When school started in the fall, I introduced a series in our Sunday School on God’s incommunicable attributes — for the kids. The timing was perfect: everyone was going back to school. We all have lots to learn. God has never needed to learn anything. He is omniscient . . . and on we went from there, week by week, pondering God’s sovereignty, His immutability, the other omni’s, and more besides.
Childhood is the perfect time to introduce little people to the important truths of the faith. With that in mind, Danielle Hitchen has produced a tool to make the learning process fun for the kids, the parents and the teachers. Bible Basics – A Baby Believer Counting Primer has all the best indestructible features of a board book, the interesting and colorful pictures that go with a cute counting book, but with the important difference that the counting acts as a simple catechism that takes tiny disciples beyond the Bible stories and introduces them to the language and meaning of some of Christianity’s core tenets.
And why not? The Bible is full of numbers!
We have one God in three persons.
God the Son exists in two natures, and He appears in all four Gospels.
The first five books of the Old Testament are called the Pentateuch, and I didn’t even hear that word until I was in college!
Each two-page spread features eye-catching drawings, but my favorite is number nine: the fruit of the Spirit.
Bible Basics, the first of a series, is a book for my grandson to grow into. We’ll start out by reading the concept headings and counting together. With a tiny brain like velcro, the little wiggler will soon be ready to listen to the Scripture verses, hymn lyrics and other supporting texts that will help him to fill up those concepts with meaning.
I’ll also be sure to put a copy of this book in my church’s nursery, because there is no better time to introduce the idea that, while no one fully understands God, and while He transcends all our outlines and file folders, theology is a helpful tool that functions like a ladder, leaned up against the great truths of Scripture to give us a place to stand and wonder.
Stand and wonder with me now with the help of these words from Augustine (on page 3) about the trinity:
“Glory to the Father who created us.
Glory to the Son who redeemed us.
Glory to the Holy Spirit who sanctified us.
Glory to the most high and undivided trinity,
whose works are inseparable,
whose kingdom without end abides,
from age to age, forever. Amen.”
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This book was provided by the publisher through the Blog About Network book review program in exchange for my review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
An Announcement for January
Most of us have a favorite C.S. Lewis book, whether it’s the incisive practical theology of Mere Christianity or the glorious story-telling found in The Chronicles of Narnia. It turns out that C.S. Lewis’s favorite of all his books was Till We Have Faces. One Lewis scholar calls it his “most subtle treatment of the relation between good and evil.” It’s a novel, based on the mythical tale of Cupid and Psyche, and in it, Lewis explores themes such as the selfishness of human love, the limits of reason, the corrupting effects of self-will, and in Lewis’s own words, “the havoc a vocation or even a faith works on human life.” I’m planning to lead a discussion group about the book starting in January, and am hoping that many of you will join me, so here’s a quick overview of the plan:
- The pace will be leisurely at three chapters per week (about 30-ish pages), which will take us into the beginning of March.
- I will be posting weekly starting January 5 (Thursdays) with introductory material and a detailed reading schedule. My hope is that the comments section here at Living Our Days will become a comfy living room where we can discuss our thoughts on the book. If you blog, PLEASE plan to include a link to your post about the week’s reading so that we can all benefit from one another’s impressions with more detail than is possible in the comments. If you don’t blog, no worries. Just share your thoughts in connection with the weekly reading here, and be sure to visit and respond to others.
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This looks like a great book Michele! I was going to bookmark it for my niece and nephew, but unfortunately it looks like it may be out of print already :(( at least on Amazon. I’ll try a couple of other sources! Have a great week!
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Check Catachesis Books: http://www.catechesisbooks.com/
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This sounds great! It’s never too early to teach children about God and this looks like a fun way to do it. I like the Fruit of the Spirit illustration.
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Hi Michele,
I’ve never been in a book group before, but I’m thinking that this may be a great place to start. How do I join?
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Just show up! On January 5th (Thursday) I’ll be posting a schedule and an introductory post, and hopefully we’ll have a few people who say they want to commence reading. In that first week we’ll read the first three chapters (they’re not very long), and then discuss them on the 12th either via blog posts shared in the comments — or just making observations in the comments. No one is expected to be profound or an expert. I’m glad you’re thinking about it.
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Looks like a wonderful read.
Merry Christmas!
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How fun! I’m going to look for this because my 2-year-old is currently learning to count. This would be great for her.
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This little book looks right up our alley! Off to check it out now!
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What a great resource for kids! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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What a fun book to share with your grandson. I have started a library for my little nephew. He knows whenever he sees His auntie that she has a book for him and he has begun prompting me to sit and read. I love it. 🙂 Thanks for the idea.
Blessings!
Dawn
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What a good auntie! So much fun to share books with kids!
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Love this review. It looks like a great book for my grandson. thanks for linking up with us on the #LMMLinkup.
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Reblogged this on The Mimosa Blossom.
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