Biblical
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Young People and the Bible 

1)  Shaped by the Story, Mike Novelli, ZonderKidz
This is an inspirational book for youth leaders. The author provides both a theological and a practical rationale for using bible storytelling as the centre of youth ministry. The book includes testimonies from people that have tried the method out and also a DVD of a group using the material. We always need to be careful of "magic bullet" quick fix solutions - but Novelli certainly lays down the gauntlet for us to think creatively about engaging young people with the biblical story.

2) Jesus Story Book, Sarah Lloyd Jones, Zondervan
I haven't got my copy of this yet, but it comes highly recommended by both Tim Keller and my friend Mark Meynell. I'll keep you posted when I get to read it to my kids. But it could be a great book to take on holiday with you and your primary aged children and read one a day on you summer vacation.

3) Lion Graphic Bible, Mike Maddox and Jeff Anderson, Lion Hudson plc
This is a very well produced version of the Bible with excellent full colour art work and gives young people a really good overview of the whole Bible. I used it with my oldest children and we read it together at bed time. The images are really well done and give a great sense of the dynamism and action of a lot of the bible stories. It literary starts with Genesis and ends with revelation covering both the narrative sections and a quick overview of the epistles.  It could be a great entry point for a lot of young people with the Bible.

4) Manga Jesus volume 1, Siku, Hoddern & Stoughton
Graphic Artist Siku does an excellent job in capturing the drama of the gospel. This is a short book it is in black and white but printed on very high quality paper. It is artistically of an even higher standard than the Lion bible despite being in black and white. There are some very clever artistic touches that adds another dimension to this retelling of the gospel story.

5) Bible Baddies, Bob Hartman, Lion
This is an excellent resource for retelling the stories of the Bible. The stories are incredibly well written and set a gold standard for what could be a narrative sermon. This book should not be restricted to children and could make a great resource for being read out in church services. Bob Hartman is incredibly gifted and he has not shied away from some of the more difficult bible stories including Ehud and Eglon, Jezebel, Barrabus etc. I used to read these stories to my kids at bed time - i think i enjoyed them even more than they did! It probably works best for pretty literate children over 8 years old.

6) Bite Sized Bible, Andy Bianchi, Collins
This is not a full bible but some of the key parts of the Bible broken down into bite size pieces. It works chronologically through the whole bible and includes one-line introductions to passages give their context and fill in the gaps as well as some cross references to help you find your way in the rest of the Bible. You can read each of the sections in about 3 to 4 minutes. It is a resource that I have dipped into for bed time bible stories with my kids. The book has a very badly thought out front cover with a picture of Eve offering the Adam a bite of the forbidden fruit - not sure what the link is between a bite size chunk of the Bible and the forbidden fruit?

7) Topical Memory System: life Issues, Navigators
This resource from the Navigators tries to help Christians to memorise and internalise the Bible. It provides a short article and then a memory verse on life issues such as dealing with anger, depression, love, knowing God's will, handling money etc. Authors of the articles include Jerry Bridges, Calvin Miller, Ted Engstrom. You get a little card to stick in your wallet to carry around with you for the day and you can chose which version of the Bible you want to use (NIV, KJV, NKJV and NASB). The danger is of course that we learn the bible in an atomistic way that encourages a proof texting approach to the Bible. The strength of the course is it really does help us get the Bible into our hearts and minds - to have a passage of the bible ready as we face challenges in life. As the Psalmist says: "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11 I recommend this as a great tool to use with teens you are discipling.

8.) The Street Bible, Rob Lacey, Zondervan
Rob Lacey had a real gift with words. This is more of a series of meditations on the bible than a translation per se. The author himself said: "No way is this the Proper Bible. It's a trailer for, an intro to, an overview of The Bible (capital "B"), for those who've never read it, and those who've read it so much it's gone stale on them". Rob's use of language is very powerful and can help people give the Bible a fresh hearing. To get a flavour of it click here .

9) Bible Experience, Zondervan Publishing
This is a brilliant recording of the Bible with a purpose made score and some top quality list of voice actors this set of CDs or MP3s can bring the bible alive for a new audience. The cast include: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett and Cuba Gooding Jr. My favourite part was to hear Samuel L. Jackson as John the Baptist - he brings his customary brilliance and attitude to the part. Stick the CD into your car and experience the Bible on the way to work or download the mp3s onto your ipod and enjoy the bible as you work out. Teens who are not great readers will enjoy this - but it could add some spice to the bible readings in your youth events and services too.

 

Krish Kandiah is Executive Director: Churches in Mission at the Evangelical Alliance. Read his blog here: www.krishk.wordpress.com.