faith

Roar Like a Lion

September 22, 2021 By Annette1 4 Comments

Many thanks to Thomas Nelson for providing this product/product information (Roar Like a Lion) for review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive the product in exchange for this review and post. Affliate links will be used in this review, no cost to you but it encourages me in my blogging. 🙂

Are you looking for a way to teach the stories of the bible to your children? Tommy Nelson has provided 90 devotions within the cover of Roar Like a Lion to help us develop a courageous faith in our children. Now who wouldn’t want that? Written in a conversational tone to engage his readers, Levi Lusko has a heart to develop faith in children.

The Basic Details of Roar Like a Lion

Roar Like a Lion holds to 192 pages which contain 90 devotions, information about the author and illustrator, along with a challenge to find anchors. If you can’t find them all… he gives the answer to that challenge as well. Published by Tommy Nelson, I was contacted by Momentum Influencers for the purposes of this review.

The devotions cover such topics as

peer pressure
working hard at what you do
bullying
handling difficult emotions
depending on God
and understanding how we fit into God’s great story.

Written by Levi Lusko and Tama Fortner. Mr. Lusko is a pastor of a church in Wyoming where he lives with his family. Ms. Fortner is an author and ghost writer, she lives with her family in Tennessee.

Catherine Pearson is a Swiss illustrator who likes to create playful illustrations.

Talking about the Basic Set up

Within the pages of Roar Like a lion you will find these cute illustrations gracing every devotion. Each illustration spoke to the devotional it was representing. Isn’t this sloth adorable?

Each illustration is followed by a bible verse taken from the ICB, NCV or NIV bible versions.

Then you come to the main devotional. Written over a two page spread, containing a prayer and either a Get Read to Roar sidebar or a Did you know sidebar (more on those later). The devotional itself contains fascinating stories and is written in a conversational style. Imagine you were listening to a children’s story at your local church, that is what these devotionals read like.

Every other page you’ll find one of these two sidebars.

You’ll either learn, in the did you know sidebar, some interesting fact about the moon, or some animal, history, nature, people or whatever. Some fact that is like HUH, I never knew that. Cool connection.

Get ready to roar gives a variety of calls to action, like prayer asking God to help you cope with loss, or making cards sharing the good news of God, talking with your parents, or even a place to call your own to journal. Steps of action that children of all ages can do mostly without help.

Closing with Prayer

As most devotionals do, Roar Like a Lion is no different, it closes with prayer. Simple prayers that speak to the heart of a child reaching out to God. Do children need simple prayers? No. They can and do listen to long prayers. But you know what? Most adult devotionals that I read have super short simple prayers closing out a day’s reading as well! I found that, even though I did not read every page, those that I did, the prayers were on target with the day’s lesson.

No devotional does everything perfectly. What I like with this particular devotional is that the art draws you in, interesting facts show a broader picture, and the action steps. Get children out busy for the Lord… it’s a great thing to do.

Now… Roar like a lion is doing a giveaway. It is ONLY open to USA folks (sorry my fellow Canadians but my guess they don’t want to ship here!). You have to comment ON THIS REVIEW POST by Sept 25th or you won’t be in. I know, short turn around but I got to work with what I’ve been given! What would win? A physical copy of Roar Like a Lion. Make sure I have your email so I can holler at you if my son draws your name out of a hat.

Hashtags: #RoarLikeALionMIN #roarlikealion #tommynelsonbooks

Should you get it?

Well, like with all devotionals you have to approach them from the vantage point that people are trying to help children understand the bible more. Devotionals are often a mixed bag. Some devotions will be spot on, others will take scripture out of context, and yet others will oversimplify concepts, and some will mix it all up within the same reading! It’s hard to please everyone when it comes to devotionals.

Roar like a Lion is no different. Some of the readings are excellent, others I kinda wondered where he was going, and others were a mixed bag. That’s why parents read them with their children. Then you can take the time to correct what needs correcting and even from a young age start teaching our children discernment.

You can purchase it here. The bright colourful images, the calling of children to prayer, and the desire to help children become more like God… it’s good that!

Your Time is Now

September 18, 2021 By Annette1 2 Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product (Your Time is Now) through Ascot Media. Affiliate Links will be used, thank you for your support of my blog, costs you nothing to do so. 🙂

Jonathan Evans, chaplain for the Dallas Cowboys writes a book encouraging us to get ourselves right with God and to get out and do what we need to do. Your Time is Now

About Your Time is Now

Jonathan Evans, you can learn more about him on Outreach, has provided us with a 176 page book entitled Your Time is Now: Get What God has Given You. This came to me as a black hardcover book from Ascot Media Group for my review. Nine chapters, complete with QR codes for additional information. This is a book to help Christians with their personal or spiritual growth.

