Best-selling children's book author Marty Machowski helps families connect to the Bible with a theologically robust yet simple and relatable devotional program. Old Story New is designed to explain God's plan of salvation through the New Testament.
Suited for children from preschool through high school, this gospel-focused book is full of ten-minute devotions to continue the gospel story that began in Long Story Short. The consistent and short structure helps children walk through the life-changing truths of the Christian faith in the New Testament without overwhelming them.
The gospel story told through Old Story New is filled with adventure, suspense, drama, and mystery, captivating young readers. Machowski makes it easy for parents and caregivers to stay on the life-giving course of sharing the gospel with their families.
Through 78 New Testament stories, Old Story New does the hard work for moms and dads. Simple discussion questions (and answers!) for each day's devotion help children understand and connect with Jesus's life, death, resurrection, and the birth of the Christian church.
Old Story New isn't devotional material preaching half-truths and moralism. This creative devotional program helps parents shepherd their children to see redemptive history, with the central theme of Jesus illuminated clearly in every story.
Don't give up on your family devotions. Machowski recognizes how well-intended parents and caregivers can struggle to maintain a family Bible study. A fuller, richer understanding of the gospel will be found in Old Story New.
Old Story New is a companion resource to the Gospel Story Curriculum, The Gospel Story Bible, Long Story Short, the Old Testament Gospel Story for Kids Coloring Book, and the New Testament Gospel Story for Kids Coloring Book. Each week of devotions corresponds to a lesson in the Gospel Story Curriculum and a story in The Gospel Story Bible.
"Marty Machowski has done it again! This book, along with the earlier Old Testament devotional book, Long Story Short, is another masterful devotional book for families. It is simple without being shallow. It is theologically robust without being pedantic. It is comprehensive without being overwhelming. Best of all, it is doable for busy parents with children."
Tedd Tripp, PhD, pastor; conference speaker; best-selling author of Shepherding a Child's Heart
"So much of the family devotional material available today does little more than use the Bible to teach half-truths and full-out moralism. The reason my wife and I love Marty Machowski's books and the reason they have become important resources as we seek to raise our children in 'the discipline and instruction of the Lord,' is their consistent focus on the big picture of the Bible's big story. Old Story New is yet another wonderful resource that we gladly commend and look forward to reading with our children."
Tim Challies, Author; pastor; blogger at Challies.com
"Marty Machowski 'gets' families. Even more importantly, he knows how to connect them to the Bible with simple, relatable New Testament studies that make much of Jesus in every lesson. If you want your kids to see the Savior through his Word, spend some time in this exciting new devotional."
Dave Harvey, Pastor; author of When Sinners Say I Do: Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage
"Finding time for family devotions is a high hurdle. But finding something enjoyable to do as a family that also illuminates God's Word can be an even higher impediment. In this wonderfully helpful book, you've found the answer to the second challenge. And Marty's clear writing and creativity will help you make the time (even if you don't think you have it) to clear the first hurdle. It's my pleasure to recommend this book and the devotional experience it provides to you and your family."
Robert Wolgemuth, PhD, author of The Most Important Place on Earth: What a Christian Home Looks Like and How to Build One
"The church wants parents to lead their homes spiritually; the parents don't know how. Marty Machowski's Old Story New is the answer for both church and parents. Marty has invested his time in the best way possible helping parents shepherd their children with more than stories and morals, but with the central theme of Jesus illuminated clearly in every story."
Scott Thomas, Pastor, 'The Journey Church', St Louis, MO; author of Gospel Coach: Shepherding Leaders to Glorify God
"Marty Machowski's Old Story New, like Marty's children's ministry curriculum and Old Testament devotional,Long Story Short, is a great asset to parents, pastors, and children's ministry teachers. I am particularly excited about the way Marty connects each New Testament story to the gospel of Christ. Marty's book will help your kids learn to see Jesus as the center of every part of the Bible. And what might God do with such a generation raised to rightly handle the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation?"
Josh Blount, Pastor, Living Faith Church
"Nurturing our children requires us to gain the attention of their hearts as soon as possible. So, what should we use to seize their interest? Thinly veiled morality tales that leave our children wandering in a desert of demands? In Old Story New, Christ is the beacon that captures the imagination of our children. Let this beautiful book lead your children out of the desert and into the oasis of Jesus, so he can quench their thirsty hearts."
David E. Tate, Pastor, Manor Presbyterian Church
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.
Set up to be less than 10 min a day. My kids are 5,7, and 9. While my 5 year old is still learning how to sit and listen, the other two are doing fine with it and are listening and answering questions each day. It is week 2 at our house and going well. It was free when I downloaded and I am grateful for the tool. I also like that although it is going through the New Testament there is a day or two in the first couple weeks that goes back and specifically shows how what is happening in the New was foretold in the Old Testament. This is not a concept I was shown when I was young so I am glad that it is included in this study.
