The Beginner's Bible Review

When tackling Bible teaching, I don’t always use the family Bible as my sole teaching resource. After a few attempts of using the Bible alone for Bible class, I found that I needed the entire learning experience to be more fun, interactive, and easier for my tot. I tried a few different things, but my favourite external resource is a line of kids Bible books called “The Beginner’s Bible”.

I should thank my mother-in-law again for giving my son a book from her church called, “David and Goliath” which introduced me to The Beginner’s Bible series. This was my son’s first Bible-oriented book, and he loved it! Even to this day, almost two years later, he still wants us to read it to him.

           

Since then, I’ve purchased (and made lots of use out of) the Beginner’s Bible Kid-sized Devotions, Toddler Bible, The Very First Easter, The Very First Christmas, and the iPad App. After visiting their website, I found that there are lots of different products to choose from, and other free resources on there, like printable colouring and activity pages. Bonus! 

           

“David and Goliath”, though not as in-depth as the version written in the Bible, is basic, easy to understand, simply illustrated, and age-appropriate for toddlers.

           

“The Beginner’s Bible for Toddlers” is an amazing introduction to the Bible for small children. My son has heard it over and over again, and wants to hear it still - and we’ve had it for over a year! Although it may not have all the stories that some parents may want in an introduction story Bible, I feel it is beyond sufficient. And I think you can choose the difference between getting cardboard pages or paper pages. I chose the block pages and the book is in still great condition for my next baby.

           

“Kid-Sized Devotionals” is a cute little book with 384 pages, filled with thought provoking messages and scripture to read out loud. The book has lots of pictures to keep kids interested, and is enjoyable to open and get into each day. In my house, we try to make devotion time right before bed, as a part of bedtime routine.

           

“The Very First Easter” proves to be an outstanding selection for, in my opinion, toddlers, early readers, and children younger than ten years of age - perhaps even older. It demonstrates the true meaning and underlying message of Easter with ease and clarity, all the while providing the Bible references, should the parent/reader feel they needed to expand on a subject. In fact, Bible references are quoted everywhere throughout the Beginner’s Bible series, so that helps a lot.

           

“The Very First Christmas” is also a great selection for early readers and toddlers. It is a great tool for teaching the birth of Christ simply and effectively. And the book itself is cheap! From Christian Book this book, and The Very First Easter, are $1.50 each. With that kind of price they prove to be fantastic little gifts and/or handouts.

           

Last and definitely not least, “The Beginner’s Bible App for iPad” is impressive, and well worth the money! You get the first few chapters in Genesis for free, but after that you need to pay. Check out the App store for prices, as I can’t remember the total cost, but I do know it wasn’t expensive. The app is very interactive and kid-friendly, and includes animations, puzzles, games, and coloring pages throughout. You can choose to have the app read out loud, or you can mute it and read yourself. My munchkin adores this App! He always asks to learn about Jesus. I highly recommend it to all.

Overall Review

- Illustrations are simple, catchy, and fun. The characters are illustrated the same throughout all the books, making it easier to remember who’s who.

- Perfect beginners Bible learning tool for the early childhood years.

- Some stories may be vague.

- Highly recommended for homeschoolers or parents who are teaching Biblical things at home.

Setting Out to Accomplish

Category 1: The Natural Worker Bee

These women are natural worker bees who wake up early, get the day going with ease, and just work, work, work, all day long, until the second they go to bed. Either with or without caffeine, they just work and get their jobs done. They seem to have no need for pre-planning or scheduling; they already know everything that is about to happen, and work accordingly.

Category 2: The Non-Natural Worker Bee

These women are just not natural worker bees. It’s hard to get going in the morning, and hard to keep going during the day. Sometimes, if not all the time, they need caffeine and some motivation and/or incentive, pre-planning, and even strict scheduling. It’s hard to stay focused and hard to get things accomplished. Extra prayer on this matter may also be required.

I admit that I am in Category number 2. I am fully aware that I need to take extra steps each day to make myself into more like Category number 1. How I pray and pray that I be more like a natural worker bee.

I find myself a little out of focus and in the habit of procrastinating. Ugh! I’m the kind of person who thinks, “What a beautiful day out today; I wonder what Heaven will be like; what’s going to happen tomorrow; what’s for dinner next week…” When I catch myself in those dreamy thoughts, I say to myself, “Focus!”

So, I’m going to share some of the ways that I try to make myself into an efficient worker woman, how I force my mind to “set out to accomplish” first thing in the morning, and not laze around in bed fighting the urge to stay in my PJ’s. If you categorize yourself as Category number 2 as well, you might want to try what I try at home, maybe you’ll find that my strategies work for you too!

The Schedule

Scheduling what needs to be done in a day, I find, is a fantastic way to lay everything out on the table. Some people make a schedule fit into a monthly format, whereas I make mine to fit into a daily format. What I mean by this is I make my schedule to fit into a “what needs to be done per day” list.

I start it off with “Monday”, or whatever day it is, and make a list of things that are going to happen, going from the most basic things like, “Wake Up, Get Dressed, Personal Hygiene” to more specific things like, “Review Shapes and Patterns, Marinate Chicken, Windex Windows”. I do sometimes find myself making a big list, with basic things, homemaking things, and homeschooling things. Or I make separate lists for each.

Depending on how energetic I feel, I’ll either make a few daily schedules at once, or I’ll make it the night before, or on the morning of. I like to use Microsoft Word to draft them, that way I can save them and re-use the existing format. But I’ve heard of ladies using dry-erase boards or chalkboards to draw up their schedules. Whatever works best for you!

The Journal

I keep a daily journal, and a prayer journal (or list). I don’t use my computer for either of these things - I use my computer enough, without having to add journal entries and such.

