)
2. CONNECT WITH YOUR KIDS – By Jim Wideman (A Dad in the Middle Review)
3. LEAD THE WAY GOD MADE YOU by LARRY SHALLENBERGER (a Dad in the Middle Review)

This chapter continues Spurgeon’s discussion of the “the good thing” found in Abijah which started in the previous chapter.

Where was the good thing?

The “good thing” found in Abijah was not found in outward adornment, but the Bible tells us that it was found “in him.”  This causes Spurgeon to draw the following conclusion on the difference between outward religion and an inward relationship with Christ:

“The grand point is not to wear the garb, nor use the brogue of religion, but to possess the life of God within, and feel and think as Jesus would have done because of that inner life. Small is the value of external religion unless it be the outcome of a life within.”

The “good thing” was found in Abijah.  This implies that it did not require much searching.  In other words, the “good thing” was easily discernable in Abijah.  Spurgeon notes that piety in children is generally easily discernable:

“Zealous, child-like piety soon shows itself; a child is usually far less reticent than a man; the little lip is not frozen by cold prudence, but reveals the heart. Godliness in a child appears even upon the surface, so that persons who come into the house as visitors are surprised by the artless statements which betray the young Christian.”

Indeed, children often become some of the most unreserved evangelists for Christ.  They do not find themselves hindered by the reservations that older believers often face.

How should the “good thing” be received?

Spurgeon moves next to a discussion of how this “good thing” in Abijah, and in children in general, should be received.  He writes:

“We are not told of the grace in his heart what it was, nor whence it came, nor what special actions it produced, but there it was, found where none expected it. I believe that this case is typical of many of the elect children whom God calls by His grace in the courts and alleys of London. You must not expect that you shall jot down their experience, and their feelings, and their lives, and total them all up; you must not reckon to know dates and means specifically, but you must take the child as we have to take Abijah, rejoicing to find in him a little wonder of grace with God’s own seal upon him…and in like manner the Lord sets His attesting mark of grace on regenerated children, and we must be content to see it, even if some other things be wanting. Let us welcome with delight those works of the Holy Spirit which we cannot precisely describe.”

When children put their faith in Christ, and choose to follow him, we should focus on the grace given to them by God and not on their shortcomings.  Afterall, we are all short of what God would have us be.

A Discussion on the Suffering of Children

In the final part of this chapter, Spurgeon tackles the issue of suffering in Children.  After all, Abijah despite having some “good thing” in him was appointed by God to die as the rest of Jeroboam’s family was.  While he was spared from the brutal death and lack of burial the rest of his family would experince, he was still appointed to die which leads many to ponder the following:

“We cannot understand that God’s dear little children who love Him should often be called to suffer.”

Spurgeon deals first with the fact that Abijah was appointed to suffer and die while his evil parents remained well.  Spurgeon notes that it is through his sickness that God “ripened” him for glory faster than he may have been otherwise.  In other words, through his sickness, God ready him for his eventual entry into the kingdom of God.  As Spurgeon notes, while we not always know the reason for the suffering, we can trust in his eternal goodness.  God is good, and though we may not understand why something is happening, we can rest assured in the knowledge that God has our best interest at heart in everything he does.  Spurgeon also notes that oftentimes, God will work through the suffering of a child to bring his parents to Christ.  In this case, King Jeroboam and the queen could easily have found God in their child’s suffering, but they did not.

Finally, Spurgeon moves on to a question that trips up many people when it comes to their relationship with God – they question:

“…that some of God’s dearest children should die while they are yet young.”

How could a good God allow, let alone cause, a child to suffer and die?  It is a question that many non-Christians often pose as a smokescreen for their objections to God, and the story of Abijah allows us to tackle that question.  The long and short of it is that in taking Abijah early rather than allowing him to grow and suffer the fate of the remainder of Jeroboam’s family, God actually demonstrates his grace.  In essence, he spared him from the evil yet to come and opened to him the Kingdom of heaven.  In regards to Abijah, Spurgeon notes, “In this child’s case his early death was a proof of grace.”  Spurgeon summarizes:

“The Lord, in infinite mercy, often takes children home to Himself, and saves them from the trials of long life and temptation; because not only is there grace in them, but there is so much more grace than usual that there is no need for delay, they are ripe already for the harvest. It is wonderful what great grace may dwell in a boy’s heart: child piety is by no means of an inferior kind, it is sometimes ripe for heaven.”

