We’re welcoming summer with this 8-part series. Blogger Heather Conrad and her family will be walking through My Jesus Journal, an activity guide created to help children develop a deeper understanding of who Jesus is and how they can come to know Him.
The story of Jesus changes everything. He invites all of us to be a part of His kingdom, and yet we live and grow up in a world that is broken by sin. The creators of the What’s in the Bible? Series have brought to us another great tool in learning how to know Jesus even more. My Jesus Journal was created to guide families into a richer understanding of how we are to live in light of the truths of the Gospel.
This delightful tool includes all sorts of goodies. One of our favorite activities has been to create a mustard tree. Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a mustard seed (Matthew 13:31-32). What starts as something very small, will one day be in full bloom! This activity starts its participants thinking about how we can live as citizens of God’s kingdom.
Within the pages, cut-outs are provided, as well as templates for leaves, fill-in-the-blank leaves, and family activity leaves. Also, a supplies list is included and pictures to help show you how to construct your tree. In addition, online access to videos, and a link to print off additional activity pages are included.
Each of my girls wanted to create a tree of their own, in essence a visual reminder. This gave them an opportunity to represent how they’re involved with God’s work, as well as write prayer requests, and even use words that display what they are thankful to have. We hung them in our family room, the room we most frequently visit, and found the daily activities delightful, engaging, and thought-provoking as we were challenged to complete each of the leaves, a few at a time.
As a Mom, I appreciate both the ease of the activity as well as the cheerful enthusiasm as we looked back at how God is working in our lives. The resources provided created a quality piece of art that was simple enough for the girls to construct on their own. I appreciated the ideas provided, as well as ways for us to include our own ideas. We’ve had some delightful conversations and people that have visited find themselves inquiring about our trees with each visit. It’s been a fantastic conversational piece!
I highly recommend My Jesus Journal to families of all ages. Whether a child is able to color a leaf, or compose a long list of acts of services, everyone benefits. The area that spurred the most growth for us was the category of “Love Your Neighbors”. We wrote letters to church leaders, special notes for our mail men and trash collectors, created special gifts for our elderly neighbors, and included new children in backyard games. We’re very thankful for this well-planned tool and look forward to completing more sections over the weeks to come.
I’m just a Mom who feels privileged to have an opportunity to serve and to pour into the lives of my amazing husband Aaron, and our three precious blessings. Our son Austin is loves basketball and has such a tender and big-brother-protective heart. Our daughter Emma has a spirit as big as her heart, hard to contain all that creativity inside. Brynn is our youngest. Don’t let her little frame fool you, she is a spunky gal, keeps us all laughing. If there is a spare moment in the day, you’ll either catch me with a book, or hitting the streets on a jog with Jesus.
