The Family Bible Devotional

This devotional is absolutely AMAZING. Up until receiving a copy of this book for review, I was completely unfamiliar with Sarah Wells and her writing. As soon as I picked up this book, I knew I was going to love her. Often, family devotionals can be shallow or cheesy. This is not at all the case with Sarah's book. As an adult, I enjoyed it, and I know that families in my ministry will love it too.
Her use of various Scripture translations and the inclusion of the whole text within the devotional was a great asset to the book. PLUS, the way she phrased the discussion questions in such a way that will keep kids engaged but provoke deep discussion. Her love for Scripture, as well as her willingness to wrestle with it come through on every turn.
I am excited for this book to get into the hands of those I serve in ministry - I believe it will be an incredible asset to their family devotional lives and spiritual growth.

Our family is still working through this one. So far, we really like it. It has opened us to some really great family conversations, giving us the ability to explain things to our three daughters. Would recommend to other families.

I love God, love the Bible and love Family so I knew this book was for me.

This is the first book I read by Sarah M. Wells. Because I'm an enthusiastic reader, blogger and educator I had the honor to receive a copy in advance to give an honest review, and what a blessing it was!

I tend to read authors who are already "preferred" to me. However, from time to time I like to add a book by an author that I still do not read or know, I've had pleasant surprises doing it! (I admit: I have also had some disappointments). If you are like me, I invite you not to engage with just some authors, but also to give opportunities to new ones for you in your regular readings.

The title is precisely what you will find in the book, biblical devotionals for the family. As a mom and teacher, working with children in a regular basis, I truly value when I find good material for them. I know several devotionals and each one has a unique touch. The goal of this one is to cultivate healthy conversations between parents and children about the Bible stories. The goal is to understand how to see ourselves as part of God's
story and how we can relate and engage with Him. It is intended for families who want to be intentional in giving a biblical vision to their children of life and want to do it in a practical and memorable way.

I think this book it is useful for families with children in elementary school (although the children who are in secondary school can also benefit from it, they will do it more by being patient and learning with their younger siblings). At the time of receiving this book, my son is 11 years old and my girl 7 and they found the book enjoyable, we are going to keep going through the pages this year. Something I value from the author is her sincerity to admit that she likes to read, and not so much "to do activities" with children (as most moms), so if you are like that. You will feel identified and can expect achievable activities, simple and always related to the subject.

If you find this an extensive book, I would recommend that you do not hurry in your reading and that if it takes you even more than a year to read it, do so. Do it to enjoy and not as a mandatory item more in your list of duties I think it's very important to "try" a book with your own children, which she did. You can read one of the 52 stories each week and the ones you have very busy according to your schedule and activities and continue quietly next week.

What you can expect from the book is that each story is divided into these parts: A story preparation section, the Bible reading section, the talking section, the concluding thinking section, invitation to prayer and an activity.

I like to read books by real mothers, who know how children are, how much it costs to maintain their attention and interest, and that they provide real and useful tools for the home, honoring God with their words.

I would recommend this book for families that educate at home, use as devotional material and activities. Also for new parents who do not have or have not had experience working with children before, or who do not have creative ideas to leave important concepts in their memory. It can also be useful for someone in charge of children from a small group that meets weekly. If you do not educate at home and you feel that you do not have time to prepare something to teach your children, if your life is too busy you can also benefit from
its content.

If you are a person who has a lot of time in the gospel and a lot of time working with children, you are a teacher or very easily in creative ideas, or you have given many Bible classes to children you might think you do not have much again, but even so you can benefit from how the author organized the ideas and activities, to refresh yours and enjoy your reading.

So glad to find Sarah. A pleasure to have known her through her words (they are as pretty as she is!)

The Family Devotional Bible is a wonderful resource for families that want to be having time together to read, discuss, and reflect on Bible stories but want to have some support in coming up with questions or activities to enhance the experience.

Each story has:
1) Set Up, where context is given to frame the reading, often with a teaser regarding what is going to be read;
2) The biblical text;
3) Talk About It and Let's Talk About It: here is where you will find both general warm-up questions to get the children comfortable talking when there's not a right or wrong answer as well as some more specific and thoughtful questions;
4) Closing Thought: there's a summary with some additional reflections to reinforce the text and insights from conversation;
5) Prayer Prompt: this could include guided suggestions, a prayer from the Bible that can be read, and so on;
6) Activity: hands-on suggestions for activities or crafts the family can do together;
7) Pop Out: some insight to something related to what was read (for instance, in the section Jesus on the Cross, the Pop Out teaches about the four gospels and their four audiences; in the section Jacob's Giant Family, the Pop Out shares why it was important to have sons in biblical times

While the stories begin matching up with the ordering in the Bible, with multiple stories from Genesis, that format is not continued throughout. We go from Genesis to John, then back to Genesis, then Luke, and so on. This can be helpful for families who want to be reading from both the Old and New Testaments without having to flip back and forth.

