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Category: Product Reviews

My opinions on tools and resources for Children’s Ministry and Next Gen Ministry leaders

Love Letters from God: Bible Stories for a Girl’s Heart {Book Review and Giveaway}

Kathie Phillips 4 Comments

Book Review - Love Letters from God: Bible Stories for a Girl's Heart by Glenys Nellist

As a mom of a daughter, I am a huge believer in the strength that girls possess.  I have tried to raise my daughter to be a strong, confident young woman.  Thankfully, she has many women in her life who model this for her.  Likewise, she can also look to the bible for examples of strong women who faced challenges and were deeply loved by God.

A few months ago, I was invited to be part of Glenys Nellist’s blog hop to promote her new book, Love Letters from God: Bible Stories for a Girl’s Heart.  I have reviewed one of Glenys’ books before (I loved it – you can review that post here), so I jumped at the chance to get a sneak peek at her newest release.

Love Letters from God: Bible Stories for a Girl’s Heart did not disappoint.  Immediately drawn in from the beautifully illustrated cover, I discovered that the book shared stories from more well-known women from the bible (such as Eve, Hannah, Esther and Mary, the mother of Jesus) as well as lesser-known women from the bible (such as Rahab, Miriam, and Deborah).

Each story introduces a woman with a brief adjective, such as “trusting”, “brave”, and “strong”.  Her story is told in an engaging, child-friendly way that captures your imagination and leaves you wanting to learn more.  In addition, each story includes a bible verse section called “God’s Wonderful Words to You”.  Lastly, each story is accompanied by a love letter from God that can be personalized with the name of the little girl reading it.  Those letters help each girl see herself in the story and reveals the character of the God who loves her.

At the end of the book is a blank space for little girls to write their own love letter to God.  I could only imagine the depth of words that a little girl might write in this space after reading this wonderful book.

If you have a little girl in your life who needs to know (or be reminded of) the love of God toward her, I highly recommend that you grab a copy for her.  I think it’ll become one of her most treasured story books.

Zondervan has graciously given me a copy of Love Letters from God: Bible Stories for a Girl’s Heart to give away to one of my readers.  To enter to win, email me, telling me what special girl you’d share this book with.  All entries should be received by 11:59 pm EST on Friday, June 2nd.  The winner will be announced on my blog’s Facebook page on Monday, June 5th.

*Giveaway is open to US residents only.  The book cannot mailed to a P.O. box.

You can learn more about Glenys  by visiting her website or connecting with her on social media (Facebook or Twitter).

International Children’s Bible {Review & Giveaway}

Kathie Phillips

Bibles are one of those staple items for ministry to children.  (If it’s not, it should be!)  Choosing an age-appropriate Bible for children is sometimes a bit of a challenge because there are so many great options out there.  Here’s one I’d like to share with you that children will love.

International Children's Bible

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

The International Children’s Bible, the first Bible translation created specifically for children, has been updated and newly typeset in a large readable layout.  The Bible text is set in large type, with bold in-text subject heads that help kids easily find the passages they are looking for.  Also included are boldface words that correspond with a dictionary and concordance entry to explain word definitions.

A great new feature in this updated setting is a key verse index with more than 300 verses that are highlighted throughout the Bible for kids to read and learn.  The beautifully illustrated Bible story insert pages are in a style that children love and will delight their imaginations as they read and “see” popular Bible stories.

International Children's Bible

WHAT I LIKE

The Bible is easy-to-read and easy for younger readers to read on their own.  The size of the Bible is perfect for smaller hands to hold and navigate.  The colors used in the illustrations are brilliant and the drawings are not too young to turn off older elementary-aged children.

WHAT I’D LIKE TO SEE

I would have loved to have seen a brief synopsis for each book, such as the author and an overview.  Giving children this background information could help them see the big picture of God’s story.  I also would love to have seen the highlighted verses in a bold color instead of the dull gray; this would help the verses stand out a bit more.  Lastly, I would have loved if the illustrations were in close proximity to the story it related to as well as a scripture reference provided under the illustration’s title.  I could see how this might cause some confusion for children.

All in all, I think the Bible is a great resource for children to develop a love for God’s Word.

To find out more, take a look at this YouTube video or visit their website.

Enter to win a copy of the International Children’s Bible.
I am giving away one copy of the International Children’s Bible to one of my readers.
Simply email me at kidminspiration@gmail.com and tell me your favorite Bible story!
The deadline to enter is 11:59 pm on Friday, May 20th.
The winner will be announced on our Facebook Page on Monday, May 23rd.

Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9 {Review & Giveaway}

Kathie Phillips 2 Comments

I recently took a sneak peek at Phil Vischer’s new movie for kids, Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9.  It had my attention from the very first scene!  Keep reading to find out more and how you can win a free DVD copy of the movie, which releases tomorrow, October 20th.

Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9 is a must-see for all ages, from VeggieTales creator PHIL VISCHER! Kids will enjoy Buck Denver’s latest adventure with his friends from What’s In the Bible? and parents will appreciate the humorous nods to Star Wars and Star Trek.  More importantly, Phil Vischer’s gifted teaching delivers a clear message to kids and adults about God’s love and purpose for our lives.  Galaxy Buck communicates important Biblical truths that will add to everyone’s faith foundation, whether a life-long Christian or a new creation in Christ.

Galaxy Buck
About the movie:
Buck Denver has a simple dream – to save the galaxy.  Working for the Galactic Mission Board, Buck dreams of carrying God’s love to every corner of the Milky Way!  Except he doesn’t have a starship.  Or a crew.  Or even a captain’s license.  He just needs a chance.  But when that chance comes and Buck finds himself leading a real mission into deep space, things don’t go at ALL like he imagined!  If he’s doing what God wants him to do, why is everything going wrong?  From VeggieTales® and What’s in the Bible? creator Phil Vischer, Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9 is a wild, galactic adventure that teaches kids a powerful lesson about trusting God with everything – even our dreams!
Run time: Approximately 40 minutes
My thoughts:

I am always amazed at how simple messages designed for children often speak to me as an adult.  There are too many spiritual lessons and will be a great foundation for really good family (or ministry discussion).  From a visual perspective, while I thought the graphics were awesome (it was really top notch), some characters might frighten younger viewers.  I’d recommend the movie for kids ages 7 & up – they won’t be as frightened and will definitely enjoy the movie’s humor.

My favorite line in the movie:

“God doesn’t want you to DO anything.  He just wants YOU!”

Enter to win a copy of this family-friendly DVD in one of three ways:

  1. Leave me a comment below, telling me who you’ll enjoy the movie with (either at home or in a ministry setting).
  2. Leave me a message on my Facebook page, telling me who you’ll enjoy the movie with (either at home or in a ministry setting).
  3. Tweet about the giveaway to your Twitter followers. 
    I just entered to win Phil Vischer's new DVD, Galaxy Buck: Mission to Sector 9!
    Click To Tweet

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on Wednesday, October 21.  Winner will be announced on my Facebook page.  Happy entering!

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“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

 Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”

{Book Review}: “The Biggest Story”

Kathie Phillips

Recently, I received a copy of a new bible story book for children.  I love taking a look a those types of story books, particularly ones that take a different approach to traditional ones.  However, this one, in my opinion, just didn’t sit well with me.

the biggest story - cover
 About the book:
Hardcover: 132 pages
Publisher: Crossway (August 31, 2015)
In The Biggest Story, Kevin DeYoung – a best-selling author and father of six – leads kids and parents alike on an exciting journey through the Bible, connecting the dots from the garden of Eden to Christ’s death on the cross to the new heaven and new earth.  With powerful illustrations by award-winning artist Don Clark, this imaginative retelling of the Bible’s core message-how the Snake Crusher brings us back to the garden-will draw children into the biblical story, teaching them that God’s promises are even bigger and better than we think.
the biggest story - inside1
About Kevin DeYoung:
Kevin DeYoung is senior pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan.  He blogs at the Gospel Coalition and has authored or coauthored numerous well-known books, including Just Do Something, The Hole in Our Holiness, Crazy Busy, and Taking God At His Word.  He lives with his wife and their 6 children in Central Michigan.
About Don Clark:
Don Clark is an artist and the cofounder of Invisible Creature, a widely respected and award-winning design studio in Seattle that has worked with clients such as Target, Nike, LEGO, and WIRED magazine.  He lives with his wife and their 3 children, 4 goats, 12 chickens, and 1 crazy dog on a farm just outside the city limits.
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What I Didn’t Like:

In the beginning of the book, I was surprised to see that the word ‘snake’ had an uppercase “S”.  That was too close to making the evil one equal to God in my opinion.  Unfortunately, the book didn’t get any better.  I didn’t like some of the wording used.  Maybe it was used to be more relevant?  I’m not sure.  Some examples that stood out include:

  • “Noah was ‘just as foul’ as everybody else.”
  • “Abraham was ‘a bit of a scaredy-cat’.”
  • “God is God, so he gets to pick.”

The images were also a bit scary, so it’s definitely designed for older children.  One of the most disturbing things (and one that I showed my husband to make sure that I wasn’t seeing things) was a depiction of a skull and crossbones.  I’m not sure where that fit in to anything mentioned in the book.

I was also disappointed that there was not one reference to scripture anywhere in the book, which was a bit odd and puzzling.  It made no reference that these events took place in the bible.  It read more like fiction than a bible storybook, which was also disappointing.

My Recommendation:

This book had so much wrong with it that I cannot recommend it.

Have you seen this book?  If so, what are your thoughts?

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