This is a hope-filled and profoundly simple book that speaks directly to those men and women who want to be of service in their church or community, but have found the traditional ways ineffective. 

Amazon said this: "In this book, Henri Nouwen combines creative case studies of ministry with stories from diverse cultures and religious traditions in preparing a new model for ministry. Weaving keen cultural analysis with his psychological and religious insights, Nouwen has come up with a balanced and creative theology of service that begins with the realization of fundamental woundedness in human nature. Emphasizing that which is in humanity common to both minister and believer, this woundedness can serve as a source of strength and healing when counseling others. Nouwen proceeds to develop his approach to ministry with an analysis of sufferings -- a suffering world, a suffering generation, a suffering person, and a suffering minister."

This book is a class for a reason. We are all called to love and to heal in spite of our own wounds. Our wounds, in turn, help others heal. 

There are sections of the book that are hard to read, but I will forever appreciate the needed humility of understanding our own woundedness. As a Christian we are always aware that our Great Healer came to us through the wounds of crucifixion and through our own wounds. The last chapter of the book should be required reading for all who minister to others.

I would like to give you some quotes from the book that were thought-provoking for me. 

"...I realize that I have done nothing more than rephrase the fact that the Christian leader must be in the future what he has always had to be in the past: a man of prayer, a man who has to pray, and who has to pray always. That I bring up this simple fact at this point may be surprising, but I hope I have succeeded in taking away all the sweet, pietistic, and church aura attached to this often misused word." (p 47)

"For a man of prayer is, in the final analysis, the man who is able to recognize in others the face of the Messiah and make visible what is hidden, make touchable what was unreachable. The man of prayer is a leader precisely because through his articulation of God'w work within himself he can lead others out of the confusion to clarification; through his compassion he can guide them out of the closed circuits of their in-groups to the wide world of humanity; and through critical contemplation he can convert their convulsive destructiveness into creative work for the new world to come." (p 47)

"... it has become clear that Christian leadership is accomplished only through service. This service requires the willingness to enter into a situation, with all the human vulnerabilities a man has to share with his fellow man. This is a painful and self-denying experience, but an experience which can indeed lead man out of his prison of confusion and fear. Indeed, the paradox of Christian leadership is that way out is the way in, that only by entering into communion with human suffering can relief be found." (p 77)

"Even when we know that we are called to be wounded healers, it is very difficult to acknowledge that healing has to take place today. Because we are living in days when our wounds have become all too visible. Our loneliness and isolation has become so much a part of our daily experience, that we cry out for a Liberator who will take us away from our misery and bring us justice and peace." (p 95)

This paragraph followed: "To announce, however, that the Liberator is sitting among the poor and that the wounds are signs of hope and that today is the day of liberation, is a step very few can take. But is is exactly the announcement of the wounded healer: 'The master is coming - not tomorrow, but today, not next year, but this year, not after all our misery has passed, but in the middle of it, not in another place but right here where we are standing." (p 95)

"If indeed we listen to the voice and believe that ministry is a sign of hope, because it makes visible the first rays of light of the coming Messiah, we can make ourselves and others understand that we already carry in us the source of our own search. Thus ministry can indeed be a witness to the living truth that the wound, which causes us to suffer now, will be revealed to us later as the place where God intimated his new creation." (p 95-96)

​"When the imitation of Christ does not mean to live a life like Christ, but to live your life as authentically as Christ lived his, then there are many ways and forms in which a man can be a Christian. The minister is the one who can make this search for authenticity possible, not by standing on the side as neutral screen or an impartial observer, but as an articulate witness of Christ, who puts his own search at the disposal of others. This hospitality requires that the minister know where he stand and whom he stands for, but it also requires that he allows others to enter his life, come close to him and ask him how their lives connect with his." (p 99-100)

"What we can know ... is that man suffers and that a sharing of suffering can make us move forward. The ministry is called to make this forward thrust credible to his many guests, so that they do not stay but have a growing desire to move on, in the conviction that the full liberation of man and his world is still to come."

