I know it’s literally the last hour for Advent resourcing, but if you are looking for a last minute Christ-centered Advent resource to use with your family this Christmas season, read on. I’ve put together a scratch-off coundown calendar and reading guide to go with The Biggest Story Bible Storybook by Kevin DeYoung and I wanted to share it with you! It’s mostly free, printable, interactive, and Christmas themed!
Why do we love this Bible storybook?
I’m assuming that if you arrived to this page, you already have the book and need not read any more about why I like this resource (scroll to the bottom)! But, in order to keep Google happy and in hopes that others wander onto this site looking for something Christ-centered for Advent to share with their families this year, here you have the back-story and my unprofessional review of The Biggest Story Bible Storybook.
Our precious family and friends recently gave a gift in memory of our 7th year without our twins, Quinn and Thea. They gifted each young family in our church with The Biggest Story Bible Storybook by Kevin DeYoung. This was a book my parents had gifted to us the year before and it had become a family favorite so, they knew it held a lot of meaning to us. It was a special way to honor our loss while also extending hope and truth to families around us so that they can continue share the good news of Jesus with their children.
So, what do we love about this particular storybook Bible? We really appreciate the author of this book and the way he writes stories that honor the authority of scripture while using humor, concise language, and beautiful illustrations (thanks to the illustrator, Don Clark). This Bible storybook has a great range of stories telling the overarching story of the whole Bible and it includes some unique stories the listener may have missed in Sunday school; stories like The Daughters of Zelephehad (I had never…). Bob and I always learn something along with the kids while also getting a little chuckle each time we read it. Because this book is tied tightly to scripture and uses some Biblical theology components, many of the stories intentionally articulate how the story points to Jesus. And, those Jesus connections are what this Advent resource is all about.
Advent Reading Guide and Printable Coundown Calendar
Having your own copy of the book isn’t entirely necessary in using this Advent Reading Guide but it would be very helpful. If you don’t have a copy (yet), subscribe on Apple podcast, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or RSS to listen to the audio stories (although, not all of them have been created yet).
With that, here is the printable reading guide which you can print or just download to view from your phone. The stories selected will bring you from Genesis to Revelation, December 1st-25th. The real fun, though, is in the poster where you can print a beautiful Christ Connection Christmas Countdown calendar with a scratch-off option.
If you would like to make this into a scratch-off calendar, head to Amazon where you can buy these scratch-off stickers. I used gold because it just seemed Christmassy, reminded me of ornaments and, beside the fact that mine is beautifully crumpled, it looks really nice! These scratch-off stickers will allow you to cover each “Jesus is…” statement and uncover it after you read each story. I think it will be engaging for the kids!
With that, I hope this Christ-Centered Advent Resouce is meaningful, useful, engaging, and ultimately helps water the growing faith of your family as they lean into knowing Jesus more during this special time of the year.
Additionally, please leave any comments below if you find other/better Christ connections as you read these stories.
God bless,
Suzi