The Heart Behind the Devotionals

I am a former teacher.  Although, I tell people I traded in my classroom teaching for teaching at home.  I like teaching tools that are organized, clear, consise, and meaningful. 

When we began compiling the devotional for the Jesse Tree, our desire was to create something that would make it easy for families to pick up and do together without any preparation.  It was our hope to create a book that would help the hustle and bustle of the season to slow down each day, and give you and your family a chance to reflect and remember the joy of the birth of our Savior. 

 We prayed each story would help you see God’s plan for a Savior, and the need for one.  At the heart, the gospel.

  Here’s an exerpt from the devotional:

 

Here is how the devotional is set up:

• Verse of the Day
• Bible Reading for THE STORY (My husband and I found this to be our own study time with the Lord to prepare our hearts for Christmas, and we read THE STORY to our kids.  When they get to be a little older, we plan on reading the story from the Bible. Of course, do whatever is best for your family!)   
• THE STORY— This is the Biblical account written in narrative form for young children. 
• Questions to check for understanding. 
• Prayer to get you started.  Feel free to pray your own prayer!
• Worship—songs, poems, videos or books to inspire praising Him.
• Extended Activity–Extra activities to do with children to help solidify what they learned.  (All optional of course!) 

The devotional is geared towards kids ages 3 – 8 years old. 

This does not mean it cannot be used for older kids, or toddlers. 

We suggest having older children read the Bible verses for their own personal quiet time or aloud to the family.  Encourage them to tell you the story back in their own words, and what they learned from the story.  How can they not only hear God’s word, but follow it? 

For younger children, we suggest picking a simple truth from the Bible Story with a verse and focusing on a 3-5 minute summary of the story.  We have included in the title of each devotional the “bottom line” that is a simple phrase to reinforce a truth of the character of God.