Children and teens face a tremendous amount of pressure from their peers and culture to find their identity in their activities, feelings, or performance. This modern way of looking at identity can be challenging to navigate for parents who grew up with a traditional view of identity rooted in predetermined roles. What if they could help their children and teenagers find their identity in something that never went away and never changed based on their ability or performance--an identity grounded in God's grace?
Jonathan Holmes explores the five core areas of identity struggles most common to teens: sports, academics, moralism, sexual orientation, and gender confusion. He provides parents with a biblical foundation to work from and practical tools to help their teen find their identity based on who God says they are.
Sunny is a little bluebird who loves to sing happy songs until the death of Wren. Sunny's heart hurts because she misses her friend, and she doesn't feel like singing anymore. But Sunny's Mama and forest friends gather around her, teaching her how to share her sadness with God and others. Sunny learns to remember what she can count on about God's love and care and all the love she shared with Wren.
Darby A. Strickland uses the story of Sunny to help parents and caregivers walk with children through the complexities of grief and the questions that come with a loss. A special section at the end of the book gives parents tips for helping their children express their sorrow to God and offers ideas for remembering a loved one.
Grieving the loss of a child to stillbirth can be a lonely and agonizing experience. Sadly, this overwhelming loss is far more common than one may think, affecting around 1 in 160 births. Gibson honestly acknowledges the sorrow, the loneliness, and fears that come from suffering the loss of a child while pointing to the gospel with gentleness and understanding.
You Are Still a Mother weaves Scripture and deep truths about God with Jackie's personal experience to provide a book that is both honest and full of hope. Acknowledging that all who suffer this loss will never be the same, she reassures readers that God will be present through every moment of every day.
Start a new family tradition for the Christmas season by reading this upside-down book that includes fourteen Bible stories. Begin the week before Christmas with the first side, Promises Made which has seven stories that explore the Old Testament prophecies of the coming Messiah. On Christmas Day, flip the book over and continue by reading Promises Kept with seven more stories that vividly illustrate how Jesus's life, death, and resurrection and the beginning of the church fulfill God's promises.
Machowski weaves the promises and fulfillments together into one harmonized story that will deepen the family's faith in God's power and control over all of history and their lives too. Each story also includes questions for the family to discuss together.
Start a new Easter season tradition with your family by reading this beautifully illustrated upside-down book from Marty Machowski that includes fourteen Bible stories. The first side, Darkest Night, has seven stories that recount the events of Passion week ending with Christ's crucifixion and burial. Flip the book over and continue by reading Brightest Day with seven more stories that progress from Christ's resurrection through Pentecost. Children are sure to remember the contrast between the darkness at the death of our Lord and the light-filled events from Christ's resurrection onward.
Machowski weaves each Gospel account together into one harmonized story and provides questions for family discussion. Focusing on the main events the week of the crucifixion, Darkest Night is designed for families to read one story each day, beginning on Palm Sunday. Once the week ends, they will start with Brightest Day on Easter Sunday. The stories for the week following Easter recount appearances of Jesus after the resurrection, his ascension, and Pentecost.
This beautiful hardback book, illustrated by Phil Shorr, is sure to become a treasured favorite of the family to be used every Easter as a reminder of how God turned the darkest night into the brightest day.
Being a teenager is itself an overwhelming experience, but the struggles unique to Asian American teenagers can often lead us to wonder if anyone truly knows what we're going through. In this book, twelve authors will come alongside you to share their own high school experiences and to help you know that Jesus makes a difference in your unique struggles. He sees us and knows us fully.
These testimonies of growing up Asian American include struggles with belonging, performance issues, fear of failure, living in an honor/shame culture, immigrant parents, eating disorders, sexual assault, and adoption. Each now walks faithfully with Jesus in all of their ethnic and cultural distinctions. These stories lift up the Asian American experience with dignity and give you the opportunity to find both representation and a sense of belonging and worth.
What comes to mind when you think about teaching theological truths to children? Glazed eyes? Over-their-head discussions? Theology doesn't have to be too deep for kids. For kids to stand firm in a culture that suppresses the truth of Christianity, we need to give them a grand view of God that overwhelms their hearts and fills them with wonder.
A child's faith is only as strong as the God they believe in. For their faith to be great, they need to learn about their great God. In each chapter, the authors diagnose problems that hinder leaders from teaching kids theology, explain principles to combat these problems, and suggest practices for applying these principles to your ministry.
It doesn't matter that Darcy Duck is only a few seconds older than Delia and Denny--Darcy thinks she should be first at everything. That means that the ducklings always end up fighting to get their turn. Hurt feelings and anger abound until one day when their grandparents fly in for a visit. That's when Denny's determination to be first, ahead of Darcy, almost ends in disaster.
Edited by counselor Lauren Whitman, Darcy Is Always First is part of the Good News for Little Hearts series that brings gospel wisdom and biblical counsel to families. Based on CCEF's model of hope and help, each story focuses on an animal family's real-life issues, encouraging young readers toward a growing relationship with Jesus during challenging circumstances.
When Demas, the son of a world-famous race car, makes fun of how Pops' job as the town garbage truck makes him dirty and smelly, Coop starts to wish his father had a more popular, cleaner, cooler job. But when Pops gets sick, Coop learns how important being a garbage truck really is and steps in to help clean up the town. Coop discovers that his father's humble, selfless service points to Jesus, the best servant of all, who came to clean up the mess in our hearts.
The second book in The Wheelies series, written by Sarah Reju and illustrated by Tania Rex, Coop Helps Out will teach children ages 3-8 that they can serve others because of how Jesus has served them.