What does it look like?

I received a black, approximately 8 x 4 inch hardcover tome that feels lovely in the hand and was super easy to tuck into my purse for my car service recently. An easy read I got about half way through during a 30 minute service. Having the hardcover meant I didn’t have to worry about damage while in transition.

Within it’s 176 pages you’ll find nine chapters.

Some of those chapters come with a QR code if you want to hear more about what he has to say. These of course only work if you have the tech that allows for it! 🙂 Needless to say, I didn’t watch any of them.

The chapters are little adorned, with a simple one word title. Most pages are written in this smaller font. Easy to read though if I had poorer eyes I’d probably want a page magnifier. 🙂

Occasionally you will find these large font pages with points that Mr. Evans wants to emphasize. I particularly liked this page. I thought it was spot on.

If you are a seasoned believer who knows scripture well you will struggle with some scripture taken out of context as well as some poorly researched points. Some of these was things about how God looked at Adam and Eve in their plant-made clothes and said “let me make you something better” as if it were all about the clothes, and others from reading into scripture and taking passages out of context like the one below.

Overall though his message is simple… see what God has given you. Now… get off your duff, align yourself with God’s plan for your life, and get a move on. (or words to that effect). 🙂

Should You Get it?

So, there is much good. BUT I want to offer some cautions as well for Your Time is Now: Get what God has given you.

He says some things that aren’t quite biblically accurate and takes some scripture out of context. Now, that’s not always a bad thing as it provoked some discussion within our household. But for people who don’t know to be careful, not such a good read. I would not offer this to someone who was not firm in their biblical knowledge.

I did appreciate his call to action. His get up, and get going call. Too often we sit around too much waiting for everyting to be just right, or pinning our hopes/action on what we think is best. But perhaps God has something else in store for us and we should just get on with doing it! Perhaps we need to change our focus or mindset and get ourselves realigned with God and his purposes.

A Purpose to Hold

September 17, 2021 By Annette1 16 Comments

Purpose, so much depth hidden in that word. I recently listened to a two books that talked about purpose. One a fiction book, the other a faith based one. I’ll link to them down below I think. Very different styles, with a similiar take on it I think. I find it interesting how such divergent books focused on having a purpose to hold. Having this purpose gives a focus to life that nothing else really gives.

Know your purpose
the litany entones.
If you know your purpose
the rest of your life will unfold.

In a story a gal
needs to discover
a way to beat back
A rather difficult mother.

Can she discover
a purpose to hold?
A end goal in mind
To combat a magic so bold?

She needs to not only think
but to gather her heart
It wasn’t enough
A role is just a part!

The other brings along
a samurai warrior
Impatient an apprentice
wants to run past the barrier.

The training so hard
The working it through
His master teaches
Life focus, not just work pursue.

Know your purpose
NOT YOUR goal
the master reminds
Purpose will bring control!

Purpose gives focus
requires more than thought.
The heart needs to engage
Or all is for naught.

The same goes with God
And the faith we live out.
Our purpose? To worship and
glorify God, us the devout.

Purpose affects the
very life that we live.
Does all that we do
show what we believe?

Scriptural Insight

1 Chronicles 29:18

O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.

and your care has preserved my spirit.
¹³Yet these things you hid in your heart;
I know that this was your purpose.
¹⁴If I sin, you watch me
and do not acquit me of my iniquity

Mind you, i read these verses and the question I am left with is this. Whose purpose is it? Is it our own or one that God lays down on us? How then do we live it out?

If interested in those books, here are my amazon links.

Creation Based Apologetics

September 13, 2021 By Annette1 2 Comments

So the other day I asked my lad if he would be interested in doing an apologetics course. He surprised me by saying yes! As he’s reaching the stage of questioning everything it’s good to give them ideass to think through and answers to consider. I thought about doing a creation based apologetics course with him and thought I’d share the results of my research with you.

Why Creation Apologetics

Depending on your child, they simply might not have thought through the truths of scripture or given much thought to how non-creation science connects with the bible. There is so much we don’t know. Like for instance, I don’t believe in evolution but I can’t explain how speciation/natural selection makes a cat look different in one climate over another. How some wild cats are large like jaguars and snow leopards and other wild cats are as small as a housecat but very feral. How this happens makes zero sense to me so when people question it all… I understand that. Having resources to help make sense of all it matters.