There is so much to reflect on in this short but deeply rich little book! I would say it's an excellent reading choice for Lent, the church season right before Easter.  

If you are read this section of the blog regularly, you know I love a good book. Great books are in every room of my home! I even have books in my kitchen.  I recently found these three that I would like to share with you!

​The first book I want to mention is The Word in the Wilderness by Malcolm Guite. 

I started this book last week because it has a poem for each of Lent and Easter. It is a very do-able read in the best sense. I am able read it over lunch hours and I love that the poems he has selected (yes, some of his own verse) are understandable. 

I want to include the poem for the First Sunday of Lent by R.S. Thomas. 

The Bright Field
I have seen the sun break through
to illuminate a small field
for a while, and gone my way
and forgotten it. But that was the 
pearl of great price, the one field that had
treasure in it. I realize now
that I must give all that I have 
to possess it. Life is not hurrying

on to a receding future, nor hankering after
an imagined past. It is the turning 
aside like Moses to the miracle
of the lit bush, to a brightness
that seemed transitory as your youth
once, but is the eternity that awaits you. 

I love the gospel paradox in this. Losing to find, giving away to gain, giving everything up only to find it given back in a new and more beautiful form. The gospel and Lent is not about giving up and going without for its own sake; it is about making room for something wonderful. It is about clearing out the clutter, making space and time for the small seed that prove in time to be the great branching tree in whose canopy we will find a place. 

If giving something up isn't something that you do (yes, our family gave up chocolate), I recommending picking up this gem and reading The Word in the Wilderness!

Another book I am slowly working on is The Memoir Project by Marion Roach Smith.
​

I admit to starting this book at the beginning of February, and it has held my attention. It has held my attention to the extent that I have slowed down to savor it. 

I have read more than a few memoirs or autobiographies over the years. There have been a handful of hits, but many, many misses and it's been interesting to read this in that she is writing to people who want to write memoirs and do it well. And it's not just a good book. It's brilliant.

Well, she is brilliant. This book is full of golden nuggets. They are not general nuggets. They are personal golden nuggets of how to tell a story, your story, well. 

I cannot do the book justice with this minor review. If I had the time and money, I would take this woman's online memoir course. Alas, I will continue to teach and think and ponder of this one over the semester and summer break. Beautifully done!

Last, but not least, I am reading through the book of Luke in the Bible!
​

For 2019, I am reading through one book of the Bible every month. January was Matthew, February was Mark, and March is Luke. 

This is the gospel written by the doctor named Luke to Theophilus, his friend. They shared two loves. A love for Christ and a love for facts. They were interested in truth. The result is part letter and part research paper. Like many great pieces of literature, this was gospel is a labor of love. Luke studied carefully and wanted Theophilus to benefit from his study. With the skill of surgeon, Luke probes for truth.

Like all gospel writers, there are many beautiful themes that emerge. First, Luke portrays Jesus as fully man and fully God. Second, Jesus brings total physical and spiritual restoration to the body and soul through death on the cross and his resurrection. Another theme is Jesus experiencing the conflicts of life, yet performing miracles. Also, Jesus fulfilled God's mission and taught about God's kingdom.

Here are some others to ponder over.

Forgiveness at both human and divine levels are a beautiful theme woven throughout the whole book.

​His death and resurrection open up the possibility of salvation and make possible a direct relationship with God. 

Another thing I love about this gospel is theme of prayer. In addition to specific teaching on prayer, Jesus exemplifies a life of prayer by communicating with God the Father. 

The compassion or heart of Christ is there. Jesus Christ is the friend of poor, list, brokenhearted, alienated, oppressed, and abandoned sinners.

I wonder if Luke had any inkling about the impact of this book that he wrote for a friend. It is for the person who is interested in facts but has come to realize that there are things cannot be rationally explained. It for those who are interested in Jesus, but do not necessarily believe.

This is my little trinity of reading material for March. I hope and pray something in this has made an impression and you are motivated to pick up and read any of these books!

