This week’s Free Stuff Friday is sponsored by Reformed Free Publishing Association, who also sponsored the blog this week with their article “The Ten Commandments for Children.” They are offering a free copy of The Ten Commandments for Children to each of ten winners.

Jesus told his disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
The Ten Commandments for Children is a resource you can use with your family to teach your children how they can show their love for Jesus.
How to Use the Book
As Curriculum: If you are looking for a curriculum to teach your children ages six to nine about the Ten Commandments, author Ron Cammenga has given you a great tool with this book.
Each chapter includes the main heading, “Let’s Listen and Learn.” Here the author defines the commandment; provides examples of how characters from the Bible kept or broke the commandment; and teaches children how we keep the commandment, both positively and negatively. So for the sixth commandment, children are taught that they must not be selfish or prone to fight and argue with others; but instead be kind, peaceful, and loving, even to their enemies.
As a Devotional: the author also wrote this book to be used as a devotional. Here are four features found in each chapter that will help you bring your children closer to Jesus as your family gathers for daily devotions.

Let’s Read the Bible: a short Scripture passage to read with your children to introduce them to the commandment
Let’s Learn a Bible verse: a short Scripture children can memorize in order to recall the teaching of the commandment later, such as Psalm 122:1 for the fourth commandment, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.”
Let’s Talk it Over: discussion questions that will encourage children to recall what they’ve learned and then apply the commandment to their own lives
Let’s Sing: a related psalm to sing as a family, such as Psalm 100 for the first commandment and Psalm 15 for the eighth commandment

If you have children or grandchildren, Ten Commandments is a great devotional you can use to close out summer evenings or start school days off right.

What Others Are Saying About the Book
“At first glance, I loved the beautiful and colorful illustrations…Often children’s Bible books take a significantly simplified and surface-level approach to scriptures in an effort to make sure children can understand the text. However, while this book does break things down into understandable terms, it goes very deep into the commandments and explains them in a way that brings children to a deeper understanding…Overall, I thought this was a well-written book that is an excellent tool for helping younger children come to a deeper understanding of the Ten Commandments. It is colorful and engaging while still being Biblically sound and instructional.” (Dawn Peluso, The Schoolin’ Swag Blog)
“It took our family about 10 minutes to go through a chapter for our devotions after dinner, including reading, discussion, singing and prayer. The text of each chapter is simple enough that my six- and eight-year-old were able to grasp the main idea and come up with answers to the discussion questions (if they were paying attention), yet complex enough that my husband and I found it to be edifying as well. Reading through this book guided us to discuss with our children why and how we are called to live as God’s people in a way that we have not before. If you have elementary aged children, I highly recommend purchasing this book to use in your family worship.” (Abby Van Solkema, The Left Fork)
“The foundations of living a good life are contained in the Ten Commandments. It’s the ultimate addition to the Bible itself in being Godly and an excellent beginning to ensuring our children are living the best that they can. My grandsons enjoyed the book and the questions. It was enjoyable to see my older grandson respond to the questions and listen to his thought processes. The illustrations reminded me of books when I was young.” (Judy Joyce, Embracing a Healthy Family)
Would you like a copy of Ten Commandments to share with your children and grandchildren for years to come? Enter our giveaway below for a chance to win one of ten free copies!
To Enter 
Giveaway Rules: You may enter one time. When you enter, you agree to be placed on Reformed Free Publishing Association’s email list. The winner will be notified by email. The giveaway closes on October 20, 2023, at midnight.
Don’t want to wait for the giveaway, or maybe you’d like more than one copy? You can purchase The Ten Commandments for Children here. Subscribe to the Reformed Free Publishing Association email list on their website homepage to be notified of sales, news, and upcoming children’s book releases.

The God of love and peace be with you today.
Over at Christianbook.com you’ll find a Bible clearance sale with lots of good deals on ESVs and other translations. Meanwhile, at 10ofThose you’ll find great deals on case quantities of the kind of resources you’d want to distribute widely. Then at Westminster Books you’ll find deals on a church history series for teens as well as the new Ask Pastor John. And, of course, at Amazon the Kindle deals continue as well.

That’s a good question with a solid answer behind it. “We know that we serve a master who gave up everything for us, and we can easily feel that nothing we do is ever enough to please him in return. Deep down we think that he is hard to please. We try to justify ourselves to him by repaying him for his grace. The very fact that the Lord instituted the Sabbath as a principle ought to be a reminder to us that he does not demand that we work all the hours he sends.”

Tanner Swanson offers comfort to those passing through the valley of miscarriage.

“I often see in my own heart a sense of entitlement to an easy and comfortable life; and when hard times come, I can so quickly start to resent God. Why is this? It is caused by wrong expectations.”

“‘It needs an update,’ my husband says. He wasn’t talking about me, which is a good thing. For us both. Phones, computers, thermostats, security systems, clocks, TV’s, GPS systems. I mean really? Have you noticed how many things need updating? ‘They aren’t talking,’ he sighs, with a kind of long extended tire-flattening sound.”

In case you haven’t heard, Ligonier is now offering a brief daily audio devotional from Sinclair Ferguson (“Things Unseen”). You can listen to them all at YouTube and elsewhere.

“While I would commend making a habit of listening to sermons, I want to highlight one downside of listening to online preaching.” This is probably worth thinking about.

We speak to God through praise and prayer and God speaks to us through Scripture and Spirit. It’s a wondrous and beautiful privilege we enjoy.

If heaven is ready for Christ’s redeemed people—then surely they should be making ready for heaven.
—Theodore Cuyler

May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

Westminster Books has a sale on some of the new and notable books released this winter.
Consider Suffering Joy?
This is a helpful take on the Biblical directive that we find joy even in suffering.
William Borden, “The Millionaire Missionary”
I always love considering the story of young William Borden’s life. “Borden’s tremendous wealth did not deflect him in the least from his whole-hearted consecration to Jesus. Instead, he remained wholly devoted to serving Christ and His Kingdom with his time, talents, energy, intellect and treasure.”
A Brief Guide to Disciple Making Movements (DMM)
There is a missions methodology that has caught the imagination of sending agencies, churches, and missions candidates throughout the world. The influence of this movement among sending organizations supporting this methodology seems nearly ubiquitous. This missions methodology is called “Disciple Making Movements”. (Sponsored Link)
When You Don’t Feel Like Having Sex with Your Spouse
Lauren Washer: “Like many Christian girls raised in the 1990s under ‘True Love Waits’ campaigns, I was fiercely committed to remaining a virgin until my wedding night. But I was also convinced sex would be a daily—and delightful—part of married life. If sex had been built up by so many as an experience well worth the wait then it must be amazing. I was right and wrong. Married sex is wonderful. But it’s also far more complicated than I ever imagined.”
How Can We Make Decisions and Know God’s Will?
“When I completed seminary and first began pastoring, I expected the pastorate to be composed predominately with preaching, theological discussions, and hospital visits. One area of ministry I was grossly unprepared for was helping Christians make decisions.”
He doesn’t want your hand, He wants your heart
This is a call to take sin seriously.
Dear Small Church: A Word of Encouragement
Here’s some encouragement for pastors of smaller churches.
Flashback: Has the Bible Been Preserved For Us Today?
How can we be sure that God’s Word has remained God’s Word from the time it was first written to this present day?

Confessing to God brings us face to face with the one who knows us fully, yet forgives us completely. —Garrett Kell