Links to Complete Text

If you’re interested in reading the complete text of “Come Ye Children,” it can be found on at: http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/cyc.htm

The complete text of Chapter Twenty-One can be found at: http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/cyc21.htm

<<LAST TIME: Chapter 20 – Abijah’s “Some Good Thing”

Chapter 22 – The Shunammite Woman’s Son: NEXT TIME>>

Return to the Come Ye’ Children (A Synopsis) index page.

Related posts:

1. Abijah’s “Some Good Thing” (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 20)
2. Obadiah and Elijah (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 19)
3. Of Such Is The Kingdom of Heaven (Synopsis of Come Ye' Children – Chapter 5)

The Lord usually brings the rod before he brings the axe.  So starts this chapter based on the story of King Jeroboam and his son Abijah.  In this story recounted in 1 Kings 14, Jeroboam’s son Abijah had fallen sick.   So the King sent his wife, in disguise, to see the prophet Ahijah to find out what the fate of the boy would be.  The prophet told the Queen that as a result of all the evil King Jeroboam had committed that the kingdom would be ripped away from him and that every male in the house of Jeroboam would be cut off.  Regarding the King’s son Abijah, Ahijah told Jeroboam’s wife that  he was appointed to die as soon as her feet step back into the city and would not suffer the fate of the reminder of Jeroboam’s family.  This was because in Abiajh was found “some good thing toward Jehovah, God of Israel.”  The “some good thing” serves as the basis for this chapter and the next.  Spurgeon examines the “some good thing” found in Abijah that led God to spare him from the fate that befell the rest of the house of Jeroboam.

What was the “good thing?” found in Abijah

The Bible does not tell us specifically what form “the good thing” found in Abijah took.  Despite the lack of information regarding “the good thing,” Spurgeon asserts that there is something we can be certain of.  That is that the child must have had faith.  Spurgeon reminds us that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).  Since God showed Abijah grace in not allowing his to fall victim to the fate of the rest of King Jeroboam’s family is an indication that Abijah was likely a childhood believer in the Lord God.

When it comes to children, Spurgeon explains that they often speak more of their love of Christ than their trust or faith in Christ:

“…for converted children more usually talk of loving Christ than they do of trusting in Him: not because faith is not in them, but because the emotion of love is more congenial to the child’s nature than the more intellectual act of faith. The heart is large in the child, and therefore love becomes his most conspicuous fruit.”

As it related to the “good thing” found in Abijah, Spurgeon explains:

“It was not merely a good inclination which was in him, nor a good desire, but a really good, substantial virtue.”

Our goal in Children’s Ministry does not stop at just building a love for Christ.  After all, children love their teddy bears and ice cream as well.  We desire more than just a fondness or love for Christ.  Our goal is to develop a willingness and longing for Christ to be the Lord of their lives.

How did the “good thing” come to Abijah?

Again, we don’t know specifically how the good thing entered Abijah.  One thing that is clear though is that God recognized it in him.  Spurgeon explains:

“It is not essential to us to know how a child receives grace. We need not be painfully anxious to know when, or where, or how a child is converted; it may even be impossible to tell, for the work may have been so gradual that day and hour cannot be known.”

As Spurgeon notes, God sees the least good thing inside of all of us.  When a child professes faith in Christ, the important thing is the profession itself and not the details regarding the date and time that it happened.  Many adults who eventually come to Christ can recollect the exact moment when they received him.  The change in their lives is so marked that they will not soon forget the exact moment of their salvation.  On the other hand, Spurgeon notes that in kids the work of salvation is sometimes so gradual that it is impossible to know the exact date and time of conversion.

We don’t know how God placed the good thing in Abijah other than to know that it was the Lord God who put it there.  Despite Abijah’s wicked parents (and they are some of the most wicked recounted in the Old Testament), and despite the culture that in which Abijah lived, the grace of God found Abijah.  Despite a lack of parents willing to raise him in the fear and admonition of the Lord, God’s will and God’s grace still controlled Abijah’s life.  Spurgeon draws the following conclusion from the life of Abijah:

“Be it ours when we see in children some good thing to rest content with that truth, even if we cannot tell how it came there.”

Spurgeon notes that in Abijah’s case:

“God’s electing love is never short of means to carry out its purpose: He can send His effectual grace into the heart of Jeroboam’s family, and while the father is prostrate before his idols the Lord can find a true worshipper for Himself in the king’s own child.”

We should never lose hope in a child just because of the environment that he lives in.  The power of God to reach beyond circumstances to effectuate his grace and salvation is astounding.  To ignore a child, and refuse to pour into his life, because we have determined that he is beyond the saving reach of God is a blasphemy of the highest order.

What type of “good thing” was it?

