KeithFerrin.com

Bringing the Word to Life

Family Ministry

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The Best Bible For Your Child (The Complete Age-Leveled Guide for 2019-20)

“What is the best Bible for my child?” I can’t tell you how many times I get this question every year. Today I’m going to answer it for you…no matter how old your child is.

To make sure this list is thorough and up-to-date, I asked two groups of experts before I wrote a single sentence. First…I asked two Facebook groups filled with people who work, volunteer, and serve in Family Ministry. Second…I emailed the publishers of the four most popular translations – NIV (Zondervan/Harper Collins), ESV (Crossway), NLT (Tyndale), and CSB (LifeWay/B&H). (NOTE: This post won’t go into which translation I prefer. If you’re interested in my favorite translations, you’ll want to check out this post.)

So…This is going to be a looooong post. To make it a little easier to navigate, here’s what you’ll find:

  • A clickable Table of Contents right below this paragraph. Find the age of your child – or children – and you’ll find a list of Bibles to check out.
  • The first listings in each age group are the recommendations I received directly from the publishers.
  • All of the recommendations from Family Ministry professionals and volunteers are in alphabetical order for each age group.
  • Every Bible is linked to it’s Amazon page so you can read deeper descriptions and reviews.

Table of Contents

The Best Bibles for Preschoolers (Ages 0-6)

[Read more…] about The Best Bible For Your Child (The Complete Age-Leveled Guide for 2019-20)

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HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT: My New Book is HERE!

Are you in Family Ministry? A children’s pastor. A youth pastor. A volunteer. A Sunday School teacher. A nursery coordinator. A Christian school teacher or administrator. If you are involved in Family Ministry in any way…you have to read this book! (You’ll see how I can say this without reservation in a second.)

The Expert Interviews: All About Family Ministry is now available (earlier than I was expecting)!

This is going to be a fun month. I’m going to lay it all out for you below:

  • The Backstory
  • The 20 Questions Answered (and the Experts Who Answer Them)
  • The FREE All About Family Ministry Online Portal
  • The Special LIVE Events This Month
  • The “Launch Special” (ONLY Available in October)

[Read more…] about HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT: My New Book is HERE!

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49 Identity Messages Your Kids Need to Know

Do your kids – or students, neighbors, nephews, nieces, or grandchildren – know who they are? Do you know who you are? Not know as in I-understand-this-in-my-brain, but know as in I-live-into-this-truth-more-each-day.

Do you want your kids to know who they are or just what they are supposed to do?

A while back I wrote a post about five simple ways to connect your kids with the Bible as school starts. (Feel free to give it a read. I’ll wait.) While our family has done all of these in some form, the “new one” that Kari and I have been implementing is taping a Bible verse right in the middle of the bathroom mirror for the kids to see when they wake up. [Read more…] about 49 Identity Messages Your Kids Need to Know

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Launch Week for “Bible Praying for Parents” Starts TODAY! (And I’m giving you an extra book for free to celebrate!)

Today is the big day! Judy (my co-author) and I have been talking about this for years. Now it’s here.

Bible Praying for Parents launches today.

parent pack NEW

I was so excited I decided to record a short video about it! Take a look and then keep reading to find out how you can get a free copy of my other book for parents (Like Ice Cream). 

 

BPFP-Parrott

 

Here is how to get your free copy of Like Ice Cream:

[Read more…] about Launch Week for “Bible Praying for Parents” Starts TODAY! (And I’m giving you an extra book for free to celebrate!)

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A First Look at My New Book (and some free parts)

Coming out with a new book is exciting. Announcing it to the world is exciting. Giving part of it away is really exciting! Today is in the “really exciting” category!

BP4P First Look

The book is called Bible Praying for Parents and I co-wrote it with Judy Fetzer (more on her a few inches down the page). Simply put, “Bible Praying” is taking the actual words of Scripture and praying them over your kids.

Here’s the deal…

  • We know we need to pray for our kids.
  • We want to pray for our kids.
  • We don’t pray for our kids enough (or we say the same prayers over and over).

And so…

  • With Bible Praying, we know we’re praying God’s will. (After all, He wrote it!)
  • With Bible Praying, there are 365 unique prayers covering every aspect of your child’s life.
  • With Bible Praying, you’ll be in the Word more yourself. (And you might start praying these prayers for yourself. Win-Win!)

Ok…let’s get down to the nitty-gritty.

My Co-Author

I have known Judy Fetzer for the better part of two decades. She is the original idea-generator for Bible Praying. (More on how that happened in her “note” below.) Here’s the short description from the back cover:

Judy Fetzer is a wife and mother of three. She spent many years involved with the Moms in Prayer prayer groups in her children’s schools. She currently works at Northwest University in Kirkland, WA.

The Cover

What do you think?
What do you think?

Do you want to be on the Launch Team?

We start the book with a note from each of us. I thought I’d go ahead and put the entire content of those pages here. After all, we’re self-publishing this one, so I’m not breaking any copyright laws. Doh! [Read more…] about A First Look at My New Book (and some free parts)

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5 Simple Ways to Connect Your Kids With the Bible As School Starts

Are your kids in school yet? Some of you started almost a month ago. (Sorry.) Our kids started yesterday.

The start of school is always hectic. Here are some simple ideas for making sure the Bible doesn't get lost in the craziness.

NOTE: I have updated and re-posted this each of the last few years. This year, I have included a free PDF that takes these principles and put them into an applicable-all-year-round format so you can use it and share it anytime. I’ve also included a link to my eBook – 49 Identity Messages Your Kids Need to Know – that goes along with #1. I’d love to hear how you’re making the connection between your kids, the Bible, and school in the comments below. Enjoy!


If I had to choose one word to describe the first month of the school year it would be: HECTIC.

The pace is insane, isn’t it? Here’s a glimpse at life with the Ferrin Five:

  • Two kids in middle school.
  • A third in elementary school (with a different start/end time of course).
  • Three soccer teams.
  • A wife who teaches kindergarten.
  • My busiest travel season of the year.
  • Squeezed in between we all have to eat, clean, do laundry, etc., etc.

As I said…HECTIC. Where does the Bible fit into all this? Especially for our kids?! For me, I can get up early and grab some coffee, my Bible, and a corner of the couch. But I want my kids to connect with God and His Word as well. So…what can we do? [Read more…] about 5 Simple Ways to Connect Your Kids With the Bible As School Starts