Book Review—The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden

Posted by Diane Stortz

The Biggest Story
written by Kevin DeYoung, illustrated by Don Clark
published by Crossway (2015)
jacketed hardcover, 132 pages, 8.8 x 0.8 x 10.8 inches

Children often learn Bible stories without understanding how each story fits into the story of the Bible as a whole.

To address this, Kevin DeYoung wrote The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings Us Back to the Garden.

In ten short chapters, The Biggest Story takes readers through the biblical plot line and also develops two important themes.

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– Diane

Book Review—The Tiny Truths Illustrated Bible

Posted by Diane Stortz

Mom or grandma, Sunday school teacher or children’s ministry leader, I know you care about influencing children and preteens toward faith. Good Christian books can be an invaluable tool.

So to help you find them, I’ve returned to reviewing and recommending books I believe are most worthy of a place on your child’s bookshelf.

In addition, from time to time I’ll also let you know about valuable parenting resources, especially those that can help you point children to Jesus and disciple them as His followers.

If you’re signed up for my author newsletter, Paper Airplane, you’ll receive an email alert whenever a new review is posted (2-3 times per month). I’ll also include links to each month’s reviews when the monthly issue of the newsletter goes out.

If you’re not already a newsletter subscriber, you can sign up here.

To start the new year off right, this month I’m focusing on Bible stories and helping children understand the gospel. This week, it’s The Tiny Truths Illustrated Bible.

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– Diane

Start Here: 5 Reasons to Read the Whole Bible (and 2 Tools to Help You Do It)

Posted by Diane Stortz

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. –Colossians 3:16

When you hear “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” what comes to mind first? Memorizing Bible verses? Doing a Bible study? Going to a conference, or reading a popular book by a Bible teacher or a pastor?

How about simply reading the Bible? Just reading it.

In January 2000, I responded to an invitation to join a group of women forming to read through the Bible in a year to get to know God and to meet weekly to discuss what we read.

The experienced changed my life, and I’ve been part of many other similar groups since then. All of my children’s books and my two books for women got their start when I experienced reading through the whole Bible with others with the sole purpose of getting to know God better.

Along with so many other women who have participated along with me, I discovered five wonderful reasons to read it.

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– Diane

Start Here: How to Ask Questions That Get Kids Talking

Posted by Diane Stortz

Good conversations are like windows; they help us see and be seen.

Children can be fascinating conversationalists, but sometimes we grownups need a little help asking questions that will get kids talking.

Conversations with your child create heart-to-heart connection. You get to learn what your child feels and thinks and what she experiences away from you. Your child gains confidence and develops a deep sense of value when mom and dad want to hear what he has to say.

But we’ve all experienced the “How-was-your-day?” “Fine” syndrome, right?

Why doesn’t our child or grandchild want to tell us more? Here are three possible reasons and their potential solutions.

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– Diane

Start Here: How to Pray for Your Grandchildren

Posted by Diane Stortz

Whenever I start missing my grandchildren, I say a prayer for them.

Each year in early September comes National Grandparents Day, which is also Grandparents’ Day of Prayer, sponsored by the Christian Grandparenting Network and the Legacy Coalition.

Children and grandparents both benefit from spending time together.

A grandparent’s unconditional love and encouragement help buffer a child against the inevitable challenges and disappointments that come with growing up.

And research points to longer life for grandparents who spend time caring for their grandchildren.

But for many of us, distance or circumstances keep us apart from our grandkids.

If this is true for you (or even if your grandkids are close), don’t relinquish your most important role as a grandparent—pray!

Throughout each year, I try to pray often for my grandchildren, something like this:

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for my grandchildren! May they know and walk in your Word, and may it prepare them to choose Jesus early in their lives.

May they follow You all the days of their lives.

Give them discernment as they grow, and spare them experimentation that would pull them away from you. Help them stand. But when they do fall, as they will, may they quickly and gladly receive your forgiveness and mercy and go forward again.

May they always shine brightly for you. Give them large, loving hearts. Guide them as they develop and use the abilities and talents you’ve placed in them for the good of the world. May they love your church and learn to use their spiritual gifts for the good of the Body.

Keep them healthy and strong. Protect them every day by your power and by the wisdom of your Word.

Guide their marriage and career decisions. Bless their future spouses.

Bless their parents with your wisdom and mercy too. May they always look to you to know how to live and how to love and raise these precious ones! Amen.

