FAMILY

Blog & Resources
Pray With Me

Pray With Me

Teaching Children with Special Needs How to Pray. As a parent of a child with special needs, you know that prayer is your lifeline with God! Sometimes it is your minute by minute cry for help to God to just make it through the day and stresses of life.  Prayer is a...

Example To Follow

Example To Follow

Does My Kid Get It? Teaching the Bible to the Intellectually Disabled. I firmly believe in Psalm 139:14, that everyone is “fearfully and wonderfully made!” I also know that we are ALL created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), whether we have special needs or we are...

Grow Them Up

Grow Them Up

All Bible studies are not created equal. At least, they shouldn’t be. The way you engage a preschooler with the Bible is very different than how you engage a high schooler. We know this is true. We also see it throughout Scripture: Paul said, in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23,...

THEY LEARN BY EXAMPLE, SO, LET’S LEAD BY EXAMPLE.

Parenting is one of the most rewarding and fun things we can do, but it is also one of the most challenging. The Bible speaks specifically of God’s intended design for how parents can invest in the spiritual health of their children. May these articles and resources help you in your journey of raising healthy, loving world changers! 

FAMILY RESOURCES

Family Bible Resources

Bible Apps

Bible Adventures for Kids App. Features 10 of the best-loved stories of the Bible and 20 games! Each story features touchable story scenes, sound effects and games providing an entertaining and educational experience which will increase Biblical literacy.

Superbook Kids Bible App Brings the Bible to life with a full Bible, videos, images and engaging interactive games. Features 14 full-length episodes including David and Goliath, The Ten Commandments, Daniel and the Lions’ Den, and The First Christmas.

The Beginner’s Bible App Designed for children ages 2-6. This app includes coloring pages, puzzles, and games. Each story pack contains 6 stories with accompanying coloring pages, puzzles and a game.

The Bible App for Kids Includes touch-activated animations for Bible stories, games and activities. Best for kids under 7. Kids will love the narrator-led Gospel-centered stories. Your child can read along on screen if they wish.

Guardians of Ancora A fun adventure game where players have to run, jump, roll and slide their way through stories of the Bible. Choose your character then train for an epic adventure as you explore the amazing stories of the Bible. Free app is best for kids age 9-11.

Bibles/Books

Preschool

My First Hands-On Bible provides a fun and simple yet meaningful way to engage preschool, pre-K, and K children with the Bible while helping them build a solid faith foundation. Each lesson focuses on a specific Bible point through a variety of activities in order to reinforce and help young children remember the stories and lessons. Ages 3-6.

The Jesus Storybook Bible Sees the Bible through a strong redemptive-historical context and proclaims it through every story.  Good story telling with a nice way of bringing the drama out of each story.  Makes Bible characters come to life, frequently moving beyond the bounds of what scripture tells us by re-imagining the characters. Excellent illustrations.  Ages 4-8.

My ABC Bible Verses: Hiding God’s Word in Little Hearts by Susan Hunt. Here is a colorful, story-filled way for even the youngest child to take God’s Word to heart—and learn the alphabet too! Presented in an easy-to-use story format that applies individual Bible verses to real life situations, this illustrated book for 3- to 7-year-olds is perfect for reading to your children.

The Beginner’s Bible Book of 31 Devotions: My Time with God by Kelly Pulley. Preschoolers will love The Beginner’s Bible art and the everyday situations they encounter. You’ll love the simple connection to a Bible story and memory verse. Together you’ll enjoy an activity, song, or prayer that brings home the story’s theme.

The Big God Story by Michelle Anthony. A fast-paced journey through the Old and New Testaments. Each part of the narrative highlights a different aspect of God’s faithfulness to us. Ultimately, readers will see how they fit into God’s big story of love when they write their names in the book on the last page!

Elementary

Our Daily Bread for Kids: 365 Meaningful Moments with God Presents short and engaging devotions, easy-to-remember Bible verses, and exciting facts that encourage children to spend time with God and apply the truths of His Word to their everyday lives. Perfect for children ages 6–-10.

My Big Book of 5-minute Devotions by Pamela Kennedy. This work is suitable for ages 9-12. Here are over forty stories about God’s love as shown through the natural world, each of which is easily read in five minutes. The child will enjoy answering the questions included, reading the Bible verse, and saying the prayer.

How to Study Your Bible for Kids by Kay Arthur and Janna Arndt. Introduces the basics of inductive Bible study–observation, interpretation, and application–to children ages 9 to 12.

NIV Adventure Bible (for ages 9-12). The top-selling kid’s Bible that makes learning and reading God’s Word fun! Includes a daily reading plan, lessons on how to pray, Q&A time about the heart of Jesus, and special prayers and verses to learn.

