The Stakes and Challenges

Why Teaching the Bible is Just the Starting Point to Raising Children Shaped by the Gospel 

If you're a parent with young pre-readers, don't you want to tell a story that does more than just entertain your child?

Don't get me wrong. You still have to entertain the little one. 

But keeping your son or daughter amused is just the beginning.  In fact, it's not even the hardest part. 

If keeping them amused were your only goal, then there are plenty of games and television shows you can put in front of them.  Believe me: when I am at my wits end, I have no problem resorting to doing so.

You probably already know that there's much more at stake.

The real challenge is engaging your child with content that actually shapes their ability to face the realities of a fallen world with truth and grace. 

The first instinct may be to reach for more Bible stories.  That instinct is good, of course.  It's better than no exposure to the Bible, for sure.  

Scripture reveals who we are as both sinners and redeemed sons and daughters of God.  It unveils the glory of Christ's work in us. 

But....

How many people grow up reading the stories of the Bible and the parables of Christ...but miss the whole point?  

How many teenagers walk from God, but could tell you about the Tower of Babel, Noah's Ark, and any number of other stories?

Sometimes things become too familiar because we have remembered all the information, yet we have missed the meaning. 

Sometimes you have to strum a familiar tune with a different guitar. 

This is what I set out to do with The Kingdom of Marvin's first book, Return of the Runaway Son.

But even if you don't have children or don't get the book, this devotional can hopefully open your eyes and heart to deeper truths of the Gospel.  I believe all of us, in turning to Christ, have experienced our own version of The Prodigal Son. 

This five-part devotional will reveal the deeper lessons of this book that can help you, as a parent or parent-to-be, to shape young minds based on the Gospel.