The Importance of Storytelling for Christian Dads
This week on the podcast, I focused on our need to become storytellers. While it is not mandatory for every dad to become a renowned storyteller, we must be able to tell our kids stories and connect with them in the process.
The primary reason for this is for discipleship. Our mission as Christian dads is to equip and disciple our kids to be a part of God’s mission in a greater capacity than ourselves. When we look at the life and ministry of Jesus, we find that He constantly told stories to convey truths to His followers and disciples.
How Books can Help You Become a Better Storyteller
I share four tips in the episode that can help dads become better storytellers, one of those to gain practice by reading books. Books lay out stories, plots, and imaginations that we can pull from to expand our personal abilities as storytellers.
Now there is a lot more in the episode, so if you want to better equip yourself to disciple your kids through storytelling, the method Jesus Christ used, you can check it out here.
Book Recommendations for Dads
What I want to provide for you today are book recommendations. There are books that I have personally enjoyed reading to my kids as a dad. Obviously, there are several books out there and plenty that I have read to my kids, but some of them are more enjoyable than others for me as the reader and still good for the kids.
“We’re Going on a Bear Hunt”
I mention this in the episode because it has a cadence to it that you can play with. This book is repetitive and that allows you to adjust your speed or tone when reading it, and you can almost turn it into a song by incorporating melody. This is a great book for babies and toddlers. At this point, my 5-year-old daughter still enjoys it, but that is probably because I keep it fun. Get it here.
“30 Stories for Boys with God-Sized Dreams” (There is one for girls too)
We started with these when our kids were 4 years old. They are historical and informative, which makes them interesting as a dad because I learned things too. Each story provides a good amount of details about each individual and does a nice job bringing out the Christian principle.
Another component of these books is they highlight accomplishments that sometimes are not highlighted in Christian circles. There was a time when I was growing up where the narrative was in order to do something for God, you had to become a preacher of some sort. These books expand this beautifully by including people who were not preachers but lived out their faith in obvious ways. These books have generated good conversation with me and the kids. Here’s the book for boys and the book for girls.
“The Day the Crayons Came Home”
This book hits close to home, and because of that, I busted out laughing the first time I read it. The book brings to life crayons and the journeys they sometimes go through with children. The level of accuracy portrayed is perfect and nothing short of humorous. Just wait until you get to burnt Sienna.
If you want to see how you can take real life and mix in some imagination, I would highly recommend “The Day the Crayons Came Home.” Get it here.
Children’s Bible
All Christian parents typically have one of these on hand or are gifted one when they are first expecting baby number one, but “The Tiny Truths Illustrated Bible” has been my favorite. I personally love telling Bible stories, but I know every dad may not be equipped or capable of doing this initially. First, don’t be ashamed of that. Get this children’s Bible and just start reading. This version does a great job of accurately telling the stories and highlighting significant elements of each story. The parable of the prodigal son, which is really about the father, is included in this Bible story book, and I loved that they point out that the father was waiting for his son. So many people miss that, and it is so crucial to what Jesus is saying. Tiny Truths is my absolute favorite Bible for kids. You can get it here.
If you would like to learn more about the parable of the father and prodigal son in Luke 15, check out this podcast episode.
Read and Make Disciples
Reading to your kids, even when they are babies, benefits them in so many ways, but it also benefits you as a disciple maker. Learn from books yourself so that you can communicate to your kids through stories and in a way they connect with. Stories have the ability to possess evolving truths with simple analogies and expressions. Do not try and recreate the wheel. Read, learn, be creative, and make disciples.