Chapter 1: Preparations Dear Journal, My name is Simon Stephenson and I’m 13 years old. Grandpa Abrams gave this journal to me for Christmas and he said that I should write about all of my exciting adventures on Mars. He doesn’t plan to go to Mars so he thinks that reading about it will be like …
Chapter 7: Gifts from Home I didn’t even know it was possible to receive personal packages on Mars, Grandpa! Imagine my surprise when I got the gifts from you all: a child-sized djembe drum, diminutive hand bells, cymbals, a recorder, and a small keyboard. Real ones, not holographic ones! Mom says …
Chapter 5: The Little Ones “One day some parents brought their little children to Jesus so he could touch and bless them.” Luke 18:15a Dear Journal, Something kind of bitter has happened and something kind of sweet has happened. But if I understand the word “bittersweet” correctly it’s not really …
Chapter 4: Shadowing Dear Journal, Something interesting happened this morning. When I glanced in the mirror I saw something . The mirror here is more clear than the one in our old 2003 home on earth. It could be the lighting. Anyway, there was my pale, freckled, longish face with large hazel eyes, …
Chapter 3: Silent at School “But I desire to have you wise in that which is good, but innocent in that which is evil.” Romans 16:9 Dear Journal, Let me quickly wrap up that last entry. The girl’s name was Zoe, which means “life” in Greek. Pretty cool. Her parents threw a party on board to honor my …
Dear Journal, My name is Simon Stephenson and I’m 11 years old. Grandpa Abrams gave this journal to me for Christmas and he said that I should write about all of my exciting adventures on Mars. He doesn’t plan to go to Mars so he thinks that reading about it will be like enjoying it vicariously. …
Bring your kids to experience 30 or so live stations to help them enjoy gospel truth, education, and entertainment. For example, see three wooden crosses in the sheep pen, write a prayer request in the little Garden of Gethsemane in the 1888 barn, interact with numerous live animals, and more while …
These products are not in competition with each other; each has unique contributions. Secondly, the prices of each product are relatively similar. Finally, the content of Evangel Lamb and My Little Lamb are not the same. So, let’s spend time discussing some of the best stuffed animal audio players. …
“Your kid will be begging you for baths and Bible stories.” Recently a unique product launched an Easter sale. The discount is substantial: $19.99 (vs $39.99) and free shipping. And so, just in time for someone’s birthday, I purchased “ Bubbee's Bible and Bath Bombs.” I told my husband, “You know, …
LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS By a Friend of Theotots, Betty Rotiche It is that favorite time of the year for those people who love Christmas. Years ago, I was visiting with a friend’s family in Marion, Indiana. One night, she took me to a park where the nativity scene was recreated using Christmas …
How did the TheoTunes!/Evangel Lamb project come into being, what is it actually, and why is it important? In this blog post I will try to address these questions and more. Basically though, the idea is to tell kids about Jesus using a musical stuffed lamb audio player that has more than an hour of …
I didn’t grow up with the word “Catechism” though of course many Baptists (eg the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary that my dad graduated from in my hometown) care deeply about doctrines and passing on the truths of the faith. I thought that it was a kind of Catholic word. Well, in this blog …
As you may know, I launched Theotots originally as a website to review quality Christian products that are engagingly age-appropriate and focus on Jesus, risen Lord and Savior, and the gospel of forgiveness of sin through His atonement on The Cross. Also, I wrote books like “The Movie And The …
Happy Fathers’ Day to all the dads out there! Let's consider how Jesus taught his disciples to pray in Mathew 6:9-13 and Luke 11: 2-4. He said that when you pray, say “Our Father who is in heaven” The Bible refers to God as a father. The trinity is composed of God the Father, God the Son and God …
Scripture tells us, repeatedly, that God knows our hearts. He knows how many hairs are on our head, He knows what we need, He knows the number of our days, He knows. He knows our children. He knows what are children will be like in the age to come. He knows about the hard times, the sweet times, …
PARENTING PERFECTION IS UNATTAINABLE Have you ever shared a story with friends then regretted it because of the level of varied judgement you received? I once told some friends about the onset of my parenting paranoia. It was the time when my son was three years old and he would get impatient …
" 24 Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another; and so much the more, as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:24-25 Traditionally believers in the resurrection of Jesus …
I'd like to encourage you with one of my favorite Psalms. So many of the Psalms focus on God’s goodness and, as we meditate on God’s character, we’re conformed more into the image of His Son, Jesus. Specifically, I’d like to highlight that God is gracious and God is Lord. We can dwell securely in …
Singing to the Lord is encouraged and is in fact commanded in Scripture. A new song is a fresh song signifying a dynamic, living walk with the Lord. Let’s consider three reasons to sing to the Lord habitually in our homes. First, singing is part of our relationship with God. This is part of our …
What makes a good VBS? Psalm 127:1 says that, "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." Of course, we can be resource rich in terms of volunteers, activities, etc. and yet, well, what we need is to do what Jesus did. He said that He always did what He saw The Father …
I want to begin this by bringing up nutrition (Don’t worry; it’s relevant.). In Guatemala, the diet mainly consists of corn tortillas so, in order to increase protein consumption, helpful folks tried to change the diet. But it didn’t work. People like to eat what they like to eat. Remember when the …
A family friend, Pat Jenkins, has graciously shared for this guest post. Enjoy! Our actions and words can have great influence on our children, even if we don’t think they are paying any attention. Do we encourage them? Do we ask for their forgiveness when we have hurt them? Do we ask for …
Best Christian Children’s Media Besides pointing you to the best Christian children’s books, Theotots also wants to help you find the top Christian children’s videos, YouTube channels, apps, etc. Here are some to consider: Bible Adventures (on YouTube), a companion to The Bible App for Kids …
May the truths of the gospel be in our hearts and may we often speak of them with our children. Here’s a list of verses on which you could meditate if you like. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John …
(This is my husband’s story.) W hen can faith begin in a child's life? I believe very early on. In June of 1984 I was just 4 years and a month old. My mom took me to see The Gremlins at the theater, which, retrospectively, we should have skipped. As we were leaving, I sprinted far ahead in the …
Celebrate Christ on October 31st We must guard our children’s hearts. Proverbs 4:23 warns: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.” Some call it a Harvest Party, Costume Day, Fall Festival, Trunk or Treat or something with Candy in its name. Others commemorate …
Scripture Memorization Psalm 119:11 declares: “I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” We must be intentional. Certain tools can aid our efforts, including music, art and books. Scripture Songs have been enormously helpful in my own practice of memorizing Bible …
We would like to help our children to love God and the things of God, cultivating godly attitudes and appetites, so let’s consider some practical ways to serve that purpose. Three key areas can aid in this: personal modeling, church support, and environmental messaging. Let’s explore these three by …
When introducing infants to Jesus it's helpful to consider saturation, clarity and trust. First, saturation refers to frequent exposure. Deuteronomy 6 tells us: These words, which I command you today, shall be on your heart; 7 and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of …