Rondi DeBoer - My Favorite Bible: The Best-Loved Stories of the Bible

Text 2011 by Rondi DeBoer and Christine Tangvald Illustrations 2011 by Ariel Pang Published by Revell a division of Baker Publishing Group P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287 www.revellbooks.com ISBN 978-1-4412-3673-9 E-book edition created 2011 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansfor example, electronic, photocopy, recordingwithout the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews. Scripture quotations are from Gods Word . 1995 Gods Word to the Nations.

Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group. Published in association with the literary agency of Alive Communications, Inc., 7680 Goddard Street, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. www.alivecommunications.com. Interior Design by Michael J. Williams Rondi To my daughters Rachael, Emma, Belle, and Jada May the Lord illuminate your hearts to the truth of the glorious gospel of Jesus. And may you, by grace through faith, find joy forever with Him! I love you, my sweet girls.

To Brian Thank you for speaking the gospel into my life. To have been blessed with a life by your side is truly, deeply beyond words. I love you. To my mother Every word you have ever written for the glory of God... is a classic. Writing with you is one of the great joys of my life.

Thank you, Mama. I love you. Christine To Rondi Lucille DeBoer My beautiful daughter, My glorious fun-filled friend, My heart-to-heart mentor, My dedicated coauthor. Thank you for pouring every ounce of your being into the writing of this book. And as we prayed together before the first word was set to paper,
may God be pleased. May every word of every story reflect His Glory to all who read it.

I love you, Rondi. You are AWESOME!
Welcome, my friend... Im so excited to read these Bible stories with you! Stories of bravery. Stories of adventure. Stories of warriors, children, and miracles. But the Bible is not just a book of good stories.

No! It is a true book inspired by God that shows us: who God is what He has done and how we should respond to Him. You see, the Bible is a very special book about an amazing God... who makes a big promise to send a loving Savior, Jesus, so that we may live joyfully with God forever! Living joyfully with God sounds good, doesnt it? Oh, it is! This promise of God is the focus of the whole Bible. Every story reflects the Promised One. Every event prepares the way for His coming. Every page proclaims the truth that Jesus is our one and only Savior.

So be excited with me! Turn the page and lets get started. Gods promise is big. Gods promise is for you. Read it. Believe it. Rejoice in it.

Note to Adults
A Family Talk page with a Faith Foundation and Key Verse ends each story. Read this section out loud with your children and let the discussion questions become a springboard into teaching, wonder, and free conversation about daily and spiritual matters. Not every question must be answered. Just enjoy the open communication about the most important topics in life. Treasure this time. The Family Fun section is a great place to live and laugh together.

Do as many activities as you canand even make up a few of your own! Dont be afraid to be silly. Your children will remember your laughter for years to come. The final option on each of these ideas is a drawing suggestion. You may want to save these pieces of artwork in a three-ring Bible Story Binder . As you progress through the Bible, kids will love creating their own book of Bible stories. Seek-and-Find Fun.

There are butterflies for children to find in the illustrations throughout the book. Point out the first, and ask them to look for the rest. Its another great way to engage children in the visual part of each story. Pray with Your Children. Pray about the story. Pray about the Faith Foundation .

Pray about their day and their worries and their joys. The moments you spend w ith them are some of the most important moments of your dayand some of the most precious in your life. How awesome and wonderful that you are spending time together loving and learning about the wonderful gift of eternal life with God through faith in Jesus.
God Creates Creation of the WorldGenesis 1:125 In the beginning, there was God. God the Father. God the Son.

God the Holy Spirit. And He was happy! Then God decided to do something wonderful. God decided to do something simply amazing. He decided to create a world that would bring Him perfect glory.
Let
there be!
And suddenly, there was! Light!
Flash! Bright light shone into the darkness, radiating Gods power for the world He was about to create. Heavens!
Brilliant blue skies pulled away upward from the rushing waters below.

Sweet, fresh air flew fast over the earth. Land!
Dry dirt appeared from the tops of soaring mountain peaks all the way down to deep cracks and crevasses
in low-lying canyons. Plants!
Apples, oranges, bananas, and pears dripped with sweetness on branches stretched up, up, updeclaring God is good . Berry bushes, wildflowers, and desert grasses burst into bloom and gave the earth unending color. Stars!
Gods voice rumbled and rolled, loud and strong, to the outer edges of the universe. Bright stars lit up for the first time
as His Word was spoken.

The great sun He made to rule the day and the gentle moon to govern the night, as if to say at all times God is king. Animals!
Tiny striped fish and whooshing whales danced together with joy in the seas.
Rainbow-feathered birds
swooped and soared over the earth
in praise to God, their Creator. More animals! Elephants trumpet. Cows moo. Kittens meow. Owls Whoo? Whoo? Whoo? Who has made us? They screeched and roared.