Next, Spurgeon moves on the talk about the type of “good thing” found in Abijah and notes that it was a good thing towards God.  Spurgeon explains:

“In children there often will be found good things towards their parents: let these be cultivated—but these are not sufficient evidences of grace. In children there will sometimes be found good things towards amiability and moral excellence: let all good things be commended and fostered, but they are not sure fruits of grace. It is towards God that the good thing must be that saves the soul… The child had love, and there was in it love to Jehovah. He had faith, but it was faith in Jehovah. His religious fear was the fear of the living God; his childlike thoughts, and desires, and prayers, and hymns, went towards the true God. This is what we desire to see not only in children, but in adults; we wish to see their hearts turned to the Lord, and their minds and wills moving towards the Most High.”

Many Children’s Ministry focus on teaching children the virtues found in the Bible.  This is certainly a noble goal, but the critical thing that we must teach them is about God and the salvation that he offers. It is not enough that any type of “good thing” be found in child, but it must be a “good thing towards God.”

The Effect of the “Good Thing”

Finally in this chapter, Spurgeon examines the result of Abijah’s faith.  He notes that Abijah’s faith must have manifested itself to people because he was well loved.  When he died he received both tears and a tomb – a far cry from many royalty that died in those days received.  Indeed, the remainder of Jeroboam’s family was devoured by dogs.  However, the people saw something different in Abijah. His faith must have been evident to other people.  Spurgeon notes:

“It is a very blessed thing when there is such a good thing in our children that they come to be beloved in their little spheres.”

What a wonderful sight it is to see the evidences of faith displayed in the life of a child.  Spurgeon ends this chapter with a personal note on the grace of God seen in the lives of children:

“Youthful piety is a very touching thing to me; I see the grace of God in men and women with much thankfulness, but I cannot perceive it in children without shedding tears of delight. There is an exceeding beauty about these rosebuds of the Lord’s garden; they have a fragrance which we find not in the fairest of earth’s lilies. Love is won for the Lord Jesus in many a heart by these tiny arrows of the Lord, whose very smallness is a part of their power to penetrate the heart. The ungodly may not love the grace which is in the children, but since they love the children in whom that grace is found, they are no longer able to speak against religion as they otherwise would have done. Yea, more, the Holy Spirit uses these children for yet higher ends, and those who see them are often impressed with desires for better things.”

Links to Complete Text

If you’re interested in reading the complete text of “Come Ye Children,” it can be found on at: http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/cyc.htm

The complete text of Chapter Twenty can be found at: http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/cyc20.htm

<<LAST TIME: Chapter 19 – Obadiah and Elijah

Chapter 21 – Abijah’s “Some Good Thing,”—II: NEXT TIME>>

Return to the Come Ye’ Children (A Synopsis) index page.

Related posts:

1. Abijah’s “Some Good Thing” II (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 21)
2. Obadiah and Elijah (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 19)
3. Witnesses for God Converted in Youth (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 17)

This short chapter continues Spurgeon’s observations from the previous two chapters based on the story of Elijah and Obadiah.  It begins with yet another observation on the benefits of early piety.  Spurgeon notes:

“YOUTHFUL PIETY LEADS on to persevering piety.”

Obadiah observed that, “I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.”  [1 Kings 18:12 KJV]”   He was able to proclaim this because time had not changed him or waivered his faith in God.  Obadiah had “run the race” and persevered.  Many people exalt martyrs who die for their faith, but Spurgeon explains:

“It is not burning quick to the death in martyrdom that is the hard work; roasting before a slow fire is a far more terrible test of firmness…the grace of God to preserve a believer for ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty years, is quite as great a miracle and deserves more of our praise than it usually commands.”

Rather than succumb to the popular notions of his day that included the worship of Baal, Obadiah stood firm in the belief in God that he had come to early in life.  He also held fast to his piety despite his wealth and position.  He worked in the court of the King, in the court of a King and Queen who were adverse to belief in God, and despite all that position offered, he remained faithful to God.  Spurgeon observes:

“There is nothing more perilous to a man than to prosper in this world and become rich and respectable.”

Indeed in terms of our spiritual journey, success is often harder to deal with than failure.  Finally, Spurgeon speaks to the “comfort” of early piety later in life:

“It will be a great comfort to people, when old, to look back upon a life spent in the service of God. You will not trust in it, you will not think that there is any merit in it; but you will bless God for it. A servant who has been with his master from his youth ought not to be turned adrift when he grows grey. A right-minded master respects the person who has served him long and well.”

