Pray & Ponder
A podcast for kids and the grownups who love them!
At Restoration, we believe that God loves to talk to us and hear from us — no matter our age. We have confidence that the Holy Spirit is at work in us, inviting us to run to Jesus and trust in him, all because of God’s enormous love for us.
Pray & Ponder was created for kids and the grownups who love them in order to make space — at home or on the road — so that we can practice listening attentively to God by reading his words to us from the Bible and by talking to him in prayer.
At the end of each day, use the Daily Examen as you take time to quiet your heart and mind to reflect. I wonder where you notice God’s presence with you in the day that has passed? I wonder what you want to talk with Him about as you think through things to come in the day ahead. Use this ancient prayer practice called the Examen to guide you through. Listen to it here.
https://prayandponder.libsyn.com/rss
Resources you may find helpful as you share God’s love with the kids in your life:
Bible Storybooks, Bibles & Devotionals
Nursery (0-2 years old)
The Look and Point Bible is an interactive reading inviting the reader to look to the Scriptures (and point)!
A Child’s First Bible is retelling of the Bible stories is short and sweet with a question at the end of each story.
The New Bible in Pictures For Little Eyes is a sweet classic.
The Rhyme Bible is great for developing language skills.
The Read and Rhyme Storybook retells God’s story with rhythmic words that are also good for building literacy skills.
Lift the Flap Bible is a hands-on interactive way of engaging with the Scriptures.
The Found: Psalm 23, Loved: The Lord’s Prayer, Near:Psalm 139 and Known: Psalm 139 books by Sally Lloyd-Jones take the Truth and serve it up in beautiful, nourishing bite-sized pieces to kids and the grownups who love them.
The Baby Believer board book series by Danielle Hitchen is rich!
Preschool (2-6 years old)
The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible has beautiful illustrations and well-framed retellings of the Bible.
Jesus Calling Bible Storybook is good for a short devotional and a good way to build the practice of listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Day by Day Bible takes kids through the Bible in one year with a short retelling for each day.
Early Elementary (6-8 years old)
God’s BIG Picture Bible Storybook is written for kids by Anglican theologian N.T. Wright. It’s a feast for the eyes and a marvelous introduction to cross-referencing stories.
The Jesus Storybook Bible captures God’s plan for Jesus as our redeemer from the beginning and weaves it into every story.
Shine On: A Story Bible has great wondering-type questions and a variety of illustrators whose individual styles offer a visual retelling of each Bible story.
The NIrV Adventure Bible is a full-text Bible written in slightly modified language for early readers and listeners — it’s what we use in kids’ small groups and on Pray & Ponder.
The ESV Big Picture Bible is a full-text Bible with illustrations scattered throughout.
Upper Elementary (8-11 years old)
The ESV Big Picture Bible is a full-text Bible with illustrations scattered throughout.
The Action Bible has a format that kids find captivating and it can cover a lot of material, although not in-depth.
Family Devotional Books
Teach Us to Pray is a great book of Scripture-centered family worship throughout the year.
Good Dirt a three-volume set that takes you through the church year.
Jesus Calling For Kids is a sweet devotional with Scripture references making a full-text Bible easier to navigate.
Additional Books and Resources
The Ology is a good resource for elementary kids to read with an adult or for adult study as a way to help you explain things to kids.
The Bible Story Handbook is like a mini-commentary on teaching Bible stories to kids.
Young Children and Worship is the first of the Godly Play books.
Following Jesus is the second of the Godly Play books.
Spiritual Conversations With Children is a book that captures the value of a child’s relationship with Jesus and offers ways to begin conversations with them about their own unique friendship with Him. I cried three times in the first ten pages.
The Religious Potential of the Child is a classic and rich with stories of children engaging with God and His word.
Habits of the Household is an invitation to establish family rhythms of a life with God in the ordinary everyday moments.
Favorite Websites
This site has an array of hands-on ways of praying and responding to Bible stories.
This site has some of my favorite ways to do art with kids.
This site encourages and models a form of “doodling prayer” called Praying in Color. Adaptable for kids of all ages!
Favorite Podcasts
This talk by Rebecca Nye is helpful in thinking about the spiritual development and nurturing of children’s spirituality.