Want to know more about Grandparents Day of Prayer? Check out the Christian Grandparenting Network and the Legacy Coalition. Both groups have tons of resources to help you be the best grandparent you can be—this Sunday as you pray, and every day!

Whenever I start missing my grandchildren, I say a prayer for them.

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– Diane

I AM: The Names of God for Little Ones (June 2018 Giveaway)

Posted by Diane Stortz

Launch day for I AM: The Names of God for Little Ones is getting close—Tuesday, June 26—so it’s time to start celebrating with a giveaway!

I’ll be choosing five different winners at random.

Three will receive a signed copy of the new book.

One will receive a set of all three I AM books—I AM: 40 Reasons to Trust God, the I AM Devotional, and the new book for toddlers and preschoolers.

And one winner will receive a copy of the new book plus this set of 6 laminated placemats made by Shutterfly based on content from book!

My grandsons loved theirs!

To enter, just comment “I’d like to win” below this post between now and Tuesday night. Entries will close at 11:59 EDT Tuesday night, June 26. I’ll announce the winners on Wednesday, June 27, on my Facebook page, Diane Stortz Books. Open to residents of continental US and Canada only.

Thanks for helping me send the newest I AM book out into the world!

– Diane

Introducing a New Book to the “I AM” Series

Posted by Diane Stortz

No toddlers were bribed in the making of this blog post, I promise!

This adorable little guy saw my new book and needed to investigate. He noticed the bright colors and ALL THAT GLITTER on the cover right away.

He’s my youngest grandson, 20 months old, the perfect age to begin teaching little ones some of the names of God found in the Bible.

God’s names tell us who He is and what He does. I chose twelve to focus on in this book for toddlers and preschoolers. A SHORT Bible story, accompanied by a Bible verse and a short prayer, make the meaning of the name known to little ones in an age-appropriate way.

Creator
God All-Powerful
I AM
God Who Saves
The Lord Will Provide
The Lord Who Heals
Son of God
Teacher
Good Shepherd
Savior
Friend
King of Kings

As children discover the meaning of each name, they begin to understand God’s character and His love for them!

The book is an 8×8-inch board book with a padded cover and rounded corners. And glitter on the cover—did I mention All. The. Glitter?!?!

I’ve posted a sampler from the inside of the book along with links for finding local stores and online retailers here. You can download coloring pages based on the book there too!

           
– Diane

Start Here: 5 Fun Ways for Kids to Memorize God’s Word

Posted by Diane Stortz

When my youngest grandboy was 18 months old, he learned to sing “The Wheels on the Bus.” He knew when to chime in with all the sound words—up and down, beep-beep-beep, swish-swish-swish, waah-waah-waah, and shh-shh-shh.

Children, even toddlers like my grandson, have an amazing capacity for learning and for memorizing! Why not use that capacity to make sure that God’s Word gets placed in those little hearts and minds too? Those words “hidden in their hearts” will lodge there for a lifetime.

Here are five ways to make Scripture memory effective and fun (at any age—you might want to try these out yourself). Repetition is key, but it doesn’t have to be boring!

1. Put the words to a beat and chant them together.

Add claps, taps, and foot-stomping if you’d like. Not sure which verses to learn? Check an age-appropriate Bible storybook with verses correlated to each story.

2. Sing the words. Make up your own tunes, or try some of the excellent Scripture songs available from children’s artists.

Try music from Yancy, Steve Green, the Seed Company, Twin Sisters, and Scripture Lullabies (great to play as children drift off to sleep).

My absolute favorite Scripture music for littles, though, has been the CD in the book My Sing-Along Bible by Steve Elkins.

Verses through the Bible are set in short, singable songs in a variety of styles. No one gets bored, and God’s Word gets in!

3. Make reading and repeating the verses aloud together a family activity. (This is one strength of the Charlotte Mason Scripture memory system.)

4. Make verses visible. Post them around the house where children will see them often.

Write a different verse each week on a chalkboard in the kitchen. Let children copy a verse themselves and choose where to post it.

5. Make verses tactile. When he was learning to read, my oldest grandson enjoyed verses I made magnetic for him to assemble and stick on the dishwasher, fridge, or a cookie sheet. Here’s how to do it:

Just print out the words in large type on colored paper with extra spaces between each word. Then back the verse with magnetic strips and cut the words apart.

