|
______________________________________________
“Go ahead, Mom, you could
write an Old Testament book for children.”
This was the encouragement from my grown
son to begin writing the first book in a new Bible for Children series. Bible storybooks fill the shelves of
bookstores everywhere, and there’s no lack of Bible textbooks. So why
write another book? What would make mine any different? To answer these
important and difficult questions, I found that I first had to answer this:
why did God write the Bible for us?
The Bible is not an adventure book about brave men
who did courageous feats for God. These Old Testament men were fearful, weak,
and not particularly notable. Most of them succumbed to discouragement,
unbelief, and sin in their lives. Only when God equipped them and gave
them faith could they do mighty things. So the Bible is really God’s
story, and He is the main character, and he has something important to tell
us.
Beginning in Eden
a thread runs through the Biblical narrative, weaving in and out. This thread
is the Lord’s promise to His people: “I will be your God, and you
will be My people.” The mighty God, Creator of heaven and earth, wants
to have a relationship with his people, and with us. What an amazing
thought. This is what the Bible is about!
In a world where families fall apart and promises have little meaning,
children need to know that the Lord God makes promises and keeps them. He
never gives up on those that He loves. He’s always faithful, and
He’s always with them. This book is written not so that children just
know things about God, but learn to know God himself in a personal,
relational way.
I hope for Scripture to come alive for
children as they read the stories, sparking their interest and imagination.
They will see Biblical characters as real people who struggled with the same
doubts and feelings that they have, but the Lord always loved them anyway.
At many points what I was writing came alive in
surprising and personal ways. One night, very late, I sat down to review my
day’s writing, the story of the end of Moses’ life on Mt. Nebo.
The house was silent, and I was alone, curled up in my favorite chair. All
day I had been frantically writing, aware that deadlines were rapidly approaching,
but, now, exhausted from the day’s work, I relaxed and immersed myself
in the storylines I had written that day. As I read over the narrative, I
pictured Moses, feeble and weary, climbing up the rocky slopes of Mt. Nebo.
Because of his disobedience, Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised
Land. There on top of the mountain, it was as though I was eavesdropping on
an intimate conversation between Moses and His God.
“See, there it is,” said the Lord. “There’s the land
I promised. It’s just as magnificent as I said it would be, and look
how far it reaches, all the way to the western sea. The promise I made to
Abraham, today you are seeing it fulfilled.”
The Lord didn’t have to show Moses the Promised Land. Moses could have
died in the wilderness and never have seen the fulfillment of all his labors.
But because He loved  Moses, and because
Moses was faithful through the years despite his disobedience in striking the
rock, the Lord honored Moses with this beautiful panoramic glimpse of the
Promised Land before tenderly calling him home into His arms.
I had spent weeks with Moses, retelling his
constant frustration with the rebellious Israelites, his intense
conversations with the Lord over Israel’s unfaithfulness,
and I knew that I would miss him. He became more than a character in a Bible
story and it was as though I had journeyed with him, wandering through the
dreadful wilderness, and there in the stillness of my living room I cried.
They were tears of grief; no longer would I be writing about this faithful
servant of God. Yet, they were also tears of joy. How glad I was that Moses
had finished his life well, and was allowed to see the fruit of his labor and
fulfillment of God’s promise. How incredible it was to think that the
Lord wants to have the same intimate fellowship with me as he had with
Moses!
The best preparation for life we can give our
children is to know their God. I hope with this book, to help children grasp
the fundamental truth that God wants to have a relationship with them, and
that the God who makes promises, faithfully keeps them.
Read more information and view sample chapters of Bible for
Children, Book One
|
|
|
Claire A. Larsen holds a B.A. in Psychology from Covenant College
and a Masters degree in Counseling from Biblical Theological Seminary. Along
with writing, she works as a professional counselor. Claire is also the
author of children's Sunday School curriculum, and short stories and has been
published in Jack and Jill magazine. She is the mother of three grown
sons, Aaron, Nathan and Jonathan, and is the proud grandmother of one
grandchild, Lauren. Claire lives with her husband David in Harrisburg,
PA.
|
Classical
Academic Press
3920 Market Street
Camp Hill, PA 17011
ph: 866-730-0711
info@classicalsubjects.com
Visit our Website
|