Links to Complete Text

If you’re interested in reading the complete text of “Come Ye Children,” it can be found on at: http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/cyc.htm

The complete text of Chapter Nineteen can be found at: http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/cyc19.htm

<<LAST TIME:
Chapter 18 – Obadiah’s Early Piety

Chapter 20 – Abijah’s “Some Good Thing”
: NEXT TIME>>

Return to the Come Ye’ Children (A Synopsis) index page.

Related posts:

1. Witnesses for God Converted in Youth (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 17)
2. Obadiah’s Early Piety (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 18)
3. Abijah’s “Some Good Thing” II (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 21)

In the last chapter, we were introduced to Obadiah who later in his life worked in the hostile court of the evil King Ahab.  In this chapter, Spurgeon discusses the early piety of Obadiah.  In 1 Kings 18:12, during his exchange with Elijah, Obadiah states:

“…but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.  [1 Kings 18:12 KJV]”

The Bible does not tell us how Obadiah came to faith or who instructed him.  Spurgeon does postulate that based on Obadiah’s name (which means “the servant of Jehova”) that Obadiah’s parents were likely believers.  In a time when believers in God were frequently persecuted or even killed, the fact that Obadiah’s parents would name their son “the servant of Jehova” speaks to the faith of his parents and supports Spurgeon’s contention that they were likely believer.  On the importance of parents, Spurgeon notes:

“Whether this be so or not [that Obadiah’s parents were believers], it is quite certain that thousands of the most intelligent believers owe their first bent towards godliness to the sweet associations of home…we were consecrated to the service of God before we knew that there was a God. Many a tear of earnest prayer fell on our infant brow and sealed us for Heaven; we were nursed in the atmosphere of devotion; there was scarce a day in which we were not urged to be faithful servants of God, and entreated while we were yet young to seek Jesus and give our hearts to Him.”

Spurgeon also notes from the scripture passage the unique manner in which Obadiah refers to his faith from youth.  Specifically, Obadiah indicates that he has feared the Lord from his youth.  This is quite different than many people describe a child’s relationship with God.  Spurgeon explains:

“The way in which he described it is very instructive, ‘I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth.’ I hardly remember in all my life to have heard the piety of children described in ordinary conversation by this term, though it is the common word of the Scriptures. We say, ‘The dear child loved God.’ We talk of their ‘being made so happy,’ and so forth, and I do not question the rightness of the language; still, the Holy Spirit speaks of ‘the fear of the Lord’ as ‘the beginning of wisdom;’ and David says, ‘Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.’ Children will get great joy through faith in the Lord Jesus; but that joy, if true, is full of lowly reverence and awe of the Lord.”

Indeed, even in childhood faith in the Lord and love of the Lord will ultimately manifest itself in fear of the Lord.  And, as those who disciple children, we should not neglect the fear of the Lord in teaching them.

Our goal in Children’s Ministry is to bring young children to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Spurgeon notes the numerous advantages of coming to early faith:

1. Those saved early can be saved from “a thousand regrets” that those saved later in life will have experienced before their salvation.
2. Early piety allows a person to form associations and friendships early in life that will benefit the individual for their entire lives.  Indeed, the company we keep has a significant impact on our entire lives.  As a result, early piety saves us from harmful associations.
3. Early piety helps us to form godly habits and avoid the opposite.
4. Early piety allows us to grow more rapidly in grace without having to “unlearn” much of what others have learned.

Spurgeon expands on this last benefit:

“The scars and bleeding sores which come of having spent years in the service of the devil are missed by those whom the Lord brings into His church before they have wandered far into the world.”

The benefits of salvation are clear to those who have been saved.  As someone who came Jesus later in life (at aged 30), I understand that God had a reason for waiting until that point in my life to draw me to him.  On the other hand, I sometimes find myself wondering how things in my life would be different had I come to Christ earlier in life.

As one final benefit of an early belief in Christ, Spurgeon notes that oftentimes it is the light of faith in a child that will help to bring older individuals to faith:

“By a certain secret power it opens closed doors, and turns the key in the lock of unbelief. Where nothing else could win a way for truth, a child’s love has done it.”

The benefits of a child coming to Christ early in life are clear. As workers in Children’s Ministry, we should never adopt the attitude that says “what we are teaching them now will help in their coming to Christ later in life.”  Instead our goal with these children should be immediate salvation.

Links to Complete Text

If you’re interested in reading the complete text of “Come Ye Children,” it can be found on at: http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/cyc.htm

The complete text of Chapter Eighteen can be found at: http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/cyc18.htm

<<LAST TIME: Chapter 17 – Witnesses for God Converted in Youth

Chapter 19 – Obadiah and Elijah: NEXT TIME>>

Return to the Come Ye’ Children (A Synopsis) index page.

