The Action Bible

This weekend in Genesis Kidz "Children's Church" I offered the kids a Bible Challenge to read The Action Bible. If they read the entire New Testament they receive 25 bucks of Kidz Cash or the Old Testament for 50 bucks of Kidz cash. I requested assistance from parents to help to oversee their child’s reading progress.

To read through the entire Action Bible should take under 8 hours. If you split this up over 15 minutes per night you can just about read the entire 750 page Bible in a month.

My son Jonathan became enthralled in the Action Bible when he was 6 years old. When I brought the Bible home he wanted for me read to him for an hour as he looked over the pictures. We read through the entire book in 40 days and started dozens of faith talks from these reading times.

When we finished he wanted me to start over again.  So, this time I did it more intentionally in the fact that we only did 1-2 stories per night and at the conclusion of each story I asked him some basic questions.

Who was the story about?

Did the person(s) in the story do wrong or right? What did they do?

What did God teach the person in the story.

What can you learn from this story?

Some nights it was hard to get to bed on time because he would have so much to say or so many questions to ask. The moments were so precious in his early faith formation that I just allowed him the extra time and  I would just listen. As he recounted the stories back to me, I could correct him if he understood it wrong or emphasize things he missed that were key.

Thus, our faith talks became a regular occurrence in our nightly routine. There was always a place (on his bed) and a time (following bath) and a person (dad or mom) to read the story. This routine is needed by all Christians to develop the spiritual disciplines that will guide our faith life as we mature. Think about how you spend your time training your child in their faith and think strategically how you can utilize that time or the resources you use to build spiritual disciplines into their lives.

Some of the basic spiritual disciplines that we need are: Bible reading, prayer, meditation on the Spirit, worship, solitude, fasting, witnessing, journaling ect... 

Honestly, the Bible can be difficult for a child to read from or be read to from if they are young. Getting proper translations that assit them in their comprehension are important.

Picture Bibles act as great guides to preschoolers and young readers.

The New International Readers Bible (NirV) is good for new readers under the age of 8.
The New International Version or Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) reads more at a 5^th grade level.
The New King James (NKJV)or New American Standard Bible (NASB) read closer to a High School level.

Most importantly is taking the time to read the Bible and listen to what your child is hearing. Then to take your conversations and make them naturally flow into faith talks. The Word of God is Alive and active. It will illuminate truth and expose sin in everyday life. We simply need to be people of the book who constantly go to God’s word for refreshing and direction.

May your faith talks be enriched by utilizing some of the “Amazing” new tools that are being made available for the Next Generation.
 

To review some best selling children’s Bibles you can link from the list below.

The Almighty Bible in Print or an APP (Graphic Novel Series)

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=The+Almighty+Bible

The Action Bible versee your child's reading progress. It should take about 4-5 hours to read the New Testament and 5-6 for the Old . Split up over 15 min a night this would take a month. If you want an Action Bible visit Amazon, LifeWay or Walmart. I pray this challenge transforms your kids more into the image of Christ!
http://www.davidccook.com/catalog/Detail.cfm?sn=105228

The Adventure Bible (NIV)

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The+Adventure+Bible

The Read-to-Me Bible (HCSB)

http://www.amazon.com/HCSB-Read--Bible-Printed-Hardcover/dp/1586401726/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1360706842&sr=8-4&keywords=HCSB+kids

The Action Bible presents 215 fast-paced narratives in chronological order, making it easier to follow the Bible's historical flow and reinforcing the build-up to its thrilling climax. The stories in The Action Bible communicate clearly and forcefully to contemporary readers. This compelling blend of clear writing plus dramatic images offers an appeal that crosses all age boundaries. Internationally recognized artist Sergio Cariello has created attention-holding illustrations marked by rich coloring, dramatic shading and lighting, bold and energetic designs, and emotionally charged figures.

Let this epic rendition draw you into all the excitement of the world's most awesome story