Oxen brothers Otto and Oscar stand trapped and terrified between the Red Sea and Pharaoh's approaching army along with all of Israel. Yes, God has brought them this far out of the misery of Egypt, but escape now seems impossible! When Moses shouts, Fear not. Stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, everyone gasps as the cloud of the Lord billows up and blocks the enemy from advancing. Then the wind begins to blow. Will the oxen and the rest of Israel be able to outrun the enemy?
The Prophecy and the Hope by bestselling author Marty Machowski follows the adventures of the animals who could have witnessed the events of the Old Testament, from the Exodus onward. Join oxen at the Red Sea, mountain goats at Mount Sinai, Rahab's pets in Jericho, horses watching as David faced Goliath, the Queen of Sheba's camels, ravens with Elijah, and mice in Isaiah's house.
Victor Harbor, Australia, 2024
Life is full of responsibilities for fifteen-year-old Bryce Holland. Between working at his uncle's horse stables, playing his newly earned spot on the varsity basketball team, and leading a Bible study, the juggling act of his life is on the verge of a crash. The stress of a season-ending ankle sprain and seeing the girl he likes with the rival player who caused the injury, pushes Bryce over the edge and into making bad decisions. When his uncle's Clydesdale, which he rides without permission, gets away from him, the search to find the horse sends Bryce wandering deep into the woods and into the alternate realm of Glideon. There he meets other teens, who have been tasked with rescuing the Gliddles from Machines that threaten the land. Along the way, Bryce and his new friends discover the mysterious pearl that will guide them in their journey to resurrect Lightglider Academy, rescue the Gliddles, and restore the land.
Coop Wheelie is the youngest in his family, and like many little ones, he has a problem obeying the rules--and there are a lot of them! When Coop runs out of gas, his sister, Lucy, tries to help him learn to follow the rules, but finds herself right in the middle of the trouble too. Through Coop's story, kids will discover that making mistakes can be an important way to learn about forgiveness and the gospel.
The first in The Wheelies series, written by Sarah Reju and illustrated by Tania Rex, Coop Messes Up will teach children ages 3-8 about God's unconditional love for us.
While two newly created rock badgers explore their growing world, they encounter a dark foe--the great dragon, the serpent of old. The sinister creature interrupts the badgers' joyful exploration of the growing landscape to reveal his wicked plan to destroy God's creation. When the enemy takes flight, the badgers race to warn Adam and Eve of the impending danger. With every thunderous flap of wings, the serpent draws closer to his perch in the forbidden tree. Will the badgers make it in time to expose the evil plan.
The Shadow and the Promise by bestselling author Marty Machowski follows the adventures of the animals who witness the events of Genesis and Exodus unfold before them. Join badgers in the Garden of Eden, an array of animals in the Ark, groundhogs at Babel, Abraham's donkey, sheep from Joseph's herd, the cats in the palace in Egypt, and a dog and oxen present at the Passover.
Every church needs people to take the lead in serving the practical needs of the congregation. Robert H. Thune is intentional about training deacons by grounding them in the gospel of grace and giving them the tools for spiritual formation. Gospel Training for Deacons is an eight-lesson workbook to provide deacons with a biblical foundation for their service in the church of Jesus Christ.
Taking a biblical and practical approach to training deacons, this resource will shape future leaders at the heart level for their calling to serve the church. Thune helps churches develop deacons who know their own heart and how the good news of the gospel applies to it and cultivate a sense of gospel fluency so that they can live the gospel out in community. Whether used in one-on-one discipleship or in a small group setting, this study will give deacons the biblical foundation for their service in the church of Jesus Christ to faithfully serve.
In the tradition of his well-loved bestsellers The Ology and WonderFull, Machowski weaves a study of the Bible with a fictional story. The Treasure follows the adventures of Mira and Theos who discover a sea captain's personal journal which offers clues to a hidden treasure. They can only solve the riddle of the treasure by studying two ancient scrolls, the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. Young readers will journey with the siblings as they solve their puzzle and discover the captain's treasure--Christ!
While these New Testament books are often thought of as two separate books telling different stories, they are really two halves of one greater story recorded by Luke. Through Luke's retelling of Jesus's work on earth and the Spirit's work in growing the church, we see the Father's love on full display. The Treasure will help children grow in their knowledge and love of God.
It's easy to lose heart in a world where many things can and do go wrong. Life is difficult and there are struggles within and without, but we can take heart--the Lord is with us. He hears our cries for mercy. He knows our every need. He guides us, helps us, and strengthens us with his mighty right arm. Journey through a year with David Powlison, learning to take heart by meditating on his favorite Scripture passages, hymns, and biblical themes, exploring the ways God meets us with daily grace right where we live.
Drawn from David Powlison's many decades of writing, teaching, and speaking, Take Heart is a yearlong devotional journey into the process of biblical change, where truth becomes clearer and our ears hear and our eyes see what God tells us about himself.
Learn to go to God for the help you need and hold fast to the daily mercy and grace he offers. And be reminded the promises of God are true and that the resurrection of Jesus guarantees that no matter what you may be facing, you can live in real hope.
Jonathan Gibson helps toddlers and preschoolers learn key Bible verses along with their ABCs. Each letter of the alphabet has a bright, captivatingly illustrated page with a short, foundational Bible verse to be memorized and a simple sentence that helps explain the verse.
Parents, grandparents, and caregivers will love to use this book to teach the littlest ones foundational truths in a fun, easy-to-remember way. By committing these big truths to their little hearts and minds, toddlers and preschoolers will be able to ground their young faith in God's Word, which will guide them in the years to come. Children will learn from the earliest age who made them, why they need Jesus, how to become a child of God, what to do when they are afraid, and many more life-changing truths.
My First ABC Book of Bible Verses is the first book in the Big Truths for Little Minds series, which introduces children ages 3-5 to basic concepts of the Christian faith.