The God Puzzle by Valerie Ackermann

The God Puzzle is a wonderfully done resource book geared towards kids ages 7-12. This book is great for daily devotionals either for the child alone, or to be done as a family. The truths of the Bible are presented in a way that is fun for children and makes it easy to remember what they have learned.

Each chapter focuses on a topic from "Who is God?" to "What are we looking forward to?" The chapters are well designed, very colorful and engaging activities. There are specific Bible verses to work on and could be used for memorization.  For younger children, some adult help is needed, but easily adapted in a family group.

This is a devotional which definitely has the child in mind. I think every Christian family has the desire to see their children desire a relationship with Christ, and The God Puzzle is a great tool to get them there.

Here is a fun interview with Valerie Ackermann where you can see more of where her heart is in teaching children...Enjoy!

You can purchase the book HERE



Q: Whom was The God Puzzle created for?

The God Puzzle was designed to equip any parent, regardless of background, to teach their children about God and the Christian faith in a way that combines deeply Biblical and ordered lessons with complete ease of use on behalf of the parents. It is a resource to bring quality Bible learning into ANY parents’ hands, even if they know nothing about the Bible or Christianity. In fact, a parent who knows very little can learn right along with their child. It also makes sure the longtime Christian parents actually teach what their children need to know to understand their faith.

It is my heart is to reach the Christian parents who are not satisfied with what they are teaching their kids at home or who bounce around from one devotional to the next, struggling with knowing everything their kids are supposed to understand and/or how to teach it. I hope to connect with both the new believers and the ones who’ve grown up in the church their whole life who want their kids to know God through Jesus Christ and the important aspects of the Christian faith.

Q: Why do parents need a Bible study program they can use within the home?

As a full-time children’s ministry director, I feel the church has invested too much into programs within the church doors and not enough into resources parents can use at home where most faith learning and observation takes place. Somehow throughout the past 200 years, faith-learning has been taken over almost entirely by church programs, leaving most parents feeling inadequate or without resources to teach their children. Well-meaning parents think their children are getting all the Bible education they need at Sunday school, and the truth is only about 10 percent of faith-learning happens in church programs.

While equipping their own programs, the church has made mostly weak devotionals available for parents to use within the home where kids spend most of their time. On the other hand, few parents have the time, knowledge or resources to use some of the good-quality materials available out there that are mostly utilized by homeschooling families. I find parents are hungry for something they will actually use and is easy, yet affordable.

Kids from Christian homes are scoring badly on Bible-college entrance exams because what we have been doing isn’t working. Not only that, but too many kids are walking away from the faith when they reach young adulthood.

Q: What encouragement do you give parents who are intimidated about teaching their kids about faith?

I see too many parents in the church frustrated at their time with their kids teaching them about God. It shouldn’t be that way. Teaching about God is not only for parents who are gifted teachers, or homeschoolers, or pastors’ kids — it is for EVERY parent even if he or she is very new to the faith. It is our job as a church to equip these parents with a book that is deep, yet simple, affordable and engaging, and requires no prep or background in the faith to get through. That is what I set out to do with The God Puzzle.

Q: How is The God Puzzle structured to be used?

Parents can work through The God Puzzle with their kids at whatever pace works for them. It’s something easy enough for a child, yet deep and structured as a theology textbook is. Faith should be able to be explained in terms a child can understand, and that’s what I have set out to do with this book. The workbook is interactive, and each lesson requires a personal response to the truths presented. No preparation is required, and only a Bible and pencil are needed.

Disclosure: I received a print copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are always my own and may differ from others.

A Walk Through The Dark by Eva Piper

A Walk Through The Dark is a story of faith, trust and learning to rely completely on God.  This book is a companion book to her husband's book titled "90 Minutes in Heaven". If you haven't read that book, I suggest you do. It's also amazing! The two books can be read in any order.

