Kristin Hill Taylor

Seeking God as the Author of Every Story

Roar Like A Lion

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I decided if we’re going to have a 20-minute drive to school each morning, I might as well use that time for good. “Roar Like A Lion” is a new devotional for kids that’s been perfect for our morning commute. 

“Roar Like A Lion: 90 Devotions to a Courageous Faith” by Levi Lusko appeals the most to my sixth-grade son who recently accepted Christ and was baptized, but my kindergarten girl also loves the bold, beautiful pictures. He’s been the one to read it aloud to us. My 14-year-old daughter thinks the devotional is for younger kids, but she gets involved in our discussions. (And I will probably make her read aloud one of the days soon!) 

My son Ben especially loves the facts of lions. It’s been good to talk about why this animal is a symbol of courageous faith on the way to school because the school’s mascot is Lions. In a fun detail of God’s timing, Ben also was assigned lions as a topic for a science research project. He’s taking some facts right from this devotional!

More importantly, I pray for kids are encouraged to stand up for Christ among their friends. There are hard feelings and social situations to navigate, especially for my two oldest in middle and high school, even at our small, Christian school. Their homeroom teachers have been talking to them about being leaders among their peers, so this devotional is timely in our lives. 

In the wild, lions roar for three reasons: to let others know where they are, to show how powerful they are, and to scare off the enemy. Your life should roar for the same reasons: to let other believers know where you are and that they aren’t alone, to show how powerful God is, and to scare off your enemy.

We spent some time this week talking about what “roaring” like this looks like in our everyday lives. I really like thinking about how believers are in this life together and should be able to find each other easily, despite everything else going on in this world. I’m thankful Cate and Ben, even as young Christ-followers, also have this kind of community in their lives. Rachel likes to talk about how she loves God too. 

I like driving my kids to and from school because some days that’s when they really talk to me and each other. So it’s good to have some thought-provoking information, prayers, and questions for my kids. Honestly, it’s a good way for me to start my day too. 

About the book

With eye-catching art, fascinating stories and facts, Bible verses and prayers, and simple action steps, this 90-day devotional will help your kids approach both fun moments and tough times with their hearts set on God’s faithfulness.

Relevant topics include:

  • Facing fears about school and friendships
  • Dealing with peer pressure and bullying
  • Handling new challenges, disappointments, and grief
  • Having the courage to try something new
  • Understanding how we each fit into God’s great story

This 192-page hardcover book is aimed at readers 6 to 10 years old, but, as I said, my sixth-grade son really likes it. It’s published by Thomas Nelson (Sept. 14, 2021). Learn more at the book’s website or Amazon. There’s also free resources available: Parents Discussion Guide and Four Rhythms to Setting the Pace of Your Home.

About the author

Levi Lusko is the founder and lead pastor of Fresh Life Church. He is the bestselling author of adult non-fiction books “Through the Eyes of a Lion,” “Swipe Right,” and “I Declare War.” Levi also travels the world speaking about Jesus. He and his wife, Jennie, have one son, Lennox, and four daughters: Alivia, Daisy, Clover, and Lenya, who is in heaven. 

About the illustrator

Catherine Pearson is a Swiss illustrator based in the hills of Lausanne, Switzerland. With a European Bachelor in illustration, Catherine through her career and experiences has refined a unique and playful illustration style. She is passionate about bringing clients’ ideas to life and believes illustration can speak to you where words cannot.

Giveaway

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Enter before Sept. 28, when I randomly choose a winner. Just comment on the blog, Facebook, or Instagram posts about this book as a chance to enter to win. Extra entries are public shares of my posts about this book on any social media channel. 

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Find other family devotionals we’ve enjoyed through the years at my idea list on Amazon. 

I received a hardback copy of “Roar Like A Lion” in exchange for a review from the publisher as part of my participation in the Momentum Influencer Network. They are also providing the book to the winner of my giveaway. Much thanks! The opinions here are my own. 

Vooks improves screen time

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My youngest child has a vivid imagination, loves books, and somehow already knows how to work all the technology! Vooks is is a collection of virtual books that incorporates so many things my girl already loves. 

Vooks is a streaming library of ad-free, kid-safe animated storybooks, trusted by teachers and enjoyed by millions of children around the world. The titles can be streamed or downloaded. Each virtual book has printable lesson plans, activities, discussion topics, and additional resources related to the story. As a mom, I was truly impressed with the amount of content and resources available beyond each animated storybook. The service is $4.99 per month. 

With Vooks, kids are reading, strengthening their vocabulary, and learning about lots of different subjects. This is a productive use of screen time and fosters independent learning. That’s a win-win for parents and their kids. New titles are added weekly. 

My 5-year-old Rachel is looking forward to kindergarten in August had a fun time scrolling through all the Vooks choices. Of course, her first choice was a story about a unicorn and a horse. She later learned more about earth and loved seeing different animals. I haven’t printed any coloring sheets yet, but she’s pumped about that being an option. 

Rachel used Vooks on both my laptop and Kindle. I wish there was an app for the Kindle because using the browser on that device wasn’t the most convenient. I did download an app for my iPhone that is easy to use. I’m looking forward to streaming the virtual books from my phone to the TV when I want to offer an alternative to watching television shows. 

