Father’s Day Special

Hopefully everyone had a safe and enjoyable Father’s Day weekend. I would like to remind all parents that all young children who are still at the age for bedtime stories are at an impressionable age. For them, the stories have a way of coming to life. Regardless of who reads to them, the child’s imagination will be able to interact with the characters in the story.

Easy to Read Bible Stories: Genesis is one of those types of books. Regardless of what type of story your child likes: romance, jealousy amongst siblings, drama, action, etc., this book has it all. Young children are still learning about the world they live in and sometimes it can be hard for a parent to teach their child about God, especially when they don’t have a good understanding themselves. For example, one of the Ten Commandments from God is, “Honor your father and mother,” but how do you explain this to a child using a story? Don’t worry – Adam and Eve disobeyed God when they chose to eat from the forbidden fruit tree. Jacob lied to his father so he could get his father’s blessing for a prosperous life.  Joseph’s brothers lied to their father after they sold their brother into slavery.

What if your child likes love stories and /or romance? Before Abraham became known as “God’s friend,” he had to pass a bunch of tests from God. His wife Sarah wanted a child so badly, she demanded of her husband to sleep with her slave so she could have a child of her own; this did not go the way she planned. In fact, it only made things worse for her. Many years later, God tested Abraham’s faith by using his only son!  Later, Abraham’s son, Isaac, would eventually marry his true love. Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, was willing to work (hard labor) for fourteen years to marry the woman of his dreams.

Every child has their own way version of a perfect story, and Genesis has a little something for everyone – even the adults!

Towards the end of the book, things really get interesting; Joseph’s brothers sells him to slave traders because they were jealous of him. They felt that he was getting all their father’s love, but they didn’t want to kill him. Many years later, through a series of events that only God could have come up with, the family is reunited and Joseph has his chance at revenge. Does he exact revenge on his brothers for their cruelty to him when he was just a boy? If so, what does he do? Find out when you read the story for yourself in Easy to Read Bible Stories: Genesis. A book where every story comes to life and although it is “technically” a book of bible stories, it is more like a story book.

There is no greater joy for a parent than to see their child’s eyes light up with excitement when reading them a story. The child asks mom or dad, “what happens next?” was always a great joy for me when my kids were little.

If you get through that book and your child can’t wait to see what happens next but the idea of reading your Bible to them just doesn’t seem like the same thing – don’t worry because I have you covered there too!

Moses was written exactly like Genesis was and although the stories are different, your child will love it.  It starts off with Moses as a baby and the king ordered all children under the age of two years old to be slaughtered and thrown into the river. You can find out all the gory details when you read the book. His mother wraps up her son in a basket and his sister places him into the river hoping he will be rescued by someone.

Her prayers were answered, just a short way down the river, the Pharaoh’s daughter saw him and immediately fell in love with him. Moses was to be raised as if he was Egyptian royalty. As a boy he learned how to be a great soldier, he spoke many languages, and he was raised to believe in all the Egyptian gods – as they did.

As an adult, he learned of his true history and this is where the story really takes off with adventure. He had no idea who the God of the universe was until he was forty years old! This is where the infamous story of the burning bush comes in. Later, God convinces Moses to use his skills as a soldier to free the Israelite people – all two million of them! Although Moses tried to argue with God and convince God that he (Moses) was not the right man for the job…

…well, we all know how that turned out. Introducing the Ten Plagues against the Egyptians is really going to raise your child’s eyebrows and peak their interest as well. Each plague, worse than the last, and every time Moses would ask the Pharaoh to let the people go; the answer was always the same, “NO!”

It wasn’t until the most famous plague, the last one – the death of the firstborn that Pharaoh finally said, “yes”.  But that wasn’t the end of the story, that was only the end of the first part. After the Pharaoh had mourned the death of his son for a few days, he became so angry that he gathered his entire army and chased after Moses and all the Israelite people (who were walking) through the desert. He was determined to kill all of them.

Now, it was time for God to show off His powers for the benefit of the Israelite people. Learn how they had light to travel at night, what they ate and drank as they walked through the desert, and what happened when they were trapped between the Pharaoh’s army behind them and the Red Sea in front of them.

Surely, this is where the story ends, right? Wrong! I’m sure you have heard they wandered in the desert for forty years, right? How did they survive? This is where you will learn about “manna from heaven”, Moses strikes a rock and water gushes out, the people wanted meat and God gave them so much meat, they didn’t know what to do with it all. One miracle after another and the people still complained to Moses.  Find out how he handled it and if he ever got any help.

Both books are fantastic choices for kids, but they are also beloved by adults as well because they can see the story behind the story.  It is written so that the bible is much easier to understand. Both books are available in paperback or eBook and for a limited time. They are priced lower than normal so you can check it out and recommend it to others too.