After going through this devotional, I expect families would feel confident to read straight from the Bible and, using this as a model, be able to come up with questions and activities as their own, even if they'd initially been intimidated.

The Family Bible Devotional offers a refreshing way to explore the Word of God as a family, challenging adults and children alike. While maintaining scripture as narrative, each devotional features a story that enables families to dive deeper through open-ended prompts for questions, discussion, prayer, exploration, and hands-on activities. Children can truly be active learners throughout each study! Meanwhile parents will equally be stretched as each devotional is sure to engender interesting and thought-provoking questions. The author keeps scripture fresh to the reader through using different versions/paraphrase of the Bible and weaving together Old and New Testament encounters. I appreciate that the author encourages readers to use what works out of the devotional for their particular family and lifestyle. The book has the capacity to shed new insights about God and the Word throughout multiple life seasons.

I love the emphasis on digging into the Bible in this family devotional. Often devotionals include one verse of scripture to go with a non-scripture story. This makes the Bible passage the core and focus of the family discussion. Includes the passage so you don't have to have a separate Bible unless you personally want to make notes during the study. There's background information, questions, kid-friendly activities, and a prayer prompt. Stories are from the Old and New Testament and in NIV, NLT, Message and NRSV translations.

The Family Bible Devotional by Sarah M. Wells, Discovery House Publishers

So excited about this title It will be released on August 1, 2018. You can pre order NOW! #Amazon #NetGalley #BarnesAndNoble

I would recommend this book for families that educate at home, use as devotional material and activities. Also for new parents who do not have or have not had experience working with children before, or who do not have creative ideas to leave important concepts in their memory. It can also be useful for someone in charge of children from a small group that meets weekly. If you do not educate at home and you feel that you do not have time to prepare something to teach your children, if your life is too busy you can also benefit from
its content.

I love God, I love the Bible, I love my Family and I really enjoy to read so I knew this book was for me!

This is the first book I read by Sarah M. Wells. I had the honor to receive a copy in advance to give an honest review, and what a blessing it was!

I tend to read authors who are already "preferred" to me. However, from time to time I like to add a book by an author that I still do not read or know, I've had pleasant surprises doing it! (I admit: I have also had some disappointments). If you are like me, I invite you not to engage with just some authors, but also to give opportunities to new ones for you in your regular readings.

The title is precisely what you will find in the book, biblical devotionals for the family. As a mom and teacher, working with children in a regular basis, I truly value when I find good material for them. I know several devotionals and each one has a unique touch. The goal of this one is to cultivate healthy conversations between parents and children about the Bible stories. The goal is to understand how to see ourselves as part of God's story and how we can relate and engage with Him. It is intended for families who want to be intentional in giving a biblical vision to their children of life and want to do it in a practical and memorable way.

I think this book it is useful for families with children in elementary school (although the children who are in secondary school can also benefit from it, they will do it more by being patient and learning with their younger siblings). At the time of receiving this book, my son is 11 years old and my girl 7 and they found the book enjoyable, we are going to keep going through the pages this year. Something I value from the author is her sincerity to admit that she likes to read, and not so much "to do activities" with children (as most moms), so if you are like that. You will feel identified and can expect achievable activities, simple and always related to the subject.

If you find this an extensive book, I would recommend that you do not hurry in your reading and that if it takes you even more than a year to read it, do so. Do it to enjoy and not as a mandatory item more in your list of duties I think it's very important to "try" a book with your own children, which she did. You can read one of the 52 stories each week and the ones you have very busy according to your schedule and activities and continue quietly next week.

What you can expect from the book is that each story is divided into these parts: A story preparation section, the Bible reading section, the talking section, the concluding thinking section, invitation to prayer and an activity.

I like to read books by real mothers, who know how children are, how much it costs to maintain their attention and interest, and that they provide real and useful tools for the home, honoring God with their words.

If you are a person who has a lot of time in the gospel and a lot of time working with children, you are a teacher or very easily in creative ideas, or you have given many Bible classes to children you might think you do not have much again, but even so you can benefit from how the author organized the ideas and activities, to refresh yours and enjoy your reading.

