Bible Top trumps - Jesus and 12 Disciples

Apostle Paul wins Olympic Gold

With the Olympic Games coming to London in 2012 and athletes training hard all over the world to clench the coveted prize of the Gold medal; the newly released second Volume of Testament Trumps has confidently depicted the Apostle Paul as a Gold Medal winner alongside other characters including Jesus and the 12 Disciples.

Bringing the New Testament characters to the next generation of children in a fun and engaging way, the most recent pack of cards depicts 34 of the best known New Testament characters in a way they have never been seen before. Steven Strongman, the director and designer of the game stated:

‘We want to present a game which is relevant to children today so we created fun cartoon characters based in the 21st Century. Many children find it difficult to associate with characters wearing long cloaks, sandals and having long beards – I know I do! But the bible brings a firm message of hope that The Lord is the same yesterday, today and Tomorrow and so it is fair to assume that God can use people today in the same way and with the same power as He did in the past’.

Taking the unchanged Word of God, each character has been designed to reflect a modern day person whilst retaining the message of their story in the bible. In addition to Paul being an Olympian ‘pressing on to towards the goal to win the prize’ (Phil 3:14), John the Baptist appears as a sundrenched lifeguard from a beach in California where he can save people through water baptism and the Disciple Thomas as a forensic investigator looking for clues to a possible crime. A number of cards are based around the parables of Jesus (thus making them a fun way to share a bible teaching) whilst the card for Apollos shows scripture references which prove that Jesus is the promised Messiah.

Behind all the fun and colour lies a message that points players to the fact that Jesus is the son of God through memory verses and Golden Trump cards. It is therefore a great resource for parents who want to teach their children about the Bible in a fun and relaxed way - and being pocket sized, it can even be played in the park, on the beach or in the car on a wet day.

This bible version of the playground favourite Top Trumps is available on line, through local Christian bookshops and various Christian catalogues at a retail price of £4.99. It is currently being used by youth pastors across the UK and is being exhibited at most of the Christian camps and conferences this summer. In addition with Volume 1 ‘the Old testament’ there are now over 70 fun characters for children to meet.

‘’It’s a game where everyone is a winner!’ states Steven Strongman. ‘’At the end of the game, if you have all the cards or none of the cards, everyone has learnt a bit more about God and the Bible, and as far as God is concerned, that makes you a winner!’’

Are you a lifesaver?

Image of John The Baptist (copyright of Testament Trumps Ltd 2009)

We are all familiar with the fact that Jesus calls us to be Kings and Priests and we can see this backed up through the scriptures Rev 1:6 and Psalm 82. The bible also records that we will be Sons of God - no longer slaves, no longer of a particular 'race' and even no longer male or female (Galations 3:28).

Clearly Jesus wants us to see ourselves like He does. He doesn't get caught up in the problems of the flesh which are seen, rather He views things in the Spiritual realm where things are unseen but where He is the final authority. That's right, what He says Goes! If Jesus says be Healed, you are healed! If He says be set free from your burdens, then you are! It's hard to imagine, but He broke every yolk when He died on the cross and He paid the costly price to redeem us from them.

The really great news is that Jesus (our life saver) goes on to say that He gives us the same authority as He has! Through the revelation of His Word and by the power of the Holy Spirit He enables us to do things today which seem impossible. He works through us in the same way that He worked through the apostles and early believers - what GREAT NEWS.

So if we are in the priviledged position of being pulled out of the water and equipped with everything necessary tool to save others, is it fair to say we are Life savers? The scriptures record that in order to see the Kingdom of Heaven a man must be born again - through water and the Spirit (John 3:3).

John the Baptist said that he would baptise in water but that Jesus would baptise you with the Holy Spirit! Through this process, we are born again and given a new and everlasting life.

In our New Testament Trumps, we portray John the Baptist as a lifeguard with 'Saved on his buoyancy aid. He truely saved people and encouraged them to repent of their sins whilst there was still time!

So, if you are Saved in the name of Jesus, consider yourself like John, the baptiser, the life guard! Encourage others to guard their lives, their ways and their heart. But most of all, use your calling as a priest to act as a life saver and lead those around you to the Lord - while there is still time.

Never Give up!

