Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing: Savoring Sally Lloyd Jones’ New Book

This October, the team that brought you The Jesus Storybook Bible released a unique new book, Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing.  At 224 pages, it’s surprisingly small and compact, but author Sally Lloyd Jones and illustrator Jago have packed quite a punch inside.  Each spread contains a meditation complemented by one of Jago’s brilliant illustrations, and because they are not sequential, it functions a lot like a kids’ coffee table book–a book one can pick up and read for a moment or two, and come away with a little nugget of God’s Word to savor for the day.

You might think I’m describing a kids’ devotional.  But Sally says she doesn’t use that word for a reason.  She felt kids might be put off by it; they might see it as something they have to read instead of something they want to read.  And that’s really the main goal here.  To get kids to think about God’s word for pleasure, not just as an assignment in Sunday School or Bible class.  It supposed to whet their appetite for thinking God’s thoughts after Him, and to help them apply the balm of the gospel to their own lives in fresh ways, day by day.  And I think that by and large, the book does just that.

Janie has looked at a number of story Bibles and kids’ devotionals this week, and one of her main criticisms is that many such books, while well-intentioned, actually end up obscuring the meaning of Biblical texts.  Even if they avoid the pitfalls of something like The Action Bible Devotional and get the author’s intention right, story Bibles like the Jesus Calling Bible Storybook use the Biblical text as a launch pad rather than an arrow to the heart.  Kids are taught to start with a Bible passage, and then use it as a spring board for personal messages from God which may or may not have anything to do with text itself.  I absolutely don’t want to belittle any attempt to get kids to pray on their own or to develop an expectation that God will speak to them personally and answer their prayers.  I am eager to admit that such an emphasis is sorely lacking in many Christian homes and churches.

Even so, just getting kids to read Scripture isn’t enough.  Consider for a moment that there are between 3,000 and 5,000 cults in America right now, and many caught up in them believe in Scripture plus some direct revelation from God.  Sloppy Biblical interpretation plus new revelation are the rocks upon which untold millions are being dashed.  Add to that perhaps the most prevalent deception of our day, postmodernism, which denies the authority of any text over us, especially God’s Word, exalting instead personal experience which inevitably leads to a new gospel (and one that isn’t any gospel at all).   In such a perilous context, we need to be very, very careful how we teach our kids to seek the Lord’s Word and His presence.

Which brings me to one reason I’m so pleased with a seemingly minor aspect of Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing.  Unlike the traditional devotional format, the Scripture verse is placed at the bottom of the page rather than the top.  That means, kids are led not out and away from Scripture into Sally’s thoughts and their own.  But rather, she begins with a meditation, a story or metaphor that leads kids from their own contexts down into the Word.   Thus, like the chorus of a song, it’s the Word that rings loudest and longest in the reader’s mind, inviting him or her back to hear and savor God’s voice–not Sally’s or even the reader’s.  And thankfully, a mature view of the message of the Bible permeates the entire text, including quotes from Charles Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis, and other greats of the Christian faith.

Another easy trap for story Bible publishers is to dumb down the illustrations until nothing of God’s grandeur and majesty come across.  Judging by the kids’ sections at major bookstores, Christianity is just a fuzzy, milk-toast religion in which sweet, cuddly sheep, oblivious to real life, sit around getting hugs all day from a guy in a white robe.  In contrast to that, Jago’s illustrations are child-friendly without belittling kids.  The illustrations themselves are many layered, with rich and subtle hues, sometimes portraying a scene that is almost a literal translation of the text.  Other times, Jago puts his own spin on the metaphor, inviting the reader to another layer of imagination beyond what Sally has provided.  Great art doesn’t have to be straight-laced, either: there is so much humor and whimsy that comes across (see Helpless in p. 93), but overall, the tone is serious and so takes its readers–and its subject–seriously.  I can’t think of another story Bible or devotional, besides their previous offering The Jesus Storybook Bible, that portrays its subject matter in such a compelling yet kid-friendly way.

Because of the serious presentation, this is a book that will not only serve kids but adults as well.  In our recent interview, Sally said that she had received numerous stories of adults being impacted by The Jesus Storybook Bible.  Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian in New York also said that he often gives copies of the book to adults as a gift book.  I expect this will be used in much the same way.  There is always the danger of using a tool like this as a replacement for the reading of Scripture itself, and that’s something we as Christians are going to have to guard against more and more in our culture.  In fact, Janie and I have spent a lot of time and energy trying to help parents and kids get into God’s Word directly, without the aid of a devotional like this one.  (See our Bible Reading Challenge.)

