Guest Blog: Family Movie Night with What’s in the Bible

What’s in the Bible? Church Edition Review from Staci Travisano

November 19, 2010Comment

This fall at Glenkirk Church in Glendora, CA we tested What’s In the Bible: Church Edition during our midweek programming because that’s our primary church hosted vehicle for discipleship. This curriculum dares to color outside the lines of the large group teaching format by offering adjustable program formats along with small group offerings and interactive lesson guides.

Each video segment was not only entertaining but full of so many important details that even our older kids and adult leaders who might not be engaged by puppets, were actively challenged to process concepts within their small groups. In fact, we’ve also considered using portions of this curriculum for our Intro to the Bible class for adults.

Our small group leaders were encouraged in the faith development this curriculum fostered within small groups, as this program truly encouraged discipleship through relationship. Week after week, parents were amazed about how much their kids were able to retain from each lesson. As a team, we were most impressed with how What’s In the Bible: Church Edition was able to tackle complex questions like Creation, and topics like Patriarchal History in an engaging and effective format.

Follow Staci on Twitter at: @StaciTrav

Henry Zonio’s Review of the What’s in the Bible? Church Edition

November 18, 2010Comment

When the first What’s in the Bible DVDs came out, I was privileged to be able to preview the first two volumes. As I watched the videos with my kids, my first thought was, “When’s the curriculum coming out?!?” Well, that time has come! The first volume of the What’s in the Bible curriculum was released this Monday.

A little while back I had the chance to test out the curriculum on my family. After our recent move, we decided to homeschool our children, and I thought that What’s in the Bible would be a perfect addition to our curriculum at home. Since the curriculum is written with a church setting in mind, I did have to adapt some of the activities a bit, but it worked amazingly. All four of my children (ages 3, 5, 9, and 11) were able to engage the material at their own levels. The genius with which Phil Vischer is able to engage multiple audiences coupled with the activities that go along with selected video clips caught the attention of my children and helped each of them learn something about the Bible that they had not known before.

If you homeschool your children and have been struggling to find some sort of Bible curriculum out there to use, search no longer! While the What’s in the Bible curriculum is targeted at churches, the material is easily adaptable for homeschooling situations. For that matter, the curriculum is also easily adaptable for a family looking for some new family devotional material.

If you’d like to talk with me further about ideas on using What’s in the Bible curriculum in a homeschooling setting or for family devotions, you can reach me at Elemental CM.

Another Review of What’s in the Bible? Church Edition

November 17, 20101 Comment

A little over a month ago the Children’s Ministry at Evangelical Free Church of Wauconda, IL had a chance to test What’s in the Bible? Church Edition and we greatly enjoyed the opportunity. The new curriculum based on the What’s in the Bible? DVDs provided a great break and helped teach some Bible basics while keeping the children actively engaged.

I’ll be honest, the curriculum will work best if you are used to a video driven model (like KIDMO), which we are not. Nonetheless, our children live in a video-driven world and they easily made the transition to the video-activity- video-activity sequence. There were a few bugs that the team needed to work out, still, our children enjoyed the characters, the songs, and the learning.

As a parent, I’ve appreciated the solid teaching from Jelly-Telly.com and the What’s in the Bible? DVDs so the curriculum seemed to be another way to promote basic Bible understanding to parents. As a Children’s minister, I appreciated it’s ease of use and the engagement of our children.

We used it in our 90-min children’s church and, while it’s not yet been incorporated into our scope and sequence, we plan to find a place to use it on a regular basis. It’s something that we can use as a filler, as part of a regular program, or when we lack a large group teacher. If you think that there will ever be a week in your ministry where you’ll need something quick and simple, you cannot go wrong by having this as a backup. However, if you can find a place to use it regularly I’m sure you and your children will benefit greatly.