So glad to find Sarah. A pleasure to have known her through her words (they are as pretty as she is!)

The subtitle describes this book well:”Stories from the Bible to help Kids and parents engage & love scripture”. What the author has done is to compile a set of 50+ devotionals for parents to share with their children.

After briefly giving some brief suggestions on using the material found in the book, each of the 52 devotions follows a similar pattern:

1. A one-paragraph description of the setting for the chosen text.
2. The week’s scripture is quoted using The Message
3. Some suggested Bible study questions and provide an opportunity for each member of the family to ask their own questions
4. “A Closing Thought” summarizing the lessons that may have come from the passage
5. A “Prayer Prompt” based on the lesson is provided
6. An activity is suggested to help all participants cement the lesson
7. Each lesson concludes with a “Pop out” - a bit of trivia, from scripture, history, culture, etc.

Though my kids are long gone from home, this year’s collection of studies is among the best I have seen for use in family worship. It would make a great gift for a church to make to families with middle school or junior high school students. With a bit of work and patience, it might even be used with a younger family. Though not designed for a church setting, it might also be used as the basis for the weekly study with a small youth group.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.

I think the devotions are good, but the length and depth of each one lend more to a family Bible study or many a Bible class for a homeschooling Mom. It is a great devotional just something my family could do every day.
I do think the content and the order of each devotion is thoughtful and very valuable.

The Family Bible Devotional
By Sarah M. Wells

This family devotional is EPIC. It has everything you need for you and your family to explore and experience Gods Word together.

There are different sections to each reading. “Setting up the Story” section gives you some context to what you are about to read. The passage is shared next to read together followed by a “Talk About It” section that provides questions to explore the text and initiate conversation. “Closing Though” brings everything talked about and read together as it sums things up. A prayer prompt is next. One to two activities that relate to the story is shared. The last thing shared is some fun thoughts or facts that are related to the passage. Wow! That is a lot to get from a devotional.

As a parent, I can struggle to get all these things thought and planned for my family so I am so grateful this book is an all-in-one wonder! Each evening we read this book together I find myself spiritually inspired and see the wheels turning in my 7 year- olds mind as he contemplates what he understands and believes. This is a book to add to your read list!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion which I shared here!

Love so far, a great bible devotional for the whole family. Have been using with my family (husband and 3 kids: 10, 7, and 6) and have really enjoyed it.

i enjoyed the material covered in this book. There was a lot to read over and it really hit home for me. Well written and flowed well.

What an excellent resource for families who don’t want to just read the Bible together. But rather, want to engage with one another! Scripture readings, questions, prayer prompts and activities! I can’t wait for my little one to be a bit older to share this with her!

A big thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me privilege to read and review this book!

Thank you Discovery House Publishers for an ARC of this book.

This was a really useful book for families wishing to explore the bible in greater depth together. It was set out well and easy to read, dipping in and out of devotions of your choosing,.

This is a fun devotional to do with the family. I did this as sort of a "game" night kind of study and we thoroughly enjoyed the studies and questions.

The Family Bible Devotional is a hearty resource which consists of 52 bible readings, discussion questions, and background information, and prayer prompts. I love the premise of encouraging parents to open the bible alongside children to explore together as a family what the Bible says. This is one sure way to cultivate a vibrant faith in the lives of your children - by living it and setting an example in front of them. The format of each devotion is very helpful for teaching children a learning format for bible study. One thing I wasn't sure about in reviewing the book, was that it wasn't chronological, although it was thematically structured. There are pros and cons to this, as scripture is a story of the promise to God's chosen people & the blessing of Christ - so the story arc is very important. Sometimes things get missed when we only focus on themes or takeaways over context, original audience, and languages. This is a great jumping off point but I wouldn't use it as my only resource of a family devotion. You can simply just read scripture direct from the pages aloud to your kids! No need to add the fluff and leave out important details. Instead, model true bible study and devotion with the bible itself. I appreciate the sentiment of this devotional, but perhaps because of that - the title is misleading. It could have been "52 weeks of bible devotions" or focusing on a theme; By stating its a "bible devotional" one would expect (or I would presume) to follow the story arc of scripture, much in the same way that "The Story" does - even so far as filling in the gaps to explain what happens here and there and why the full story isn't included. If you have read The Story, you will know what I mean by that. Perhaps I had the wrong expectation for the format, although I do feel the title is misleading. If you open this with the understanding that it is a supplement and not a substitute for reading the scriptures as a family, then that is preferable! Overall a good resource, just missed the mark I expected based on the title and description.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to review.