Gwen Ellis - Our Together-Time Bible: Read and Share

For:________________________From:________________________Date:________________________My child, believe what I say.
And remember what I command you.
Listen to wisdom.
Try with all your heart to gain understanding.
Cry out for wisdom.
Beg for understanding.
Search for it as you would for silver.
Hunt for it like hidden treasure.
Then you will understand what it means to respect the Lord.
Then you will begin to know God.
Only the Lord gives wisdom.
Knowledge and understanding come from him. Proverbs 2:16 READ AND SHARE
Our
Together-Time
Bible Gwen Ellis
Illustrations by Steve Smallman
and Jeffrey Ebbeler 2008 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Used by permission. Stories retold by Gwen Ellis
Illustrations by Steve Smallman and Jeffrey Ebbeler
Page Design by Casey Hooper Works by Gwen Ellis 2008, used by permission.
Works by June Ford 2008, used by permission.
Works by Laura Minchew 2008, used by permission. Thomas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ellis, Gwen.
Our together-time Bible / by Gwen Ellis ; illustrations by Steve Smallman and Jeffrey Ebbeler.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-4003-1279-5 (hardcover)
1.

Bible stories, English. I. Smallman, Steve. II. Ebbeler, Jeffrey. III.

Title.
BS551.3.E545 2008
220.9505--dc22 2008007027 Printed in China
08 09 10 11 12 MT 6 5 4 3 2 1 For John MarkDear Parents Spending quality together time with your family is easy and fun with this book of 52 Bible-inspired topics. Youll be creating memories while helping your children develop the life skills they need as they discover how events in the Bible really do relate to their lives today. In each devotional Ive included a variety of age-appropriate topic introductions (ranging from songs and poems to recipes and stories), a Bible verse (short enough for a child to memorize), a Bible story, Lets Talk about It questions, a Share Gods Love activity, and a prayer. As a bonus, this book can be used alone or alongside the Read and Share Bible storybook. My prayer is that you and your family will begin a tradition of together time that will bring joy into your lives long past the conclusion of this book. Blessings,
Gwen EllisTips on How to
Use This Book Choose one topic a week to read and discuss with your children or class.

The more you create fun and lively discussions, the more your children will respond, listen, and look forward to your next together time. Read the short stories, poems, songs, and Bible stories in an entertaining way. Then encourage your children to act out the scene using different voices for different characters. Involve older children as readers. Encourage children to talk about the topic during mealtime, drive time, etc., throughout the week. Have each child think of ways that the topic relates to his or her life and then encourage the child to apply it.

Do the activity (which may include playing games, creating crafts, baking, or discussing the topic) sometime during the week. ContentsTitle - Topic Through his power all things were madethings in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen. COLOSSIANS 1:16 Did you know God made everything? He made all the beautiful and wonderful things we see: birds, fish, elephants, puppies, kittens, flowers, you, and meeverything! God made it all. How wonderful and awesome God is! Together lets celebrate what He has made by saying or singing the poem below. ALL THINGS
BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.
Cecil Alexander (excerpt) Bible StoryGenesis 12 In the beginning God made heaven and earth. Then God said, Let there be light.

Let there be plants. Let there be living things in the oceans. Let there be birds in the sky. Let there be animals on earth. And every time God said, Let there be... it happened! Then God made people.

First He made Adam. Later He made Eve so Adam would not be alone. God made both Adam and Eve like Himself. And God said it was all Good! Our Together Time Lets Talk about It! What are some other things God made? Who did God make to be like Himself ? What did God say about everything He had made? Share Gods Love A fun way to celebrate all the bright and beautiful things God made is to make a creation collage of pictures. Ask a grownup to help you with this activity. Find some magazines that everyone has finished reading, a large piece of paper, and a pencil, pen, or crayon.