Don't Blame the Mud: Only Jesus Makes Us Clean

Don’t Blame the Mud Only Jesus Makes us Clean Written by Marty Machowski Illustrated by Crag MacIntosh Category: Religion, Christian life, Children’s Books, Family Author: Marty Machowski Format: Hard cover, 32 pages Publisher: New Growth Press, USA ISBN: 9781948130967 Pub Date: May 27, 2019 This is a great children’s story about sin and the book equips parents and teachers to teach our children about sin. The story is about a boy who makes the wrong choice by taking a muddy path home from school. Along the way he falls and gets his new school uniform completely dirty. When he got home, instead of telling his mom and dad the truth, he ran through the house straight to his room leaving a trail of mud behind him and tried to hide his muddy mess under his bed. His mom and dad saw the muddy track and confronted the boy. They asked him to get cleaned up and even after he took a shower the boy still didn’t feel clean. Deep down inside he still felt the mud. When it was time to confront his parents he initially blamed the mud but his parents pointed out that there is no one else to blame but himself. Eventually he confessed his sin to his parents and finally God. His parents taught him that we are all born with sin but it’s Jesus who saves us. What is also helpful is that there are two pages for parents and teachers that focus on helping your child understand sin and the gospel. What’s really great is the author also adds in key Bible verses to remember at the end of the book. I had my children ages 8 and 9 read each page and they were able to grasp the concept pretty quickly into the story. The story is lengthy compared to other children’s books and the wording is small which may make it challenging for younger children to follow along. The pictures are very detailed which can be distracting for a young reader who is trying to read the small font. I would recommend seeing more books with characters of different ethnicities and different type of families such as adoptive families and/or including grandparents. I was given a free copy. All views are my own.

I loved how this book beautifully explains about sin and temptation. Mud being sin and the trail being the temptation. Max knew what he was doing was wrong, but the temptation to walk that trail was too inviting. Like most people, we choose not to obey God's word and we do things on our own, then later we try to cover up that guilt and shame, by blaming someone else or the object of our guilt. And no matter what we try to do, that guilt stays on us. Maybe from the outside we look clean, but from the inside, it's mud and it festers and begins to stink, and we don't know how to get rid of it. The only way to get clean is through Jesus Christ, He is the ONLY one that can disinfect, wipe clean all of that mud and festering stench from our mind, soul and body. It's a whimsical book with beautiful illustrations that takes you on Max's journey to salvation. I highly recommend this read, it's very easy for young children to comprehend and at the end of this book, there is help for the parents on teaching children to understand sin and the gospel of Christ.

Wow!! I have been a fan of Marty Machowski's for a while now. We are actually currently working our way through one of his 10 minute devotions, Wise Up: Ten-Minute Family Devotions in Proverbs. So we were excited to dig into this short story book for kids. It is the perfect length that will keep everyone engaged, even younger kids. The illustrations are very adorable and my kids enjoyed them. The story is very skilled at representing our sin and how we need God to clean us. It shows that we are responsible for our own sin and only God can help us to get clean. Not only is the story very engaging and entertaining but it clearly shares the Gospel through Max's parents. Max understands His need for a Savior and actually comes to Christ right in the pages of the story. So this is a terrific way to get conversations started. I actually wish I had come upon this book when my kids are younger, but we will be sharing it with everyone. At the end is a space for parents to help guide you in talking to your kids about salvation and some steps to take if they are ready. This is such an amazing resource that should be in every home. Thanks to the publisher for our free copy, no review was required.

Max is just walking home from school, walking on the sidewalk, doing his best not to get his school clothes dirty. But it just looks so adventuresome over there by the trail along the creek. It’s probably not the safest path, but Max thinks he can walk the fun trail while still staying clean. But he can’t. One wrong move leads to a huge flop in the mud and now Max has to figure out how to hide his dirty clothes. It’s not my fault, Max reasons, I was doing fine until I slipped and fell…It’s all the mud’s fault. Despite Max’s best efforts, his parents soon learn of his muddy trek home—as evidenced by the now muddy carpet, bed, and even walls. Max cleans himself up, but the evidence of his mess remains. In Don’t Blame the Mud, Marty Machowski leads young readers on a journey of realization: they are responsible for their own behaviors and actions—and bad behaviors are hard to cover up. They stay with you on the inside even once you’ve cleaned them up on the outside. Mom and Dad lead Max into forgiveness and repentance. They show him that mud is like sin: it gets everywhere and can’t be hidden. We can only ask Jesus to come into our lives and remove it. The book ends with a parent’s guide on helping children understand sin and the Gospel message. Machowski addresses the nature of temptation and sin, pointing to Jesus as the only one that can wash us clean. Craig Macintosh’s illustrations also delight, particularly his Ghost Buster-esque portrayal of the ever-present mud. Teaching children about sin can be difficult. We want to impress on them the seriousness of sin while doing so in an appropriate way and realizing that it is ignorance and not malice that drives most misdeeds. Machowski does a great job of portraying this and helping parents and kids learn more about overcoming the temptation of “mud.”

