Holly Hawkins Shivers - I Can Learn the Bible. The Joshua Code for Kids: 52 Devotions and Scriptures for Kids

Endorsements

If kids can learn to navigate iPads at age two, they can learn the Bible. If theycan repeat the dialogue of Bubble Guppies when they are preschoolers, they can learnthe Bible. Using our bestselling volume The Joshua Code as inspiration, Holly Shiverschallenges our children to memorize Scripture alongside their parents in this beautifullyillustrated book. It is not about getting our kids into the Word; it is about gettingthe Word into our kids. Our hope is that they will hide the Word in their young heartsso they might not sin against God. Holly engages and connects, speaking the languagechildren understand so they can confidently confess, I can learn the Bible!

O. S. Hawkins, author of The Joshua Code: 52 Scripture Verses Every Believer ShouldKnow and The Jesus Code: 52 Scripture Questions Every Believer Should Answer

As parents and as believers in Jesus Christ, we know we are called to teach our kidsabout Jesus and His Word. However, unpacking complex scriptures to our two youngboys isnt easy. I Can Learn the Bible equips us to confidently interpret what canbe confusing to our kids. Its creative language and effortless outline make teachingScripture manageable and fun.

Tony Romo, quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, and Candice Romo, journalist

This is a delightful and important book. What greater gift can we give our childrenthan the Word of God tucked deep into their hearts? We live in precarious times,and the only thing that will not shift and change is Gods Word. I love and highlyrecommend this book.

Sheila Walsh, author of Gods Little Princess Bedtime Devotional

In a world where the deterioration of our society is so prevalent and the pressuresour kids are facing are tremendous, the need for children to learn Gods Word andbe equipped with truth is more important than ever before. I Can Learn the Bibleis an easy-to-use childrens devotional that nurtures the ability to hide GodsWord in ones heart. It provides the foundational basics that a child needs to getstarted.

Linda Paulk, president and CEO of Sky Ranches, Inc.

This book is an innovative and exciting way to teach the Scriptures to children.Holly has used every one of these creative illustrations with her own children. Howamazing that she is willing to share her personal insights with others. You willlove teaching your children from this challenging book.

Sondra Saunders, childrens minister for 52 years

We cant think of anything more important for parents than helping our children tolove, learn, and live Gods Word. Holly Shivers provides an incredible tool to teachand train our children in this prayerful journey of faith. Parents, get this bookand use it with your kids, and then celebrate what God does in their lives.

Dr. Jack Graham, pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church, and Deb Graham, director of ministry resources at Prestonwood Baptist Church

My friend Holly Shivers has given parents and children alike an invaluable tool.There is nothing more important than children learning from the pages of the Biblejust how much God knows and loves them. And Holly has come alongside parents to helpthem help their children discover the mind-blowing, heartwarming message that Jesushas secured for them what they can never secure for themselves. Thank you, Holly!

Tullian Tchividjian, pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and author of OneWay Love: Inexhaustible Grace for an Exhausted World

2014 by Holly Hawkins Shivers

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy,recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews orarticles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Tommy Nelson. Tommy Nelson is an imprint ofThomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins ChristianPublishing, Inc.

Tommy Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising,or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from INTERNATIONAL CHILDRENSBIBLE. 1986, 1988, 1999 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Scripturequotations marked NKJV are from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by Thomas Nelson,Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NIV arefrom HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. 1973, 1978, 1984 by InternationalBible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-0-529-10899-9 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Shivers, Holly Hawkins, author.

I can learn the Bible : the Joshua code for kids : 52 devotions and scriptures for kids / by Holly Hawkins Shivers.

pages cm

Audience: Ages 4-8.

ISBN 978-0-529-10899-9 (hardcover)

1. Devotional literature--Juvenile literature. 2. Children--Prayers and devotions. 3. Devotional calendars--Juvenile literature. 4. Christian life--Juvenile literature. I. Hawkins, O. S. Joshua code. II. Title.

BV4870.S525 2014

242.62--dc23

2014016182

14 15 16 17 18 TIMS 6 5 4 3 2 1

Mfr: TIMS/Shenzhen, China/October 2014/PO #9309477

Table of Contents

If you give your child one thing by the age of five, let it be a big faith in God.

When I heard my seminary professor Howard Hendricks say these words, I had two childrenunder five and one on the way. I worried how I would give these little minds andhearts in my care a big view of God. I wanted help. I needed words and pictures thatcould bring Gods Word to life for them and unleash an expansive view of God in theirimaginations and souls.

I believe the reason my professor said these words is that theres nothing more beautifulor powerful than the simplicity of childlike faith. God moves through faith.

To childrens minds, God is real. God is not complicated. God is limitless. Godloves them. God is God, and that is all there is to it. Oh, how we complicate Himand everything else as we mature.

Proverbs 22:6 says, Start children off on the way they should go, and even whenthey are old they will not turn from it (NIV).

Holly hasnt just written a beautiful book; she has created a tool to build big faithin little minds.

I pray that these words and stories will expand your childs view of God and Hisgreat love. And perhaps as you read, God will become even bigger to you as well.

As you read this book, remember that our God is real. Our God is limitless. Our Godloves you. Our God has not forgotten you. Our God is God, and that is all there isto it.

May your faith run wild, and may you draw near to Jesus in these words.

Jennie Allen
Mother of four
Author of Restless
Founder of IF: Gathering

A common struggle exists among Christian parents today: as our culture moves furtherand further from the truths of Gods Word, how can we influence our children to loveGod and follow His purposes for their lives? I believe Joshua 1:8 gives us an answer:This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate init day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written init. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success(NKJV).

You see, we can educate our children with a biblical worldview, we can enroll themin church activities and teach them principles to the best of our abilities, andwe can pray for them, discipline them, and love them well. But there is nothing likethe Word of God being planted in their hearts, taking root, and producing genuinespiritual growth. Ultimately, the spiritual well-being of our children rests in thehands of GodHe will form and strengthen them through His Word and His Spirit. Ittakes the pressure off parents, does it not? That is why I love Joshua 1:8. And perhapsthis verse is best applied to these little ones who are just starting this life journey.We cannot make every right decision for our children, nor should we. We cannotbe ever present, and the older they become, the less and less they need us. Thatis why we must do what we can while they are young. We want to turn them toward theone thingrather, the one Personwho