Making a point of studying creation apologetics gives over dedicated time to your student so it gets done. I don’t know about you but I have a busy teen. Working, schooling, helping around the house, and spending time with friends takes up the bulk of his time. Finding solid time to actually think through faith, science, and it’s interconnectivity isn’t the easiest thing for a teen to do. Therefore adding it as part of his course load makes it much more doable.

Types of Creation Apologetics

Now, I’ve long known that people have different ideas about evolution. Some believers are creation scientists all the way through to the bone, others don’t quite get how there are dinosaurs and mammals…. and so called proofs of evolution. Others again are like me and don’t buy into evolution, but natural selection and the sheer variety of animals and the interconnection of species is a bit mind-boggling. Yet other believe in intelligent design and there are a variety of takes on how that works. Designer created and then left everything to evolve/naturally select, on it’s own. Or Designer created and then guided changes. It’s actually quite interesting to see how people try to make it all fit together, and sometimes try to meld two worlds together.

Biblical Creationism: follows the teaching in Genesis. God created all life. Tends toward a young earth philosophy.

Intelligent Design Movement: This movement wants to encourage discussion by not only teaching evolution, but to encourage the asking of questions considering alternatives to evolution. This means looking critically at evolutionary ideology, considering the flaws in evolutionary theory, and keeping an open mind to alternative explanations.

Progressive creationism. This thought process is that God created life over a period of millions of years. It takes an old-earth approach, and believes that new lifeforms emerged fully-formed not slowly through evolution at different times.

What I found

Answers in Genesis takes a very biblical, creation as written in the bible approach. They have a six courses in creation apologetics. They used to do it as one Master Class. Now each of those courses is done individually and each contains several lessons within.

Creation Illustrated, the magazine. Produces good articles, might answer questions, or spur some additional thinking. Not a curriculum per say, but creation-biblically based. Could make a creation based apologetics course out of several magazines I think. If you are interested, I reviewed unit studies from them a while back.

You could check out BioLogos. They do hold to an ancient view of the earth, and believe that evolutionary theory can be reconciled with the Bible’s teaching about Creation. Francis Collins (the head of the human g-nome project) teaches the course on DNA technologies and ethics. Worth checking out.

Another resource to check out is Reasons to Believe. Even just introducing teens to their website would be a good thing. Their online learning resources look good, but their courses were geared more to college age. They do, however, have an Educator’s Help Desk page that has tonnes of resources to help you find a suitable curriculum, along with a list of recommended resources. Note: some of their recommendations are secular sources, and some are Christian. You may want to watch their video on using secular textbooks to hear their rationale. They makes some good arguments.

If you look on Christian Book Distributors you’ll find a whole whack of books from a creationist viewpoint. With some time you could easily put together an apologetics course that is creation based.

Have I missed anything?

So tell me, have you found any creation based apologetics courses? If so, please tell me! I’d love to check them out.

Rescue Through Stories

September 10, 2021 By Annette1 9 Comments

This morning as we continued our journey to read through the New Testament as a family this year, we were reading in Matthew 13. We’ve been inspired to read through the New Testament through Danika Cooley’s book Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible. As we read through the parables Jesus used when teaching the crowds I kept thinking about how God set out to rescue his people. How? Jesus talked in parables, stories with meaning hidden within. In a way I suppose you could say that his job was to rescue through stories.

Kate gave us the word prompt Rescue for us to test our skills on.

Rescue through Stories

In Matthew 13
parables told
Stories by Jesus
His words extolled.

A sower with seeds
a pathway, rocks and field.
From nothing but trouble
to various yield.

The disciples did wonder
why stories do tell?
Jesus responded,
This information might befell.

Listening, hear, or not.
Seeing, see, or not.
Parables tell, without telling.
Kingdom bound, perhaps befraught?

Good seed sown,
Secretly weeds brought in,
Collect them now,
or wait til harvest begin?

The smallest of seeds,
Grows a mighty tree
Like yeast that leavens
for a breadmaking spree?

A treasure, a pearl
What will you give?
A wealth untold
It’s worth all you have?

A net full of fish
Oh the wealth untold
Tossing the bad, and
Keeping the good yes Behold!

Can you listen?
Oh, can you see?
Jesus spoken to all
hidden mystery!

Listen … HEAR
Look … SEE
Don’t you hear it?
He’s calling to thee!

Hidden in stories
truth hidden well
but if time taken
This truth will swell.