A Beta Test Review of What’s in the Bible? Church Edition

November 15, 2010Comment

Hi! I’m Deborah, the Children’s Director at First United Methodist Church of Port St. Joe, FL and we had a lot of fun trying out the new What’s in the Bible? Church Curriculum. I really think that the What’s in the Bible? team is putting together something that may change the face of Children’s Ministry. It morphs technology and old school puppetry in a way that I have never seen before. It also took difficult material and made it easy for kids to understand and grasp. As an adult, I found the videos tremendously funny and watched as the kids laughed and laughed. Some of them are still asking me if we can watch the Sunday School Lady sing the “I’ve got a book” song. Meanwhile, they are still asking me questions about the first video we watched. During the viewing, a few of them were saying, “really??” This makes me think they were actually listening and maybe even absorbing this information! Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

If you are considering using the What’s in the Bible? curriculum, my suggestion would be to tweak the games so they work just right for your group. For instance, I had a volunteer lead the Clive & Ian game for Lesson 1. She had the boys lined up on one side & the girls lined up on the other. The two kids in the front answered the questions. After they answered (right or wrong), they moved to the back of the line and the next one took their turn. And the boys won, by the way. I guess they were paying more attention!

Overall, this curriculum is awesome and I am so glad I got to test it out! Hope you have as much fun as my group did!

Follow Deborah on twitter @dkloyless

Guest Blog: Discipleship Training for a new generation

August 19, 20101 Comment

Today’s guest blog is from our friend Melissa, a self-proclaimed “What’s in the Bible? evangelist”:

I consider myself to be a “What’s in the Bible?” evangelist. Why, you might ask? Well, their names are AJ and Joanna and they’re 3.5 and 1.5.

You see, when I was a kid, the Southern Baptist church where I grew up used the standard set of SB curricula which was split into three primary parts – Sunday School where we learned Bible stories and values; Mission Friends/GAs/RAs where we learned about putting our faith into practice through evangelism, service, and missions; and Discipleship Training (or School of Disciples) where we learned about church history, the over-arching themes of the Bible, the layout of the Bible, and why we believe what we believe.

Even when I was a child, DT was fading away. I believe it ended at our church when I graduated into the youth group and my mom lost her vested interest in teaching it. Since then, the church as a whole has shifted its focus to becoming more “seeker-sensitive.” Even the missions organizations at our church have become more like Sunday School and less about learning to serve others.

As this shift has taken place, we have raised a generation of children who know the stories and the values of Christianity – they know about worship and sometimes about fellowship – but very few know why they should believe or practice these things. Even fewer know the history of how we got to where we are as a church. We no longer know about Christian figures in the past and why what they did was important or extraordinary. And as a result, our children are leaving the church in record numbers.

Well, if VeggieTales is “Sunday morning values…,” then What’s in the Bible? is Discipleship Training – set to great music, with memorable characters, and a whole lot of fun. When we get into the car, the first CD requested is our What’s in the Bible? CD – and everyone sings along, even Joanna. AJ knew probably 100 nouns by the time he was 20 months old. Joanna’s more of a “phrase” girl, not so much with the nouns. So how precious is it to be driving and have the only decipherable words from her be “the Bah-ble…the Bah-ble…?” And how much fun will it be when AJ understands the irony of “Genesis begins it all, and appropriately it’s at the beginning of the Bible…” when he sings those words (yes, he sings every, single word of every, single song!)?

I had the privilege of meeting Phil at the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) convention a few weeks ago (Phil, I was the geek who showed up half an hour early to your talk just because I was so excited about meeting you!), and now I’m even more confident that What’s in the Bible? (and JellyTelly – another family favorite) will continue to be quality entertainment, but fulfilling an awesome purpose – helping us teach our children what we believe and why, among other things.

And to all my friends out there, you can expect to continue receiving What’s in the Bible? DVDs for every birthday party we attend!

Melissa Jones is wife to Ryan, mom to AJ and Joanna, a real, live, part-time “rocket scientist,” a member of the FBC Laurel, MD MOPS group and steering team, and blogs occasionally (i.e., not nearly enough to please the grandparents) at leiacellaa23.blogspot.com.

Guest Blog: The whole family can learn from What’s in the Bible

August 12, 20101 Comment

Our friend Jen Dover, a mom and Christian store employee, shares her family’s experience with What’s in the Bible?:

I grew up learning the all the good Bible stories: Adam and Eve, Noah, Jonah, Jesus with the fish and loaves, the Easter story. The method was always the same-five minute story, three questions, and the coloring sheet. But facts were always missing; stories were disjointed. No one ever mentioned that Jonah didn’t actually repent after faithfully going to the Ninevites; that Moses was only cared by his natural mother for a few years, or that Mary and Joseph escaped Herod by fleeing to Egypt. Apparently, these were not considered important pieces of the story (or maybe it made the stories too long for an 8-year-old’s attention span). One story had nothing to do with another.