Printing different verses on different colors helps children sort and assemble the verses too.

Ready to get started? Choose a verse and an activity and begin planting the seed’s of God’s Word in the hearts and minds of your children or grandchildren. The growth those seeds produce will be remarkable!

“From childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:16 ESV).

How do you help your children memorize Scripture?
Leave a comment to share with others.

– Diane

World Read-Aloud Day 2018

Posted by Diane Stortz

Make plans now to be sure to read aloud to your child or grandchild tomorrow! February 1 is World Read-Aloud Day, a day to enjoy reading aloud with children and to develop awareness of literacy needs around the world.

Did you know, for example, that

o A child born to a mother who can read is 50% more likely to survive past the age of five than a child born to an illiterate woman. (UNESCO)

o According to the latest report (2016), 758 million adults – two thirds of them women – lack basic reading and writing skills. (UNESCO)

o Poorly literate individuals are less likely to participate in democratic processes and have fewer chances to fully exercise their civil rights. (UNESCO)

o Reading aloud to children every day puts them almost a year ahead of children who do not receive daily read-aloud time, regardless of parental income, education, or cultural background. (Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research)

One of my favorite stories of reading aloud is found in the Book of Nehemiah, in the Bible. The Jewish people had been exiled in Babylon for 70 years. They rebuilt the temple when they were allowed to return to their own land, but the walls of Jerusalem remained in ruins. Then Nehemiah came on the scene. He made a plan and organized the workers, and despite opposition and harassment from enemies of the Jews, the wall was completely reconstructed in just 52 days.

Then the people gathered inside the walls and asked Ezra the priest to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, “which the Lord had given for Israel to obey.”

“So on October 8 Ezra the priest brought the Book of the Law before the assembly, which included the men and women and all the children old enough to understand. He faced the square just inside the Water Gate from early morning until noon and read aloud to everyone who could understand. All the people listened closely to the Book of the Law. … When they saw him open the book, they all rose to their feet.

“Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.

“The Levites … then instructed the people in the Law while everyone remained in their places. They read from the Book of the Law of God and clearly explained the meaning of what was being read, helping the people understand each passage. …

With understanding came weeping. But Nehemiah and Ezra and the Levites comforted the people and encouraged them to be joyful instead.

“So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them.” (Nehemiah 8)

Reading aloud to children benefits them in so many ways, as I often share about on my Facebook page DianeStortzBooks. Teaching them to love books and reading is one of those, and that just might be part of the key that unlocks a lifelong love of reading and understanding God’s Word.

So find a child, find a book, and get ready to read aloud. Tomorrow is World Read-Aloud Day!

Find a child, find a book, and get ready to read aloud. Tomorrow is World Read-Aloud Day!

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World Read-Aloud Day is a project of LitWorld, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization founded by literacy expert Pam Allyn in 2007. LitWorld works with a broad coalition of national and international partners to ensure that young people worldwide can experience the joy and transformation of reading, writing, and storytelling.

– Diane

How to Face Challenges

Posted by Diane Stortz

I was prepping to start a new writing project. It felt overwhelming. I felt a little like Moses when God called him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. “Moses again pleaded, ‘Lord, please! Send anyone else’ ” (Exodus 4:13 NIV).

But then I glanced over at the shelf where my foreign editions were lined up.

So far I have books in Afrikaans, South African English, Spanish, Korean, and Arabic. There are more to come—Finnish, Swedish, Slovak, Portuguese, and Italian!

I felt like they were sort of smiling at me. “Moses didn’t lead the Israelites out alone,” they said. “You’re not sitting there alone at your desk either.”

Oh, right.

God can, and does, do so much more than we ever ask or imagine!

What’s Facing You?

Now, you might not be writing books, but I know you’ve got challenges.

Here’s the thing. No matter what the voices in your head say, you do have abilities. You can face the situation, take action, make progress.

And no, you’re not as talented or as educated or as energetic or as connected or as able as somebody else. I’m certainly not either. But that’s OK. (Just remember Moses!)

And whatever it is you need to do, maybe you can’t do it all by yourself, but you don’t have to.

Because God hasn’t left you all by yourself.

And the results? Well, they’re just likely to be waaayyyy bigger and better than anything you have ever imagined!

    

“Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20 NLT).

Making Him known to the next generation,

– Diane