In this book, Eva Piper has learned the hard way how things can change in a matter of minutes. One day she is a teacher, mother and wife going through daily life. The next day, her husband is injured in a horrible car accident and life is turned upside down.  Eva finds herself completely out of control. She finds the only way to survive is to put all her trust in her loving God. Her life already focused, her instincts take over. God speaks to her heart that things will be okay, and she trusts that. What she doesn't realize at the time is how long it will take to get to there and how hard the road will be. She faces situations which in hindsight make sense, but at the time are hard to accept.

Eva has to become the decision maker in what are the hardest times she has dealt with. Through the struggles she learns confidence in handling situations, which allow her to share with others and others to share with her. She finds a part of herself she never realized was there.

I can't imagine someone going through such trying times without the foundation resting on God. Eva Piper is a strong example of what a wife is supposed to be and what she should do. Love unconditionally. I find her to be a great inspiration with a wonderful testimony.

Although everyone struggles with different things, what she teaches us is how our faith deepens when we only have our faith. At times when we have no idea what to do, God shows us.

I highly recommend this book to everyone. I guarantee you will not read this and come out unchanged.

Disclosure: I received a free print copy of this book from www.booksneeze.com in exchange for my honest review. My reviews are my own opinion and may differ from others.

I Carried an Angel by Staci A. Luker

I Carried an Angel is a true story about the short life of Barrett, Staci's first son.  Although Barrett never got the chance to live life on this earth, he has inspired countless people about a life of sacrifice, and the love of Christ. Through the heartbreak of learning about his death, to the days that followed, Staci has been able to share her family's love for Barrett and bring about a way to keep his name alive.
Each chapter follows Staci's journal of how she and her family learned to cope with the unspeakable tragedy.

When I first sat down to read the book, I grabbed a box of kleenex fully expecting to use it. Although the heartbreak is there, and as a mom, I found myself struggling to imagine what they went through, the book was different then I expected. Of course there are parts that were hard to read, but what was amazing was the focus while on the situation, brought about incredible joy of the Lord. Staci shares with us how Barrett's death caused her focus to be on Christ and in sharing it with others.

What I loved was how honest the book reads. It never sugar coated the feelings of despair, but allowed us to see that through Christ we can do all things, even things we never imagined we could conquer.

Barrett's Blankets is a ministry that Staci started because of her wishing she had the blanket from the time she held Barrett. Figuring others would benefit from it also, she began knitting wonderful blankets to share with other grieving parents. Before long, it was a huge success and she was able to not only share a blanket, but the message of Christ! You can find out more about it HERE

With how firmly planted in trusting God the family is, Barrett's short life will ultimately bring a multitude to Jesus. Barrett will never be forgotten.

Find out more about Staci on her blog at http://www.lukerfamilytales.com



Disclosure: I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Devotions frorm Exodus (Part 1) by Nicole Halbrooks Vaughn

I was excited to learn that I'd have the opportunity to check out another of Nicole Halbrooks Vaughn's devotionals. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the devotion from Genesis(review on blog) and was sure this one would have the same feel to it. I was not disappointed.

The Devotion from Exodus part 1 is filled with wonderful descriptions of each of the chapters.  The basic structure of the book is similar to Genesis. Each chapter is full of relevant material helping to bring the Bible to life. There are personalized prayers throughout which allows us to draw closer to God and gives us a starting block for our own prayer life.

This book takes us from Israel's bondage to their freedom in God. Learn how important this freedom is.

What is truly inspiring in this devotional is how it helps to open our eyes to details we might otherwise overlook. Instead of just glossing over the chapters with superficial information, this devotional really digs deep into the truth of Exodus and brings it to us clearly. I found myself learning things I never knew before. I especially enjoyed the focus on Moses's mom. The story of Moses is one most people have heard many times, but here we see more on what Moses's mom was like and her true part in the story.

This book is a great way to spend time in the word, and realize the truths in the Bible. You do not want to miss out on this!

Here is a direct line to where you can find the ebook now at Tate Publishing!


Disclosure: I received a free ebook copy of the book in exchange for a review. My reviews are always honest and are my own opinions.