I've been pleased with many materials from Doorposts, so I was happy to be chosen to review the Because You are Strong Devotional. It is intended specifically for young boys/men, from the ages of 10+. It focuses on the Biblical view of strength, and how to use that strength wisely. If you have a young lady in the house it is also appropriate for them (Because, after all, ALL Scripture is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness..."), just not directed toward them. There is a similar study, Beauty In the Heart, that is geared specifically for young ladies, which other crew members reviewed.
Because You are Strong is a Bible Study that incorporates a number of styles of study, so that your student can learn to use the tools that are available. Digging deeper in the Word is accomplished through:
- learning how to use a concordance
- studying the original Greek or Hebrew words
- understanding the marginal notes in a study Bible
- performing a character study
- learning how to study the Bible topically.
- learning how to study an entire book of the Bible, a chapter, or even a study on a single verse.
- in keeping up with technology, computer and mobile device Bible study tools are introduced.
The guide includes 10 studies, with various styles of study used for each one. Each study is divided into daily segments (According to the publisher these sections should take 5-20 minutes each day).
The Ten studies include:
- Strength for the Race: Meditating on Hebrews 11-12
- Strength with no Limits A Topical Study on the Omnipotence of God
- Strength and Wisdom: A Topical Study in Proverbs
- Strength and Temptation: A Character Study of Samson
- Strength to be Valiant: A Word Study on "Valor"
- Strength in Our Weakness: A Verse Study on 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
- Strength in the Battle: A Chapter Study of 1 Samuel 17
- Strength Serving Others: A Study of Jesus' Actions in the Gospel of Mark
- Strength and Gray Heads: A Verse Study of Proverbs 20:29
- Strength in the Faith: A Book Study of 1 John
One of the things I appreciated about this Doorposts study was one of the things that was also a little frustrating.
- I loved the fact that it used the electronic versions of Strong's Concordance, in part because I lent my copy out a number of years ago, and never got it back, and in part because it is a rather hefty book to cart around the house. ;)
- It was frustrating. It seemed that were spelling differences between "American" and "KJV," and it took us forever to discover that that was the problem. For instance, in the word study on valor, if we were looking in the physical concordance, we probably would have caught the spelling variation, and been able to move on swiftly. However, although we all at various times, followed the directions in the study side-bar, and tried searching "valor" in the online concordance, we kept ending up with No results were found for 'valor' under the Bibles category.I finally realized that we were searching "VALOR" (which is the spelling of the study title, and used throughout the study) rather than "VALOUR".... (Sigh...)
- Once we got past that rather lengthy "hump" in the study, we found the online resources to be quite useful.
Middlest (13 year old boy) liked how the study broke things down into sections, and he enjoyed using the online concordance. He particularly enjoyed seeing how many times a specific word was used in the Bible. He thought it was neat that he could search one word, and find a whole list of where the words were found. Middlest was also quite pleased that the study used KJV, as so many things are NIV or NLT, and he has a fondness for the KJV, just like his mother. ;)
Eldest (16 year old girl) was not that excited about this study. She was frustrated by the electronic tools (unfortunately her view was colored by the initial experience with them), and the topics didn't really grab her attention. Admittedly, this devotional is written to boys, not girls, so that could also play a part. I think that if I had had my physical concordance around, this would have worked much better for her.
Personally, I thought that "Because You are Strong" is well developed and thought out. It might take a little extra time than the 5-20 minutes, simply because there are new "tools" being used, and there can be a bit of a learning curve there. Doorposts really goes in depth into the original languages in this study, which makes me think that the 10 yo age might be a little optimistic, in order to really get a lot out of it. However, like so many other curriculums, your children will glean what they are ready for, and at least be introduced to the topic, so that when it comes around again, down the road, they will be ready for it.
- Company: Doorposts
- Product: Because You are Strong Devotional
- Ages: 10-12+
- Price: Regularly $14 on sale for $12 for paperback version, $10 for pdf version
Blessings~
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