I love books. In fact, I live in them. I have lived in books more than anywhere else. That is saying something considering that I have lived in Asia for over 20 years now. For this post, I wanted to reflect on authors that I hold in great esteem and how their work affected me. Travel along as I review three works that worked their magic in me. 

I received As Kingfishers Catch Fire as a Christmas present last year.  This is the last book poet-pastor Eugene Peterson published before he passed away. It's a rare piece of depth and grace, contemplation on what it means to a Christian, and exposition on how Peterson went from someone who didn't know how to preach to someone who was able to pull people into the stories of the Bible, into the biblical imagination, and allow that pull or contemplation to transform his congregants. 

Eugene Peterson called his pastoral transformation congruence. Living a life where there was little slippage between what one is saying and what one is doing. He picked a poem of Gerald Manley Hopkins to explain it:

Without going into an exposition on the poem, we can understand that the Christian life is the lifelong practice of attending to the details of congruence. "...congruence ... between what we do and the way we do it, congruence between what is written in Scripture and our living out what is written, congruence between a ship and its prow, congruence between preaching and living..." (Preface)

Preaching is the weekly verbal witness to the essential congruence of what Christ is with His work that "plays" in us. Everything that we do during the week, the prayers, conversations, interactions with children, students, colleagues, everyone are a part of the good news. The "Word ... made flesh" (John 1:14, KJV) is the word becoming our flesh, our limbs, our eyes, our hands. 

The sermons in the book represent his three decades of collaboration and conversation with his congregants. It is his on-going narrative with his people and his contemplation on many biblical heroes.

You do not get to hear his voice as this is not a listening opportunity, but a reading opportunity. These are his "kingfisher" sermons. It is Peterson at his best and in the company of his conversations with Moses, David, Isaiah, Solomon, Peter, Paul, and John.

There is so much richness here that you should not miss. The section on Isaiah is stunning and worth the price of the book. And if that doesn't catch your attention, this amazing picture of a kingfisher really should. 

Do you want to whet your imagination and close the gap between what you believe and what you do? Start this intense reading journey with the master poet-pastor. 

Another book that rocked my little world this winter was Advent: The Once & Future Coming of Jesus Christ by Fleming Rutledge. I will be revisiting this writer every winter for as long I breathe. 

Just in case you are muttered under your breath, who?, I'll tell you a little bit about her. Fleming Rutledge is one of the first women to be ordained to the priesthood of the Episcopal Church. She is recognized in North America and the UK as a preacher, lecturer, and teacher of other preachers. Her sermons have been widely praised and her book The Crucifixion was named Christianity Today’s Book of the Year in 2017. (That book is a topic of a upcoming blog post!)

She makes many a comment on John the Baptist who we all know prepared the way for Christ. "Advent is the season of the uncovering: 'Bear fruit that befits repentance ... Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees'!"

Advent is the right time root out the cover-ups in our lives as we wait with bated breath for the lights to come on and the announcement of the angel that God is not against us but for us. 

This book is a collection of her sermons and thoughts, and it is written in three sections, writings, sermons, and a service of lessons and carols for advent. The section on sermons is organized into nine parts: waiting and hastening the king yet to come (Pre-Advent), the universal grip of the enemy (Pre-advent), justice and the final judgement (Pre-advent), God's apocalyptic war (the feast of Saint Michael), the coming of the Lord (Last Sunday of the church year: Feast of Christ the king), Advent begins in the dark (Advent I), the armor of light (Advent II), bearing witness on the brink (Advent III), the king of last things (Advent IV). The other two sections are much shorter but just as rich. She has the rare ability of allowing Bible text to speak to present day political realities. 

This is not a book you read to give yourself a warm, cozy, Christmas-y feeling. There is so much here about waiting, turning, repenting ... in getting ready to meet Jesus as King and redeemer.  It's just beautiful and I am not even close to forging the depths of it. 

Another one I want to mention quickly is The Mystery of Holy Night by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer, a Christian theologian, was killed by the Nazis in Flossenburg on April 9, 1945 for his role in a conspiracy to murder Hitler. He was 39 years old. ​

This short but profound gem is a meditation on the significance of the birth of Jesus to the lives of all Christians. He wants to unite the religious and the secular in an ethical humanism.