On the forward page you see the scripture “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16. That scripture is a perfect setting for the books story. The illustrations are captivating and have so much to explore throughout. The entire book is in full color. The story is about Max a young boy on his way home from school in his nice school uniform. He was told to not get his clothes dirty but come home first and change. Along the way you see a mud puddle following him around. The mud represents sin and is tempting him to disobey and they to try and hide what he did. He gets caught and blames the mud rather than taking responsibility of his own actions. Then Max takes a shower and the sin is still making him feel dirty still. It’s not until he fully understands that only Jesus can make him clean is he free. Afterwards his guilt and shame are gone as Jesus is living inside of him. At the end of the book is a page for the parents to help you teach your child about understanding what sin is. The next page covers teaching your kids to understand the Gospel. The last page gives you several key Bible verses to remember. Marty Machowski is one of my favorite children authors. This book is excellent! The Mud monster or image is perfect. I think the story is very relatable for kids to grasp the story of redemption. It explains how we are covered in mud (sin) on the outside and inside. Only Jesus can clean us inside and out. The only issue I had was with the print on a few pages. The words blended in the background and were hard to read. My daughter struggled on a few pages. Other than that I would still 100% recommend this book. I received a free copy of this product from New Growth Press in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

I found this book to be simple and relatable. Teaching kids about sin and the guilt that comes with it in very practical terms. But it definitely does not leave them there. Teaching a child about salvation with this book is entirely possible. The progression is fast, because it is a short story, and can’t possibly convey the many similar experiences beforehand. But that’s ok. The truth is that God pricks each heart at different times. When a heart is ready, the experience isn’t slow. I found the illustrations engaging, and the story easy to follow. I could relate on a personal level to Max. His good intentions and getting distracted by something fun. The Mud “monster” is great! Really helps get the point across just with the illustrations. I would recommend this book to any elementary kids. My 6 year old enjoyed it, and has asked to read it several times already. We will read in often.

It's never too early to teach children about sin and what God says about it. In fact, I always say the earlier the better. As a Christian family, this is a topic that we began discussing many years ago when my son was a wee little one. Most children typically learn the difference between right and wrong early on, but taking it a step further to discuss when it means for their own eternity and the one way that they can be washed clean, is vital for their salvation. It also helps pave the way for their walk with God. Recently, we've been reading a brand new book called Don't Blame the Mud Only Jesus Makes Us Clean by author and pastor, Marty Machowski. This book teaches children that there is only one way to be washed clean of our sins, and that is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ from his death on the cross. It also discusses consequences for making wrong choices and how to recognize temptation, so that sin can be stopped in its tracks.

At some point, we all must take accountability for our own sin. Marty Machowski's story Don't Blame the Mud illustrates this step of maturity in a simple way. With illustrations by Craig McIntosh, Machowski tells the story of Max, who, despite his mother's warnings to keep his school uniform clean, choosing to walk home on the path by the creek rather than on the road. After a few close calls, Max falls, soiling his school clothes, just like Mom said. Feeling an urgent need to cover up the consequences of his disobedience, he sneaks to his room and sheds his dirty clothes, leaving a trail of mud. He then lies to his parents about how he got dirty: "It's not my fault that I slipped and fell. . . . It's the mud's fault. It wasn't me." When his parents confront him with the obvious, he feels a deep sense of conviction, and his parents take the opportunity to teach him about sin, repentance, and God's plan for forgiveness. Machowski includes tips to help parents talk to their children about the gospel. It's a simple story, but with a profound purpose: turning children's hearts away from sin and toward Jesus. The lesson holds for believers of all ages. Just as Max strayed closer and closer to the mud, so do we place ourselves in proximity to sin. It's a message we should never stop hearing and a lesson we all need to hear and pass along to our children and other younger Christians.

This book is a great way to explain the gospel to children. It does a good job of showing the dirt on the outside and relating that to guilt in the inside. There is an excellent couple of pages at the end of the book to help parents explain sin and the gospel to their children. The only aspect of the book I felt was less than perfect was the small print. It is not always so easy to hold a book so children can see the illustrations while reading the text. I can see Sunday School teachers using this book in such a way. Larger print would have been better for a broader use.

This is a cute children's book about when you do something wrong. It helps teach the kids about taking ownership for what you did and forgiveness. I thought it had some cool concepts about guilt and how it lingers until you make it right. The analogy of feeling dirty was really good too!! A great read for an older kid