Scripture Speaks

Matthew 13 has many words that speak. Parables interwoven between words such as these:

¹¹He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹²Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ¹³This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

¹⁴In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
¹⁵For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

³⁴Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. ³⁵So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.

Less Desperate

August 27, 2021 By Annette1 16 Comments

Miss Kate has listed today’s Five Minute Friday word. Honestly, I had hoped to do this last night but couldn’t squeeze it in. Yesterday was hot and muggy so it was hard to get things done during the day. The intense heat just made me sleepy and slow-minded. So at night I did things outside when it was cooler. It’s been a pretty good summer though with work, a good garden, laughter and good conversation. Things are opened up again for the most part which means people are less desperate in their interactions with each other. Let’s see where rambly thoughts take me today.

less desperate — Man wearing gloves home delivering food box, volunteer holding grocery box for donation, supporting local business concept

Less Desparate

Sometimes when I look
at the world at large.
Seeing pain and suffering
As if I sit on a barge.

Like in the Olympics
in a river they sit
Affected by nothing
Just holding a glyph.

Not really affected
Observing the world.
The troubles are countless
So much to be healed.

I wonder at times,
just how do I show,
in these times of great troubles
A way out of woe?

I can pray this I know
But sometimes hollow feels
reaching out to God
Changes nothing I do.

I know it’s not empty
It goes not to a void
but sometimes more wanted
perhaps needed the word?

aged ancient asian buddhism — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I wonder at this need
that’s floating inside
God-driven or just within
Busyness a place to hide?

I can’t heal Haiti,
I’ve been there before,
I can’t fix Afghanistan
Thousands there roar

I remember a conversation
with my mom this week
about the sameness between
Fanaticism and Fanatical.

I wonder how I show
my fanaticism for God
Without broaching into
fanatical bringing fear.

How does my devotion
to God (my fanaticism)
Lead to less desperate
measures in others?

landscape man love people — Photo by Lagos Food Bank Initiative on Pexels.com

This week at the foodbank
So busy it was
Not the normal people
Drop-ins did abound.

It makes me wonder
when things open are
Why more people coming
when less desperate should be?

Does it matter my efforts?
Do my prayers difference make?
This push to do more
Whose life is at stake?

I don’t know the answers
Struggle internal real
The tomb is now empty
That grave has no seal.

More to be said?

I’m tired. I’m tired of feeling like in the end… does anything really matter? The food we give out, people come back next week again (or a month later). The need is unending around this whole world.

Yesterday reading in Stranger on the Road to Emmaus (aff link) the author pointed out how people used to live for 100’s of years and in those years they actively pursued evil. MOST turned their backs again God. God preserved a remnant. Over time the results of sin have led to shorter life spans, more sickness in people, and such like. BUT that man’s desire to pursue evil remains undiminished.

Today that feels so defeating.

I have to fight to remember this truism. GOD HAS WON THE BATTLE.

He has.

So someday, possibly way in the future, possibly tomorrow, since no one knows. People will be less desperate. Less desparate because either we will be of God, or we will permanently NOT be of God. Those who are of God won’t have to struggle against the desparate need of people cause God will have finished the battle that he’s already won.

We need to remember this eh?

Need Help Discipling Children?

August 4, 2021 By Annette1 2 Comments

Disclosure: I received this complimentary product through the Homeschool Review Crew.

Need to make a change in how you are discipling your children? Bethany House Publishers along with Danika Cooley has come out with a really helpful Christian parenting/discipling book. A book that is full of encouragement and teaching about why discipling our children is SO very important. I didn’t think I needed to make any changes, and yet I found my self both convicted and compelled to make change. Come along and discover why eh? Help Your Kids Learn & Love the Bible will help parents who need help discipling children.

What am I reviewing?

I received a trade paperback copy of Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible written by Danika Cooley and published by Bethany House Publishers. A short, but weighty read at 198 pages. You may find yourself reading it straight through, or doing as I did, and reading in short bursts and then pondering. Her goal, to encourage parents in diving into God’s word together with their children. Helping children to see the God of the bible in the words that he has given us and how that then impacts our lives. Simple enough eh? You’d be surprised. 🙂

You’ll find a solidly constructed read of a size easily tucked into a purse, or to take along to someone’s house to share with them. One that will not take up a huge amount of room on your bedside table as you take in the encouragement and advice that Ms. Cooley offers. Honestly, if you want to develop confidence that YOU can disciple YOUR OWN children? You’ll develop that confidence using the advice Ms. Cooley offers.

Because it can be challenging asking for assistance when you help discipling children, I want to tell you about Danika Cooley’s new book Help Your Kids Learn and Love the Bible from Bethany House Publishers.