As a mom, I love when technology incorporates readings and learning so I don’t feel guilty for using screens to give myself a little quiet and a chance to regroup from noisy life. Generally, we limit screens — the bigger television, smaller Kindles, and personal phones — but Vooks is a great addition to how we use devices in our home. 

You can try Vooks free for 30 days! Go to VOOKS to sign up! I’d love to hear what you think about this modern take on books. 

Giveaway

One of you will receive a year-long subscription to Vooks! Use the Rafflecopter widget below for entries. You’ll see that following @vooks on Instagram or Facebook is one of the required entries. Rafflecopter will randomly choose a winner on Wednesday, April 28. 

Enter giveaway here!

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Many thanks to Vooks for providing me with a free year-long subscription to review and being willing to provide another year-long subscription for me to give away to one of you. Opinions are 100 percent my own and not influenced by monetary compensation. #VooksMIN #MomentumInfluencerNetwork #vooks #betterscreentime #vookspartner

Sharing lives & gifts

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November is National Adoption Awareness so I wanted to combine my loves of adoption and hospitality in today’s post. Truly, adoption taught me much about hospitality as we navigated three similar but different open adoptions, accidentally built a community of other adoptive & foster moms, and continue to teach our kids about the value of sharing our lives.

This is a fun post! I’ve got an edited excerpt from “Bringing Home More Than Groceries: Stories of Gathering & Nourishing People” to share with you. And then I have THREE GIVEAWAYS (!!!) of my books plus so many goodies from other mommas in my adoption community.

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Some of the friends I see the most in this parenting season are other parents from my big kids’ school. We chat at pickups, sit next to each other at games, carpool to field trips, and bring treats to the same classroom parties. We invest in our kids’ lives but come away with a deeper community too. So then we also make plans to see each other in the summer when our lives aren’t revolving around the school calendar, celebrating birthdays together and confiding in one another when we’re having hard days. Of course, all this looks different these days, thanks to COVID-19.

Investing in friendships with like-minded moms has helped me navigate motherhood. Sometimes this is a weary job! But raising kids is a worthwhile investment that takes time over the course of lots of seasons. Galatians 6:9 is a good reminder for me: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”

I’ve heard this before, but it struck me in a new way when I was stretched among three parenting seasons. These words reminded me that with each conversation, boundary, ride home from school, and correction, I’m investing in my kids and the life we’re building together for God’s glory. Having friends in similar parenting seasons, as well as ones a few steps ahead of me, reminds me all the mental energy we’re investing is worth it.

More recently, parenting has involved conversations about cell phones, sleepovers, and vacations; discipline regarding grades and attitudes; and training and establishing habits. Yes, you can play basketball; no, you can’t have a cell phone. Yes, you can go over to her house after school, but you can’t spend the night.

I’ve talked with like-minded friends, many of whose kids are my kids’ classmates, and discussed with my husband, who thankfully lives on the same page with these things. Articles have affirmed why my kids won’t have cell phones anytime soon and why we don’t do sleepovers, but they’ve also reminded me living counter-culturally is hard but not beyond where God has called us, especially if we bring others with us.

My others have come as I befriended my kids’ friends’ parents, but also through engaging in shared activities with others. I have a group of fellow writer friends who first gathered online and then at my lake house for a retreat. We talk and text on Voxer almost every day. We came together initially to share each other’s writing and products, but we ended up praying together through lots of hard situations, discussing various parenting seasons, sifting through theological questions we didn’t always agree upon, and sharing details of our daily lives. We still root each other on in our craft, but we also consider each other dear friends.

I also have a group of Bible study girls. We sat down at the same table as part of a larger group, but as we studied scripture together, we shared pieces of our lives. We’ve had playdates at the park with our young kids and gathered at my pool when Bible study is on summer break. A few of those girls were among the first people with whom I shared my complicated grief when my dad died. Delana could be our mom and loves to cook for us. We sent gift cards to Leslie when she miscarried a baby and to Tara when she was sick. We prayed for kids and decisions and families. We recommend books to each other and check in on each other when we’ve gone too many days without touching base.

These groups of friends began on specific common ground and have continued to be a foundation in my life because we went beyond that initial reason for gathering. Maybe it’s not writing or studying the Bible. It could be any hobby or interest that brings you together with others you may not have otherwise known.

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Now for the THREE GIVEAWAYS! I asked in my Adoption Together group about possible gifts to share with y’all and so many people responded that we’re going to have two giveaways for people who live in the Murray, KY area and another for someone who lives elsewhere:

GIVEAWAY ONE!

GIVEAWAY TWO!

GIVEAWAY THREE!

Use the Rafflecopter widget below before Friday, Nov. 13 to enter to win one of these packs of goodies! The first two prize packages are for folks in the Murray, KY area and the third is for any U.S. resident.

Enter giveaway here!

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This is the second in a monthly series about why hospitality matters in every season. Be sure to download the free printable with ideas about how to welcome others into your home and your life regardless of the season.