I had to go to Bible College to fill in the gaps in my Scripture knowledge, and only then did the Bible become the Living, Breathing Word to me. I began to realize that I didn’t want my children to suffer the neglect I had obviously had in my young Biblical education. I made a vow to correct any gaps in my family’s Bible knowledge.

Now, there is nothing wrong with studying the Bible with your family. I recommend teaching your children God’s Word. However, I do not suggest doing the following:

Each night, we would sit at the kitchen table. In between ‘shushing’, ‘tsking’, and exhorting our children to pay attention, we would read a portion of Scripture. We explained in detail failings of the children to follow certain commands. We would ask for reflections. Frankly, there was a reason that our three, five, and seven year old didn’t have answers…they are three, five, and seven. Every night, our short family devotion turned into an hour of tears, whining, and aggravation. My husband felt overwhelmed trying to control squirming kids while I tormented them with concepts too advanced for them to grasp. I stubbornly disagreed-kids are smart cookies! Eventually, chaos won, and we discontinued the in-depth bible readings.

It was during a home school Bible unit study that we discovered “What’s in the Bible with Buck Denver”. We were all delighted in the songs and the silliness. After repeated showings, the discussions came–discussions they started…about sin, separation from God, suffering, and at what cost Salvation came. They once knew the story of Adam and Eve; now they know its impact on their own personal lives.

On the home front, the kids are happy because they get to watch something fun with songs. Daddy is happy because mom isn’t forcing them all through her personal Bible Boot Camp. Mommy is happy because the kidlets are learning important things that can only further their Biblical understanding.

As a Christian store employee, I cannot recommend these videos to my customers enough. I don’t care of your age range or education level. Many Christians have never expanded their Bible knowledge beyond Sunday school stories. Entire families can benefit from the fun and educational introduction to the Bible provided by “What’s in the Bible with Buck Denver”.

Guest Blog: “Bible! Bible, please!”

July 21, 20104 Comments

Here is this week’s guest blog from our friend across the pond, Ruth:

As a Brit ‘What’s In The Bible’ only arrived in my life, and therefore the lives of my family, about a month and a half ago. It all started when my Mum sent me a link to the YouTube clip of Phil promoting the DVD with the comment “What do you think?” In response to this, being a huge VeggieTales fan of old and trusting Phil would not let me down, I immediately sent her a message back saying “Looks good, just bought them!” DVD’s 1 and 2 (the only ones currently available in the UK) arrived in my house 4 days later and one or other has been watched at least once every day since.

I always thought my Bible knowledge was ok, but my knowledge of church history was (is!) pretty poor. The ‘Pirate’s guide to Church History’ is sheer genius and has such a wonderful way of presenting information that I now actually feel able to explain how the books of the Bible ended up as they are. Did I think that would ever happen? Not until I started watching this.

In my ‘previous life’ as a high school science teacher I was regularly quizzed with the “How old is the Earth?” dilemma. I’m so pleased to see that these DVD’s are embracing the ‘Tricky Bits’ that children have no qualms about asking because I know that my children will want to know the answers (or at least the options for the answers) too!

Now, as the mother of a very inquisitive 21 month old boy and a 4 month old girl I wondered how they would handle the concept of ‘What’s in the Bible’. I needn’t have worried! Granted, they might not understand everything that is being explained but the day (2 weeks after getting them) John looked at the DVD player and TV and said “Bible! Bible please!” (See video!) I laughed with much joy. He loves the fast pace, now knows some of the characters and dances to the songs with a huge smile on his face. His particular favourites are the theme tune and the Genesis song by the Fabulous Bentley Brothers. If he learns the words for those as quickly as he has learned to say ‘Bible’ then I will indeed be a happy Mummy. What more could I ask than my children grow up with a love of God, a faith in Christ and a desire to know more about Him and to get into His word? It looks like these DVD’s are already going a long way to fulfil the latter of those hopes and I am so grateful.

My only quibble is this, why do we Brits have to wait so much longer than our American friends to get the next episodes? Perhaps this is just another of the ways God is teaching me patience?!

Guest Blog: Buck Denver, Professor?