​The nativity of Christ in the manger speaks directly to this unity: it addresses a Christian's attitude toward the lowly, Christian experience--being humble in facing God and the world.

"Who among us will celebrate Christmas right?" Bonhoeffer asks. He answers, "those who finally lay down all their power, honor, and prestige, all their vanity, pride, and self-will at the manger." Brief, poetic selections from two Bonhoeffer sermons provides material for meditation on the meaning of Christmas and of Christianity. As well, the art work has been carefully selected and enhances what has been written. But what makes this special is that it is an Advent-hymn, a collection of his writings put together in such a way as to call out of the soul the same hope he was experiencing in his prison-cell. The Mystery of Holy Night weaves the Christmas story, theology, history, and art into an amazing Advent-hymn.  

And what am I looking forward to reading in 2019? Here we go...

I am looking forward to re-reading Fujimura's Refractions, The Gospel of Ruth, A Million Little Ways, and Holy Luck. The new books include A Velocity of Being, Hind's Feet in High Places, Creative Ministry, The Memoir Project, Writing Down the Bones, and the Wounded Healer. 

What books will you be reading in 2019? What great books did you read in 2018? I'd love to hear from you...

The anticipation of Christ's birth during Advent is always a blessing and trial in its waiting.  (Yes, the blessing comes in the trial of waiting!) Here is a poem to help us look forward to the birth of Christ and the meaning of Christmas. It did give pause and a moment of breath and space to believe...

CALM and Bright

​C A L M as  
Near-got slumber
C A L M as
Longed-for solitude
C A L M as  
Your own steady breathing
From dark rows of empty pews


B R I G H T like
Candle's glow at midnight
B R I G H T like
Summer's longest day
B R I G H T like  
Hope that will not falter
When your heart can't see a way
 
 
C A L M  &  B R I G H T 
And ever shining
C A L M  &  B R I G H T
And never done  
C A L M  &  B R I G H T
The slow revealing
Of the Father's perfect Son  

​-Leigh McLeroy

I wanted to give you some Advent book recommendations that are blessing me with thoughtful reflection. So, here is my trinity of Advent blessings. These recommendations are beautiful in their ability to take you deeply into Christ and his heart as well as the human experience. The first one I would like to recommend is Malcolm Guite's Waiting on the Word: A poem for Advent, Christmas, and Ephinany. I am revisiting this book this year after listening to him on Sally Clarkson's podcast earlier this month where he made some brilliant statements about how imagination is above reason. 

This one explores a wide range of poets including some contemporary poets like Luci Shaw and Scott Cairns.  The poem is first, and then his theological and spiritual insights into the poem are expounded. This book is not for those who are interested in Hallmark comments on Christmas. He goes deeply into all kinds of Advent paradoxes. At the end of each chapter, I feel like I have worshiped, nudged a little closer to our God in heaven, and come away refreshed.  This man is Chaplain at Girtin College at Cambridge and lectures on poetry and you need to read him (I will be ordering his book of poetry for Easter  as well)!
​
I was a little late to start this but I'm loving this one as its new and amazingly thoughtful in helping me understand more than just Advent. In The Art of Advent, I am learning how to look at a piece of art, how to see spirituality in great artistic works, and that is leading to reflection on my own life choices. This woman lectures in Systematic Theology at Saint Mellitus College has written a number of books that explore theology for the lay person as well as those interested in academic perspective.

I have wanted to check on this one for years. but it didn't happen until now.  This is the story of Christ's birth told through Jotham, a ten year old boy searching for his family in Israel at the time of Christ's birth. He encounters robbers, thieves, kidnappers, as well as shepherds, wisemen, innkeepers. This book brings some real insight into culture at the time of Christ that is easily understood by young readers, but even I have been able to gain insight into a completely different time and place that really is rarity in a narrative like this. 

I also like the scripture references and comments/reflections that come at the end of each day's reading.

