Book Reviews – Page 10 – Witkowski Blog

March 27, 2017March 26, 2017 Peter Witkowski Book Reviews

David Jeremiah Kids Study Bible: Review

What happens when you blend spaceships, the NKJV, and David Jeremiah together? You get the David Jeremiah Kids Study Bible.

What Is Like:

The Bible is very colorful, featuring rich blue, green, orange, and purple images. Keeping in line with the usual Study Bible format, the DJKSB features 66 Mission overviews detailing the background and purpose of each book of the Bible, a 100 Rupert Reports that provide historical facts, 66 logos discoveries – articles that help kids see how the Bible is connected- several illustrations of important Bible stories, and 13 colorful Bible maps. But the features of this new kids Bible do not stop there. The Bible also includes 51 Bible Hero sections, featuring men and women that made a difference in Biblical history, 75 Power Force boxes that help children apply Scripture to their own lives, and 100 Bible Blasts – selected verses highlighted red within the text that kids are encouraged to memorize.

Special Features:

But what truly makes the Bible unique is its theme; The Airship Genesis. The Airship Genesis is a space ship manned by a the Genesis Exploration Squad consisting five children and their pet monkey. Each month, the crew of adventurous kids sets off on a new adventure, swooping into the stories of the Bible to learn truths about God. The audio episodes/podcasts can be accessed for free at http://www.airshipgenesis.com/ . Each episode also comes with a study guide, coloring sheet, and games that can all be accessed for free. The website is very well done. And even if you don’t buy a copy of the Bible, I encourage visit the Airship Genesis website. (If you loved Adventures in Odyssey as a kid, you will definitely want to consider exposing your kids to their futuristic team of Bible explorers.)

The Bible’s greatest asset and potentially greatest liability is the Airship Genesis theme. If kids love the episodes, I think they will love seeing their characters from their podcast in their Bibles. The Bible’s platform enables kids to study the Bible with both their ears and their eyes. But if kids do not buy into the Airship Genesis model or if David Jeremiah’s group stop producing episodes, the Bible could become quickly dated.

Final Thoughts:

But despite this risk, the DJKSB is a great Bible for grade school children. The Bible cover and all the pages in between are eye catching. The study content is engaging, biblical, and well written. Again tying all the artwork back to the Genesis Exploration Squad may potentially limit the appeal of this Bible to older children and young teenagers. Overall, this Bible is worth launching into your kid’s orbit of influence.

Are you ready to board the Airship Genesis?

Click here to learn more about the Bible.

February 2, 2017February 2, 2017 Peter Witkowski Book Reviews

Your Kids Should Read: “The Radical Book For Kids”

Are your kids interested in the Christian faith? Do they regularly want to discuss what happens at church? Are they starting to ask the big Why Questions of life? If this is your child, I encourage you to get them a copy of The Radical Book For Kids.

Written by Camp Thorton for children between the ages of 8-14, The Radical Book For Kids tackles 67 important issues in the Christian faith in an immensely fun, highly practical, and beautifully theological fashion. Discussions about how to tie cool knots develop into lessons about original sin and salvation. The 253 colorful pages also cover things like “Fun and Games in Bible Times, The Weapons of the Bible, The Passion Week, Women Who Gave Their Lives for Christ, and How to Make Good Decisions.” Each 2-5 page chapter begins in kid friendly way and ends with biblically precise language. T how-to-grow-as-a-christian he book does a wonderful job of explaining complicated truths in both a simplistic and yet fully biblical manner. If your kids love to read. They will love this book.

As a grade schooler and junior higher, I would have loved this book. The book allows kids to explore the theological doctrines, practical methodologies, and important stories that have shaped our faith at their own pace. I would have enjoyed being able to slowly skip around this book as I wrestled with questions about my sin nature, the purpose of the church, and why we follow the Bible. And although I was not a particularly great reader as a kid, the illustrations, diagrams, and artwork would have kept me engaged. I highly encourage all parents to grab a copy of this book. Your kids will benefit from it. And I suspect, you may even benefit from it.

Word Of Caution

This book is not a devotional. For example, chapter 16 focuses on the Hebrew Alphabet. It is a great chapter. I think it is great for kids to understand that the Hebrew language is not radical-book-for-kids-2 our language and has its own nuances. How about reading from left to right?

