Proof Pirates: Finding the Treasure of God's Amazing Grace Family Devotional
Blair, Lindsay; Jones, Timothy Paul; Sage, Jonah
Publisher's Description
Chore charts. Report cards. Standardized tests. Athletic banquets. Kids are inundated with messages about their performance. Because performance—work and reward—is one of the basic structures of our lives, kids often grow up thinking, “I am what I am because of what I do . . . or because of what I’ve failed to do.” How different this message sounds from the biblical message of redemption by grace!
PROOF Pirates introduces kids to God’s amazing grace through a fun-to-read pirate story about a boy named Jesse whose parents send him on a scavenger hunt. Along the way, children will learn with Jesse key truths about God’s grace using the popular PROOF acronym (God’s grace is Planned, Resurrecting, Outrageous, Overcoming, and Forever). God’s grace—and not our performance—makes us who we are.
Through Jesse’s adventure, children will be encouraged to love the gospel as the greatest treasure in the world. Each section of PROOF Pirates Family Devotional has corresponding memory work and a guided family devotional time to reinforce the ideas in the story and is ideal for use with children from four to eleven.
Proof Pirates: Finding the Treasure of God's Amazing Grace Fami...
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Cover TypePaperback
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ISBN9781939946652
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PublisherNew Growth Press
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Publication DateNovember 2015
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Ages4-7, 8-12
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Special ConsiderationsNo Images of ChristClear Gospel Presentation
Endorsements (21)
“I'm a big fan of making God's truth fun and memorable for families. Why not do so in a beautifully illustrated and easy to read resource? My seven-year-old son was on the edge of his seat on every page . . . listening to an adventure about God's incredible grace for you and me. His take: ‘Really cool!’ My take: ‘Praise God!’ Excellent resource for churches and families!”– Chris Young, Pastor of Teaching and Families, Central Baptist Church, Warner Robins, GA; founder of Children's Ministry Network
See AllSteve Wright
Pastor of Discipleship and Church Planting, Family Church, West Palm Beach, FL
“Stories are great conveyers of truth which is why Jesus so often told stories to his followers. His stories were often simple, repeatable and powerful. Children of all ages won't be able to put this book down because the truths revealed are timeless!”– Steve Wright, Pastor of Discipleship and Church Planting, Family Church, West Palm Beach, FL
See AllWill Walker
Pastor of Providence Church, Austin, TX; coauthor of The Gospel-Centered Life
“I read PROOF Pirates with my kids after dinner. I was going to read a little each day, but they made me finish it in one sitting. They were eager to find the treasure, and they weren’t disappointed with what they discovered. For kids and parents alike, PROOF is a clear and compelling journey into the depths of God’s grace!”– Will Walker, Pastor of Providence Church, Austin, TX; coauthor of The Gospel-Centered Life
See AllJay Strother
Campus and Teaching Pastor, The Church at Station Hill
“The most profound truths are often best communicated through great stories. PROOF Pirates weaves a tale that sails into uncharted water for children’s books—a story that illustrates the goodness of God’s grace over behavior management and performance-based praise. Timothy Paul Jones has long been an expert in family-equipping ministry, but what I love about him has always been his ability to combine deep theological insights with practical and fun ways to learn; this combination is clearer than ever in the family worship guides that accompany this story. A parent reading this well-illustrated book to their child will discover a treasure chest full of gospel truths for the scallywag in all of us, not just our kids.”– Jay Strother, Campus and Teaching Pastor, The Church at Station Hill
See AllMelanie B. Rainer
Director of Content, Creative Trust; editor, What’s in the Bible? curriculum; and coauthor, My Jesus Journal and Everyday Emmanuel
“PROOF Pirates is a creative and useful family devotional for parents looking to help their kids understand and internalize the truth about God’s love! Jesse’s journey is filled with clever adventures that reveal God’s grace to him in tactile, fun ways. Kids—and their parents!—will enjoy following along with Jesse and learning more about God!”– Melanie B. Rainer, Director of Content, Creative Trust; editor, What’s in the Bible? curriculum; and coauthor, My Jesus Journal and Everyday Emmanuel
See AllCatherine Mackenzie
Author and editor, Christian Focus 4 Kids
“It’s not often that an introduction to a children’s book grabs me—but this one did . . . all because of the line ‘Jesus came to save sinners—not those who get everything right.’ This message saturates PROOF Pirates And reading it has backed up a lifetime’s lesson that the gospel is the greatest treasure there is. We need to rediscover lessons like this even as adults, and especially if we wish to teach the next generation about the love of God. I’ve met walking, talking examples of God’s grace this week—and meeting them and reading this book thrilled me. I can so easily picture boys and girls reading PROOF Pirates and growing up with this truth—that God saves sinners. I can see families learning together the foundational truth of God’s Plan for salvation. And I can say that I’ve experienced this myself, the wonder that is grace . . . God’s amazing grace. PROOF Pirates reminded me of this wonderful God given-gift, and it is something I can’t wait to read aloud to my nieces and nephews.”– Catherine Mackenzie, Author and editor, Christian Focus 4 Kids
See AllJeff Hutchings
Pastor of Family Ministry, The Journey—Tower Grove
“My family enjoyed going through this great family devotional! PROOF Pirates engages kids’ imaginations while teaching them about God’s multifaceted grace. This book is an excellent resource for any parent desiring to help their family memorize scripture, pray, and learn about God’s character. Go on a treasure hunt and discover the PROOF of God!”– Jeff Hutchings, Pastor of Family Ministry, The Journey—Tower Grove
See AllMike Crowe
Associate Minister of Families, Shades Mountain Independent Church, Birmingham, AL
“I plan to put a copy of PROOF Pirates in the hands of every parent in our church because I’m convinced there’s no more important thing that parents can help their children discover than God’s amazing grace. It’s my prayer that God will use this engaging devotional to remind parents of the astonishing reality of this grace and to awaken little hearts to the wonder and beauty of our gracious God.”– Mike Crowe, Associate Minister of Families, Shades Mountain Independent Church, Birmingham, AL
See AllJoshua Cooley
Children’s Minister; author of One Year Devotions with Jesus and Heroes of the Bible Devotional
“The PROOF Pirates devotional is a delightful, grace-filled adventure that will help remind young (and old) spiritual scallywags that there is an amazing God in heaven who loves them and wants to lavish undeserved favor on them through Christ. It does a wonderful job of explaining the vast, deep doctrine of grace at a child’s level and forcing works-based righteousness to walk the plank. The devotional is insightful, fun and practical, offering lots of great, pirate-themed activities to illustrate key truths. I encourage you to set sail on the high seas of God’s grace with this latest treasure from the children’s ministry team at Sojourn!”– Joshua Cooley, Children’s Minister; author of One Year Devotions with Jesus and Heroes of the Bible Devotional
See AllJonathan Cliff
Pastor of Community, Grace Community Church, Clarksville, TN
“As a father of three, I'm always on the investigative trail for those tools that can help clarify the message of grace to my family. The PROOF Pirates Family Devotional tool is one of those very items! The clear and playful explanation of what the gospel means to all of us is perfectly laid out in a way to start these very important forever conversations.”– Jonathan Cliff, Pastor of Community, Grace Community Church, Clarksville, TN
See AllPat Aldridge
Community Life Pastor, Redeemer Fellowship, St. Charles, IL. Blogger at Gospel Centered Family
“PROOF Pirates is a book that explains the depths of God's grace in ways children (and even parents) can easily understand. This is the kind of treasure I've been waiting for and parents have been looking for! The story is easy for children to get into and the devotional is easy for parents to use. The VBS will be equally incredible, I'm sure!”– Pat Aldridge, Community Life Pastor, Redeemer Fellowship, St. Charles, IL. Blogger at Gospel Centered Family
See AllRobert L. Plummer
Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
“This creative and well-illustrated children's book winsomely presents the ‘doctrines of grace’ to the next generation. It includes kid-friendly family devotionals to accompany each doctrinal point covered. Highly recommended.”– Robert L. Plummer, Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
See AllRay Van Neste
Professor of Biblical Studies, Union University
“PROOF Pirates is a fun way to learn profound truths about God’s grace and salvation. My kids loved it! One was even bouncing up and down in anticipation of the next clue. Resources like this which are so engaging and biblically faithful are great gifts for families, and I am grateful for people who produce them.”– Ray Van Neste, Professor of Biblical Studies, Union University
See AllDeepak Reju
Pastor of Counseling and Family Ministry, Capitol Hill Baptist Church; author of Great Kings of the Bible and On Guard