Learning the details that will help discipling children

First off, the author Danika Cooley.

I’ve long known of her heart for discipling children. She creates resources like the Bible Road trip, sermon notebooks and various other resources. You’ll find her over on her blog Thinking Kids frequently, helping parents find ways to better disciple their children.

On to the book

The specific book I am reviewing today is entitled Help your kids learn & love the BIBLE. Three parts, eleven chapters.

Part One: You’re the Leader

Making the bible approachable for your kids
A good start to a strong finish
Finding time in an age of hustle

Part Two: Faithful Reading

Who Wrote this thing, Anyway?
Keep the message in view
A library of Books
Profitable discussion

Part Three: A daily Walk

Reading the word together
Hide the word in your Child’s heart
Praying the word together
Study the word when you’re not feeling it

You will also find an introduction, a conclusion, various notes and works consulted.

You’ll find when you pick up this help for discipling children that there are lots of headers. Sections are short and easily digestable. The headers accurately reflect what will be discussed in the following paragraphs.

There is little to no adornment, simple chapter headings and good use of white space without being wasteful. It feels like a nice book to read. Comfortable on older eyes too! 🙂

What did I discover?

Well, our family has done a number of things over the years. Various picture books, story book bibles, devotions, family studies etc. We done archaelogical studies where we unearthed the bible. The lad has gone to Cadets and Youth group. He’s been well exposed to studies about the word of God. These are all part of discipling our children into the faith. This I knew and wasn’t really surprised at. 🙂

I was delighted to discover a book full of encouragement written in a friendly tone. It’s rather like sitting down with Ms. Cooley and having a chat about how to make God real to your children.

What I was convicted of?

Just reading God’s word. Simple eh? Just letting God’s word stand alone. Had I ever done that before? In my journey of discipling my son have I simply just read the bible with him?

Doesn’t have to be big or profound, but God’s word tells us it will never go out empty, so just taking time to read a chapter or two of God’s word daily (or as often as you remember to do so) matters. Just read God’s word.

Then, be open to questions and discussion. To a lad saying “I want to read that myself”.

As Danika says “The Bible is necessary for salvation. It is a gift to us that “the Lord has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteous in the sight of the nations.” Without the special revelation the Lord has given us through his Word, we are without knowledge of our Saviour.” (p 86)

So what we’ve done? We’ve started reading the book of Matthew. I thought about starting in Genesis but the lad and I are going through A Stranger on the Road to Emmaus together and I didn’t want to replicate our reading. Are we doing it perfectly? NOPE. We’ve done three days in a row and we’ve skipped an entire week, but it’s easy enough to just book mark a chapter and then just read the next one. It’s hard when you have a working household.

Information I really appreciated

Throughout Help your kids to Learn & Love the Bible you will find help in discipling your children. From questions you can help them ask, to reminding them to read the bible in context, and to think about how does this reading further the story of God’s plan of salvation. Her concrete examples and encouragement make this a tome well worth reading.

I cannot tell you tell how much I love how Ms Cooley was persistent in reminding us to let God tell his own story. To not make stories become a moral talking point, or make a history merely a listing off of dates and activities. THIS is God’s word, his story to his people, that lays out his plan of salvation. At times she drove me to the bible to consider her words and any “moralizing” I may have done in the past. How could I see God at work in the story of Esther?

Need help discipling children : Ideas to make history real

One of the other things I loved was how Ms. Cooley wants us to help make history come alive for our children. And how we can help our teens explore different approaches to scriptural ideas. How can you help your children understand Egyptian hierarchy, slavery, the differences between goats and sheep, the long hours of a fisherman, and other biblical settings? When God tells us to consider the flowers of the field can you go out and see the beauty he has provided us with? Maybe even take the time to preserve some of it? Do a fashion course as well? How can you make God’s plan of salvation come alive? What an encouragement to think of such things eh?

Social Media Presence

I am sharing both the links for Bethany House Publishers and the author, Danika Cooley, for you to share and follow.

Bethany House Publishers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BHPnonfiction
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bethany_house
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethany_house_nonfiction/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/bethanyhouse
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/bethanyhouse

Danika Cooley

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DanikaCooleyAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DanikaCooley
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danikacooleyauthor
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/danikacooley/_created/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DanikaCooley

#hsreviews #helpyourkidslearnandlovethebible #intentionalhomeschooling

Read the Reviews!

32 members of the Homeschool Review Crew took the time to read Danika’s book. I invite you to check them out.