Great Devotional for Tween Girls

It's been awhile since I've talked about books. So with the arrival of the new year (Happy 2012), I thought I'd tell you about a couple devotionals my older kids are working through this year. Both are designed for kids in the 9 to 12 year old range. You can take a peek at both of these devotionals here.

The first is Truth & Dare by Ann-Margaret Hovsepian. This book has a great lay-out. At the beginning of each day's devotion, there is one verse for the girls to read. Then there's a short story or illustration to go with it. That's followed by a Dare: a way to apply the Truth to their thoughts that day and then a triple-dog dare that helps girls bring what they've learned down to their everyday lives. At the end of the page there's a short journaling session. The book reads like they're sitting down with a big sister or older friend, and gleaning from her faith and experience. It also deals with the issues that confront them. Everything from fashion to music to touching the world.

My daughter (11) has a hunger to serve God and grow in her relationship with Him. This devotional gives her an opportunity to do that in a way that isn't too much. Instead, she is reading and interaction with the devotions solely on her own and because she wants to. I love that!

Here's more: "Dare to discover the secrets to a life that sparkles for God. You've got what it takes to make an impact on the world. This devotional is filled with powerful wisdom on everything from godly friendship and serving others to getting along with your parents and worshipping God. It's advice for real life from the greatest BFF of all: your heavenly Father."

Friday I'll tell you about one for boys.

Devotional for Boys

It's a new year filled with new resolutions. Many of us are hoping to deepen our faith in and relationship with God. The question is how? Well, if you know any tween boys, I've got a devotional that might help.

Triple Dog Dare is designed to fill a year with devotions for boys. Written by Jeremy V. Jones, it is similar to Truth & Dare, only clearly targeted at the slingshot toting sex. The layout is one verse a day, followed by a summary truth, a short devotional, and a triple dare to apply the truth. Then there's a chance to journal, but without the pretty lines in the girls' version. Each week focuses on a different emotion like Fear, Shame, Pride, etc. and in the bottom right-hand corner, there's a graphic that acts like a flipbook. It's a very cool devotional that will challenge the young men in your life to go deeper with God.

My older son is 8, so hasn't quite picked it up on his own yet, but wants to. A little prompting from me, and I know he'll dive into it. Why?

Watch this trailer and see for yourself: