Win a One-Year Subscription to Sermons 4 Kids Plus!

Hi Friends!

You may be familiar with Sermons 4 Kids. They’ve been around a long time, providing Old Testament and New Testament sermons for children, activity pages (such as word searches and crossword puzzles), and group activities to accompany the sermons. It’s a go-to site for me when I want to provide activity pages and ideas to supplement our elementary lessons.

Now, they have a monthly subscription service that provides many additional resources for busy kidmin leaders that has:

  • teacher how-to instruction videos
  • children’s sermon
  • interactive Bible experience
  • lesson videos
  • craft ideas
  • snack ideas
  • games
  • prayers
  • music
  • memory verses

Plus there’s tons of coloring pages, crosswords, word search, group activities and so much more! All lessons are available in English and Spanish and there are 2 versions, one for elementary and one for preschool. Wanna check it out? Here’s a link to 2 free lessons! https://web.sermons4kids.com/free-bible-lesson/?utm_source=kathie&utm_medium=blog

WANT TO WIN A FREE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION?
You can! Here’s how to win:
1. LIKE this post on our Facebook page.

2. Comment with the name of your favorite church on the Facebook page post.

You need to do these 2 things in order to be eligible. The winner will be randomly selected this Friday, Nov. 8.


*This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed, or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.

NIV Adventure Bible – Polar Exploration Edition {Review and Giveaway}

For as long as I can remember, I have loved the Adventure Bible. Both of my children, who are grown now, had their own copy growing up. I also selected this Bible (the NIV) to give to second graders at our church for our 2nd Grade Bible Presentation Sunday each fall.

Imagine my surprise when I was asked to review the new Adventure Bible – Polar Exploration Edition. Honestly, my first thought was, “Do we need a penguin-themed Bible?” To me, it’s the same as Chick fil A changing their lemonade recipe – it’s unthinkable!

But, as a loyal supporter of the original, I was curious to take a peek at this new edition.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

With over 9 million copies sold, the Adventure Bible brand is beloved by Christian schools, churches, and families alike. Now, the #1 Bible for kids, including all of the trusted essentials loved by parents, is available in an exciting polar exploration theme!

Ready for a frosty Adventure? Embark on a fun, exciting trek through God’s Word with the NIV Adventure Bible, now in an all-new polar exploration theme! While on this arctic adventure, readers meet all types of people, see all sorts of places, and learn all kinds of facts about the Bible. And most importantly you’ll grow closer in your relationship with God.

Features of the NIV Adventure Bible, Polar Exploration Edition include:

  • The same trusted Adventure Bible content in a frosty new theme
  • Full-color images of polar animals, arctic outposts, and icy landscapes throughout make learning about the Bible even more engaging
  • Life in Bible Times—Articles and illustrations describe what life was like in ancient days
  • Words to Treasure—Highlights great verses to memorize
  • Did You Know?—Interesting facts help you understand God’s Word and the life of faith
  • People in Bible Times—Articles offer close-up looks at amazing people of the Bible
  • Live It!—Hands-on activities help you apply biblical truths to your life
  • Twenty polar-themed pages focus on topics such as how to know you are a Christian, famous people of the Bible, highlights of the life of Jesus, and how to pray.
  • Book introductions feature arctic art and important information about each book of the Bible
  • Dictionary/concordance for looking up tricky words
  • Color map section to help locate places in the Bible
  • Complete text of the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible
  • Thrilling new glacial cover on metallic paper

MY THOUGHTS

Upon the first glance, the Bible looked cool – literally! The icy blue hues made it seem cold to the touch. The inside of the Bible looks pretty typical of the classic Adventure Bible – the font, font size, layout, informative text boxes, and deeper insight pages.

There are penguin touches throughout the Bible, from the penguin paw prints at the top of each page to pictures of penguins inside the text boxes.

All in all, if your child loves the Arctic and arctic animals, they will love this Bible. Otherwise, I think the classic Adventure Bible will do.

ENTER TO WIN

Christmas is right around the corner, and this would be a great gift for your child, grandchild, or a child in your ministry! The good news is…I’m giving away a copy and you can have it before Christmas!

Enter to win a copy of the new NIV Adventure Bible – Polar Exploration Edition by emailing me at kidminspiration@gmail.com.  All entries should be received by 11:59 pm on Friday, November 30.

The winner of this giveaway will be contacted via email and announced on our Facebook page on Saturday, December 1.

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Hillsong Kids DVD – Can You Believe It!? {Review and Giveaway}

Hillsong Kids "Can You Believe It" Review and Giveaway

If you’re like me, finding great music for your kidmin can sometimes be a challenge, depending on what you’re looking for.  For our elementary areas in particular, I usually stick with upbeat music that sounds up to date with voices that aren’t too childish (if children are singing the tracks).  Last year, I purchased a Spotify premium subscription (to eliminate ads that might be inappropriate) and created playlists for Sunday mornings and special events.  (In my opinion, this is a well-spent expense.)

Before we moved over to Spotify, I used some Hillsong Kids CDs for our kids’ worship (thankfully, they are on Spotify, so we’re able to enjoy our favorites).  The music was exactly what I was looking for – upbeat, relevant and fresh.  Recently, I was provided a chance to review their newest release and I couldn’t wait to take a listen.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON HILLSONG KIDS

Hillsong believes that teaching children to love God and others takes place in both the home and in the church. For this reason they seek to partner with parents (the greatest teachers of all!) and with church pastors and leaders, equipping them with great resources. Through fun experiences, meaningful music and ministry that encourages kids to participate, Hillsong Kids presents Jesus Christ and His Church in a relevant way, creating moments which children will never forget.

Their new kids’ worship DVD DOES NOT disappoint!!

PRODUCT OVERVIEW

“Can You Believe It!? – Songs of Truth” is both a question and a challenge… a statement of gratitude to a loving God and an invitation to explore the very foundations of faith. Classic songs like “My Best Friend”, “Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)” and “What A Beautiful Name” join brand new declarations of faith such as “As The World Shakes” & “Heaven Is Our Home”. We pray that this collection of fun and vibrant songs, help children around the world to declare biblical truths about God’s love and grace for them.

Check out this promo video!

WHAT I LOVED

The DVD featured upbeat songs and catchy beats, colorful and eye-catching graphics that will capture the attention of your elementary-age kiddos.  I think preteens will especially love it because it’s not baby-ish at all!  Some of the tracks are songs sung in ‘big church’ and played on Christian radio, so many of your kids might recognize them (even though they have slightly different arrangements).  The DVD features a good balance of praise and worship songs, allowing you the flexibility to offer both songs kids can move to as well as songs that can quiet them and focus them.

The DVD also includes music videos for the songs.  I’m not sure how I would use these in my context but I’m sure there are ways that you could incorporate them.  What I loved about the videos was that there was a lot of diversity represented – so glad to see that!

WHAT I FELT WAS MISSING

As great as the DVD is, it’s missing hand motions, so if you’re kids like doing hand motions during worship, you’ll need to add your own.  Also, navigating the DVD main menu was a little tricky at first but I eventually got the hang of it.  In addition, if you use the music videos, there are no lyrics that go along with that.

Overall, “Can You Believe It!?” is a perfect complement for Sunday mornings or midweek programming.  You will not be disappointed with this well-done, high quality product!

You can purchase the DVD here, BUT…

I am giving away a free copy!!

Enter to win a copy of the new Hillsong Kids DVD, “Can You Believe It!?” by emailing me at kidminspiration@gmail.com.  All entries should be received by 11:59 pm on this Thursday, November 22.  You’ll definitely want this in your music arsenal!

You can also enter to win by tweeting about the giveaway:

The winner of this giveaway will be contacted via email and announced on our Facebook page on Friday, November 23.

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

Meet Dorena Williamson, Author of “ColorFull”

Friends, I am so very excited to introduce you to Dorena Williamson!  Dorena is the author of the brand new book “ColorFull: Celebrating the Colors God Gave Us“, which releases today, May 1st.  But Dorena isn’t just the author – she’s my aunt!!  I had the privilege of interviewing her recently and I am so excited to share her with you so that you can hear her heart behind this incredible book that you should grab for your ministry.

Colorfull: Celebrating the Colors God Gave Us

Tell my readers a little bit about yourself.

Hello! I am a PK turned Pastor’s wife, so church sometimes feels like my second home! Together with Chris I’ve raised four amazing kids who are now 24, 22, 17 and 14. Two are graduating this year so this is a season of celebration! My new adventure as a children’s author stems from 22 years leading and loving a multicultural church in the Nashville, TN area. On the side I’m a stylist with Evereve, a national company focused on heart filled styling for women. When I find leisure time, it’s spent reading, watching travel shows or dreaming about tropical places to visit!

Racial reconciliation has been a longtime passion of yours.  Was that the motivation for this book?

That was definitely a part of the formation of ColorFull. Over twenty two years of multicultural church leadership has cultivated a passion to help others experience God’s diverse kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. Jesus invites us to enter the kingdom as children do, since they can teach us so much.

Tell us about “ColorFull”.  What is the story about?

ColorFull begins with something we all have in common: friendship and family. A grandmother uses a teachable moment to reinforce God’s truth, that creation’s colors AND our skin colors are all a part of God’s colorful design.

What was your process for writing this story?

The idea for ColorFull grew out of frustration! I saw companies like Mattel and American Girl expanding their doll lines to incorporate more varied skin tones. Yet, Christians diminish God’s glory by being ascribed to colorblind rhetoric. I wanted to lend a new voice to the conversation and help teach kids that every person’s color is a beautiful handiwork of God to be fully seen and celebrated. Once I signed with B&H, we got an excellent illustration husband/wife team to bring the words to vibrant life. I’m really excited about how it turned out!

What are the main takeaways you want people to walk away with from “ColorFull”?

1. We need to be talking to our kids about ethnicity & skin color!!

2. Reinforce God’s truth in this area while your kids are young; raise the importance level on this conversation; let go of colorblind rhetoric and instead teach God’s intention in diverse creation.

3. Find teachable moments to impart wisdom.

4. Relationships and proximity changes everything. What you read, who you spend time with, what activities you engage with all shape a worldview that not only appreciates God’s diverse kingdom but helps advance the work of justice and restoration.

You have a follow-up book, “ThoughtFull”, in the works.  Can you tell us a little about that?

Yes! ThoughtFull is book two in the series of three books. In this story, Ahanu, a Native American boy with Down Syndrome, models how to be ThoughtFULL – full of kind thoughts towards others. I hope this book reminds us that every person has value and is uniquely gifted!

Where can readers find “ColorFull”?

It releases May 1. Readers can order via my website and directly through LifeWay and Amazon.

Where can my readers connect with you on social media?

Facebook – Dorena McFarland Williamson

Twitter – @dorenawill

Instagram – dorenawilliamson

Website – dorenawilliamson.com

Friends, purchasing this book is such a great investment for the children and families in your ministry!  I am happy that Dorena has agreed to give away a book to one of my fabulous readers.  To enter, email me at kidminspiration@gmail.com with your response to the following question:

How do you celebrate the colors God gave us?

Responses should be received no later than 11:59 pm EST on Friday, May 5th.