Janice D. Green's Blog

VBS for small church or backyard?

Are you considering plans for vacation Bible school but finding yourself short on budget? These books might be just right for a do-it-yourself VBS. The Honeycomb Adventures website has a link with many ideas to support a VBS using these books, the downloadable coloring pages, links to appropriate songs on YouTube, ideas for games and refreshments. Check it out at the Honeycomb Adventures VBS or Bible Studies link.

#VBS #VacationBibleSchool #CreationVBS #Jonah #JonahVBS #Creation

Jonah, The Fearful Prophet – translated to Amharic

Jonah, The Fearful Prophet is nearly ready to go to Ethiopia. It has been translated into Amharic by Henok Estifanos, and the coloring pages are in process so they too can be downloaded in Amharic. The files are almost completed. The books will be printed in Ethiopia. I am currently seeking funds to print 100 copies. This book is our trial run. Plans are to give the books free or at minimal cost to children in low income areas and to also market them in the larger cities through church bookstores. If all goes well, we will also translate and publish The Creation and Baby Jesus . . . Messiah! I hope additional books will follow.

Henok Estifanos has translated projects for several ministries including Derek Prince Ministries. When I asked them about his work they were very complimentary and enthusiastic for our project. He has also translated for DCI Global Connections and other Christian ministries. Honeycomb Adventures Press is super excited for this opportunity to serve as a “Digital Missionary” to Ethiopia through its Bible storybooks. #Amharic

Here are two pictures of Henok giving books to children at two of the missions near him.

To inquire about how to help with this ministry, please contact us using this form:

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Young Women Love God Greatly Bible

Thomas Nelson has recently released the Young Women Love God Greatly Bible in the New English Translation. This Bible includes many features chosen as helps for young women. It has wide margins for note taking or creating illustrations in response to the passages.

This Bible introduces the “SOAP” Bible study method and incorporates it as a daily practice into a variety of daily Bible reading plans.

I’m impressed with the Bible reading plans. Each book of the Bible has its own Monday through Friday, 4-6 week, suggested reading plan with some of the shorter books combined into joint plans. In addition to these plans, there are topical 4-6 week Bible reading plans in the back of the Bible on topics such as “Fear and Anxiety,” “Truth over Lies,” “Friendship,” and many more. There is an additional one-year Bible reading plan in the back of the Bible for those ready for such a challenge.

Other Bible helps include brief introductions to each book of the Bible, devotions, suggested memory verses, maps placed near the appropriate text for clarity, reflection questions to further engage the reader, timelines of historical events, infographics to help explain concepts and themes, narratives on heroes of the Bible, and more. A topical index in the back of the Bible gives scripture references to help in many situations in which a woman might find herself seeking Biblical wisdom.

Contemporary additions include testimonies about women from various places in the world along with a profile of that country. Several women throughout history are highlighted with articles about their faith. Another feature is “Letters from a mentor” written by a “well seasoned woman of faith” offering instruction, encouragement, and love.

With so many wonderful features packed into this Bible for women, it’s hard to find anything not to like. There is much to encourage a woman to want to read and learn from God’s Word. My greatest reservation about this Bible is about its size. It is bulky for carrying to church or to Bible study groups. It is as big or bigger than any of my study Bibles, while it doesn’t have the typical study Bible features like a concordance, study footnotes, or a map section in the back.

I received a free copy of this book as a member of BG2, the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid. This review expresses my honest evaluation of this book.

#BibleGatewayPartner

NIrV Journal the Word Bible for Girls

Zondervan released the NIrV Journal the Word Bible for Girls: My First Bible for Tracing Verses, Journaling, and Creating Art, the latest edition of the New International Readers Version Bible for girls ages 6-12. The translation is simplified from the NIV Bible translation. The look and feel of this Bible with its pop art cover in shades of pink and green will appeal to Girls. The text is printed in two columns for easier reading and includes a third lined column for girls to write their thoughts and notes or create their own illustrations to accompany the text. There are two table of contents pages, one with the books of the Bible in the order they appear and the second with the books in alphabetical order making it easier for beginning Bible readers to find them.

