Graham family tradition

September fast approaches and with it comes the end of summer and children returning to school for another year to learn reading, writing and ‘rithmatic. For those who also want to help children learn about the Bible, two new books will debut that month.

“Step into the Bible: 100 Family Devotions to Help Grow Your Child’s Faith,” by Ruth Graham, and “Heaven, God’s Promise for Me,” by Anne Graham Lotz, will be available from Zonderkidz, a Christian children’s book publisher. Both women are two of evangelist Billy Graham’s five children, but it is their mother, Ruth Bell Graham, that was a major influence on their decisions to produce the books.

Both books, though different in presentation styles, are meant to help parents give children a better understanding of Bible scripture and precepts presented in the various stories throughout its chapters.

“Step into the Bible,” is a revised and updated version of Ruth’s earlier book of the same name, geared toward children from ages 3 to 9 and is presented in a study-guide format with photographs and devotions. The book is based on a collection of biblical stories told in the Graham family, now for five generations and it was Ruth’s mother, who shared those stories with her and her siblings.

“The original, published in the late 1800s, were stories from ‘First Step for Little Feet in Gospel Paths,’ by Charles Foster,” said Ruth. “Our mother used to read them to us.”

As an adult, Ruth read it to her children, but thought the book needed updating and the addition of more stories.

“I revised it again in 1980 when the grandchildren came,” said the grandmother to eight children.

Over the years, she’s added Old Testament stories, the Ten Commandments, information on the customs and the times of the people in biblical times, along with Bible verses for children and their families to memorize. There are parental notes on subjects that include death, heaven, evil and leading children to Christ and questions at the end of each chapter for families to review.

“I wanted to make it fun,” Ruth said. “It’s amazing what children will retain and they want to learn.”

Ruth felt that a lot of parents had struggles with some biblical subject matter and wanted to provide assistance to those who felt the responsibility for teaching their children about the Bible scriptures. The latest version is a reflection of the increasingly and rapidly changing culture.

“I wanted to keep up with the language and keep the study fun,” she said. “My mother was good for that.”

“Heaven, God’s Promise for Me,” is a children’s reader, written as a poem and is a story about two children coming to grips with the death of a grandmother and what becomes of people when they die. It was the death of Anne’s mother in 2007, among others close to her then 5-year-old granddaughter that prompted the desire to help children understand the subject biblically.

“The year that Mother moved to our Father’s house; that’s how I say it,” said Anne, “my granddaughter had a friend whose father died, along with an elderly neighbor and a classmate, who also died. Then there was my mother.”

Attempting to console the child, Anne said they talked about heaven and Jesus, and that those who had faith would see their loved ones again, that death was merely a temporary parting.

“I thought maybe other kids might have the same questions,” she said. “Especially after 9-11.”

Anne had been invited to speak with a group of pregnant mothers, 110 of them, whose husbands had been killed in the terrorist event. She couldn’t attend, but did present each woman with a copy of her book, “Heaven: My Father’s House” that prompted a packet of thank you letters from the mothers.

“I thought about how news items could cause fear in children,” Anne, a grandmother to three girls, said.

So, in an effort to soothe kids experiencing losses close to them, she wanted “Heaven, God’s Promise to Me” to inform them on how God was preparing heaven for them, that he was a loving father and would provide a loving home for them. She also looked to give parents who didn’t know how to broach the sensitive subject with a tool to impart the message to children.

“The obvious question is ‘What is heaven like,’” Anne said. “I used my imagination and based it on what the Bible says and made it whimsical for a child. The Bible does say that a child will be able to lie down with a lion or pet a snake. Our different species’ natural animosity and fear will be all gone.”

A parents’ guide will also accompany her book that could provide a curriculum for study weekly or for use in a vacation bible school. Additional resources will include a video, skits, crafts, songs and Bible verses.

Both books could also help family with an approaching change in family, such as with an ill relative.

“I’m still glad I have my daddy,” said Anne, who lives within driving distance of her father.

“My father was an absentee father, working all the time, but Psalm 27:10 says that God take you up as your father,” which has consoled her through the years.

Even Ruth, who said that their father has recovered from his bout with pneumonia, will publish a book in October and hopes to preach again, said he would turn 93 this year.

“The public’s grief will be difficult,” Ruth said. “Daddy still feels like he’s just a North Carolina farm boy and that no one would come.”