Related posts:

1. Obadiah and Elijah (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 19)
2. Witnesses for God Converted in Youth (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 17)
3. Abijah’s “Some Good Thing” (Synopsis of Come Ye’ Children – Chapter 20)

In the introduction to the book Jared Kennedy, the Children’s Minister at Sojourn Community Church writes,

“God intended the home to be the front line of ministry to children – not the Sunday school or public church gathering alone.  The church and the home are partners.”

Accordingly, many of the practices which we find included in an adult Sunday worship service should correspond to normal everyday practices in the home.  This book brings those practices to the forefront by juxtaposing the church against the home on adjacent pages.  Ultimately, this book was written to teach young children the truth that their home should be like a little church where Dad teaches them the Word of God and instills a biblical worldview.  In actuality, it also serves as a great reminder to us Dad’s of what God calls us to do in our God-given role and husband, father and pastor of our family.  Written in engaging rhyme that will keep young minds captivated, this book contrasts the roles and practices of the church with those of the family.  The second page summarizes the entire point of the book,

“We pray and praise God at our house.
He makes our family glad.
Our home is like a little church.
The pastor is my Dad.”

Successive pages cover such important topics as:

• Reading God’s Word to our kids
• Worshiping and praising God through music and song
• Our redemption through the death of Christ
• Prayer
• Leading kids in their walk with Jesus

At just shy of 300 words in total, this book makes a critical point in easy language that kids can understand and parents will appreciate.  The whimsical font and great illustrations make it fun to read and captivating to kids.  My two, almost three year old, made me read it to him no less than four times in a row the night it came in the mail.  My seven year old daughter and nine year old boy both really enjoyed it as well.  My sincere prayer is that every father in the church would have the opportunity to read this book and learn from it.  Further, I pray that every child, with and without an earthly father, could learn from this book how their houses should run.  Lindsay Blair, Bobby Giles, Tessa James and Sojourn have done a great service to the worldwide church in producing this book.

But, don’t just take our word for it.  Here is what others are saying about this book:

One of the most  important features of a father’s leadership in his home is his responsibility to train his children in the Scriptures and the Christian faith, and to  nurture them in knowing and loving God.  In this sense, fathers are  pastors (i.e., shepherds) to their  children, and they would do well to embrace this truth as their own.  Our Home is like a Little Church helps both children and fathers see some of the beauty and richness of this relationship.  How good it will be when an increasing number of Christian fathers own their roles as their family’s pastors.  May this little book  be used by God to serve that end – Bruce A. Ware, Professor of  Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY

Our Home is like a Little Church beautifully illustrates the Biblical role that each father is called to play  in the lives of his children.  The apostle Paul states in 1 Thessalonians 2 that he has dealt with the Thessalonian church the same way that a father deals with his children….”encouraging, comforting and urging [them], to live lives worthy of God.”  I pray that every father that reads this powerful  little book will have the courage to lead his family to live life for the  Glory of God and nothing less.  I LOVE the book because it provides a  beautiful picture of what it looks like for a father to be the spiritual leader in the home.  It simplifies this profound truth in a way that can be easily understood by everyone in the family. - Jason Houser, Seeds Family Worship, Nashville, TN

“This little gem waters the beginning seeds of a Christian worldview by intertwining ideas that could easily remain separate in the mind of a child–and all too often, our own thinking. Each spread opens to a simple yet profound comparison of events and principles learned at church that extend to the home and back again. Child-like drawings and a rhyming rhythm hold great appeal for young readers and listeners, while reminding adults that worship is not just restricted to the adult realm. Every father should read and reread this book to his children, to encourage him to fulfill his calling as a Pastor-Daddy by the grace of God.” – Westminster Bookstore

“This grand truth [of father as "pastor" of the home] seems so far removed from the common Christian worldview that a book like this is necessary not just to introduce 3-year-olds to the idea, but their dads as well.” – Counsel on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, Gender Blog

Here is a video with more information on book:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vy2luDD661Y&feature=player_embedded

For more information on the book, please check out the following pages:

• Sojourn’s Page Dedicated to the Book
• Christian Focus Publications
• Our Home is Like A Little Church on Amazon
• Our Home is Like A Little Church from Westminster Book Store

Thank you to Sojourn Community Church who was kind enough to provide me with a complimentary copy of this book in order to participate in this book blog tour.  As with all other reviews on this sight, the fact that the book was provided to me free of charge has not in any impacted my review.

Related posts:

1. A Review of Collaborate: Family + Church
2. Collaborate: Family + Church (A Synopsis of Chapters 28 – 35)
3. Collaborate: Family + Church (A Synopsis of Chapters 10 – 18)