Faith-Building Stories for Kids

I've been using these

books for devotional times
with Emma.
We read the suggested passage
of Scripture and discuss it.
The stories provide further
opportunity for teaching
and encouragement.

The boys have,
at one time or another,
used them too.

The stories are based on
true events and are
encouraging and uplifting.
They often reveal something
Great about our
Wonderful Saviour.

He truly is Great.


This "Building on the Rock"
series of books would
make a wonderful gift.
It would also be a great
addition to any home library.


Click Here to find them on
Christian Book Distributors.
At the bottom of the page of the link provided,
you will find the books listed individually
for purchase separately.


We are thankful that
they were given to us! :)

Many Blessings,
Camille

**I am not compensated in
any way for this review ~
I share because these books
have been a blessing in our own home.

Faith-Building Gift Ideas

Need some gift ideas?

How about one of the following
books/magazines?
I've compiled a list of some of
our favourites below.

Happy Shopping!

A One Year Subscription to "Answers" Magazine ~
this is a fabulous resource for any family!

If you have not heard of
Answers in Genesis,
I would encourage you to go and check out their website ~
you will find that they have so many amazing,
faith-building materials available...
really, it's wonderful!

C.H. Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" devotional ~
This is a classic and a *must-have*
(in my opinion) for every Christian.
We have found the readings in this devotional
book to be a blessing to us year after year after year.
Timeless.

Jerry Bridges' "Holiness ~ Day by Day" devotional ~
Another classic daily reading that will become a favourite.

"365 Days With Calvin"
is a recent addition to our own
library and has (so far) been a blessing.

If you are a Christian homeschool family,
and you do not have a copy of
"When You Rise Up" by R.C. Sproul Jr.,
you *must* get your hands on one!
It is so incredibly encouraging to those of us seeking to do
this task with joyful hearts as unto the LORD.
I cannot possibly tell you in this little space
what a blessing it has been to my own heart and life.
It really is *that* good!

"Little Pilgrim's Progress"
is a faithful adaptation of
Bunyan's classic work that in no way undermines the original.
If you have children between the ages of 9 and 14, this would
be a great blessing to read aloud with them.

This book is a blessing and
seeks to answer these and many other
questions from a biblical standpoint.

It is such an encouragement
to the weary Christian's heart.


"Both Paul and James speak of rejoicing in our sufferings
(see Romans 5:3-4; James 1:2-4).
Most of us, if we are honest with ourselves,
have difficulty with that idea.
Endure them, perhaps, but rejoice?
That often seems like an unreasonable expectation.
We are not masochistic; we don't enjoy pain.

But Paul and James both say that we should rejoice
in our trials because of their beneficial results.
It is not the adversity considered in itself that is
to be the ground of our joy.
Rather, it is the expectation of the results,
the development of our character,
that should cause us to rejoice in adversity.
God does not ask us to rejoice because we have
lost our job or a loved one has been stricken with cancer
or a child has been born with an incurable birth defect.
But He does tell us to rejoice because we believe
He is in control of those circumstances
and is at work through them for our ultimate good.

The Christian life is intended to be one of continuous growth.
We all want to grow, but we often resist the process.
This is because we tend to focus on the events of adversity themselves,
rather than looking with the eye of faith beyond
the events to what God is doing in our lives....

We are to look beyond our adversity to what
God is doing in our lives and rejoice in the certainty
that He is at work to cause us to grow."

~ Quoted from
"Trusting God Even When Life Hurts"
(Pages 186-87)
by Jerry Bridges ~

May the LORD guide us all
as we seek to follow HIM.

Many Blessings,
Camille

Do I Believe in Prayer?

Simply sharing a quote with you,
kind friends, this weekend.
(It came to me this past week by email).
May the LORD use it in our lives for good.

Do I believe in prayer?

Yes!

May the LORD help me
to truly live like I do!

**My Dad (Camille's) is an artist ~
he used pencil to draw these praying hands
while a Bible School student in 1964 ~

It was a gift to us from my Dad
a few years ago and it is very precious to us both.

"There Is Not Enough Private Prayer!"

"There are few professing Christians,
it may be feared,
who strive to imitate Christ in the
matter of private devotion."

There is abundance of hearing,
reading, talking, professing, visiting,
contributing to the poor,
subscribing to societies and
teaching at schools.

But is there, together with all this,
a due proportion of private prayer?

Are believing men and women sufficiently
careful to be frequently alone with God?

These are humbling and
heart-searching questions.
But we shall find it useful
to give them an answer.

Why is it that there is so much
apparent religious working,
and yet so little result in
positive conversions to God -
so many sermons, and so few souls saved -
so much machinery, and so little effect produced -
so much running here and there,
and yet so few brought to Christ?

Why is all this?

The reply is short and simple.

There is not enough private prayer.

The cause of Christ does not need less working,
but it does need among the workers more praying.
Let us each examine ourselves,
and amend our ways.

The most successful workmen
in the Lord's vineyard,
are those who are like their Master,
often and much upon their knees."

~ J.C. Ryle ~

Quoted from:
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels:
Luke volume 1, [Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1986],
139, 140. {Luke 5:12-16}

Favourite Devotional Books

There are a few special books that I cherish.
Other than the Bible, of course ~
It's the MOST important book I own!

But, there are a few devotional books that are
wonderful to dig into for
an added dose of spiritual encouragement.

A long-time favourite of ours is
Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening".
It really is a TREASURE!
I cannot speak too highly of it.
We feel as though Spurgeon has pastored us over the years...
so wonderful...so encouraging!

We recently were told about "365 Days With Calvin",
which is edited by Joel R. Beeke.
We find it to be a refreshing addition to our collection of
spiritually encouraging books.

Jerry Bridges' "Holiness Day by Day"

was one we were given just a little over a year ago.
It has been a blessing to us both since then.
Such practical insights are found within it.

The first two are based in the KJV of the Bible.
Jerry Bridges' book is not,
but do not dismiss it because of that...
it is still most definitely worthy of a read!

I tend to look up the verses in my own
copy of God's Word and read the context of the verses
referred to in the devotional for that day.
Of course, we always want to focus on the Word of God ~
these types of books are just helps and encouragements along the way.

May the LORD help us each day to spend time in
HIS Word and prayer ~
HE is Worthy!

Blessings,
Camille

Leading Our Children to the Throne of Grace

Devotional times...what does that mean, exactly?

We are to live a life of devotion to the LORD.

We are to guide our little (and not so little) ones

to do the same.

How do we go about it?



"...precept upon precept; line upon line...

here a little, and there a little."

Isaiah 28:10 selected



Daily.

In the rhythm of life.

With the LORD's help and grace.

We cannot do it in our own strength ~

We need HIM each step of the way!



When we sit down, and rise up, and walk by the way ~

taken from Deuteronomy 6:7.



While the children are young, we have a morning devotional

time with them ~ one on one, or one on two.

When the children begin to mature in their own walk with the LORD,

we encourage them to get alone with God and His Word

before the day begins.



We gather as a family after the evening meal.

We set the time aside to read and pray and sing.

The focus is God's Word.

We systematically read through a few verses at a time

(sometimes the entire chapter)

as we make our way through a book of the Bible.

We discuss the questions that may arise.

The Word of God is held in high esteem ~

other books are helps, but not the focus.



We also use the London Baptist Confession of 1689 which

C.H. Spurgeon held to in his congregation about 150 years ago ~

it is solely based on Scripture and features a question and answer format.

We have found it to be very beneficial in grounding us in those things

that are to be held fast to in our faith...a great blessing!



Do we sound PERFECT?

WE are NOT ~

but HE is!

AND we look to HIM for the way to go.

We need HIM to lead us as we lead our young ones.

All of the books pictured above, and linked to below,

have been a blessing to our family over the years.

The boys have each used "A Faith to Grow On"

for their own personal quiet times in days gone by.

Pastor John MacArthur teaches the basic truths of God's Word

faithfully in an easy to understand format...

in "bite-sized" chunks.



The book pictured above has a different cover than the one

you will find at the link provided, but the content is the same.



The "Miller Family Series"

of books incorporates Biblical truths into stories

that each of our children have enjoyed.

We have used these books as read-aloud supplements

to the Word of God during quiet times.

The Miller family is fictional and the stories are set

in an Amish community.



Another amazing book is a rewrite of the classic by Bunyan.

We have read it aloud to our children more than once, much to their delight.

"Little Pilgrim's Progress"is true to the original

and is certainly appropriate for any young teen.



Don't steer clear of it if your children are younger,

you will all benefit from reading it out loud ~

it has been an INCREDIBLE blessing to both of us as parents

as well as our children.



One word of caution if you will be reading this to young children ~

Please be aware that this is a faithful adaptation of the classic,

which means that there are some potentially frightening scenes included.

These deal with Christian's struggles with various enemies as he

journeys to the Celestial City.



Helen L. Taylor is the author and she does a wonderful job of

simplifying this beautiful Christian Classic.

You will not likely find it in your local Christian bookstore.

If you click on the titles above, you will find that they link

to the sites where they can be purchased.



"Leading Little Ones to God"

has a more in depth and thorough handling of the Doctrines of Scripture.

Do not be afraid to delve into these deeper truths with your children...

they are very rich and necessary for their appreciation of the God we serve.

This book has chapters that are usually only a couple of pages long ~

a very manageable amount for family devotional times.

You will likely find that the ideas presented here will

facilitate wonderful discussions with your children.

Once again, the cover is different from the one you will find at the link,

but the content largely remains the same.



Seek, with the Lord's help, to set aside time each day

to have devotions with your children.

It is vital to their Spiritual growth and

to their knowledge of the Holy.

We are, after all, called to this ~

"Train up a child in the way he should go:

and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

Proverbs 22:6



May the LORD give us each the enabling, the strength,

and the grace to carry out this all-important calling.

HE is able!



In Him,

Camille





*A repost from the archives with some new information added

*Resources recommended from our experience only ~

not compensated or solicited