All of this has inspired me to focus a little more on reading next year. I am picking 12 books to read through 2019, one for each month. A few are books that I feel I need to revisit along with some new ones that I just didn't quite get to this year. Do any of you want to join in making 2019 a reading year? It really is a beautiful idea...

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.  -Revelation 1:3

I remember watching the movie and reading the book based on my mother's recommendation. I followed this coming of age story of Scout and Gem, and was inspired to do the right thing, like Atticus Finch. He stared racism and prejudice in the face and I became a more thoughtful person because of the book. I learned about the South in terms of it’s weaknesses. And I had new understanding of a minor character, Boo Radley, by the end of the book.

If you have never heard of this book, I recommend it highly. It was one of the inspirations for my own Advent book (not published yet) on the named trees in the Bible. Three trees dream of what they want to do when they grow up. Things do not work out as imagined, but God had an even better plan in mind!

The magical world of Narnia! The characters of Edmund, Lucy, Susan, and Peter still live in my mind as they deal with the witch and learn to love Aslan. A beloved classic for many, including me!

This was my first introduction to literature in English about another culture! I remembe this beautifully written travel memoir won an award in Canada when it was published. The writer really did have a transformative Thai experience, and I still follow her writing...

Anne Shirley let me visit the other side of Canada at a time when many people just stayed in their own province or the one right beside them. Anne, Marilla, Matthew and Gilbert are well loved characters that continue to live in my mind. It's a bonus that it's also a story of family love and forgiveness.  (I still smile when I think of the slate Anne broke over Gilbert's head!)

Of all the books I’ve known and loved since childhood, one has carried me farther than all the others combined: the Holy Bible. Its stories and characters are the ones most deeply ingrained in memory: Jonah swallowed up by the great fish. Noah building an ark and floating above the mountain peaks in it. Baby Moses, found in the river by an Egyptian princess, and shepherd boy David, whose slingshot and fearlessness slew giants. 

Then there are the Gospel stories—the most magical ones of all—where Jesus walked and talked, and water became wine, and fish and loaves multiplied in one great picnic with leftovers galore. Where blind men got their sight back and where the wildest waves imaginable were tamed by a word from the one who made them. 

My other books did indeed take me worlds away, but only the Bible had the power to bring its Protagonist into my world and change it—and me—by his presence. Other books were for a time, and that time has come and gone. But I can’t imagine a day when I won’t ask this book to tell me its old, old story all over again. 

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish. JOHN 1: 14, MSG

I would love to hear back from you. What books have allowed you to travel? What books have changed you in some way?

Sarah Mackenzie of Read Aloud Revival fame recommended the Mr. Putter & Tabby series for emerging readers on a podcast over the summer. and I am so glad I decided to make this purchase! This book, a little more than the others in the series, just stole my heart and cracked me up while I was reading it to my two youngest sons.

It is winter and Mr. Putter and Tabby are happily stuck in the house getting cozy beside a fire and in a warm chair.  Mr. Putter gets an idea.  He decides to write a mystery novel.  He gets out the pen and paper and begins...

He eventually manages to write out a title and is so pleased with himself that he is off to the kitchen to make a snack. (I would be too!)

And thus begins his journey into writing the kind of mystery novel that he remembered reading as a boy!

It’s a journey filled with snacks, disappointments,delights, and lists. I have to mention I love the gratitude list at the end of the book! Gratitude really is a beautiful attitude!

I love the Mr. Putter series. The character development is exquisite and, necessarily, very economic. The characters are 3D and not dumbed down. The plots are tender, fun, touching. But this one in particular grabbed me because I related to Mr. Putter finding so many other things to do beside write.

Leslie Leyland Fields edited this gem and it truly is something to inspire women over 40! It’s a book to encourage those of us who are older and dealing with aging, dying, and the challenges and gifts that later life offers.

I love pomegranates and this book was full of pomegranate seeds. There are tons of favorite sentences and life lessons. I tried to find a favorite but it’s just too hard. Each one speaks to me in a slightly different way. Moving from one essay to the next was like eating a pomegranate one seed at a time reflecting on the virtue of each: each was delicious but different from the last. Try one more. Read one more. Yes. I recommend this book to anyone woman who dreads turning 40, 50, 60, 70, or 80. There's good news; there is even wonder as time passes.

