This week the blog is sponsored by Reformed Free Publishing Association. This post is about their children’s magazine, Ignited by the Word.

Ignited by the Word is a quarterly-published, Christian children’s magazine split into sections for three different grade levels: PreK–2nd grade, 3rd–5th grade, and 6th–8th grade. Whether you are looking for Bible stories to read to your preschooler, stories about the heroes of the faith for your ten-year-old, or a set of daily devotions for your young teenager, Ignited by the Word is the magazine for you and your children!
Why a children’s magazine?
Jesus told his disciples to let children (little children!), come unto him. He also said that his kingdom belonged to children such as these whom he held in his arms and blessed.
Our goal for every issue of Ignited by the Word is to bolster the faith of God’s dear children as they live in this world. By bringing the truths of the Bible and the Protestant Reformation into every part of their lives, we also bring them closer to their heavenly Father and closer to each other.
What can readers expect to find in the magazine?
You can find just about everything in Ignited by the Word! Here are some of our favorite rubrics:
He Shall Purify – Devotions: these are the three sets of devotions in each issue, one for each grade level. This rubric instructs children and teens about their creator and heavenly Father, applies Bible passages to their young lives, and encourages them in their daily walk as Christians.
Here I Stand – Defense of the Faith: a rubric where pastors, teachers, and other believers explain Christian fundamentals like abiding in Christ, unconditional election, and brotherly love to children and young teens, encouraging readers to stand firm for the truth and live new and holy lives.
Creation Connection – The Beauty of the Earth: there is so much to learn about God’s creation! From the twinkling of each star above to the beauty of tiny butterflies to the grandeur of mighty mountains, every creature glorifies its Creator. This rubric leads children to join all of creation in praising his great name.
The best part?
Four times each year, the latest issue of Ignited by the Word is delivered to the mailboxes of children living in nine countries and all over the United States!
No matter how digital our world becomes, children will always find it exciting to receive something in the mail. A hard copy of the magazine also means children of all ages will get the added fun of completing the Spark Your Interest activities at the back of each issue–these include word finds, coloring pages, arts and crafts, and more!
Subscribe today
If you have children or grandchildren, a subscription to Ignited by the Word will be an invaluable resource to gift in the new year. And don’t forget about the children at your church, down the street, or halfway around the world!
A yearly subscription includes four highly-engaging, faith-focused issues designed for Christian children of all ages. Visit ignitedbytheword.org and subscribe today!
And as a thank you for subscribing, we will send you our devotional ebook, Preparing for Dating and Marriage: A 31-Day Family Devotional by Cory Griess—absolutely free!

Sometimes I find myself on a reading kick in which I follow a common theme through a number of books. Over the past few weeks I have been fascinated with businesses that have the appearance of being legitimate while they are actually over-hyped at best and fraudulent at worst.

