Advent Blocks- a way to focus on Jesus, Emmanuel, God with Us at Christmas! Review

 Adventblocks.com   Follow their facebook page, as they have example pictures, special codes for discounts, where they can be purchased, etc.  Below is their picture of the full color set of blocks as you will reveal each day in December.  

The blocks arrive in a neat package- a protective box, plus the keepsake box. 

The book is included in the kit.  You choose whether you want all white blocks or colored blocks.  The numbers are white on both sets.  

What I like about this advent book and blocks:

• tangible, durable, visual tool to represent the waiting from December 1 to 25.  
• the images  in color, child friendly, and warm that you will see as you turn each block with the daily reading.  
• I LOVE the daily rhyme established in the readings.  The repetition aspect is educational, developmentally appropriate for littles, and catchy with good theology repeated. setting a great foundation for biblical literacy.  
• The rhyme changes a little each day but it starts as:  
• God couldn't remain; sin drove Him away
• So _________ (name of person/people) began to hope and pray
• "God, will you come back and stay?"  
• at Day 17, it changes a bit:
• "God couldn't remain; sin drove Him away
• But now He has heard, what we hoped and prayed,
• God is coming to earth....to stay!"
• This aspect I think could make this family read aloud a lot of fun for tweens, teens, and even adults at home.  It opens the gospel conversation, sin impacting the relationship between man and God.  The repetition of sin in the lives of people across history, and then this new little baby that arrives to stay.  
• Tone of the daily explanations, it is biblical information, told in a 2020 manner, with questions for the listeners to respond to, and statements that compare or contrast something that could easily be misunderstood.  There is a touch of sarcasm in the author's tone, and I read through the book skimming more than reading fully, so maybe some won't like the style. 
• I love the underlying theme of the set: "Emmaunel, God with us!"  as the revealed message December 24.  
• I love the blocks- child friendly, won't break, can be taken off the shelf and played with by anyone.  We build with blocks in our children's church, in so many bible lessons, should I have a set for church?  To use all year round?  
  

What I wonder:

• Will families all have a place to put the blocks out, I had a plan, and discovered my entryway table is a little too short for a straight line, so I had to adjust a little.  (see picture below) 
• What has changed that when we talk about God with pronouns, authors no longer capitalize His pronouns and modifiers.  I've always been taught that God is God and to recognize His attributes and use a capital letter to distinguish it is God.  
• Where are the biblical references to the events from the Bible mentioned each day.  
• How were the events chosen for the readings? It is not the Jesse Tree format, will people expect that?  Is this a different liturgical plan? I personally liked the choices of events and the examples of God being with people in the old testament even when they failed Him with sin.  
• Is it too childish for tweens, teens, college kid?  what angles can I use to sell this to my almost 11 year old, 15, and 19 year old kids.  If we record it for littles at church will they enjoy it?  Will they learn and will we have conversations about the repeated phrase, and even the author's choices of events leading to God coming to stay?  
• Will you ever forget what it means when you hear: "Emmanuel, God is with us" again after reading this book and turning the blocks?  
• How can I adapt this for my ministry with children at church and in the community?  
• Would some families prefer this to be a calendar with cards to fill in or turn over? or ornaments?  Ornaments wouldn't work for the day 24 surprise.  Or even an app version?  

I purchased this block set all on my own, the day that the sets sold out.  As I found it the night before, I did email the company and ask for a pdf of the book to review on my blog, but since they were sold out. I am not completing my review until my kit arrived.  I'm just reviewing it because I am an advent junkie with this opportunity to capture our children's heart's, minds, and souls from little on with the true meaning of Christmas, being God being with us.  

goodbook company partner review: Deborah and the Very Big Battle by Tim Thornborough

 

Very Best Bible Series- released November 18, 2020

Things I like about the book:

• After starting with the signature phrase, "this is a true story from the Bible," this book gives the audience jobs to do as they listen to the truth.  Three simple tasks: finger to your lips, hand to your ear, or point to your hand.  In ministry to kids, a tool like this is GOLD in focus and attention. 
• This book has a rhyming component, making the book have a singsong feel. 
• There is also repetition in the book. 
• Amazing illustrations that come to life.  
• Female focused.  Deborah is the leader who follows God and the others follow her.  Our kids need to know the events in the Bible where women were central as well as the many, many events that the main leaders were male.  
• The author's style with motions, rhyme, repetition, key truths, and great description gives this book a fluency and engagement for littles.  
• Hardback book, with thick glossy, sturdy pages, it should last the test of time and even a classroom of children. 

Things I wonder about the book:

• This book not only doesn't capitalize pronouns like his/him when referring to God, it does capital Word when it means the Word of the Lord which is inconsistent to me.  
• I wonder why we share a "true story from the Bible" and don't share the reference to read it in a physical or e-book Bible and check out the facts as an adult?  

Educational Connections:

• Explore other women who had significant contributions to following God.  
• God's speaking through His Word- the Bible- connections, teaching this concept. 
• Obeying and Listening practice with follow the leader or Simon says, and connect to sometime's it's hard to follow and complete a task.  But it is important to follow God. 
• Battle- charge, reenact with army men or little figures- and have all 900 drop because God said.  

Thankful to partner with the goodbook company and review another solid biblical book.  

