I have quite a few Children's story Bibles. Some were gifts and some I bought myself. Most are decent, but one of the ones I have really stands out to me. It does an excellent job of showing children the overall theme of the Bible. It is The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm with illustrations by Gail Schoonmaker.
Here are the main things I am looking for in a Bible story book:
Good Story Content: They are definitely incomplete as they don't contain all of the Bible stories. Of course, we all have our favorite stories that we would like to see included, but it's impossible to have them all in there. However, it is good to have a wise selection of which stories to include.
Good Bible Interpretation: On top of that, Bible story books are not literal translations of the Bible so they are an interpretation of the author. Therefore, you hope the author knows how to accurately translate the Bible.
Good Story Telling: The text needs to be easy enough for a child to understand and
Good Illustrations: The pictures have to be well drawn and in a style that interests kids.
I felt like The Bible Picture Story Bible did an excellent job on all of these points and, in addition to those, it was able to keep "the big picture" or main theme of the Bible in view during all of the stories.
Bottom Line: This is my favorite Bible story book that stands out above the rest that I own, it's simple text and beautiful illustrations capture and keep children's attention for them to hear and understand the overall story of the Bible.
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Robert Robinson (1735-1790) was young when his father died and he was disinherited by his wealthy maternal grandfather. Without a father's influence, he fell in with a bad crowd. However, after listening to a sermon by George Whitefield in 1752, he found God's grace and repented of his sin. He went on to be a preacher and hymn writer, writing the hymn "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing". Here are some of my favorite versions:
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing by Robert Robinson
Come Thou Fount of every blessing Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
John 4:14 Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will be come in him a well of water springing up to eternal life."
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
Streams of mercy, never ceasing, Call for songs of loudest praise
Psalm 89:1 I will sing of the lovingkindness of the LORD forever; To all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth.
Romans 15:9 and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy; as it is written, "Therefore I will give praise to you among the Gentiles, and I will sing to your name."
Teach me some melodious sonnet, Sung by flaming tongues above.
Revelation 5:9 And they [the twenty-four elders] sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
Praise the mount! I'm fixed upon it, Mount of God's redeeming love.
Isaiah 54:10 "For the mountains may be removed and the hills may shake, But My lovingkindness will not be removed from you, And My covenant of peace will not be shaken," Says the LORD who has compassion on you.
Here I raise my Ebenezer; Hither by Thy help I'm come;
After the Lord helped Israel defeat the Philistines, in 1 Samuel 7:12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and named it Ebenezer [literally - rock of help], saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us."
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home.
Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, 'My purpose will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure';
Jesus sought me when a stranger, Wandering from the fold of God;
Jesus said in Luke 15:4-6 "What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? "When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. "And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'
Jesus said in Luke 19:10 "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
He, to rescue me from danger, Interposed His precious blood.
1 Peter 1:18-19 knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.
O to grace how great a debtor Daily I'm constrained to be!
Colossians 2:14 When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
Let that grace now like a fetter, Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, Prone to leave the God I love;
Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick; Who can understand it?
Romans 7:21-23 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.
Here's my heart, O take and seal it, Seal it for Thy courts above.
Ephesians 4:30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
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Romans 11:6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.
Why are you crying? Let me lift up your face, just don't turn away
1 Chronicles 16:11 Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
Why are you looking for love? Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough?
1 John 4:7-10 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
To where will you go child? Tell me where will you run, to where will you run?
Speaking to Jesus, John 6:68 Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.
'cause I'll be by your side wherever you fall
Psalm 37:24 When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand.
In the dead of night whenever you call
Psalm 88:1 O LORD, the God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and in the night before You.
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
2 Chronicles 13:12 "Now behold, God is with us at our head and His priests with the signal trumpets to sound the alarm against you. O sons of Israel, do not fight against the LORD God of your fathers, for you will not succeed."
My hands are holding you
Isaiah 41:10 'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous righthand.'
Look at these hands at my side
John 20:27 Then He [Jesus] said to Thomas, "Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing."
They swallowed the grave on that night
1 Corinthians 15:54-57 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. "O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
When I drank the world's sin
About Jesus in 1 Peter 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
So I could carry you in and give you life
I wanna give you life
1 John 5:11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
And I'll be by your side wherever you fall
Psalm 145:14 The LORD sustains all who fall And raises up all who are bowed down.