It is an anthology of women authors who are navigating firsts, lasts, and always in life. Firsts in the authors’ second half of life includes embarking on adventures, learning skills, embracing new professions, missions, and relationships, pulling up roots, caring for older family members, and making peace with their own aging. Lasts encompasses letting go of child-bearing, grown children, bikini bodies, perfection, jobs, regrets, and loved ones. Then there were the always: enjoying the beauty of God’s creation, spending time outside, finding joy wherever you can, talking with neighbors, taking care of yourself and one another, and keeping on the move—mission. Though I prefer essay collections over anthologies (4.5 would be my truer rating), this anthology is a lovely collection. 

I would also like to mention Leslie Leyland Fields brilliance as an author. I was first introduced to her in The Spirit of Food, another collection similar to this. Her last book, Crossing the Waters is another book worthy of your time. This woman who is familiar to modern day fishing techniques has great insight into Christ as a fisherman! Go get the book and be blessed by wonder!

Mary Ann Hoberman's The Seven Silly Eaters is a family favorite in this house!  The illustrations are lovely, the text is amazing, and the overall structure is great.  

First, let's talk about the text. It's a long running poem about the beginning of a large family all the way to a family of seven children and it's just beautifully written.  If you have a large family you are going to laugh along the way as you meet Peter Peters, Lucy Peters and the rest of the clan! Clever, fun, and funny.

The illustrations are fantastic. The illustrator, Marla Frazee, has done an excellent job capturing the fun and chaos of family life.  I also love the pictures of the mother and her reactions to the challenge of raising a family.

Lastly, the structure. It's a celebration of life. The birth of each and every child is celebrated and in the end we celebrate the wonder of a mother who finds something delicious in the oven.  A family favorite here!
​

I've made no secret of Sarah Mackenzie's brilliant first book, Teaching from Rest.  This is no exception.  She has taken so many of the gems said in the Read Aloud Revival Podcasts and compiled them into this great handbook for parents and educators who are interested in getting their children into books.

If you are one of those people who would like to get started reading to your kids, this is a great place to start.  She is a great storyteller and she drops gems on how to get kids excited and into reading.

The Read-Aloud Family has three sections. Part 1 goes through all the pertinent research about the benefits of reading aloud to our children. For all of the times when I wonder if what I'm doing is actually worth anything, I will remember the information gleaned here. The biggest takeaway for me is that reading aloud is the BEST use of my time with my kids. From making ourselves present for our kids in a highly distracted culture, to inspiring virtue and compassion in them (and us!), to encouraging our kids academically, reading aloud does it all.

Part 2 is all about practical application. Sarah describes what she calls a "Book Club Culture" at home. She provides us with the right questions to ask about books to encourage deep thought and great conversation. We don't have to be experts on literary analysis to have a good conversation about books. We just have to be able to ask compelling questions. An really valuable part of this book is the chapter on how to pick books for your family, and what makes a good book.

Part 3 is the book list. Sarah breaks her book list into four age groups, 0-3, 4-7, 8-12, and the teen years. One of the things I appreciate about this list is that many of the books and authors are newer. Booklists for older books abound (see John Senior's 1000 Good Books), but navigating the world of new books can be tough for busy parents. I don't have time to read everything before my kids get to it, so this list is valuable. I trust Sarah's opinion and through being a "Sarah MacKenzie Groupie" I have found many gems that have become family favorites. Of course Sarah does not discount classic literature, and encourages families to read it in this book. But because lists for newer literature are not as easy to find (and if you do find one, can you be sure it's a good one?) the list in The Read-Aloud Family belongs in every home.

I am a bit of a book nerd, so I have looked at other resources about reading aloud and this is going to be a new favorite!  But Sarah's book is so much more than just a book on reading books. Sarah's book is about building up the family culture while providing an avenue to have wonderful conversations with our children and deepening family bonds. I highly recommend The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids.  Its worth your time and your money.

