This colorful Bible equips students to better understand God’s Word. The Bible contains notes that help your older elementary child understand cultural nuances of the Bible. It also contains illustrations, genealogies, maps, and pictures that help your child visualize the images and histories of the biblical text. The Bible also includes, “Did you Know?” sections on almost every page that help your child think about and apply what they are reading. If you are looking to buy your child a Bible that will aid them in their studies of the Scripture, I encourage you to get them a copy of the ESV Student Study Bible.

Other Great Bibles:

If you are looking for a Bible for a younger elementary student or for an advanced preschooler, I encourage you to check out the ESV Big Picture Bible. The Bible contains the full text of the Scripture. All of the headings are colorful and a multitude of colorful pictures will help your visual learning connect with the text of the Bible. If you are looking to buy your child her first Bible, I encourage you to give the ESV Big Picture Bible a look.

If you are a New King James or Christian Standard Bible fan checkout The Big Picture Interactive Study Bible, that contains many of the pictures and notes find in Lifeway’s popular Sunday School curriculum, the Gospel Project. This is the perfect Bible for older preschoolers to elementary age children.

Exploring the Bible: David Murray

David Murray created an amazing devotion for your children. Murray takes your children on a rapid Journey through the Bible’s story line. Each day your children will read a passage of Scripture and will write down a brief statement about what they have learned. Murray caps each week with a page for Sermon notes that are designed to help your child apply what he hears on Sunday morning. This book is the perfect gift for the child who desires to have his own quiet times. I encourage you to get a copy of Exploring the Bible.

Luther: Stephen McCaskell and Aaron Armstrong

McCaskell and Armstrong have given kids a stunning and compelling look at the founder of the Reformation, Martin Luther. The book is strikingly illustrated with black and white pictures that resemble a graphic novel. The text that surrounds the illustrations walks your child through the history of Luther, explaining how an imperfect man saved the fading light of the gospel in Western Europe. If you have a child who loves history or reading, or interacting with a compelling story, I encourage you to place a copy of Luther under her Christmas tree.

The Radical Book For Kids: Champ Thorton

Champ Thorton presents the history of Christendom in a fun, exciting, and compelling matter that is almost sure to connect with your elementary student. He discuss everything from John Bunyan, to the “Books of the Bible,” to the “Hedelberg Catechism” to “Bible Games” to “Lottie Moon.” Every chapter has illustrations or quotes, or photo’s, or comics, or crafts, or charts that help bring the pages to life. If you have a child who loves to learn or who wants to understand more about their faith, I encourage you to buy him a copy of The Radical Book For Kids.

The Ology: Marty Machowski

Marty Machowski invites children to join Carla and Timothy as they unwrap and read the rare children’s book that began with the early church. Machowski uses the next 231 pages to explain what Christians believed about God, people, sin, and salvation, using illustrations, analogies, and readable text that will connect with your elementary student. All of the book’s 71 chapters run two to three pages and feature a picture and Scripture references that will help your child understand key biblical truths. If you want to expose your child to the truth of the Bible and if you have a reader in your family, you will want to place a copy of The Ology under your Christmas tree.

What gifts will you by giving your children this Christmas?

December 12, 2017December 14, 2017 Peter Witkowski Book Reviews, Christmas

5 Amazing Christmas Gifts For Preschoolers!

The Beginner’s Gospel Story Bible: Jared Kennedy

Jared Kennedy has written the story book Bible that appeals to your preschooler’s ear. The stories derived straight from the text of the Bible and placed within the color artwork on the pages explain the Scriptures in the same way you explain where trees come from to your toddlers. Kennedy uses simple concepts to communicate big ideas and regularly interrupts the flow of the each story with questions designed to keep your kids involved in the story. My two preschoolers love this children’s Bible. If you are looking a book that you can both read to your preschooler and use for your family devotion, this is the book. I encourage you to add The Beginners Gospel Story Bible to your preschooler’s Christmas list.

The First Bible Basics: Danielle Hitchen

Danielle Hitchen wants your preschooler to know how to count to 10. And she wants your preschooler and you to know 10 great facts about the Bible! The facts which range from the “1 God” to “10 Commandments” are accompanied with a bit size quote, Scripture reference, or brief explanation. The book is a quick read and your preschooler will like the bright pictures. If you are looking for a counting book that will engage your preschooler and help you remember how many Fruits of the Spirit there are, then you will want to get a copy of The First Bible Basicsfor your preschooler this Christmas.

The Biggest Story ABC: Kevin DeYoung

Kevin DeYoung transformed his popular book the Biggest Story into a board book perfect for your preschooler. Employing the 25 letters of the alphabet, DeYoung takes your preschooler through the big picture of the Bible. He helps your little one (and you the parent) see that the Bible’s story is one of sin and redemption through Christ. DeYoung explains how people came to be cursed and how God came to conquer the curse of death. If you are looking for a resource that teaches the alphabet and the gospel then, I encourage you to buy your preschooler a copy of T he Biggest Story ABC.