New Growth Press Partner Review: Jesus Came for Me by Jared Kennedy

 

Jesus Came for Me

The True Story of Christmas, 

a Board book by Jared Kennedy 

Read a Sample

What I like about this book: 

• Jared Kennedy does an excellent job sharing the biblical events in an engaging, educational, age-appropriate manner.  I enjoy all that he has developed for children.  
• Questions at the end of each section, that build connections with the child and the learning concept. 
• Scripture References to look up the event in your own Bible.  
• Clear, concise, child-friendly images that enhance the book. 
• Concept/Vocabulary Emphasis: Wait, Believe, Immanuel-God with Us, temple 
• Word choices enhance and connect to the Bible text as well as key concepts that reoccur in the Bible, it's understandable for the toddler/preschool audience, but it's also building literacy skills for the children and biblical literacy. 
• Developmental concepts: young/old, Good News, emotions- angry, selfish, gifts, Jesus is the best gift.  

Wonders:

• How many people will be disappointed if they own the Beginner's Gospel Story Bible and realize that the three stories are the same?  Of course, a board book serves a different audience and setting.  
• I don't have a physical copy of the board book, so I wonder about the quality of pages, durability, etc.  

Educational Connections: 

Zechariah/Elizabeth

• Play the Quiet Game (not talking for 9 months? waiting! it's hard)
• Jump for Joy (like the baby in Elizabeth's womb)
• Writing practice- My Name is John
• Use Sign Language or Hand Signals to communicate directions- to show how Zechariah had to live.  

Baby Jesus 

Talk about:         Good News- Jesus lived on earth as God and man- He came to take the punishment of our sins- and rescue us!  He died for our sins. It’s good news! 

•         Waiting:  people had been waiting for hundreds of years for the Messiah to come.  God helped everyone to believe and wait for His arrival- and NOW He is here!  And That’s good news!  

• God is with us: Emmanuel- God lives here

• Act out the events so far.  With children as the actors or with a nativity scene.  

Wise Men

Star Game: Use the star, show the kids, then have them close their eyes, and hide the star.

 Then say, “wise man, wise man, where’s your star? You’ll need it or you won’t get far!” Have the kids open their eyes and look for the star- hint with hot (as they get close) or cold (when they move away). After it’s found, that child or you can re-hide it and play again.   

GAME: FOLLOW THE STAR

Purpose: Children pretend to be the Wise Men following the star to find baby Jesus, the promised King.

Supplies: baby Jesus laminated figure, large paper star

Prepare: Hide the baby doll before starting.

The Wise Men knew God promised there would be a special star shining when He sent the greatest king. Let’s pretend we are the Wise Men searching for the newborn King. Follow the star!

Directions:

1. Hold the star over your head and walk around the play area in a random pattern. Have the children follow behind you.

2. Stop and hold the star over the place where you have hidden the doll. Can you find baby Jesus? Wait for the children to find the baby, Jesus.

3. Say: “We found baby Jesus! He is our King.”                     4. Children say: “God keeps His promises!”

5. Play again, as time allows. Have children take turns holding the star and hiding the baby 

An enjoyable book for this season!   

Book Review: Talking Back to The Purity Culture by Rachel Joy Welcher

 

 Look I bought this book!

I appreciate Rachel Joy Welcher’s desire to be sure that the church has open conversations about these important truths, makes clear decisions about teaching Gods Word over the cultures interpretation of the Bible.  She does a great job setting the stage, raising the issues, and informing the readers of concerns, cautions, and she ends the book with her prayerfully approached response to this culture, and shares the concepts and scripture to approach educating the next generation from a biblical worldview.  

I think this book is a great jumping point for conversations, as a parent of teens, I appreciated the last few chapters that focused on ways to address sexuality and Gods design that might prevent some of the misunderstandings of the rules based expectations.  Read the book.  The last few chapters were my favorites.

I love the discussion questions and activity that every chapter ends with.  I love the research and interviews the book is built on, and the foundation of scripture integrated throughout the book.  

I wonder if her directness, the bold aspects of sexual relationships, experiences, and stories will be too much for some readers, it certainly may make many blush, even more uncomfortable, but while it’s a sensitive topic, she’s approached it well, with her experience and others well represented, and she doesn’t fully give the list of clear do’s and don’ts that some may hope for in a book on the purity culture.  

To help a review reader gain my perspective.  I’m 48, married almost 26 years.  I have two teens, ages 15 and 18, and an almost 11 year old.  My place and story in the early end of this culture is shared below.  

I was a teen in the start of this cultural movement, with the True Love Waits events.  I was a newlywed and youth leader when the culture expanded to I Kissed Dating Goodbye and I read the book so I could connect, I was an education college faculty member in the era of purity rings, contracts, even bigger cultural impacts than my era. That said, I married my high school sweetheart, after college, and we attended different colleges only seeing one another at holidays, and rare prepaid card calls.  We didn’t date the whole way through, giving us space to find our identities outside our relationship, and outside our parents homes.  But we waited until we were married to follow Gods design and plan, but we held hands, hugged, kissed, and hotly debated often keeping our physical connection appropriate and honoring to one another and God. 

So in many ways I experienced this culture, had great friends, leaders, mentors, and family where we had conversations about Gods design for relationships and his design for sexual intimacy.  I’m thankful that my training was focused on the Word of God and making my life’s decisions around His truth.  And I challenged those single young people who discussed this with me, not to focus on the rules or pledges, but to focus on following and honoring God by their choices.  Sin is sin plain and clear.  Lying is a sin, having sex before marriage is a sin, in Gods eyes all sin separates us from God. It’s only by His grace, His plan, and the saving work of Jesus dying, rising again, and giving us the Holy Spirit that we can have a relationship with God and bring Him glory by living for Him.