Old Story New: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God

This is perfect! It doesn't take a long time to go through each night. The kids (7,5 & 3) all enjoy it. I like how it has you read a passage out of the bible to get them involved. Highly recommend.

oing through this devotional has been such a blessing to my family. We have all learned something. The devotional is chronological, theologically sound, and continually points to Jesus tying the Old and New Testaments together in one book. Devotions can be completed in 10-15 minutes with minimal prep but are made rich with thoughtful questions and a final prayer.

This is a good tool for Bible Study with elementary age crowd, especially ones that know many of the stories. Bible readings are reasonable and questions are related to and require some thought for answering. I have enjoyed using this. See Old Story New for the companion New Testament study

After buying the kindle version, I ended up buying the book as well. This is an awesome devotional that takes kids and parents through the Bible and asks questions for review and reflection. I was impressed with this book tying the stories to Jesus and including the Psalms. Each week is split up into 5 daily chapters. We are able to go at our own pace. My son (7 yrs old) brings this to me before bed and enjoys it as well.

Of all the family/kid devotionals I have seen, these are the most Gospel-centered. My second choice (Max Lucado's Growing in Grace) is pretty far behind this one. This book is even better if you attend a church that uses these in the kid's curriculum, so the kids can get an extended introduction into the main lesson, and then the weeknight devotionals supplement. Highly recommend.

In some ways, reviewing a book like Old Story New is quite difficult. After all, it's a year long devotional guide for families. So, if you wanted to do an experimental review, you'd walk through it with your family...over the course of a year. And that defeats the purpose of doing a timely review coordinated with the release of this book. On the other hand, doing a review for a book like this is quite easy: you jump in all over the place, reading various days devotionals and then sit back and say, 'Families, use this book; especially if you have young children, use this book.' In November of 2012, I'd reviewed Machowski's first devotional book for families: Long Story Short. That devotional guide was based upon the Old Testament. In Old Story New, as you could guess from that set-up and the title, is a devotional guide about the New Testament. This is such a helpful tool for families. If you have young children, I can't think of a better book to help in family worship than these two accompanying books. If you have a wider age-range of children, you could involve the older kids in the readings, while the younger ones get involved through age-appropriate questions and prayer. You could also supplement the times of family worship with some singing or the occasional object lesson connected to each day's reading. The book is arranged by the week. Each week features five days worth of devotionals that will walk you through the entire New Testament in a year. Each day begins with a 'Remember It' question so you're always reviewing what's been learned. Then, there is a passage of Scripture to be read, followed by the 'Think About It Some More' section. This provides Mom or Dad the explanation of each text being examined, put in such a way that all can understand it. Next comes the 'Talk About It' portion, which usually consists of 3-4 questions to draw out from each person present what they've just heard. It also helps solidify that passage into their heart and mind by thinking about it more. Finally, there is a closing time to 'Pray About It'. My heart's longing would be to get this book (and it's predecessor) into the hands of young families. I'd exhort each of them to take the 15-20 minutes it might take each day to gather everyone around the dining table or in the living room. I'd sit with them and help them get started, making this a 'ritual' that no one wants to miss. Of course, I can't really do it that way. What I can do is recommend this book...highly. Begin the God-honoring habit of family worship, using God's Word and let it transform your whole family.

Old Story New makes it easy for parents to stay on the life-giving course of sharing the gospel story with their family. This second volume in Marty Machowski’s family devotional series continues the gospel story begun in the Old Testament devotional, Long Story Short. Using the same effective ten-minute-a-day structure, it connects children to the living gospel truth through 78 New Testament stories. Simple discussion questions (and answers) for each day’s devotion help children understand and connect the story of salvation with their own lives. Old Story New, part of the Gospel Story for Kids program, is suitable for children from preschool through high school (Back Cover). These two devotionals will give your family an incredible tool to introduce your children to the fullness of Scriptures. Each volume contains 78 weeks of devotionals and so your family could go through both testaments of the Bible in three years. Because the work has been already done to present the lesson, the dad only has to skim over the lesson and make sure he has any ingredients for the object lesson that some chapters include. For example, in “Story 84” on page 33 about The Temptation of Jesus, “you will need a shine new quarter and a penny for this exercise.” Not a whole lot of preparation but helpful directions to make the lesson come alive. It is also helpful to realize that these devotionals can be geared to any family member from prereaders on up to high school. If you have kids and ten minutes you can set aside each day, then get these devotional books and start making the Bible come alive in your family.

I read some reviews that said this is good for 5-10 year olds. My daughter is almost 7 and it's too long for her. It's too long for me some days because there's so much she doesn't understand that I'm baffled at how to explain it. I put it away and will try again in 3 years.

I use these devotions with my two sons, ages 10 and 7. I have tried many different devotionals and I really like this one. The devotions are quick and easy, but they take passages of scripture and dig deep to find the significance. It gives you a short bible passage to read, explains it, and then asks a few questions to help the story sink in. I like that it actually provides the answers to the questions. Of course, some are straightforward but I do like knowing that I am on the right track with understanding the message and not just guessing at the point there are trying to make. I like that they are not too long so that my kids do not lose interest and are absorbing the word of God each day. Top critical review See all 4 critical reviews› 6 people found this helpful 3.0 out of 5 starsGood for the young ones, not so much for older kids ByHamoncanon June 26, 2014 Good for your younger kids but not quite so good for a mixed group. The kids 12+ tend to tune out as it really doesn't challenge them.