This review and giveaway post is written in partnership with ZonderKidz. 

Refocus

While we don’t stringently observe Lent in our household, I do like to use the weeks before Easter to refocus our spiritual lives. It can be easy for discussions of faith to get lost as the school year gets busier, and the Easter season provides a reminder to return to the basics.

Some years we read Sally Lloyd Jones’s Jesus Storybook Bible or Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing to help our kids understand the need for Christ’s sacrifice. Other years, like this one, we get clobbered by snow days and colds, finding ourselves in the midst of Lent with no plan for the days ahead.

I’ve been looking for ways to get my sons excited to explore our faith on their own. I investigated the Brick Bible for my little Lego fans but was disappointed to find that it is definitely not kid-friendly. So when I discovered the Faith Builders Bible from ZonderKidz, I was excited to see what the boys thought about it.

I left the Faith Builders Bible on our table for a few days to see what my boys would do. They found it right away and decided it must have something to do with Star Wars (a high compliment in our house).

FaithBuilderBible

I expected the Faith Builders Bible to be mostly Lego depictions of Bible stories; instead, it is a a full Bible with occasional Lego scenes. My 5-year-old sat down with the Bible and started examining each scene, asking about the stories behind them. While initially I was worried that the Bible wouldn’t feel accessible to the kids, I was happy to find that the pictures stimulated discussion and thoughtfulness.

Of course, my boys aren’t the only people who could use some re-focusing this time of year. More than raising godly children, I want to be a godly parent.

During the recent She Reads Truth Advent study, I found that I loved practicing hand-lettering scripture as a way to meditate on the words. Zondervan’s Inspiring Words coloring book is a fun way for me to continue this practice, with verses  I can tackle with my colored pencils and pens. I’m excited to study verses from Psalms and the New Testament as I work on the designs (side note: a couple of the selections are rather interesting choices, like Proverbs 18:24 — “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin.” Definitely not framing that one).

inspiringwords

I’m excited to partner with ZonderKidz to help one of my readers prepare for Easter with a super-duper gift giveaway! One Beyond the Fried reader will win an Easter prize pack including:

Faith Builders Bible
Think, Act, Be Like Jesus: A Believe Devotional for Kids
7 Days of Awesome: A Creation Tale
Angels in the Bible Storybook

To enter, leave a comment below sharing your favorite Easter traditions. How does your family prepare for the Easter season?

 

Giveaway ends March 4, 2016. Open to U.S. residents only.

ZonderKidz provided copies of the Faith Builder’s Bible and Inspirational Words: 30 Verses from the Bible You Can Color for me to review, plus a giveaway prize pack for one of my readers. All opinions expressed are mine alone.