The Jesus Storybook Bible

Yesterday I passed on a blog post by Dane Ortlund in which he asked a number of theologians to attempt to share the message of the Bible in a single sentence.  It got me to thinking of how many people (Christians and non-Christians alike) have a  faulty conception of the Bible, considering it merely a book of rules we must follow.  At the same time, others see it as a book of heroes we should emulate.  In her introduction to The Jesus Storybook Bible, Sally Lloyd-Jones offers what is, in my opinion, a quite helpful corrective:

No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes.  The Bible is most of all a Story.  It's an adventure story about a young Hero who came from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne — everything — to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that have come true in real life!

You see, the best thing about this story is — it’s true.

There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every
story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a  puzzle — the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.

I highly recommend The Jesus Storybook Bible, not only for children, but for adults as well.  I have personally found reading it to be quite devotional in nature.  As I pointed out in  Part 1 of last year's Disney series, I greatly appreciate this idea that the Bible tells the one true Story.  And I especially enjoy the way Lloyd-Jones tells the Old Testament stories in a way that is simple and Christ-exalting, realizing that all of them ultimately point to him.

If you'd like to check it out, free MP3 and PDF downloads are available at The Jesus Storybook Bible website.