Elizabeth Holmes’ Theranos claimed to have created technology that could run hundreds of tests on a single drop of blood when, in reality, she was lying to her investors and running the great majority of the tests on industry-standard machines. Adam Neumann’s WeWork was claiming to be a groundbreaking technology company when really it was a mere real estate company that was using fast growth to cover up its financial hemorrhaging. Ken Lay’s Enron was using false and fraudulent accounting to deceive its shareholders and give the appearance of profitability.
As I read of the crimes and misdeeds of the founders or leaders of these businesses, as I read of the ways they take advantage of others, as I learn how they enrich themselves at the cost of their investors, my heart begins to long for justice. As I come to the final chapters, I long to read the author’s explanation of how each of the culprits was caught, charged, sentenced, and confined to prison. I long to hear how their mansions were seized, their cars repossessed, their fortunes returned. This rarely all happens, of course, since those with billions of dollars to their names can usually hire the kind of defense teams that can help them get away with the most minimal sentences. Still, I find myself rejoicing at their downfall and satisfied when I see that their reputations have been forever shattered—and rightly so.
Yet I also realize that in these times I need to step back and consider myself. When I honestly assess myself, I have to admit that my longing for justice is not universal. I want justice for other people’s sins, but not for my own. I want their misdeeds to be met with justice but mine to be met with mercy. Is this not the very height of hypocrisy?
There are two ways I can deal with this contradiction. The first is to draw the line of what kind of sin demands punishment so that it falls just beyond my own. Now I can satisfy myself that what those people did merits harsh measures while what I did merits the most gentle. The other is to admit that both kinds of sin are bad, but then to determine that the nature of their sins demands punishment while the nature of mine merits grace.
But the reality, of course, is that if I long for justice for them I must also long for justice for me. The heart that is satisfied with Holmes’ downfall and Neumann’s ouster should also only be satisfied when I, too, face the consequences of my own sin. I can’t have it both ways. I can’t rightly conjure up a world in which I become the standard, the dividing line between justice and mercy. I can’t be satisfied with a world in which some receive justice while others do not.
And yet I don’t need to because I can have confidence that my sins have been met with justice. At the cross Jesus Christ took my sins upon himself and settled their sentence. That’s not to say I will or should escape all temporal consequences for my sins, but it is to say that the ultimate longing for justice has been met. And, therefore, I can long for justice even when it comes to the things I have done, the sins I have committed. In fact, I should long for justice even when it comes to the things I have done, the sins I have committed. And I can be satisfied that there has been and will be justice for me, not just for thee.
(Books I read: The Cult of We; Billion Dollar Loser; Bad Blood; The Smartest Guys in the Room.)

May the Lord be with you and bless you today.

If There Wasn’t a Sermon About It, Does Your Pastor Even Care?
Trevin Wax addresses what is an urgent concern to many pastors. “I thought about ‘Justice Sunday’ recently because of the questions many faithful pastors have these days about when to speak, and on what subjects, and how best to engage in cultural disputes or political questions. Social media has increased the pressure to speak and advocate, as we have faster and easier connection to various opinions on a wide range of issues.”
Bible Gateway Removes The Passion Translation
“A Bible version designed to ‘recapture the emotion of God’s Word’ was removed from Bible Gateway last week. The Passion Translation (TPT) is listed as ‘no longer available’ among the site’s 90 English-language Bible offerings.” This article is about the removal of The Passion Translation which I’d guess few of you read. But past that, it has lots of interesting things to say about Bible translation philosophies.
Join Alistair Begg @ RMC22 Speaking on “Finishing Well.”
June 29-30, 2022, Matthews NC. As a pastor who has sent his church members through Radius, we are encouraged to have Alistair Begg as one of our plenary speakers. We look forward to his session on the challenge and the glory of finishing well in the task of missions. (Sponsored Link)
Great God Above Beheld Below
I’ve been enjoying this new song by Sow and Tether.
Jesus and John Wayne
This review has much to commend it, but I was especially interested in what it has to say about the confluence between history and love. “Schweiger argues that the Christian historian has a duty to love the historical subjects she studies, who are now dead. This love is not sentimental, nor does this love absolve the subjects of their sins. Loving the dead means we tell the truth about them, as far as it is possible given our limitations and the complexities of the past. And we love the dead for their own sakes, rather than for some utilitarian purpose we might have for them.”
The Paradox of Parenting and How To Trust God More
“From the moment our babies leave the safety and protection of the womb, we are literally and figuratively pushing them out. They can’t stay in the nest forever, and this brings us joy and sadness. Isn’t this the paradox of parenting? The more we want to hold on to them, the more time reveals we have to keep letting them go, little by little.”
Pastor, Take a Break Before You Quit
Jared Wilson has lots of good things to say here about pastors and sabbaticals.
Flashback: The Character of the Christian: Hospitable
An open home displays Christian love but it also enables it. Hospitality creates opportunities for relationship, for discipleship, and for evangelism. It creates a natural context for modeling marriage, parenting, and a host of Christian virtues.

Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ. Leave the irreparable past in His hands, and step out into the irresistible future with Him. —Oswald Chambers