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Post image for Our Home is like a Little ChurchI just got my hands on a copy of the new book Our Home is Like a Little Church.  The book is written by Lindsey Blair and Bobby Giles and illustrated by Tessa Janes.  It was originally self published until the title Pastor Daddy but is now published by Christian Focus Publications.  I love the passion behind this book and I love the idea of the book.  The following comments delve a little deeper into my opinions.

What I liked about it:

The artwork and style is age appropriate.  It is not cheesy church art and it is not really fancy, realistic artwork.  It looks like something a modern preschooler would enjoy.

The book is written in rhyme, which again is perfect for the target age.

As I was reading this book to my 7-month old (who thought it tasted great by the way) I thought to myself how much I want to be like the dad in the book.  The book sets a great standard and goal for dads to work towards.  The book parallels what happens at church with what happens at home and goes as far to say that the dad is the pastor of the home (or little church).  What a great concept!

On the left page it offers an activity that happens at church.  On the right side of the page, it offers a similar activity that takes place in a Godly home.  This is, hands down, my favorite thing about the book.  It shows how church should be an influence, but how kids should also be receiving Godly instruction in the home.

What I didn’t care for:

This is not a book that I can just give everyone in my church.  There are many parents who would either be angered by it or feel inadequate.  I wish that this were not the case, because I wish more families were like the family in the book, but this is reality.  The message of the book may also be difficult in non-traditional homes as it specifically deals with the father’s role in a Christian family.

While I know this book was intended for preschoolers, it must be noted that a parent may have a hard time reading it to them if their home is nothing like the home in the book.  This is not really a problem with the book, per se, but a problem with the current state of the family.

Final thoughts:

This is a great book that every children’s pastor or family pastor (every pastor, really) should own.  It is also one that can be given to Christian parents as a tool to help them become more like a “little church.”  My favorite idea for this book is to give it as part of a new believer packet to fathers.  When a dad begins the journey as a Christian, offering him this book could prove to be very influential.  The more I read this book, the more I like it.

While it may be a struggle for some parents to read it, it does present a biblically accurate model of the family, one in which the church and the family are major influences in the child’s spiritual upbringing.  The value in that is worth much more than the five bucks you will spend on the book.

So, what are you waiting for?  You can buy it from Amazon or from the WTS Bookstore.  You missed mother’s day, but this would make a great father’s day gift for the dads in your church.  For more info, I highly recommend you watch the video at the end as it explains in greater detail the vision behind the book or go to the official page.

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*Disclaimer-I did receive a complimentary copy of this book from Sojourn Community Church as part of the book blog tour.  However, this in no way impacted my opinion of the book and the thoughts I have shared are solely mine.