The Christmas season is now over and my oldest is sad that all the fun and activities are also over. All the 24 days leading up to Christmas were very fun filled for the children. We celebrated the Christmas day by singing “Happy Birthday” to Jesus, opening presents, and hosting a big family gathering.

As I reflect on this year’s Christmas celebration, I really enjoyed our Advent celebration starting with December 1. With a simple activity for each day, coupled with a reading about the birth of Jesus, we were able to extend the spirit of Christmas and savor the wonder of Christmas. Celebrating the Advent is a Christmas tradition that I want to continue with my family. I want my children to treasure these wonderful memories with us as well as learning about the purpose of Jesus’ coming. We come away from our month long celebration contended and joyful.

We are now getting back on track doing school work. I look forward to all the many adventures of homeschooling with my children. 2007 was a blessed year and we look onward with much hope and celebration in 2008.

Get Into the Story: A New Testament Family Devotional Volume II is a family devotional book that supplements the God’s Story Children’s Ministry and Sunday School curriculum developed by Covenant Fellowship Church in Pennsylvania. This book specifically provides parents with daily Bible readings and discussion questions which correspond to lessons from the God’s Story curriculum. It was originally published for members of their church to help their families engage in daily family worship; but they’ve also made the materials available for individuals outside the church.

Note: This book is available in book format as well as on CD for churches to print separately for their members, assuming they’re using the God’s Story curriculum as well. There is also a corresponding Get Into The Story, Old Testament (volume I), but it is not yet available in book format.

Even though our church does not use this particular Sunday school curriculum, this devotional book is still very useful for daily family reading. Our family has been using this book for the past three weeks and I’m very happy with each reading. What I like about this devotional book is that each reading is very short and is intended for fifteen minutes a day. Each devotional reading includes: The Story (Bible passage), Talk About It (discussion time), and Pray (specific things to pray for). The reading for most days simply delves into the heart of the New Testament passage in question, providing insight into the text itself. However, the Get Into The Story material also has two unique features that are not typically found in devotional materials:

• The reading for every Wednesday, called “Where Is The Gospel?”, discusses how the content of the week’s reading relates particularly to the gospel. I appreciate this emphasis, as it helps to prevent readings from being read in isolation of the “big picture” of redemption. Too often, Bible reading materials, whether targeted for children or adults, fail to help bridge the reader’s understanding of specific passages to a broader understanding of God’s greater redemptive purposes.
• The reading for every Friday, called “The Road to Emmaus,” investigates passages from the Psalms or Prophets to discuss how various passages in the Old Testament point to Jesus. The name of this section is a reference to Luke 24 when Jesus Himself explained how the Old Testament Scriptures were full of references to Himself. This is a neat way to helpfully build a child’s understanding of the important of the Old Testament especially as it relates to the gospel.

Overall, this is an excellent family devotional book and I would recommend it wholeheartedly. It has helped to provide structure and substance to our endeavors to keep our family reading and learning from the Bible together on a daily basis. You can purchase the book and other related materials directly from the Covenant Fellowship Church website here.

I usually read from Get Into The Story after breakfast. At this time, I lead a devotion to commence the children’s school time. All the children sit on the couch and they are required to sit still and listen. In addition, no toys, blankets, or pillows are allowed during this time. I used to allow a toy or two, but it always became a distraction for the children. With a “no toys” rule, the children are now used to sitting still and participate in the reading.

Here are the children getting ready for our reading: