Mighty Acts of God by Starr Meade

From the book cover:
From the  creation of the world and everything in it, to a massive flood that destroyed it all; from the dramatic exodus of God’s people from bondage in Egypt, ot the earthquake that released Paul and Silas from jail; from Gideon leading a tiny army of Israelites to victory over the Midianites, to Jesus dying on the cross in ultimate victory over sin – the Bible is full of powerful stories of the mighty acts of God.

In this book, parents and children alike will discover the Almighty God in Scripture. Ninety beautifully illustrated Bible stories are retold in lively modern-day language, teaching particular truths about God’s character. Each story is followed by a section of application with discussion-sparking questions and prayer points that will make family devotions a time of discovery and worship.

From the Crossway website:
"Do as David did. Don't do as Saul did. Follow this Old Testament person, but not that New Testament person." That's what you may find in many Bible story books. In Mighty Acts of God Starr Meade takes a new approach to teaching the Bible to elementary school aged children: she focuses not on characters in Scripture, but on God. Each of the ninety Bible stories included focus on a particular character trait or truth about God, emphasizing that God is the main character in every Bible story.

Each story in Mighty Acts of God is retold in lively, modern-day language from a Reformed perspective, and is followed by an application section with several discussion-sparking questions and prayer points. By moving chronologically through both the Old and New Testaments, parents and children glimpse the person of God as one of consistency, vibrancy, passion, and love.

Starr Meade is a graduate of Arizona College of the Bible and the author of Training Hearts, Training Minds and Keeping Holiday. She currently teaches homeschool students in Mesa, AZ.

Heidi Says . . . We really like this  book.  When I first saw it, I thought it might be just the thing that Gracie and I needed to start off our homeschool days, and I was right!  I have her read the “verse of the day” to me, then I read the lesson.  At the end, we do the discussion questions together.  We don’t always do all of  them; but, rather, I pick and choose the ones that I think most apply to her.  Some of the questions are great suggestions for written assignments (though I don’t think that was the author’s intent – but we homeschoolers tend to adapt things to meet our personal needs). 

I love that Mighty Acts of God takes a chronological approach to the Scriptures. I’ve found that things work best for me when they are orderly.  Plus, it just makes more sense that way! 

There are “summary statements” shown in colored text throughout the lessons.  These seem to sum up what the lesson is about and introduce basic doctrines that are important to know.  I have Gracie write each of these statements out – she’s keeping a running notebook page of all of them.  Writing them seems to help cement them in her mind; and doubles as copywork. 

Words that children may not know the meanings of, as well as theological terms, are bolded throughout. These would make great starting points for discussion also.  I might recommend keeping a “Mighty Acts of God Dictionary” and having your child look these terms up in a Bible dictionary. 

All-in-all, I’d recommend this book for any family with elementary-aged children. It would also make a great family devotional tool.

NOTE: I received this book free of charge as part of the Crossway blog review program. I was not compensated for this review in any other way, and the thoughts expressed herein are my own.