Theological Resources for Children (and Parents Too!)

(Originally posted at OakHillsPCA.com)

We live in a day and age in which there are countless resources for nurturing the faith of our children. One of my passions has been in keeping up (as best I can!) with what is available and sorting through the good and the bad to find the best items out there. One of the things I love about Children’s books is their ability to help simplify and explain some of the more convoluted areas of truth in scripture and to that end I’ve found that several of these books have been just as beneficial for my own faith as it has been for the faith of my children. In this blog post I’d like to recommend a sampling of some of my favorite books that we’ve picked up over the last few years with one or two sentences to summarize the books. I’ve included links to each book as well. I’d encourage you to check them out and if you have any you’d like to share with me – shoot them my way!

Biblical Theology:

The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross (By Carl Laferton) – This book is a book to be read in one sitting. It’s a brief and excellent overview of the fall of man, our separation with God because of our sin, and how in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection we are promised the forgiveness of sins and restoration with God. It’s bright, colorful, and fun to read. (Video Reading, Amazon)

The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden (By Kevin DeYoung) – This book began as a sermon by Kevin DeYoung in which he preached through the entire redemptive story in scripture. It is divided into 10 short chapters and is an excellent overview of scripture that is beautifully illustrated, easy to engage with, and perfect for helping your children (and you!) have a better understanding of how God worked throughout scripture to save his people from their sin. (Preview Video, Amazon)

Sammy and His Shepherd: Seeing Jesus in Psalm 23 (By Susan Hunt) – This book is a great tool for family devotionals as it takes Psalm 23 and divides it into 11 chapters with each chapter covering a small portion of the Psalm and unpacking it via the story of a sheep named Sammy and his Shepherd. At the back of the book there are discussion questions for each chapter as well as passages of scripture that back up the main idea of the chapter. (Video Reading, Amazon)

Christian Life:

Good News for Little Hearts (A series by David Powlison, Ed Welch, and Jayne V. Clark) – This is a series of six books that cover topics of Anxiety, Anger, Failure, Greed, Sadness and Loneliness. They are incredibly useful for helping our children learn to cope with their own sin and the hardships of this world from a Biblical perspective. (WTS Books 6-Pack Bundle, Amazon)

The Moon is Always Round (By Jonathan Gibson) – This book helps families deal with the problem of hardship and suffering. The author uses the imagery of the moon to teach children of the constant goodness of God, even when it might seem obscured by difficult circumstances in life. (Amazon)

God’s Very Good Idea: A True Story of God’s Delightfully Different Family (By Trillia Newbell) – This book takes the reader on a journey from the garden of Eden and the fall to the heavenly throne room of God and shows how despite the sinfulness of mankind, all people are welcomed into the family of God through the saving work of Christ. (Amazon)

Other Worthwhile Titles: Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing (by Sally Lloyd-Jones), Mighty Acts of God and Wondrous Works of God (by Starr Meade), The Donkey Who Carried a King (by R. C. Sproul), How Much Is a Little Girl Worth? (by Rachel Denhollander, The Gospel Story Bible (By Marty Machowski), Everything a Child Should Know About God (by Kenneth N. Taylor) and The Church History ABCs (by Stephen J. Nichols).

Like I said above, this is meant to be just a sampling of some of the books that I find valuable and helpful for my families continued growth in the faith. There are so many valuable resources out there and I hope that as a church body we can continue to explore them together and share them with one another for the building up of one another in Christ. If there are any books or resources that you would like to share with me – please send them my way and I’d love to check them out!

Good News Worth Sharing

(Originally posted at OakHillsPCA.com)

We are blessed at Oak Hills to have such a vibrant children’s ministry. On any given Sunday we average around 40 children actively involved in our various children’s ministries, from Acorns to Promiseland, pre-k Sunday School to youth Sunday School. That’s awesome! Even just this week our church grew by 2 more members as we welcomed Téa and Tyus Porter into our fold, praise God! The Lord continues to bless and grow Oak Hills, from families moving in, to little ones being born, and that is something worth rejoicing over.

Another huge blessing is the large number of volunteers that we have actively serving in our children’s ministries. On top of the 40 children in our ministries we have nearly 30 volunteers serving regularly in various children and youth ministries. This, to me, is an answer to prayer as it shows our commitment as a church to the love and discipleship of our members, from the youngest age to the oldest. When you volunteer in children’s ministry, you aren’t just volunteering to do childcare for an hour and a half on a Sunday morning.

No, each and every one of you who serves in our children’s ministries plays a vital role of instilling in our children, from the youngest age, a love for our Triune God, his Word, and his church. In Sprouts and Promiseland, you are engaging them with his Word and providing them with a foundational understanding of Scripture and how it all points to Christ. You're teaching them the gospel at every angle and you are doing it in a setting where they are learning alongside other members of this covenant community. In this you are giving them the tools to transition into hearing the Word of God preached each and every Sunday with the rest of the congregation. In Acorns, you're helping the children to grow up in the covenant community experiencing the beauty of a church that is a family and a body, loving and caring for one another.

Hear, O Israel
I love the Shema. It’s a passage in Deuteronomy that many of you will be familiar with, Deuteronomy 6:4. It’s a passage, spoken to and recorded for Israel, God's visible church in the Old Testament, and it gives this call –

"Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."

The Israelites were commanded to recite and teach the word of God to their children diligently. To call them to "love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." And in verse 20 it continues,

"When your son asks you in time to come, 'What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the LORD our God has commanded you?' Then you shall say to your son, 'We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the LORD showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers."

This is our calling as a church when it comes to our children’s ministries – to love our youngest members and to instill in them a knowledge of and love for the gospel, a love for God, a love for the Holy Scriptures, and a love for the church. And each and every week to tell the kids as they come through our doors and enter our classrooms, "we were once slaves to sin, but the LORD has rescued us through the miraculous life, death and resurrection of his son Jesus. He has triumphed over our enemies of Satan, sin and death, and has brought us from a life of misery into a life of hope.” That’s good news worth sharing.