This is a really inspiring video for anyone who is going through a tough time. This great dad and son video is a great reflection of how God responds to us when we most need him. Seeing this father come and support his son reminds me and encourages me to be the same supportive dad to my 3 boys. At the same time, I hope and pray that each of my boys will have the determination to see their race through to the end!

What a great video!

http://www.godtube.com/featured/video/never-give-life

Get 'Em While They're Young

How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. PSALM 119:9
For many years George Barna has been a leading researcher on Church and cultural trends in America. When he appeared on our radio broadcast, I posed a question I'd always wanted to ask him: "What was the most stunning set of data you ever received?"
This is a man who isn't stunned by much. Even though he's become well known for exposing very troubling patterns in our society, his findings rarely surprise him.
This one did. He took a national sample of 13-year-olds and compared them with a sampling of adults comprising every age segment. On 12 core spiritual perspectives, he discovered no difference between any of the groups. In other words, the things a person believes by age 13 are pretty much what he or she will die believing.
This tells me something: We don't need to wait until our children are teenagers before we expect them to be able to understand major biblical truths. Things like being saved by grace through faith, not by good deeds. Things like how our hearts are naturally inclined to sin and that as a result, they need forgiveness.
As Charles Spurgeon said, "A child who knowingly sins can savingly believe."
Dwight Moody was speaking to a group of children in Scotland when he rhetorically asked them, "What is sin?" One of the children replied, "Sin is transgression of the law of God"—straight out of the catechism. Amazed, Moody responded, "Children, you must thank God that you have grown up in Scotland"—where they were systematically taught the Bible from an early age.
I pray that our children will thank God they have grown up in our homes, where they are learning the Scriptures and learning how to live.
DISCUSS
See if you can list 8 to 10 vital Christian truths or concepts that you need to begin to teach (or continue teaching) to your kids.
PRAY
Pray that God would cement your own beliefs and convictions more clearly in your mind and show you how to communicate them in real-life ways to your family and others.
Visit the FamilyLife® Website, or Own Your Own Copy of This Devotional

At the front of the stage!

I recently had a great day out at a music event called the Big Church Day Out. Whilst there, it struck me that people were desperate to get to the front by the stage where the 'famous people' were. I started thinking, why do people do this? At times, we all aspire to be up on that stage - living the dream and proving to everyone how sucessful we've been as Christians. But sometimes, we lose focus of the fact that God aspires for us all to be successful in our own way -'His plan is to prosper us and not to harm us Jer 29:11'. For me, it is about producing Kingdom Fruit. Equipping the next generation to live a life which is Word based, Christ focussed and relationship driven through the Love of Christ. I hope and pray for the day that every Christian feels like one of the artists up on that stage and I am convinced that there is only one way to see that - For each of us to establish our lives on Jesus and the Word of God. I pray that our game helps to make children come into a living knowledge that they are successful, loved and confident; to press into the very throne of God and to dwell in His presence alone. What a great church that will be!

Family memories are made by quality time

I love my family and on a recent trip to Butlins (Minehead) we took the time to have running races on the beach! We can get so caught up with being busy that we dont find quality time to build memories with our children. This picture speaks a thousand words for me. We are all running as fast as we possibly can after taking staggered starts along the beach! The best part of all is that we all crossed the finish line at the same time! Life is a race and we find ourselves comparing our lives with other peoples. Do they have a better job, bigger car, more holiday entitlement or are they better at football or swimming! In the end it does not matter what everyone else is doing when your family are 100% behind you and encouraging you to be a winner.
Take pictures of your special family time and look back through them as a family to relive the special moments. Family always comes before work, don't fall into the trap of looking back on life and wondering where the time went!

Moorlands College - Testament Trumps Speach

I was recently invited by Colin Bennett and Steve Brady to share my vision for Testament Trumps at a Bible Fresh Event. It was great fun to share a little about our game and how it helps equip children and adults in the Word of God. Here is the link to the audio if you have 10 minutes free:

http://www.moorlands.ac.uk/audio/post10-9596/bible-fresh-testament-trumps-steve-strongman.php

Otherwise, search on google for Moorlands College, go to media, MP3's and second page - dadaar - there I am Steve Strongman, Testament Trumps. It was a bit nerve racking but the message got across I hope.