The Garden the Curtain and the Cross: Carl Laferton

Carl Laferton walks his reader through the gospel story in picture book form. The beautiful and lively pages capture the eyes of your children while you read the story of how Adam and Eve’s sin destroyed God’s wonderful world and separated people from God. As the pages turn, your children will then hear about how God sent his son to save the sinners who are bad and sad. If you are looking to buy a picture book for the preschooler on your list get them a copy of The Garden the Curtain and the Cross.

And if you liked The Garden the Curtain on the Cross, I encourage you to check out three more titles from The Good Book company: The One O’Clock Miracle, The Christmas Promise, and The Storm that Stopped.

What is Church: Bill Bell

Bell colorfully helps kids grasp that the church is a who and not a what. He then details who is in the church and what they do with the help of colorful illustrations. Though the pages employees language that a child can easily understand, the book contains deep truths that will help parents gain a better understand of Jesus’s bride, the church. If you are looking for a book that will help your preschool learn to love church and learn, then I encourage you get a copy of this What is Church for your preschooler.

December 5, 2017December 6, 2020 Peter Witkowski Christmas

Christians, Embrace Xmas!

xmas Christians can use the term Xmas with a clear conscience! I know some of you might have just spit out your hot chocolate. For that, I am sorry. But before you start a social media campaign to oust me as the “Anti-CHRIST mas” pastor who deserves to be exiled with the Abominable Snowman, I ask read the next few paragraphs. If you are unconvinced by argument for Xmas, you may happily label me a Scrooge.

Why We Dislike Xmas

Many Christians view Xmas as an attack on the person of Christ. Removing Christ from the word Christmas seems to be synonymous with removing baby Jesus from his manger. The story of salvation and hope displayed in the manager scenes fades into Christmas lore if there is no baby Jesus. And if Christ disappears from Christmas, Christians seemingly allow their culture to wipe Jesus from the center of Christmas. Thus, may Christians are tempted to give Xmas practitioners a Grinchy stare, because Christians want to honor Christ.

Moreover, the letter X carries a negative meaning for many Americans. Stores write large Xs on price tags to communicate that an item’s original price has been replaced with a more attractive price. While Christians love sales, they cannot warm up to the idea of Xing-out Jesus from Christmas. We believe Christ is relevant for today’s world and is the most attractive person in the whole of Christmas. Thus, Christians bristle when people intentionally or unintentionally cross out Christ from Christmas. Christians are rightfully devoted to their Lord and Savior.

The Real Meaning of Xmas

I applaud my friends’ concern and share their passion to see Christ worshiped during Christmas. But Xmas is not the brainchild of modern secularists who are intent on stealing Christmas away from Christians. Xmas is not an attack on Jesus and the gospel. Xmas is actually an abbreviation, a shorthand, for the word Christmas.

Christos The X that appears in Xmas does not represent the English letter X. Consequently, the symbol cannot represent that something has been crossed out.

The X represents the Greek letter Chi which closely resembles the English X. (The end of the Greek letter Chi is slightly curved as you can see in the picture.) The letter Chi is the first Greek letter in the word Christos (Χρήστος) which we translate as Christ. Several hundred years ago, Xmas first appeared in the writings of Catholic monks and clerics. Printers later embrace the letter X and Xmas as shorthand for Christ and Christmas. The expression very much values the presence of Christ in Christmas, employing one of the original New Testament languages and a symbol that has almost universally been identified with Christ for thousands of years.

We readily use such shorthand in everyday life without any reservation. For example, we refer to our country as both the United States of America and the U.S.A. We use the terms interchangeably without our patriotism being questioned. We text LOL without having our friends doubt our sense of humor (Ok…maybe they do, but that is another issue). We refer the University of Georgia both by its proper name and by UGA without having our devotion to the school questioned. We call Jill both Jill and J without our love for her being questioned. We refer to John as both Juan and John without jeopardizing our friendship. And, we have the freedom in Christ to happily bounce between Xmas and Christmas as both words express a firm commitment to keeping Christ in Christmas.

Final Thoughts

There are many battles for Christians to fight. But the Xmas battle is not one of them. It’s not a battle at all. It’s friendly fire as Christians are throwing snow balls at a word that very much keeps Christ in Christmas.

Instead of trying to stomp Xmas out of usage, I think Christians should wisely employ the age-old term. We should use the X in Xmas as an opportunity for explaining the gospel message.

And done. I hope we are still friends!

What are you thoughts about Xmas?