Feel free to reach out. I’d love to connect with you! (louise@restorationarlington.org)
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the Podcast Now!
https://prayandponder.libsyn.com/rss
A podcast for kids and the grownups who love them!
At Restoration, we believe that God loves to talk to us and hear from us — no matter our age. We have confidence that the Holy Spirit is at work in us, inviting us to run to Jesus and trust in him, all because of God’s enormous love for us.
Pray & Ponder was created for kids and the grownups who love them in order to make space — at home or on the road — so that we can practice listening attentively to God by reading his words to us from the Bible and by talking to him in prayer.
Season 6: believe + know, a weekly walk-through of what we talk about each Sunday in kids’ small groups, is available now.
At the end of each day, use the Daily Examen as you take time to quiet your heart and mind to reflect. I wonder where you notice God’s presence with you in the day that has passed? I wonder what you want to talk with Him about all the things to come in the day ahead. Use this ancient prayer practice called the Examen to guide you through. Listen to it here.
Resources you may find helpful as you share God’s love with the kids in your life:
Bible Storybooks, Bibles & Devotionals
Nursery (0-2 years old)
The Look and Point Bible is an interactive reading inviting the reader to look to the Scriptures (and point)!
A Child’s First Bible is retelling of the Bible stories is short and sweet with a question at the end of each story.
The New Bible in Pictures For Little Eyes is a sweet classic.
The Rhyme Bible is great for developing language skills.
The Read and Rhyme Storybook retells God’s story with rhythmic words that are also good for building literacy skills.
Lift the Flap Bible is a hands-on interactive way of engaging with the Scriptures.
The Found: Psalm 23, Loved: The Lord’s Prayer, Near:Psalm 139 and Known: Psalm 139 books by Sally Lloyd-Jones take the Truth and serve it up in beautiful, nourishing bite-sized pieces to kids and the grownups who love them.
The Baby Believer board book series by Danielle Hitchen is rich!
Preschool (2-6 years old)
The Complete Illustrated Children’s Bible has beautiful illustrations and well-framed retellings of the Bible.
Jesus Calling Bible Storybook is good for a short devotional and a good way to build the practice of listening for the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Day by Day Bible takes kids through the Bible in one year with a short retelling for each day.
Early Elementary (6-8 years old)
The Jesus Storybook Bible captures God’s plan for Jesus as our redeemer from the beginning and weaves it into every story.
Shine On: A Story Bible has great wondering-type questions and a variety of illustrators whose individual styles offer a visual retelling of each Bible story.
The NIV or NIrV Adventure Bible is a full-text Bible written in slightly modified language for early readers and listeners — it’s what we use on Pray & Ponder.
The ESV Big Picture Bible is a full-text Bible with illustrations scattered throughout.
Upper Elementary (8-11 years old)
The ESV Big Picture Bible is a full-text Bible with illustrations scattered throughout.
The Action Bible has a format that kids find captivating and it can cover a lot of material, although not in-depth.
Family Devotional Books
Teach Us to Pray is a great book of Scripture-centered family worship throughout the year.
Good Dirt a three-volume set that takes you through the church year.
Jesus Calling For Kids is a sweet devotional with Scripture references making a full-text Bible easier to navigate.
Additional Books and Resources
The Ology is a good resource for elementary kids to read with an adult or for adult study as a way to help you explain things to kids.
The Bible Story Handbook is like a mini-commentary on teaching Bible stories to kids.
Young Children and Worship is the first of the Godly Play books.
Following Jesus is the second of the Godly Play books.
I Wonder is a good book that has great questions to get you thinking and practical tools to get you “doing”.
Spiritual Conversations With Children – I cried three times in the first ten pages.
The Religious Potential of the Child is a classic and rich with stories of children engaging with God and His word.
Favorite Websites
This site has an array of hands-on ways of praying and responding to Bible stories.
This site has some of my favorite ways to do art with kids.
This site encourages and models a form of “doodling prayer” called Praying in Color.
Favorite Podcasts
This interview with Sally Lloyd-Jones is inspiring.
This talk by Rebecca Nye is helpful in thinking about the spiritual development and nurturing of children’s spirituality.
Feel free to reach out. I’d love to connect with you! (louise@restorationarlington.org)