While I am a (very proud) mom to two boys. I was so excited and honoured when multi-award winning author, Lauren Jacobs, reached out to see if I would be willing to review her new book, “Bold Bible Girls” which immediately made me think of the special memories I had with my own mom as a little girl. I don’t ever recall having a favourite bedtime story but I do remember my mom spent time each night reading from a Bible for Little Girls and their Mothers. At the time, I didn’t realise it but now, thinking back, the small daily habit of my mom spending time with me each night, reading stories and then using the provided prompts to discuss her own childhood, challenges she faced and how she overcame them was exceptionally impactful and is now considered a treasured memory.

I don’t underestimate the power of affirmations and speaking confidence into our children, which is exactly what Lauren has achieved through her new book, “Bold Bible Girls” which highlights the overlooked lives of Bible girls with the vision to inspire young girls to see themselves as competent and strong individuals. I love that more and more books, movies and media are over-turning the narrative that girls need a prince in shining armour to rescue them when really, they’re talented, creative and capable.

Lauren is a badass woman in her own right. Seriously, I am almost glad I didn’t know who she was before she emailed me because I would most certainly have embarrassed myself fangirling. Lauren is passionate about the forgotten narratives of Biblical women. She has a BA in English, Psychology, and a Masters in Divinity, and presents biblical truth through the art of storytelling. She has been a theology scholar and bible teacher for over a decade and presents a variety of women’s teachings to over 15,000 subscribers each week. Her debut historical novel Yehudit Chosen by God, won the Desmond Tutu – Gerrit Brand award in 2017. This was followed by her USA win, the Next Generation Indie Book Award for best Christian Fiction for her second title Shelamzion Queen of Israel in 2019. Lauren’s work as a social justice Biography journalist has led her to write dozens of articles on global issues facing women and the girl child. Her work has appeared in magazines, curriculum, anthologies, journals and her poetry has been used by abuse and rape survivors. Bella Magazine named Lauren, “South Africa’s very own Wonder Woman.” She is an ordained minister and co-leads a global teaching ministry with her husband. She serves as an advisory board member for a global advocacy organisation working in Kenya with refugee girls, and she hosts her own weekly talk show on Radio Cape Pulpit.

I don’t usually share author biographies as part of a book review, but I think it’s so important to know where this book comes from. Knowing very little about Lauren, myself, I can say just by reading this that the messages she teaches in her book for children is exactly what she lives each day and I feel that we need to be featuring and talking more about the Wonder Women in our communities, like Lauren, who are fighting the good fight, empowering our girls and leading the way in their respective industries.

Bold Bible Girls shines the light and shares the stories of 12 brave role models who every little girl can learn a lesson from. This is not your typical religious children’s book but instead, it is fierce, passionately driven and gutsy with themes that touch on leadership, bravery, social justice, compassion, kindness, owning what it means to “be a girl,” and more. The illustrations are beautiful and proudly diverse, with each one representing a different girl from across the globe.

Each story is accompanied by a devotional section with prompts to think, pray, and talk, giving parents and their daughters the space to reflect and share examples and themes in their own lives which relate to those of the Bible girls seen in the story. Just like my own personal story, where I shared how the daily devotional time with my mom was something that I looked forward to, I love that this provides moms and daughters with the opportunity to bond and learn more about one another through prompted conversation points

Growing up, I was blessed to be raised by strong women who constantly encouraged me to be fierce in my pursuit for what sets my heart on fire. They showed me that what some label as “overly emotional” was truly my empathy and what others may call too loud, was really just me challenging the norm. I grew up with confidence (not without insecurities) and the belief that I could make my dreams a reality – something I still very much believe. And it’s this sort of upbringing which lead me to unintentionally walking into a male-dominated industry, where I have worked twice as hard, but have very proudly taken my seat at the table where I know I belong. So, while I am a boy mom, I do believe that books like these play an incredible role in moulding little girls, which is why I chose to share this review, with the hope that every girl mom and parent decides to pick it up and spend time speaking confidence and boldness to their own little girl.

You can get your copy of Bold Bible Girls from Lauren’s Online Book Store here.

Megan Kelly Botha

I’m a coffee-wielding mood reader and romance book collector who may or may not have a slight addiction to buying books. I read a variety of sub-genres within romance, including rom-coms, dark romance, and fantasy. I love sharing my thoughts on books, whether it’s through book reviews, quotes, or recommendations inspired by my current reads. Through my romance book blog, Literary Inspired, I aim to provide in-depth book reviews, curated reading recommendations, and exclusive author promotions. I’m passionate about supporting indie authors and sharing my latest book discoveries with others. When I’m not reading, you can find me cheering on my favorite football team and F1 drivers, crafting, baking with my kids or playing with my pets.

literaryinspired.com/

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I was recently sent a beautiful hamper of Struik Christian Media books which I have slowly been working my way through, and one that immediately caught my eye is the lovely, Growing Together is a devotional featuring devotions for all families by Ewald and Beatrix van Rensberg.

I really love how simple and easy this devotional is to use, it features conversation starters, bible verses, stories and more. Each week, family members are encouraged to share the best and worse moments of their day, and my favourite is the prompt for family members to share where they encountered Jesus and to talk about something or someone that reminded them of Him. This small and simple prompt encourages us to look for more of Jesus in the people we encounter each day and has a pleasant impact on our day-to-day interactions. From there, the devotional takes you through a Bible reading, followed by a story, a fun activity, a prayer, a prompt to partake in random act of kindness and a section for parents which provides tips and advice for reinforcing the lesson of the week, with a space to write down notes.