In the dead of night whenever you call
1 John 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
Proverbs 21:30 There is no wisdom and no understanding And no counsel against the LORD.
My hands are holding you
Psalm 13:10 Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
'Cause I love you, I want you to know
John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
That I love you, I'll never let you go
Deuteronomy 31:8 "The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you.He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."
And I'll be by your side wherever you fall
Psalm 146:8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous;
In the dead of night whenever you call
Luke 18:7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?
And please don't fight these hands that are holding you
Acts 11:17 "Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?"
My hands are holding you
Isaiah 42:6 "I am the LORD , I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations,"
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This week I'm missing my son who is at camp, so I thought I'd work on one of his favorite songs. He loves the groovy beat to this song, but I love that it also has references to the Bible all throughout it.
One Day
by Aaron Shust
One day, I will leave this body And I will get a perfect one
Philippians 3:20-21 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
That day I will see His glory
Shinin' like the noonday sun
Speaking of Jesus in Revelation 1:16 In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.
Speaking of Jesus in Hebrew 1:3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
One day, I'll take a walk with Jesus
He might explain the mysteries of life Some say, I just can't believe it But I know that one day
1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.
We'll gather at the Crystal Throne*
Revelation 4:6 and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.
All these years; we're finally home
Philippians 3:20-21 For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.
About Abraham in Hebrews 11:9-10 By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
I can actually see His face
Revelation 22:4 they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads.
And all I can do is say:
Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty Who was and is and is to come
Revelation 4:8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come."
We lay our crowns before You
Revelation 4:10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Every heart and soul; adore You
Revelation 5:13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever."
Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The God of gods, Almighty One
Daniel 2:47 The king answered Daniel and said, "Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery."
Revelation 19:6 Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, " Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.
One day, death will be abolished And sin will have it's mastery no more
2 Timothy 1:9-10 who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
And I know, that we will be astonished At all that our Creator has in store
Ephesians 3:11 This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord,
One day, we will meet our Savior And He will give each one of us a stone Engraved ,with our names upon it: Known by God alone
Revelation 2:17 'He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.'
We'll gather at the Crystal Throne
All these years; we're finally home
I can actually see His face I never thought I'd see the day That we'd gather at the Crystal Throne All these years; we're finally home I can actually see His face And all I can do is say
Holy, Holy is the Lord Almighty Who was and is and is to come We lay our crowns before You Every heart and soul; adore You The God of gods, Almighty One King of Kings, God's only Son
Lords of Lords, salvation done.
Revelation 19:16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 19:30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
Hebrews 9:12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
* The crystal is actually the ground in front of the throne, not the throne itself.
This page contains affiliate links, meaning that I receive a commission if you buy these products by clicking on the links above. However, this post is not sponsored and I really do love these products. Click here for my affiliate disclosure.Scripture And... is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
When I'm working on a Sunday School lesson or just something to teach my kids the Bible at home, I have a few free online resources that I've found helpful. I have these bookmarked so that I can find them easily. Disclaimer: While I like these websites, I can't vouch for every piece of material on them. As always, be discerning and evaluate each thing you plan to use to make sure that it is biblically accurate.
One of the things I look for in online resources is great graphics. This is mostly because I am not a great artist and can't draw pictures that kids will enjoy. That is why I love My Wonder Studio. Some of their excellent free printables include pictures for flannelgraph stories, coloring pages, 3D pictures, and "dissected" pictures to let the kids "Be The Artist". They also have animated videos, songs, and audio adventures. The resources are navigated pretty easily by either searching or clicking on the archives on the right side (divided into age group), which takes you to an index of the tags for all of their posts.
This website is a collection of children's Bible crafts by Jesus Rolon, a children's ministry leader. There are a ton of printables for crafts, coloring pages, and activity pages. Crafts are easily found for your lesson because they are categorized (Old Testament, New Testament, VBS, holidays...). The crafts do a great job of getting to the heart of the Bible story. There is even a Spanish version of the website.
Aunties Bible Lessons has great printables for Bible crafts. Many of them have added interest (texture, moving parts, flaps, and more). There is a search box in the right column of the website to help you find what you are looking for. There is also an index for the Old Testament and the New Testament.