What I like most about this Bible: The focus of this Bible is on the text of the Bible and it is easier to read than the NIV. It doesn’t overwhelm its readers with too much additional material to distract the reader from the Bible text rather than drawing them into it. I say this after providing other youth Bibles for the students in my Sunday School class. They were overjoyed with all the extra things to read. I sensed they were more interested in the supplements in those Bibles than in reading the Bible itself.

What I like least about this Bible: There are no pictures, drawings, or maps. There is nothing to “bait” a young reader to read the the Bible.

General Observations: This is an excellent choice of a Bible for any of a number of situations. A reluctant reader would be more likely to read this translation than the full NIV. It is also great for anyone who speaks and reads English as a second language. A new Christian or anyone who has just begun to take an interest in reading through the Bible would find this edition less overwhelming to read. The journaling space on the sides of the text would also be great for a new reader to take notes. This Bible is also helpful for getting a quicker overview of a long passage. I can also imagine a parent or grandparent spending time embellishing this Bible with drawings and highlights to help the child find favorite passages. This could begin when the child is an infant making it a very personal gift by the time they are able to read it.

I received a free copy of this book as a member of BG2, the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid. This review expresses my honest evaluation of this book.

#BibleGatewayPartner

Jonah, The Fearful Prophet – translated to Amharic

Jonah, The Fearful Prophet is nearly ready to go to Ethiopia. It has been translated into Amharic by Henok Estifanos, and the coloring pages are in process so they too can be downloaded in Amharic. The files are almost completed. The books will be printed in Ethiopia. I am currently seeking funds to print 1,000 copies. This book is our trial run. Plans are to give the books free or at minimal cost to children in low income areas and to also market them in the larger cities through church bookstores. If all goes well, we will also translate and publish The Creation and Baby Jesus . . . Messiah! I hope additional books will follow.

Henok Estifanos has translated projects for several ministries including Derek Prince Ministries who gave him high recommendations when I asked about his work. He has also translated for DCI Global Connections and other Christian ministries. Honeycomb Adventures Press is super excited for this opportunity to serve as a “Digital Missionary” to Ethiopia through its Bible storybooks.

Here are two pictures of Henok giving books to children at two of the missions near him.

52 Weekly Devotions for Family Prayer by Karen Whiting

I am delighted for the opportunity to review a copy of Karen Whiting’s recent release, 52 Weekly Devotions for Family Prayer, and am highly impressed with what she has created. This is not a book of read-it-and-be-done-with-it devotions. Instead it is jam-packed with mini-stories, scriptures, craft ideas, prayers, and suggestions for journaling the weekly devotions with each theme based week’s activities. I am especially impressed with the theme choices and find they are suitable for children of various ages – including myself.

Several pages effectively introduce the material and this unique approach to doing family devotions. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to plan ahead for each week deciding which activities will work in their situations and on their time schedules. Some activities could be done independently by the children through the week and shared with the family and others might be omitted altogether. Suggestions are included for situations where one parent may be away from home but could still be a part of the devotional times with video cell phones.

I highly recommend this book. It is especially suited for families with more than one child, though the activities would be fun for a single child as well. I give the book 5 stars out of five.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, Tyndale House / RoseKidz for an honest review.

Happy Birthday Jesus and Happy New Year too!

The biblical month of Aviv, later renamed Nisan, begins at sundown this evening. God identified this month as the first month of the year when he gave instructions to Moses pertaining to the Passover and the exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt. (Exodus 12:2)

The Jewish calendar is based on the phases of the moon with every month beginning on the day the first sliver of the moon appears following the dark moon. Every day begins at sundown and ends on the following sundown. If you see the moon tonight, it will be a little sliver in the sky.

Nisan or Aviv is the month of new beginnings. This is true of the Hebrews as they made their exodus from Egypt and God began to build them as a nation. On Nisan 1, one year after they left Egypt, the tabernacle was completed and set up. God entered his temple which represented his presence with the people throughout their wanderings in the desert. Nisan is also the month of Passover, the crucifixion and the resurrection of Christ.

Most Bible scholars agree that Jesus was not born on December 25. In fact it is generally understood that this date was chosen by church leaders sometime around 400 A.D. so they could celebrate the birth of Christ and still appease the non-believers by coexisting with some of the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. That spirit of appeasement continues today as the words “Seasons Greetings” have replaced “Merry Christmas” in advertisements, verbal greetings, and even our Christmas cards.

Serious biblical scholars have taken clues from Luke 2:8 in which we learn that shepherds were watching their flocks at night. From that verse they have determined that the Christ child was probably born in the spring, the time of year when lambs are born, a most critical time when shepherds closely guarded the sheep to protect the newborn lambs from predators. It is highly unlikely that shepherds would keep their sheep on the hillsides in wintertime.

Bethlehem is only about five and a half miles from Jerusalem. Bethlehem was the place where the very finest sheep were kept, as every year the sacrificial lamb would be selected for the Jewish Passover in Jerusalem.

Christian Jewish Rabbi, Jonathan Cahn, studied the Scriptures and other historical documents from ancient times and discovered numerous valid reasons to believe that Christ was born on Nissan 1, which in 2021 falls on March 14. But keep in mind that it actually starts at sunset on March 13. Like Easter, the date is determined by the Hebrew calendar which is based on the phases of the moon, so on our calendar it doesn’t fall on the same date every year. This year Nissan 1 falls 3 weeks before Easter. Last year it fell on March 26, a Thursday. A simple search of the Internet will give you the date for any given year, but it will always fall within a week or two before Palm Sunday.

Evidence exists in Vatican records that before the Christians took December 25 to represent Christ’s birthday, the most recognized date was Nissan 1. At the time the new date was chosen, the date Nissan 1 was censored out of most early church writings.

I can only scratch the surface of the information Jonathan Cahn shared in an interview in December 2014 in which he gives much more convincing evidence that Nissan 1 is the true birth of Christ Jesus. I have included the link at the end of this article for your consideration.

I personally look forward to the opportunity to celebrate the birth of Christ this evening and tomorrow without having to live up to or rise above the world’s expectations and demands. I believe a quiet retreat into an otherwise unnoticed day might offer depth of meaning that has been drowned out with packages and the whirlwind of busying traditions. We don’t have to give up those December traditions. After all, the wise men were the first to come bearing gifts, and they didn’t find baby Jesus in a manger. The star guided them to a house. And based on King Herod’s killing of all male children in Bethlehem two years old and younger, Jesus may well have been almost two years old at the time. We can still celebrate giving gifts and remembering the Christ Child any time of the year. But the thought of having another day set apart and away from the eyes of the rest of the world for celebrating the real birthday of Christ Jesus seems very appealing to me.

Double click the link below to watch Jonathan Cahn’s interview about the true date of Christ Jesus’ birth. The link will take you the YouTube video. https://youtu.be/ptlsXtTf6n0

Honeycomb Adventures Press, LLC’s newest book, Baby Jesus . . . Messiah! released February 17, 2021. It is also available as a coloring book and as an e-book.

What do you know?

True or False:
__ King David was a little boy when he kept his father’s sheep.

__ David was a little boy when he played his harp and sang for King Saul.

__ David was a little boy when he killed Goliath.

__ Noah’s Ark was a very crowded place.

Well meaning Christian education leaders entertain children with these ideas to capture their attention and to entertain them in VBS and Sunday school classes and in Bible storybooks. They have coloring pages and videos to make it all the more memorable and fun. Who hasn’t sung the song “Only a Boy Named David” that goes on and on about the little boy who killed the giant with his little sling and took five little stones in his bag putting one little stone in his sling? Need I go on. What a catchy tune and a fun song. And then there’s the other song, “Play on Your Harp Little David.”

Children don’t stay little forever, and as they grow older they begin to question what they had been taught in those early years. Is a little boy really responsible enough to tend the family’s flock of sheep? Will a king hire a little boy to sing and play for him when he feels bad? Did a little boy really kill a giant with a slingshot? And what about all those animals crowded into Noah’s boat?

All four of the above statements are false. But few children and teenagers will go back to the Bible to see what it really says. Too many will conclude that the Bible is full of nonsense without ever searching for the truth.

Let’s look at the Scriptures and discover a few facts. When Samuel came to anoint a new king, Jessie left David in the fields with the sheep because he was the youngest. He was sure that one of his older sons would be chosen instead of David. But nothing implies that he is a little boy. A few sentences later we read about David explaining to King Saul that while taking care of his father’s sheep he had killed a lion and a bear with his hands – not something a little boy would do. (1 Samuel 17:34-37) When Saul was being tormented by evil spirits, one of his servants recommended David by saying, “I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the lyre. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him.” (1 Samuel 16:18) David did more than play the harp for King Saul, he was also one of his armor-bearers. (1 Samuel 16:21).

Where did the idea come from that David was a little boy? His older brothers (the oldest three of eight sons) belittled David for inquiring about fighting Goliath. They were likely embarrassed that their little brother (little in their eyes) had more courage than anyone else. Saul called David a “young man” when David claimed he could fight Goliath. Goliath sized up David as only a little more than a boy, but who was Goliath? A giant, right? And in comparison, David was minimized once again.

Taking on another favorite Bible story, what about all those cute little pictures of Noah’s Ark with animals hanging out all over the place. The ark was actually the length of one and a half football fields and about two-thirds as wide. Again, entertainment value has been valued more highly than teaching truth to our children. Then we wonder why the exodus of our youth from our churches.

So what is at stake here? Our children. Will they have to unlearn what we teach them? Will we leave them to decide for themselves that the Bible is nonsense? Or will we make up our minds to teach it correctly in the first place.

Have we inadvertently deemed the Bible accounts too boring for children to appreciate? Do we believe we have to embellish God’s Word to make it palatable? What kind of undertones are left for the child to carry into his/her teen years by this kind of teaching?

Honeycomb Adventures believes that given a chance, naturally curious children would love to learn more about the Bible stories than what “age appropriate” thinking makes available to them. Historically, people of all ages learned about God from the same Bible text. Today, with the Bible text available in many translations and at the fingertips of everyone using the Internet, sadly, Bible literacy is at the lowest levels ever.

Honeycomb Adventures Books are written to tell the whole story – not only for the sake of the children, but for their parents as well. Our books empower the readers to be able to share the story with confidence. They can share the story by re-telling it in their own words if necessary with the squirming toddler because they will have learned the whole story. And they can just talk about it using the pictures as a springboard for discussion. An older child can be a “teacher” and share the story with confidence that they know what they are talking about.

Honeycomb Adventures books don’t end with the story. They also include activities such as coloring pages and puzzles to reinforce the story. There are also VBS ideas on this website to engage children in additional activities to make learning and sharing the story fun.

Tying up loose ends . . . The story of David hasn’t been published yet – but it is in planning stages. The amount of material that is involved makes it likely to begin as an e-book, and later divided into three paperback books – Young David, David in Exile, and King David.

Photo credit: https://www.freebibleimages.org/illus...

Jonah: The Fearful Prophet and The Creation – Press Release

Press Release – Feel free to share to any news outlet:

Retired elementary school librarian and author of four books for children, Janice D. Green of Hemingway has her newest books, Jonah: The Fearful Prophet and The Creation, published in three formats by Honeycomb Adventures Press, LLC.  She has chosen August 2020 as her “Launch Month.”

Green is a Christian writer whose writing goal is to retell Biblical stories. “Our nation is suffering from a lack of Bible literacy,” Green said. “I write for children, yet the material I draw from, God’s Holy Word, is timeless and written for all ages. In retelling these stories I simplify the language to engage the children and clarify what might confuse them. Well-written stories can engage both children and those reading to them.” Green’s retelling gives more than highlights. Some parents may be surprised to make new discoveries as well. In addition to the retelling, she further encourages dialog between children and their parents with engaging discussion questions.

Green’s three-format publishing concept is multi-faceted. She continues to offer full-color picture books, but also offers more affordable coloring books and e-book formats for each title. All three formats include the link to the downloadable coloring page PDF file that can be used at home or in classroom settings. The coloring book contents are the same as the full-color picture book, except the pictures are black and white line drawings.  Puzzles are also included in both printed formats. The e-books are in full color, but can only include the puzzles in the downloadable PDF files. “Page dimensions will always be square in Honeycomb Adventures Coloring Books so images can be readily applied to fabric for making crayon colored Bible quilt blocks,” Green said. “A link to online instructions is included,” she added, “with more information about how to make the quilt.”

Jonah: The Fearful Prophet tells the story of the prophet Jonah and how he ran from his God-given assignment. Jonah finds himself in a storm at sea, then at the bottom of the sea, and eventually rescued by a big fish that swallows him. Jonah prays while inside the fish, and is given a miraculous second chance. He obeys and with great success, delivers God’s message to the people he feared. But Jonah still isn’t happy. He has another lesson to learn.  Jonah: The Fearful Prophet is illustrated by Kimberly Merritt. Green said Merritt is “… an artistically gifted pastor’s wife who has illustrated over 50 books for children.”

The Creation, presents the day-by-day Genesis account with word pictures and lively illustrations for each creation day. A message is included for parents to help them navigate through issues some Christians face in the debate between the evolutionists and the creationists. Included concepts help to understand and defend the Genesis account as it is written. The Creation, illustrated by Nancy Gordon, is a revised edition of Green’s first full-color picture book, published in 2011. Much of the text has been rewritten, and the coloring pages and puzzles will supply children with hands on learning and review.

For a list of Green’s other books, visit Honeycomb Adventures Press, LLC at www.honeycombadventures.com. Information about making Bible quilts can be found at www.biblequilts.com.

Green said she was bitten by the writing bug almost 50 years ago when she worked at the United Methodist Publishing House in Nashville, Tennessee. At that time, she sold a short story to one of the take-home Sunday school papers which was eventually published. Discouraged with writing on a typewriter, Green enrolled in a computer class at the local community college so she could use the computers in the lab to do her own writing as well. Eventually she bought an early PC with two floppy disk drives and no hard drive to begin writing in earnest.

Even though she has continued to maintain a working computer and continue writing since that time, Green’s writing got pushed to the side with other cares of marriage, motherhood, Bible study, hobbies, and employment.

Green confessed that she is still often distracted from writing by her other interests, such as sewing and music. She is a quilter, creates her own dress and pants patterns, and refurbishes antique sewing machines. She also takes time to work outdoors on various projects, and enjoys singing, playing her ukulele, and swimming.

Green earned a Bachelor of Science degree in sociology from MTSU in Murfreesboro, TN. Several years later she earned her Master’s in Library Science degree from USC, and has more than 20 years of experience in elementary education, mostly as a school librarian.

Green has considered taking college Bible classes, but has opted to focus on Bible reading instead. She is currently reading through the Bible the 4th time to become fully grounded in the Word which she hopes to apply to future children’s Bible books. Green is a Certified Lay Servant in the United Methodist Church, and has been actively leading Bible study in one form or another for several years.

“With God’s help, I plan to publish additional children’s Bible picture and coloring books in the future. I am re-writing my Christmas book to include more information and pictures, and hope to have it ready within a few months,” she said. “It is hard to choose which stories to write next, and financing the illustrations may slow me down. If this happens, I may continue to write stories as e-books with only one or two downloadable illustrations per story, perhaps adding more illustrations later to create paperback books like The Creation, and Jonah: The Fearful Prophet. “

Along with other Christian authors, Green is a regular contributor as a blogger at Christian Children’s Authors, www.christianchildrensauthors.com. Green said she has a “catch-all blog … at www.janicedgreen.com with links to my other blogs to pull all these loose ends together.”

https://www.facebook.com/janice.green1

https://www.facebook.com/honeycombadventuresPress/

Why write about the Genesis account of Creation?

The Creation, available as a full color picture book, e-book, or coloring book.

Do you wonder why I write about the Genesis account of creation when most of the world dismisses the account as fictional and unscientific? The answer is simple. I write about it because it isn’t fiction and it is highly scientific. But even more so, I write it because children need to know they were made in the image of God, they have internal worth, and their lives have value and purpose.

Three pages near the end of the book are addressed to parents to give them better footing to discuss the arguments the skeptics throw at those to believe in the Genesis account of creation.

All three formats of The Creation contain the day-by-day Genesis account with delightful word pictures and lively illustrations. Questions included on each page encourage dialog between children and their parents, daycare workers, and teachers. A link is included near the back of the book to download the illustrations as coloring pages, especially useful for classroom use or for making crayon-colored Bible quilts for a child’s room or a Sunday school classroom.

Check out these great ideas for holding your own Backyard VBS with The Creation for the children you love.