But if we use this book not in lieu of Scripture study but as a beautiful, artistic expression of who the Lord is and who he’s making us, it may do us a world of good.  If we use it as a witness to non-Christians, a starting point for kids and adults who won’t or can’t read the Scripture on their own, its value only increases.  And if it helps young people and adults alike see their need for God’s Word, not above the Scriptures but through them, I’d say that’s something worth singing about.

 

For more about the author, Sally Lloyd Jones, see our podcast interview with Sally.  Also see Janie’s review of several popular kids’ devotionals, as well as Emily’s post on How to Choose a Story Bible.

QUESTION: Does this devotional appeal to you?  Do you think it would be more or less helpful to your kids than a classic like Leading Little Ones to God?

          

Stay Up to Date!

Get the information you need to make wise choices about books for your children and teens.

Our weekly newsletter includes our latest reviews, related links from around the web, a featured book list, book trivia, and more. We never sell your information. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

Support our writers and help keep Redeemed Reader ad-free by joining the Redeemed Reader Fellowship.

Stay Up to Date!

Get the information you need to make wise choices about books for your children and teens.

Our weekly newsletter includes our latest reviews, related links from around the web, a featured book list, book trivia, and more. We never sell your information. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Something went wrong. Please check your entries and try again.

emily

We'd love to hear from you!

Our comments are now limited to our members (both Silver and Golden Key). Members, you just need to log in with your normal log-in credentials!

Not a member yet? You can join the Silver Key ($2.99/month) for a free 2-week trial. Cancel at any time. Find out more about membership here.

8 Comments

  1. Beth on October 20, 2012 at 3:37 pm

    I appreciate your thoughtful reviews of devotionals for children. I have a lot of the same concerns for adult devos too – too often, it’s easier to read a verse and a nice thought for the day, rather than delving into the Scriptures for ourselves. I bought “Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing” for my two-year-old for Christmas, and I can’t wait to be able to get it out and use it!

  2. emily on October 20, 2012 at 4:09 pm

    Thanks so much, Beth. So glad you guys will get to share Sally’s book, and praying that the Lord will draw you near to Him through the experience.

  3. Jago on October 21, 2012 at 3:40 am

    Thanks for your kind words about my illustrations! Glad you’re enjoying the book.

    • emily on October 22, 2012 at 7:46 pm

      And thanks for visiting our site, Jago. We’re very grateful to have your books to recommend.

  4. Marlo on October 21, 2012 at 6:09 pm

    I am so excited about this book, but I’m also intrigued by your question about its comparison with Leading Little Ones. It’s difficult to compare the two without having seen Sally’s book yet. I used Leading Little Ones with my boys when they were younger as part of the Sonlight curriculum and loved it. It is one of many books we’ve used to communicate to them about God (other than the Bible of course). At Christmas time we’ve used the Jotham’s Journey series; during the year, we’ve used various Bible studies such as those by Kay Arthur designed for kids; and there are many picture and chapter books we’ve shared as well. I don’t plan on replacing Leading Little Ones with my much-younger daughter when she is ready as it’s such a thorough, organized way to present key concepts for children about following Christ. Rather, I look forward to having another tool at my fingertips to share God with them. His Spirit can speak in many ways, and I love having fresh thoughts to give my children along with faithful, classic works.

  5. Charlotte of Kansas on October 23, 2012 at 10:11 pm

    THOUGHTS TO MAKE YOUR HEART SING is designed to draw children into Scripture in a natural and appealing way. It’s so important for children to receive what God says about them. When those thoughts get integrated into their lives, God can work wonders through them. Congratulations to Sally Lloyd Jones and Jago for a beautiful book.

  6. Alane on April 1, 2013 at 9:18 pm

    Thank you for this, Jago and Sally-Lloyd Jones, and RR for reviewing their book. I just hopped on Amazon to review the sample pages. This is perfect for my family – my eldest son (6) is spiritually minded and grasps biblical concepts readily and easily. But he’s only six and he has many questions a growing Christian (and a growing parent) naturally ask. Jago and Jones anticipate the questions we ask and give us poetic entrance into the answers. Their answers are dignified. Earthy and imaginative. Layered. My second son (5) sees the world sideways. He too is spiritually minded, but in the kind of way that hears rainbows and befriends frogs. This book meets him exactly where he is – inside God’s grandeur — and, I believe, will add contours to his already colorful faith.

  7. emily on April 2, 2013 at 8:02 am

    I think we should have let you review the book, Alane. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Very insightful!

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to post a comment.