Amy is a super talented crafter who is kind enough to share her awesome ideas for crafts. She has an entire section for Sunday School and Bible clubs. There are ideas for working on Bible verses, crafts, and game. Some of her crafts are a little more complicated, but are awesome for older kids who need a little more of a challenge.
Kim Dailey from Sunday School Sources has a lot of games, memorizing ideas, and songs, but my favorite resource is the set of Bible character trading cards which are great for learning about the people of the Bible and where they fit into the overall timeline. There are also Books of the Bible card that would be great for memorizing the order of the books of the Bible.
This website has a lot of printable resources such as file folder games, lapbooks, and Bible verse printables. They especially have a lot of preschool and primary grade resources, but quite a bit of it could also be used with older children. I like the file folder games that help kids learn the books of the Bible and the characters of the Bible.
There are lots of printable resources at Bible Class Creations. They like to do shadow stories for telling the Bible stories and share the printables to do that. There are lots of other crafts and ideas that are tagged by the Bible character or story as well.
There are a ton of free Bible lesson worksheets available at Sermons 4 Kids. If you are looking for a coloring page, word search, or multiple choice quiz, you will probably find one available on this website. They are easily found on their Old Testament and New Testament indices or you can search the website at the very top of the page. In addition, they have lots of craft and activity suggestions for each Bible lesson. The best thing is that there are a ton of Bible stories available, so if you need it you will probably find it here.
Jesus Without Language has loads of craft, game, and printable resources. The cute little Bible characters remind me of Veggie Tales characters and are made by a missionary named Kate. I love that many of the crafts are movable, since that keeps kids interested in the craft even after they are done making it. There are also little character cards that can be used in the lesson or as trading cards.
Bible Today 4 Kids has seven units of Bible lessons, each with 7-13 lessons. The lessons include activities, worksheets, and crafts. The worksheets can be connect-the-dots, word searches, unscrambles, fill-in-the-blanks, codes, and more.
Letting go of every single dream I lay each one down at Your feet Every moment of my wandering Never changes what You see
Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a person�s heart, but it is the LORD�s purpose that prevails.
Revelation 4:10-11 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created."
I�ve tried to win this war I confess
My hands are weary I need Your rest
Mighty Warrior, King of the fight No matter what I face, You�re by my side
Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest."
Deuteronomy 31:8 "The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed."
Psalm 121:5 (CSB) The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side.
When You don�t move the mountains I�m needing You to move
Matthew 17:20 And He said to them, "Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.
When You don�t part the waters I wish I could walk through
Isaiah 43:16 Thus says the LORD , Who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters,
When You don�t give the answers as I cry out to You
Job 30:20 "I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me."
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings There�s not a day ahead You have not seen So, in all things be my life and breath I want what You want Lord and nothing less
Matthew 6:33 "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
Jeremiah 29:11 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.'
Job 33:4 "The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life."
When You don�t move the mountains I�m needing You to move
When You don�t part the waters I wish I could walk through When You don�t give the answers as I cry out to You I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!
You are my strength and comfort
Romans 15:5 (BBE) Now may the God who gives comfort and strength in waiting make you of the same mind with one another in harmony with Christ Jesus:
You are my steady hand
Genesis 49:23-25 "The archers bitterly attacked him, And shot at him and harassed him; But his bow remained firm, And his arms were agile, From the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel ), From the God of your father who helps you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of heaven above,Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
You are my firm foundation; the rock on which I stand
Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a tested stone, A costly cornerstone for the foundation, firmly placed. He who believes in it will not be disturbed.
Luke 6:47-48 "Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it,because it had been well built."
Your ways are always higher
Isaiah 55:9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
Your plans are always good
Romans 8:28And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
There�s not a place where I�ll go, You�ve not already stood
Psalm 139:8-10 If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol,behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.
When You don�t move the mountains I�m needing You to move When You don�t part the waters I wish I could walk through When You don�t give the answers as I cry out to You I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!
I will trust in You! I will trust in You! I will trust in You!
** This page contains affiliate links, meaning that I receive a commission if you buy these products by clicking on the links above. However, this post is not sponsored and I really do love these products. Click here for my affiliate disclosure.Scripture And... is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