Devotional time as a family can be an incredible way to encourage children to grow and explore their faith. As we already know, children learn from what we do, and by giving them the opportunity to observe and learn from us during devotional time, they too are encouraged to seek Him in their own quiet time and are familiar with how to praise, pray and worship our Father. I really love that devotional time encourages children to turn their eyes to Him, and gently creates the practice of spending time in His word, learning, meditating, seeking and praising Him for His works while also making God the centre of family time.

Personally, I find that creating time for family devotions has meant forcing myself to step away – both mentally and physically – from the other distractions in life, and allows me to spend time openly chatting and encouraging my children to explore their relationship with God.

I recently learnt that my 6-year-old son is too shy to pray, and prefers when I pray for our family because he feels that there is a right and wrong way to pray, so I have been spending more and more time encouraging him to pray and showing him that praying is simply talking to God. This sort of conversation was only prompted because my child feels safe and secure in discussing matters of faith – it’s not something he would have openly admitted to other family members or a teacher, and it’s something that he could have very easily grown up believing if it weren’t for our family devotional time. Now, I am ensuring he has the tools so that he can build and explore his faith confidently, not worrying that he will be judged by the size of his prayers.

Growing Together is a fantastic addition to any bookshelf and has proven to be an amazing resource for families who want to actively seek time with Him. I love the important conversations it has prompted and that it mindfully helps both children and parents navigate this special time spent with Him, as a family. Besides the insightful lessons and stories that this book hold, it also encourages families to practise kindness and to look for Him in each and every day, transforming every encounter into an opportunity to connect with God.

You can purchase your copy of Growing Together fro CUM Books, Loot, and other leading book stores. 

Do you make time for devotions, as a family? I would love to hear what books and resources you’re using, how has it helped your children?

Megan Kelly Botha

I’m a coffee-wielding mood reader and romance book collector who may or may not have a slight addiction to buying books. I read a variety of sub-genres within romance, including rom-coms, dark romance, and fantasy. I love sharing my thoughts on books, whether it’s through book reviews, quotes, or recommendations inspired by my current reads. Through my romance book blog, Literary Inspired, I aim to provide in-depth book reviews, curated reading recommendations, and exclusive author promotions. I’m passionate about supporting indie authors and sharing my latest book discoveries with others. When I’m not reading, you can find me cheering on my favorite football team and F1 drivers, crafting, baking with my kids or playing with my pets.

literaryinspired.com/

The post Growing Together Devotional Review appeared first on Cup of Faith.

Having two boys 3 years apart has meant that Axl and Eli often like very different things right from the clothes they wear, to the toys they play with, the shows that they watch and even the books and Bible stories we read. Determined to assert his independence and “big boy” status, Axl is quick to say when a book is “for babies” which makes bedtime stories especially tricky and has meant I am always looking for new books to add to his “Big Kid” collection.

Here are 3 books and Bibles that are Big Kid-approved:

The Big Kids’ Little Bible

The Big Kids’ Little Bible is ideal for 3-6-year-olds and features a super simple format, that retells all our favourite Bible stories in an engaging and easy to understand way. I like that all the stories are quick (less than 5-minutes long), leaving us with lots of time to discuss and answer all the “whys” that follow each story, before praying and going to bed. The font is big, making it ideal for early readers and gives the opportunity for older siblings to read aloud for everyone. I also love that the illustrations are colourful, bold and great for engaging little minds while being read to.  Best of all is that this Little Bible is compact so kids can take it with to Sunday School or even when you go away on holiday and don’t necessarily have space to cart around all their beloved kiddies’ Bibles.

God’s Got an Answer For That

For the older kids who are aged 8-12 years old, God’s Got an Answer for That helps teach young minds that God cares about the challenges and fears that they face, by providing practical help through His Word. While this book is targeted at pre-teens, I had a great deal of fun myself paging through it, and can’t wait for Axl to be old enough to become his own little sleuth when presented with everyday problems and encouraged to look to the Bible for a solution. I love that this book provides kids with all the right tools to teach them the ability to seek Biblical wisdom when navigating real-world problems and feel like this is one of those books that can have a huge impact on a child’s faith journey.

Search and Find Bible Stories

Search and Find Bible Stories has kids adventuring through the Bible in an exciting and totally new way and if you area “Where’s Waldo” fanatic, you’ll LOVE every page. Filled with all our favourite and most cherished Bible stories like the story of Creation, Noah’s Ark, Samson, and Jesus in the Temple, this Bible brings out the competitive side and can keep you and your kids busy for hours on end! Not only is there a story on each page that’s accompanied by questions, but there are also all sorts of activities from search and find, to spot the difference and even a naughty little monkey who finds himself in all sorts of funny and peculiar situations on every page. Search and Find Bible Stories makes reading the Bible loads of fun and keeps kids (and adults) busy which is especially helpful during load-shedding – I cannot recommend this book more!

Has your Big Kid recently finished a new book or bible that kept them engaged for hours? Pop your suggestions and comments below, so I can take a look and add to Axl’s collection.

Megan Kelly Botha

I’m a coffee-wielding mood reader and romance book collector who may or may not have a slight addiction to buying books. I read a variety of sub-genres within romance, including rom-coms, dark romance, and fantasy. I love sharing my thoughts on books, whether it’s through book reviews, quotes, or recommendations inspired by my current reads. Through my romance book blog, Literary Inspired, I aim to provide in-depth book reviews, curated reading recommendations, and exclusive author promotions. I’m passionate about supporting indie authors and sharing my latest book discoveries with others. When I’m not reading, you can find me cheering on my favorite football team and F1 drivers, crafting, baking with my kids or playing with my pets.

literaryinspired.com/

The post 3 Books that your Big Kid Will Love appeared first on Cup of Faith.