Jamie C. Martin wrote this one and its for those of us who interested in having our children learn about the world.  She has amazing book lists in here and you can find a lot of the books at the local library.

The other thing that is amazing about this author is that she organizes a Read the World book club every summer and she is doing it again this summer. If your child loves books and is interested in other cultures, this is a great way to go. If your children or students are more solitary readers, it's still a great resource.

Be blessed and try any of these resources!

I'm a mother of three boys and a Children's Ministry Director and I have looked at many different Bibles. I've been excited to introduce my children to the Bible, but totally overwhelmed with finding a Bible that would faithfully communicate the Scriptures at a level that made sense to young children.

The Jesus Storybook Bible seeks to show how God's plan of salvation is unfolding through each story, and largely succeeds in doing so. Let me try and demonstrate what I mean.

First of all, there are children's Bibles like the Read With Me Bible that are simply bland. Granted, toddlers are not going to pick up on every nuance of a story from the Bible, but the Read With Me Bible often chooses the wrong points to emphasize, entirely leaving out important points of narrative along the way.

One story simply lists miracles Jesus did with no context, failing to communicate that Jesus' miracles actually anticipate and begin to realize a new world, a world where God's Kingdom and rule are breaking into the world in a new and exciting way. Now, children obviously won't grasp the entirety of this message (indeed, even the most mature Christian is still growing in their understanding) but Jesus is more than a magician, he is more than simply amazingly powerful, so why drain the miracle stories of their power? If salt loses its saltiness, what is it good for?

The Jesus Storybook Bible works to explain the big idea, and big picture of the Scriptures at every turn. The focus is on God's love for the lost, the great problem of sin, and the great hope we have in Christ. So, for example, the story of the Exodus is told not as the story of God's great magic show, but instead on the great, mighty, and terrifying rescue of God's people from their slavery, pointing forward also to humanity's slavery to sin and coming rescue in Jesus. That is why the subtitle to this Bible is "Every Story Whispers His Name." Every story anticipates the coming of Jesus and the great rescue he brings to those who put their faith in him. This is a great concept, and a great work for children. 

Now is this Bible perfect? No, and no translation is, much less a paraphrase. Other have commented on some of the shortcomings of this Bible. Sometimes the language and tone is a bit casual, although casual doesn't necessarily mean disrespectful. Every story doesn't say as much as it could, although this is a strength rather than a weakness for a paraphrase (See: The Message). Not all of the theology expressed in the paraphrase matches perfectly with my own, but I see that as a teaching opportunity rather than a fatal flaw, not to mention that I think children should know early on that there are many ideas in the world, and not all of them are equally valid, and certainly not all of them are true. But again, the strength of this Bible is that it gets the story right, interpreting the main idea correctly and always pointing toward Jesus.

This is the point. It continually turns you toward Jesus. From the beginning to the end, everything points towards Jesus Christ.

Here are a few other opinions:

“I LOVE to give people The Jesus Storybook Bible because from the very first chapter it paints a powerful picture of God’s epic love for each one of us. Sally Lloyd-Jones has a unique way of inviting the reader, young or old, to dive in and discover for themselves the truth and hope of the greatest story ever told.” Amy Grant (Amy Grant)

“Sharing the Gospel with The Jesus Storybook Bible has been one of the greatest privileges of my life.” Ann Voskamp (Ann Voskamp)

“I would urge not just families with young children to get this book, but every Christian–from pew warmers, to ministry leaders, seminarians and even theologians! Sally Lloyd-Jones has captured the heart of what it means to find Christ in all the scriptures, and has made clear even to little children that all God’s revelation has been about Jesus from the beginning–a truth not all that commonly recognized even among the very learned.” – Dr. Timothy Keller, NYC (Dr. Timothy Keller)

The last thing I want to mention is that the pictures for this are incredibly well done. Jago is one incredibly talented artist and this book is beautiful.

I would be so bold as to recommend anything by Sally Lloyd-Jones. She has a real gift for communicating truth to the very young or the very young at heart.