But if chapter 16 is your kids, or your family devotion, you will not be encouraged by the Scriptures.

However, that is not the purpose of the book. While many of the sections do call for radical actions based on obedience to the Scriptures, this book is not a devotional. As Thorton wrote in the introduction, “Parents and Teachers may also find it helpful as a supplement for devotions or discussions.” Please do not make it your main discipleship tool.

The book is more a fun theological textbook for children (But please do not think boring when you think textbook). Though I have many adult theology textbooks on my shelf, I do not use them for my devotions. I encourage all to follow the author’s advice. Use the book to make children, “more curious and more thirsty to know God and the good news of his Word.”

radical-book-for-kids-3 And when you or your kids are curious to know more about a doctrine, story, or person mentioned in The Radical Book For Kids, you can grab the books Thorton mentions in his “more to explore” sections.

Overall, book is an amazing resource filled! I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I encourage you to get your own copy. Keep discipling your children. Keep teaching your children the Word. Keeping encouraging them to study the Bible on their own. And then hand them a copy of The Radical Book For Kids. Give them this amazing tool that will help them explore their faith even more. And then get ready to have some awesome discussions. Who’s ready to get radical?

Click Here To Purchase Your Copy

January 10, 2017January 10, 2017 Peter Witkowski Book Reviews, Parenting

Parenting: Book Review

I once had a parent look at me confused. I had asked him to trace his parenting practices back to the Bible. Sure, he could point to Ephesians 6:4 and could allude to principles laid out in Deuteronomy 6, Colossians 3, and Psalm 76. But for him and for the many other parents who’ve been worn down by the daily grind of parenting, these passages feel like far too little far too late. We feel that the Bible is far removed from our experience.

And, we do not need another verse or five-step program. We need a holistic biblical solution that addresses our complex parenting needs and the complex needs of our kids with the entirety of the Bible.

Thankfully, we now have resource that will help us do just that. Sensing that parents like you and me were struggling with bringing all of the Scriptures to bear on our parenting, Paul David Tripp wrote the book, (appropriately titled) Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles The Can Radically Change Your Family. In 14 short chapters, Paul David Tripp lays out the grand scriptural principles that every parent needs to grab ahold of as they search for purpose, hope, and rest.

He writes,

Parenting is not first and about what we want for our children or form our children, but about what God in grace has planned to do through us in our children.”

I do not know about you, but I find this idea to be a game changer!

In his book, Paul David Tripp shifts the focus of our parenting from forcing our kids to behave and achieve our goals to the heart of the matter. He leads us away from the things that we cannot control to the responsibilities that God has given us.

Paul David Tripp shows us why our hearts slide into depression, anger, despair, harsh words, and manipulation every time we encounter our kid drawing on the wall. And then, he goes on to reveal how all of the Bible addresses our sinful heart issues and the sinful heart issues of our kids. He show us that the Bible does indeed provide hope and solutions to all of our parenting problems. We will survive if we cling to the Bible.

Admittedly, not all the Bible is about yelling kids, disrespectful middle schoolers, and lying teenagers. But, all of the Bible is about helping sinners (including parents) overcome their sinful heart issues through the saving power of the cross.

Parenting was never supposed to be reduced down to a few verses. We parents are complex sinful people in need of much grace and instruction. (So are our kids.) To parent well, we need to appeal to the whole counsel of God, which addresses our depression, anger, and every other heart issue the pops up while we tell little Johnny, “NO” for the hundredth time. And it addresses every heart issue that compels our children to be who they are.

Friends, the Bible is fully sufficient for everything that “pertains to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Paul David Tripp reminds us (parents) of this beautiful truth with powerful precision over 224 helpful pages. Of all the parenting and family books I’ve read to date (and I’ve read a lot being parent and preschool and Children’s pastor) this is my favorite.

If you are a parent, or if you are thinking about becoming a parent, or if you simply want to understand your own heart better, I encourage you to read this book. Paul David Tripp has winsomely and powerfully shown us how the Scriptures should radically change and influence the way we parent.

Paul’s Scripture infused words, have both encouraged and rebuked my heart over and over again, blessing my soul and my family.

How about you? Are you ready to be challenged?

Click here to buy your copy today: