Beginning with God

...my granddaughter and I want to skip ahead! Steve Barclift has put together a book so wonderful for children, dividing it up into day-long/week-long lessons. But my granddaughter and I find that we enjoy the stories so much, we want to skip ahead. One of the things I like, as the reader to my 7-year-old granddaughter, is that the author has given modern, easy-to-understand stories to go along with biblical truths. After reading, we can talk about what happened in the story and share what each of us feels would be godly responses to similar situations. The book also enables children to comprehend "set aside" Bible study. Bravo!

My family has enjoyed reading Steve Barclift's book of devotions, Beginning with God. We've read them together as a family but my eight-year-old daughter has also read them on her own. Unlike a lot of devotional books that use the same structure day after day, Mr. Barclift's book uses several different ways to explore each theme. Depending on what day of the week it is, we might read a fictional story, discuss a Bible passage, focus on praying, or try out various activities. My daughter especially likes the stories and how well they relate to the Bible verses. I'd recommend this book to any family or child who is interested in exploring God's Word. The book covers every week of the year, and is organized by calendar seasons, so you can jump in at any time. We need more books like this that make the Bible more approachable to our children-and even us parents.

The most important test of any children's book is what children think of it, so I decided to let my six-year-old son (who insists that we read this book every night before bed) write this review. Here's what he has to say: I think it is a good book. It tells good stories and it helps me learn about God. You should buy this book and read it to your kids.

I haven't quite finished this excellent children's devotional, but I wanted to get my review online in time for anyone who was looking for Christmas gifts for little ones. This book would be a great way to start a young child off in his Christian walk, and also a very nice way to bring the family together with a simple daily devotional activity that could include even the youngest members. It is a year-long devotional, beginning each week with an interesting story with a strong Christian moral. The child is guided through a series of questions to understand and recognize the important lessons of the stories, and then there is a bible verse to learn. The week's lesson ends with activities that will help the child begin to work the lesson into daily living. The vocabulary and style is suitable for children as young as five, but the lessons and scriptures are relevant even for older children and adults. I strongly recommend this book for families with young children, and for anyone who is involved in mentoring young children who are taking their first steps with Christ.