I love stationary. Things like cute notebooks, fancy pens, stickers and colorful paperclips. And so having a handwritten journal and prayer list feels more personal and almost in-depth when I use my pretty books and pens. It sounds a bit dorky, but it’s true.

I take the time to write out what I accomplished, what I could have done better, what I did great, where I slacked off, my feelings and thoughts, what could have happened, etc. I find it keeps my mind on track for the next day, and my thoughts in order.

The Hop

I don’t wake up to an alarm clock, at least not an electric one that sits on my nightstand. My kids are my alarm clock. The second I hear one of their voices, I hop out of bed, and get into my daily routine. The schedule I draw out helps me keep my daily tasks in check, because it’s all too easy for me to say, “Nah, I don’t need to do this today”. Like working out, for example!

When I see my kiddos first thing in the morning, I have a visual reminder of one of the reasons why I stay at home. Besides the fact that the Bible says I should work at home, seeing my darlings puts extra meaning into why I do what I do.

Why should I waste their childhood by sitting around and letting the day go by without accomplishing anything useful? Why turn the TV on for them when I could be spending my time with them? I’m here to teach them, to raise them up, to demonstrate to them how a Christian home works, to school them, to give their lives a Christian foundation. If I am not motivated enough to get things done around my home, how will they ever find it within themselves to be motivated later in their lives? With all these things in mind, I put my inhibitions aside and hop to it.

So, as much as I may not be a natural worker bee, I try my hardest to be a worker bee in general. I work towards being that busy woman, getting all these different things done with ease.

Outside of these three things I utilize to help me almost on a daily basis, I ask God to help me. I pray a lot about my natural tendencies, that they may be influenced and made to mirror the Proverbs 31 woman. That I may be all that God has made me to be, according to His Will. That I may set out to accomplish what needs to be accomplished in a day, and even more still. 

Distractions? Take them Away!

Stay-at-home Mommy’s have a hard job to do, but no matter what our hectic days bring, our job is the most rewarding of all jobs. One of the issues I have as a homeschooler/homemaker is getting distracted.

Ah, yes. When a quiet or lazy moment occurs, in come the distractions. And my biggest distraction is the Internet.

As a newbie blogger and Twitterer, passionate creative writer and Pinterest junkie, my laptop seems to always call my name. If and when there’s a free moment, I will sneak a peek at my email, or continue drafting a blog post, or pin a few harmless pins. I make it a point to only open my trusty MacBook screen when my kids are napping, playing, or are consumed in another activity where they don’t need my undivided attention. Better not to open the screen at all when there are other things to do. Otherwise, I’d have ten posts per day on this blog. Perhaps even a novel or two written already! *wink!*

If you feel as if you have a particular hobby, or other “thing” that keeps you away from doing your Mommy jobs, keep them away. Or at least, limit them. The majority of our time should not be taken up by distractions, but by honing in on priorities and keeping focus on the tasks at hand.

Our job is very important! We are raising our kids and running our homes, a task that should not be brushed off, put aside or taken lightly. This is especially true in a Christian household, where our duty is not only to manifest the Biblical womanly role to the best of our abilities (in order to substantiate the proper biblical roles to our children, who will grow up to embody this doctrine), but to also live a life not striving for the worldly standard but for God’s.

Distraction is Satan’s middle name. Well, not really. But it could be!

The bottom line here is to limit or completely abolish the distractions that take you away from your job. My laptop time is scheduled for when the kids are taking a nap, or are in bed for the night. And, with that schedule put in place, my daily tasks and overall objectives for the day are fulfilled. 

Division

Picture this: a group of people who you consider to be close to you, perhaps some good friends. One of your good friends is akin to “the leader of the pack”, the one who seems to be on top of the food chain. The one no one else wants to mess with, lest this person gets angry or upset.

Messing with, meaning: disagreeing with, saying something the wrong way. Anything that can rub this person the wrong way, no matter how insignificant this thing may be.

You are not a Christian yet. You are living like the heathen, living and conversing with these people.

As a whole, besides the dysfunctional system they all have going with the leader of the pack, your group of close friends do not really get along. On the outside they may appear as if they do, but taking a closer look at them, you see they are friends because they feel that they have to be. 

They’re either fighting about something, or not voicing their disagreements or their true opinions. This in turns sums them all up as living a fake happiness. None of them are willing to stir the pot by saying what’s on their mind. Their heads are all wrapped around meaningless worldly pursuits. They try to fill the emptiness inside them with unsatisfying fillers, never truly feeling whole.

Over time, the leader of the pack has lead them all down a road of lies and fallacies, and has on many occasions shown her true deceitful colours. Somehow she still has them all believing a sort of “master deception”. Knowing of her deceitfulness, her constant lies and embellishments, they foolishly continue follow her and bow at her feet. They do absolutely nothing to change how things are going.

You play along with this for a bit, fully aware that there is something wrong, that following this faulty system is to your peril. But you yourself do not want to get the leader upset.

After some time, you then become a Bible-believing Christian, ready to give up your way of life, and live to please God and not man. 

Your friends do not like this. Not a single one.

The leader of the pack laughs and pokes fun at you, mocks you and belittles your beliefs. She tries to coax you into sin, to leave the faith, to entice you to come back to your old way of living. After many tries, the leader gets sick of trying to get you back. Now, she also hates your way of life.

Amazingly, this entire group of Godless people, having never really agreed on anything wholeheartedly, finally found harmony and agreed on one thing: hating Christianity. Hating you. Hating Christ.

At that moment, you think: Christ really did come to divide.

Matthew 10:34-36

Luke 12:51

Tee-hee!

How do you make a Goldfish old?


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Take away the G :)