For young readers and families, Don't Blame the Mud gives a vivid way of helping children see where wrong choices come from and how to turn to Jesus for change from the inside out. Written by best-selling children's author Marty Machowski, this beautifully illustrated picture book teaches children how to recognize the lure of temptation and the truth that bad choices lead to bad consequences.
One day, Max takes the muddy path along the creek home, disregarding his mother's reminder to keep his school clothes clean. After crashing into a mud puddle, he tries to hide his mistake and discovers the stain of his sin goes deeper than the mud he can wash away. In this lovable, relatable, and heartwarming tale, Max learns his heart needs to be cleaned, and Jesus is the only one who can wash away his sin.
By clearly articulating the gospel, Don't Blame the Mud helps parents create an environment of confession so kids can own up to their own mistakes—in the freedom of Christ—rather than place the blame elsewhere. Parents, teachers, and caretakers can help children identify with the real-life draw of temptation and the real-life consequences of sin, understanding the value of God's salvation through the cross. Instead of teaching kids how to deal with a problem, Machowski uncovers the real issue of sin and provides a gospel answer.
AUTHOR
Marty Machowski is a Family Life Pastor at Covenant Fellowship Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, where he has served on the pastoral staff for over thirty years. He is the author of The Gospel Story Bible, Long Story Short, Old Story New, the Gospel Story Curriculum, the Prepare Him Room advent devotional and curriculum, Wise Up family devotional and curriculum, Listen Up family devotional and curriculum, Dragon Seed, The Ology, Don't Blame the Mud, Parenting First Aid, and Parenting First Aid Study Guide. He and his wife, Lois, have six children and two grandchildren, and they reside in West Chester, Pennsylvania.
ILLUSTRATOR
Craig MacIntosh was a newspaper political cartoonist and illustrator for over twenty years and was the artist for the widely published cartoon strip Sally Forth. He and his wife, Linda, live in Minnesota and have two grown children.
"What a gift to a child, to be taught from a young age that there is a remedy for guilt. Marty Machowski's Don't Blame the Mud provides kids with a vivid picture of the nature of sin and gives parents the tools to talk about it in an understandable way."
Nancy Guthrie, Bible teacher; author of Praying Through the Bible for Your Kids
"Max got filthy. But not just from the forbidden mud. In this story, Marty Machowski helps every reader three and older understand what makes us most dirty and how God has provided the most wonderful way for us to become clean. You'll find it a very helpful parable of 1 John 1:9."
Jon Bloom, Cofounder of Desiring God; author of Don't Follow Your Heart and other books.
"Don't Blame the Mud contains a simple and clear presentation of sin, its consequences, and the forgiveness we find in the gospel. As a grandfather of more than a dozen grandchildren, I look forward to reading this book to them with the confidence that God can use it to open their hearts to the good news of salvation found in King Jesus."
Daniel L. Akin, President, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary
"I love Marty Machowski's biblically-rich, gospel-centered resources for children. I've benefited from them as a parent and pastor and highly recommend Don't Blame the Mud. Marty offers a heartwarming tale that will resonate with every child and generate discussion about temptation, confession, and the gospel. Here is an excellent book to help children grasp the seriousness of sin and equip you to present the gospel in a faithful and compelling way."
Dr. Josh Mulvihill, Executive Director of Church and Family Ministry, Renewanation
"In a day when easy believism is rampant, it is refreshing to find a children's book that is so careful about sin, repentance, and the conversion of a child. We witness a boy caught in his sin, repenting and trusting in Christ, and we see God opening his eyes to the truth. Thank you, Marty, for yet again another helpful book!"
Deepak Reju, Pastor of biblical counseling and family ministry, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC; author of On Guard and She's Got the Wrong Guy
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Shai Linne
Marty Machowski
Champ Thornton
Irene Sun
DON'T BLAME THE MUD is a cute story about a little boy tempted to play in mud puddles despite his mom's orders to stay clean. When he slipped and fell he ran and hid, but the muddy tracks gave him away. He was quick to blame the mud, but his wise parents taught him where the fault lay. The print/color is hard to read on some sections, but the story is well written, engaging, and teaches a valuable lesson.
The concept behind the analogy is great! The book addresses a very key concept in dealing with our sin and sinful desires: someone/something else "made" me do it. It brings the issue of personal responsibility home to both child and adult. Of course the metaphors of dirty and clean are used throughout the Bible, so the inspiration and concepts have a very real biblical base, thus enhancing the effectiveness of the analogy. The end material includes helpful ideas for sharing Christ with your child. That said, these notes should be modified to the educational and emotional needs of the child and the parent/youth leader's relationship with him/her as kids know when you are speaking real, from the heart, and reciting someone else's script.
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.
DON'T BLAME THE MUD is a cute story about a little boy tempted to play in mud puddles despite his mom's orders to stay clean. When he slipped and fell he ran and hid, but the muddy tracks gave him away. He was quick to blame the mud, but his wise parents taught him where the fault lay. The print/color is hard to read on some sections, but the story is well written, engaging, and teaches a valuable lesson. Grab a copy of DON'T BLAME THE MUD for your favorite child today. I was given a copy free. All opinions are my own.
t's not my fault, I thought. I was doing fine till I slipped and fell. My clothes were all clean till the mud splashed on me. It's all the mud's fault, that's easy to see. A little boy learns a lesson on obedience and what it means in simple terms. How we blame others for our bad choices (sin) and how we are redeemed when we take responsibility for our bad choices (sin). It is a great lesson on how we think we know better than those in authority. Mom/dad vs kids. It is the same with God. This is a great lesson in teaching our children. How our desires cause us to make bad choices that lead to sin. If as a parent you are serious about sin and teaching sin to your children, I highly recommend this as way to teach good doctrine.
The concept behind the analogy is great! The book addresses a very key concept in dealing with our sin and sinful desires: someone/something else "made" me do it. It brings the issue of personal responsibility home to both child and adult. Of course the metaphors of dirty and clean are used throughout the Bible, so the inspiration and concepts have a very real biblical base, thus enhancing the effectiveness of the analogy. The end material includes helpful ideas for sharing Christ with your child. That said, these notes should be modified to the educational and emotional needs of the child and the parent/youth leader's relationship with him/her as kids know when you are speaking real, from the heart, and reciting someone else's script.
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. I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.
Author Marty Machowski once again gives parents a great tool for helping their kids understand sin, forgiveness, salvation and restoration with his new children's book, "Don't Blame the Mud." After main character Max ends up in the mud when his mom told him to stay clean, he has to deal with the consequences of his choices. Max's parents lovingly, yet firmly, help him understand sin, repentance, forgiveness, and restoration. Machowski's goal is for parents to use the book as a jumping off point for conversations with their kids, even offering parents tips for the conversations and questions to stimulate conversations with their kids.