“Kids need PROOF of God’s amazing grace, and this fun little book will remind them of exactly that. Get a copy for your kids today!”– Deepak Reju, Pastor of Counseling and Family Ministry, Capitol Hill Baptist Church; author of Great Kings of the Bible and On Guard
See AllGregg R. Allison
Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; pastor, Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, KY; Secretary, the Evangelical Theological Society; author
“Imagine a new generation of evangelicals who, from their childhood, have known the sacred writings and sound theology, and have experienced the overwhelming grace of God in their daily lives. They’re not concerned about religious performance, they aren’t moralists, they don’t believe that their good behavior can earn God’s favor, and they don’t suffer from legalism. PROOF Pirates will go a long way to raising up that next generation!”– Gregg R. Allison, Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary; pastor, Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, KY; Secretary, the Evangelical Theological Society; author
See AllJack Klumpenhower
Author of Show Them Jesus and coauthor of What’s Up? and The Gospel-Centered Parent
“What an important truth for kids to hear: that their worth comes from Jesus, not their performance! And what a fun way to tell it! This is the rare family resource that puts rich teaching about God's grace in a playful, engaging book. Who would have thought good theology could be this much fun?”– Jack Klumpenhower, Author of Show Them Jesus and coauthor of What’s Up? and The Gospel-Centered Parent
See AllMarty Machowski
Family Life Pastor; author of the Gospel Story for Kids series and The Ology: Ancient Truths, Ever New
“Parenting shortcomings teach us to drink deeply of God’s grace or else drown in shame of not living up or ‘getting it right.’ PROOF Pirates is beautifully illustrated and memorably worded to be both fun and instructional for the whole family. As God teaches us about his grace in parenting, let us teach and parent our children with grace and pirates!”
See AllDaniel Montgomery
Lead Pastor of Sojourn Community Church in Louisville, KY; founder of the Sojourn Network; author of Faithmapping and PROOF
“PROOF Pirates is an exciting way for kids to discover the truth of God’s Grace. Best of all, this is a treasure hunt they can share as a family. This playful story and excellent illustrations will bring home the meaning of the gospel in a way children won’t soon forget. Who can resist secret clues, a pirate adventure, and solid Bible teaching—together as a family.”
See AllTony Kummer
Editor at Ministry-To-Children, Missions Pastor at Calvary Baptist of Madison, IN; father of eight aspiring pirates
“There are few things kids and parents both need to understand like grace. True grace. Costly grace. The authors have produced a tool that distills the message of God's lavish grace in a way that parents can practically share with their kids through activities and accessible language. I am grateful for their work and the benefit it will be to the church in general and my family in particular.”
See AllSam Luce
Family Pastor Redeemer Church, Utica, NY
“Family devotional time can be overwhelming. Sharing God's big truths with little hearts is not an easy task. PROOF Pirates Family Devotional has changed the game by making devotional time fun and full of gospel goodness. Your heart will be encouraged as you share the Good News with your children.”
See AllJessica Thompson
Author/Speaker
“Among the most important biblical truths for children to understand as they grow are those surrounding what God has done, and is doing now, to bring sinners to a secure place of faith in Christ. PROOF Pirates provides an engaging and creative format for presenting these truths and invites parents and children alike to live the story of God's grace. Parents will be grateful for the clear and faithful presentation of these truths, based on biblical teaching, and children will revel in the story format that welcomes their active participation. Families will be strengthened and encouraged as they enter into the world of this enjoyable, creative, and biblically faithful devotional.”
See AllBruce A. Ware
Professor of Christian Theology, Southern Seminary, and Author of Big Truths for Young Hearts
About the Author
Lindsay Blair, Tessa Janes, Timothy Paul Jones, and Jonah Sage serve on the creative team for children’s ministry at Sojourn Community Church. They want to see children learn about and experience God's grace. Lindsay co-authored Our Home is Like a Little Church (Christian Focus, 2010), which was also illustrated by Tessa. Tessa has also illustrated several other books for children. Timothy is professor of leadership at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He’s authored books including PROOF: Finding Freedom through the Intoxicating Joy of Irresistible Grace (Zondervan, 2014). Jonah serves as pastor of Sojourn's campus in New Albany, IN.