We all know what it’s like to see our favourite book made into a movie – the delight when it’s done well, the frustration when it’s not. But let me introduce you to some writers who have taken well-known Christian hymns as their inspiration for a children’s book.
The first is by Sinclair B. Ferguson: Jesus Strong and Kind (ISBN 978 1 527 110 007). Ferguson has taken the key theological points from Colin Buchanan’s much-loved children’s hymn and dug deeper into God’s word showing where the truths of
these lyrics are rooted.
Written in a conversational style this could be read over several days with a 5–7 year-old or read by an 8–11 year-old on their own. The main theme of the song is that when you are thirsty; weak; afraid and lost – you can always come to Jesus, Jesus strong and kind. Ferguson builds on that truth by returning to the story of the Samaritan woman at the well; Jairus’ daughter, the woman with the issue of blood; the calming of the storm, and the parables of the lost sheep and the lost son.
When the phone comes to church
We’ve been studying Romans 14 at church recently, and the teaching has covered "disputable matters" – issues where Christians, in …