These ten-minute family devotions are companion pieces to our current Children’s Church curriculum for ages 4 – 5th grade, and would be appropriate for children that age. Each week has five days’ worth of discussion topics, questions, illustrations, Bible passages, and ideas for discoveries to make as a family. The weeks line up with the Children’s Church story from Sunday, and the accompanying Bible passages help your family draw a connection between each story and the gospel. You could use this devotion without paying attention to the current Children’s Church lesson and without using the Gospel Story Bible. I like how the topics for family discussion give parents and kids a chance to share about struggles and celebrate joys together (For example, “Kids, ask your parents to tell you about a time when God provided something for them in a way that they knew it was by God’s grace, not their own effort.”). These devotions could be a springboard for great family conversations about the ways each person is growing with God.
Marty Machowski’s Old Story New is the second volume in his family life devotional series that “continues the gospel story begun in the chronological Old Testament devotional Long Story Short.” Review: www.examiner.com/list/long-story-shor... Old Story New uses the same effective format and structure as that in the Old Testament devotional except this one features New Testament teachings about Christ, the cross and the salvation message. The focus—Christ within the story! The gospel centered narratives are designed for busy families and can be completed in ten minutes a day, five days a week. Their use plants life-transforming seeds of God’s truth that build trust, faith and relationship with Christ…
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 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 to their own lives. Old Story New, part of the Gospel Story for Kids program, is suitable for children from preschool through high school. OLD STORY NEW is a collection of Bible stories from the New Testament. It has a section of Scripture readings, a section to think about it, and a collections of discussion questions to talk about it and your child’s thoughts. I used this with my eleven- and eight-year-old daughters for the Bible program in our homeschool, but it would also be good for children’s clubs, church groups, or family devotions. My daughters both said they enjoy using it. $19.99. 432 pages.
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.
If you were to sit down with a group Christian moms and dads and ask them to identify the top three challenges they’re up against when it comes to discipling their children, most if not all of them would put consistency in family devotions and Bible reading on their list. When you take into consideration the rapid pace at which we try to live our lives and the fact that many of us didn’t have this modeled for us when we were growing up, this is tough stuff. To he honest, this was a constant frustration in our family until about a year ago. Things started to change when we got ahold of a copy of The Gospel Story Bible: Discovering Jesus in the Old and New Testaments (New Growth Press, 2011). The Gospel Story Bible is now a constant companion at our dining room table. Our older children take turns reading one lesson at each meal. The “Let’s Talk About It” follow up questions have led to many a lively discussion with our kids ranging in age from toddler to teenager. Quite simply, our family has been very blessed by The Gospel Story Bible. Lately, we have been looking for an additional resource to take us beyond our dinner table readings. New Growth Press has come to our rescue once again with a brand new book by Marty Machowski titled Old Story New: Ten-Minute Devotions to Draw Your Family to God. Old Story New (New Testament) in conjunction with its predecessor Long Story Short (Old Testament) is a three year family devotional program that shows how God’s plan of salvation runs all the way through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Each lesson tries to drive home a consistent message, always coming back to a very specific question. In the case of Long Story Short it’s “How does this passage point forward to Jesus?” and in Old Story new it’s “Where is the gospel?” Here’s how each week’s lesson breaks down: *The week begins with a bit of trivia, a creative activity, or exercise to introduce your kids into this week’s passage. *Days 1-4: Review a part of the week’s passage *Day 3: Emphasis is placed on considering how the week’s passage connects to the gospel *Day 4: Older children are encouraged to ask their parents a questions. *Day 5: Investigate a passage from Psalms or the prophets to see how it points forward to Christ If like me you have some kids still in diapers and others who will be driving in a few years, you may wonder if this book will work with older kids too. My answer to that question is a resounding yes. Marty offers some great tips on how to use the book with preschoolers, grade schoolers (elementary) and young teens in the introduction. Our family is excited to be incorporating Old Story New into our weekly family devotions regimen. Here are the things that I appreciate about the book: *Each lesson can be completed in 10 minutes or less. *It can be used in conjunction with The Gospel Story Bible. *Each week, you are encouraged to read aloud a significant portion of scripture. *Each lesson includes three well-written discussion questions. *Each lesson ends with a topic to pray about. The only negative thing I have to say related to Old Story New is that I really missed out when I failed to get a copy of its predecessor, Long Story Short. I know my family would have greatly benefited by me introducing them to this series much sooner. As the saying goes, better late than never. For now, we’ll continue working our way through Old Story New and will pick up with Long Story Short afterwards. My overall rating for Old Story New is 5 out of 5 stars. If you’re a pastor or are involved in children’s education at your church, you should consider taking a look at the Gospel Story Curriculum. It is aligned with Long Story Short, Old Story New, and The Gospel Story Bible. If you get those great resources into the hands of your students’ parents, there is great potential for what the kids learn on Sunday to be reinforced all week long. Learn more at GospelStoryForKids.com.