July 14, 20102 Comments

No, Buck’s not really a professor … just a full-time newsman with a goofy sense of humor and an undying love for scones. But John Dyer, our guest blogger today, shares just how much he’s learned from Buck and the gang by comparing it to his seminary education. You can check out more from John at his awesome blog here. Enjoy!

When I was growing up my parents purchased some VHS cartoons that told Bible stories for my siblings and me, and those videos were how I learned about Abraham, Noah, Rahab, Paul, and the rest. As a result, during grade school and even college, I consistently knew more biblical characters than most of my friends. But I had one big problem – I didn’t know how any of it fit together. I honestly thought Abraham, David, and Jesus were next-door neighbors. Even if I could tell the order of two stories, I didn’t really know how they related to each other.

It wasn’t until I went to seminary that I was taught the big picture of how all those stories in the Bible fit together. Now, as the dad of a 2-year-old boy and a brand new baby girl, I’ve been looking for ways to teach both the individual stories of the Bible and the Big Story of the whole Scriptures. And I’ve been looking for something that wasn’t boring or poorly put together.

So my wife and I were delighted to see how fun and informative “What’s in the Bible? with Buck Denver” is. We love the characters, the songs, and the incredible depth of what the DVDs covered. When my son sees our TV, he points and shouts “babies!” which is his word for puppets. What’s in the Bible? is all he ever wants to watch (and incidentally, it’s all we do let him watch.)

Although I cherish my time in seminary and all I learned there, sometimes I wish I had saved a few bucks and just waited for all 13 DVDs to come out. The good news is we’re gonna save a ton on private school. All thanks to Buck Denver.

Do you have a What’s in the Bible? story to share? You can guest blog too! Just email melanie@whatsinthebible.com.

Guest Blog: Family Movie Night with What’s in the Bible

June 8, 20105 Comments

Our awesome friend Sherry Domer, who blogs over at Sundayschoolpages.com, recently hosted a family movie night featuring What’s in the Bible?. She kindly agreed to guest blog for us to share with all of you about the event and how it went. As Sherry mentions, this is a great idea for families who want to get together on a Friday night, for special nights at church, even for extended family get-togethers and after-school parties! You can also watch it with your own immediate family and enjoy laughing and learning together.

Here are Sherry’s thoughts about the experience:

I love community. I enjoy gathering with friends and family. But with my large busy family, I struggle to make time for that important component. I am always looking for ways to make it easier for families to gather. Family Movie Night with “What’s in the Bible?” was born out of my desire to fellowship and grow with other families. Our church encourages this type of event, so it was a great place for us to hold our movie night. Besides, what child hasn’t thought about how cool it would be to come to church in their PJs? I had a secondary objective. As a Sunday School teacher, I think “What’s in the Bible?” is the type of series that should be in every family library. This is a great opportunity to get the parents to see how wonderful the videos are, before they buy them.

Family Movie Night with “What’s in the Bible?” could also be a great neighborhood gathering time in your own home. It is a great tool for evangelism. It addresses a lot of the popular Bible myths prevalent in our culture today. And it’s not just for the kids, many adults need this too. This is what makes it a great event for the whole family.

Know your audience. The first time we held our movie night we watched both half hour segments on the disc. My media deprived children were able to enjoy it all. But there were some folks that felt this content rich time was a little too long. If you need to, I suggest combining two great movies (meat and milk).

This is how it works: Set a date and invite families! Dress the kids in PJs and bring their blankies and special stuffed animals. Make lots of popcorn and enjoy the show! We happen to have a “no sugar policy” near bedtime, but we do offer corn dogs for those who can’t get dinner before they come. This is meant to make fun community events as easy on the parents as possible. Water and/or sugar free tea are good drinks to wash down the popcorn. Stress free fellowship and learning for all!

What is What’s in the Bible?
It is a DVD series starting with Genesis and they intend to go the whole way through to Revelation. Phil is really on fire for Jesus! His commitment to reach children with the message of Jesus has reached new heights of excellence. VeggieTales told cute Bible stories that made you laugh. But “What’s in the Bible?” is solid food that children can understand. This is solid content that most adults don’t know, repackaged to delight children as well. Simply awesome! It’s what I always wanted, but couldn’t find.

Sherry also sent us some cute pictures of kids enjoying their What’s in the Bible? Family Night: