Safely Home (2)

Our summer lineup of books has books that aren't so much discourses as they are stories. The beauty about them is that they are chock-full of theology, most of which we pick up without fully realizing. This month we are reading Randy Alcorn's Safely Home. Story? yes. Pure fiction? no.

Moms, have you considered taking advantage of "story" books by reading them out loud to your kids? My mom read books to us when we were kids. The book I most clearly remember is our book for next month, The Hiding Place, which gripped me and still hasn't left me alone. As a youngster I learned a lot more about God from listening to that book than from any "children's" book or video. The exposure to a non-Disney story is a good thing.

I encourage you to make reading a family event. Have someone in charge of the dictionary to look up words you don't know. Be prepared to pause frequently to explain or to talk through themes. Don't wait for them to ask you questions. Ask them the hard questions first. If you have an older child, have him do some of the reading. I think that when the summer has ended, you will look back on your family reading time and see it as a great blessing.