Why I Wrote A Children's Book About God
I was blessed to grow up in a home with parents who loved to read me story books before bed. I looked forward to it every night! My favorites were always the books filled with stories from the Bible. The ones with the really cool pictures in them. In fact, to this day, I can vividly remember my mom or dad laying down with me, reading stories about Moses and the burning bush, David and his battle against Goliath, Daniel and the lion’s den, Paul and his missionary journeys, Jesus healing the sad and the sick, and so many others. The pictures and phrases in these books are still stuck in my head, all these years later!
They had a huge impact on me.
And I am thankful for it.
You see, these simple, picture filled books taught me far more than I realized at the time, about God and His truth. Little did I know as a small child, night after night, the Lord was using these books to draw me to Himself. To show me who He was in all of His power and wisdom and holiness. To reveal to me His grace and mercy and love through Christ.
Perhaps your story is similar to mine. Maybe you also remember reading these types of books with your parents when you were young.
Or perhaps your story is different. Maybe you grew up in a home where books were not read to you, let alone books about God. But now you want to change that with your own kids.
Whatever your life story might be, here’s what I know: There is no greater privilege and responsibility given to parents than passing on the truths of God and His Word to the next generation. And there is no greater joy than seeing these children come to know and love the Lord! The truth is, whether you are a parent, a grandparent, an aunt, uncle, or friend, our great God wants to use you to help point His little ones to Himself.
The book you are holding has been written to help you in this!
Let me share three specific ways this book is unique and how you and your kids can get the most out of it.
#1. A theology book for little kids? Yep.
This is a book written with the specific purpose of helping young children understand basic theological truths about the nature of God…who He is and what He is like. To be specific, there are ten biblical attributes (or characteristics) of God taught in the pages of this book. As you will soon see, “Chunk the Chipmunk” is a great theology teacher!
One of the most important things we can do is help children, from a very young age, understand who exactly God is. Not who He is according to the world, but who He is according to His Word. We must help our kids know God rightly, that they might walk with Him joyfully and faithfully throughout their lives.
#2. The power (and fun!) of memorization.
You will notice that with each of the ten attributes, I have included a simple summation statement of the attribute, along with a basic Bible verse that goes along with it. These are included for you to memorize together with your child, if you desire to do so.
For example, the summation statement for “Truth #6” is:
God is faithfulto His promises.
This is followed by Psalm 33:4, which reads,
Psalm 33:4 - The Lord’s word is true,and he is faithful in everything he does.
Memorizing both the statement and the verse can be a fun and effective way to more deeply ingrain these timeless truths about God into the hearts and minds of your children (and yourself!). Again, make it fun! Your kids will love this if you lead them in it joyfully!
If it is too much to memorize both the statement and the verse, my recommendation is to start with the simple summation statement. Even the smallest of kiddos can pick these short phrases up fairly easily, filling their little minds with a nugget of biblical and doctrinal truth.
#3. Spend time with the illustrations!
As you will see, the illustrations throughout this book are amazing, designed to capture the imagination of your kids. Kyle Riggins is one of the most gifted illustrators I have ever met, and it was a joy to work with him on this project. More than anything, Kyle is a man of God who loves Jesus and loves to help bring the truths of God’s Word alive through his artwork. Especially to kids! He has done just that on each page of this book. Don’t rush past the pictures! In fact, use these colorful and creative illustrations to spark deeper conversation with your children as you enjoy them together.
I pray this book will be a source of great joy, learning, and even worship, for you and your children.
Together, may you grow in your knowledge and love of our great, great God!