Hands-On Bible The Hands-On Bible uses experience-based learning to communicate God’s Word in an active, understandable way. With hundreds of fun, memorable activities (A “Do-It” activity in EVERY feature!) the Hands-On Bible is packed with activities and experiences that invite kids to crawl inside the Scriptures and “do” God’s Word!

Teens

Teen Life Application Study Bible is packed with features designed to meet the challenges and needs of today’s high school students. Combines traditional study Bible features like book introductions, textual notes, person profiles, and maps with application-oriented features focusing on choices, real-life issues, and real-life stories of actual teens.

The Action Bible Here’s the coolest picture Bible ever! Marvel comic artist Sergio Cariello has created attention-holding illustrations along with 215 fast-paced narratives in chronological order, making it easier to follow the Bible’s historical flow. If your kids like this, there is also a companion Action Study Bible as well as an Action 52 Week Devotional available.

The Apologetics Study Bible for Students will anchor younger Christians in the truths of Scripture by equipping them with thoughtful and practical responses for whenever the core issues of their faith and life are challenged. Helps students begin to better articulate their beliefs. Includes dozens of articles collected from today’s most popular youth leaders.

The ESV Student Study Bible is ideally suited for students who are serious about God’s Word—who want to learn more about what the Bible teaches and how the Bible applies to all of life. Contains 12,000 clear study notes, nearly 900 “Did You Know?” facts, 120 Bible character profiles, and 15 topical articles.

Whole Family

The ESV Family Devotional Bible is designed to help families read and apply God’s Word together. Features the complete ESV text along with engaging illustrations and gospel-centered devotions related to key Bible stories—guiding families through the entirety of God’s Word over the course of a year.

Kingdom Family Devotional: 52 Weeks of Growing Together by Tony Evans and Jonathan Evans. Provides parents with a resource to maximize family devotional times. The family virtues–based devotional provides 52 separate topics, one for each week of the year, and five devotionals within each topic that will guide devotional times Monday through Friday.

My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers. A classic daily devotional that compiles the authors preaching to students and soldiers. First published in 1935.

Family Prayer Resources

Praying the Scriptures for Your Children by Jodie Berndt. Through the encouragement of the Scriptures and true-life stories, you’ll find out what a huge difference your prayers really make in the lives of those you love most.

Praying the Scriptures for Your Family at mercyisnew.com

Creative Family Prayer Times: 52 Fun Ways to Pray Together by Mike and Amy Nappa. Innovative prayer ideas to help you add meaning to family devotions. Divided into daily, monthly, and yearly activities, these creative ideas will bring a change of pace to what you already do during family prayer.

The Power of a Praying Kid by Stormie Omartian. A fun and “kid-friendly” approach to prayer for a very special audience. Written with young hearts in mind, this short, easy-to-read book for 7- to 12-year-olds helps children learn to talk to God in a way that is meaningful and relational.

The Power of a Praying Teen by Stormie Omartian. Along with Scripture verses and true stories of teens in action, The Power of a Praying® Teen addresses key issues young people face.

The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian. Inspires women to develop a deeper relationship with their husbands by praying for them. This encouraging resource is packed with practical advice on praying for specific areas of a husband’s life.

The Power of a Praying Husband by Stormie Omartian. Helps men pray effectively for their wives and marriages. With stories and examples from her own marriage, Stormie encourages men to lovingly intercede for their wives in every area.

Circle Maker by Mark Batterson.

Family Worship Resources

Books

Parenting in the Pew: Guiding Your Children into the Joy of Worship by Robbie Fox Castleman. Helpful reading for parents who want to help children make joyful noises unto the Lord.

Teaching Kids Authentic Worship: How to Keep Them Close to God for Life by Kathleen Chapman. Includes fifty two worship moments that help children and adults focus exclusively on God and learn about him. These creative moments take the form of singing, hand movements, dance, crafts, games, writing, drama, and more.

Faith-Filled Moments: Helping Kids See God in Everyday Life by Kelli Trujillo. Unlike scheduled family devotion times, these ideas can be woven into any moment of the day. Includes a wide variety of approaches like games, crafts, cooking, object lessons, drawing, and encounters with nature, as well as everyday activities like riding in the car, walking, getting dressed, listening to music, or bathing.

Worship Music For Kids…

Hillsong Kids – Cutting edge live kids worship recordings from Australia with both upbeat and slower songs.
Yancy – Spunky rock-type worship for kids of all ages with Yancy Richmond.
Shout Praises Kids – High quality music sung by kids and adult leaders with a wide spread of familiar mainstream worship songs.

 Worship Music For teens…

Rend Collective – Camp Fire II
There is a Cloud by Elevation Worship
Housefires I, II, and III