PARENTS

Thank you for choosing to read this!

Parents, you are the most important person in your child’s life. You are the foundation; the model God created for your child to imitate. Is God’s Word important to you? Then it will be important to your child.

TEACHERS

You play an important role in the life of a child!

Teachers, we know that when children enter school, sometimes parents take a back seat to being the “last word.” Once in a while our sons would come home and say, “Well, Teacher said….…..”   

As a Christian educator your role is huge! If God’s Word is important to you, it’s likely going to be important to your students. Just this week I had a former student from 16 years ago text me a photo of herself and me in our classroom. Below it was this caption: “You were the best! Your faith showed through in all you did!” I only share that to boast in the Lord! Please hear my heart. What an opportunity, privilege, (and obligation) you have as a Christian teacher! And some of you are parent AND teacher! YAY!

So, parents and teachers, have fun with these devotions!

Read them in a fun, creative way!

They are short enough to be able to remember the true treasure and put it in your own words!

Dig deep in to the back of the book to read the supporting Bible verses.

Please, oh please do not skip this part!

Margaret Feinberg is a well-known speaker & author of books & Bible Studies. I would like to share this one quote from her which mirrors my prayerful hope for children who read or are read to—Victor Discovers Treasure:
“God is not merely at your fingertips but within your grasp. Live each day like a child digging through a treasure chest, rifling for the next discovery. Open your eyes to the God who stands in plain sight and works miracles in your midst.”
Are you picturing that? A child rifling through a treasure chest?
THE BIBLE IS THAT TREASURE! Let’s excite, equip, enable, and empower children to dig into the Bible! To discover those rich figures of speech throughout that help us understand the Christian life and God’s plan of salvation!
Just think about how many times the word “like” appears in the Bible: Jesus is like a vine; He’s like a Shepherd, a Potter, bread. Earth is like a footstool. We must shine like stars. We must be like thirsty deer. Jesus is like a Lion and a Lamb. And that is just the beginning! Similes use the word “like.” Metaphors don’t. But both compare two unlike things to call attention to the point (you all learned that in 3rd or 4th grade😉)
Victor the donkey helps kids explore the metaphor and give dignity to the simile…all within Scripture!
Let’s help our children absorb the Word! NOTHING is more important!

METAPHORS

Hungry as a bear.

Quiet as a mouse.

You’re acting like a bunch of monkeys.

Butterflies in the tummy.

That blew me away.

Two peas in a pod. 

You light up my life.

Obviously, we talk funny sometimes. We make these fun comparisons in order to get our point across! Metaphors are a wonderful language tool to make a difficult concept clearer; to make a tough situation feel a bit lighter.

When Jesus walked this earth, He daily saw useful clay pots, numerous sheep with their shepherds, olive trees, tasty food, wild and domesticated animals, Roman soldiers, etc. etc.

The Bible writers were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write! God wanted His Word practical! God wanted all people to know how best to live as a Christ-follower! He wanted them to know what it takes to arrive in His heaven! How should we treat people? How do we protect ourselves from Satan who definitely wants to keep us guessing and doubtful? How should we act with our money, our time, our talents and gifts? How do we handle difficult or tragic events that occur in our lives?

We serve a very practical God! He knows us the best, so why wouldn’t He too put language in the Bible that makes His character and His plan of salvation crystal clear?

Thanks for reading!