Exploring Grace Together [eBook]

40 Devotionals for the Family

Children need more than behavior modification.
They need the gospel.

But every parent knows how hard it can be to communicate the truth of God’s Word and the message of God’s grace in a way that engages the hearts, minds, and affections of the little ones we love so much.

Assisting parents with this high calling, Jessica Thompson offers us an alternative to merely telling our kids what they must do to please God and be a “good Christian.” Designed for the whole family, this collection of gospel-centered devotionals will help you teach your children to treasure and rely on Jesus more than anything else.

Jessica Thompson is a wife, a mother of three, and a member of an Acts 29 church. She also cowrote Give Them Grace: Dazzling Your Kids with the Love of Jesus with her mother, Elyse Fitzpatrick.

“Confession time: it is scarier to lead my kids in devotions than to preach at my church. As much as I hate to admit it, I need help. And the truth is, there are few gospel-centered, accessible resources to help dads like me lead his kids devotionally. Jessica is a trusted guide to help moms and dads lead their kids to love Jesus.”
—Darrin Patrick, Lead Pastor, The Journey, St. Louis, Missouri; Vice President, Acts 29; Chaplain to the St. Louis Cardinals; author, The Dude’s Guide to Manhood

“I can’t think of a better subject to walk through with my family or a better person to walk through it with than Jessica Thompson. Exploring Grace Together has a treasure trove of grace reflections and questions at the end of each lesson so that the treasure may be found. Read each devotional, and you will love the Savior in greater ways.”
—Trillia Newbell, author, United: Captured by God’s Vision for Diversity and Fear and Faith

“Exploring Grace Together brings the gospel to bear on real-life issues that kids face such as loneliness, jealousy, and failure. Along the way it also calls us as parents to believe that the gospel—not our rules or expectations or kids’ good behavior or accomplishments—is truly the power of God for salvation in our kids’ lives. That means this book is good news for the whole family.”
—Nancy Guthrie, Bible Teacher; author, Seeing Jesus in the Old Testament Bible study series

“My wife and I have enjoyed journeying through Exploring Grace Together with our kids. These forty short, fun devotionals have been kid-tested and proven by the Montgomery boys and girls and by two grateful parents who have often lamented the shortage of books that teach the gospel of God’s grace rather than the ‘gospel of rules and behavior modification.’”
—Daniel Montgomery, Pastor, Sojourn Community Church, Louisville, Kentucky; Founder, Sojourn Network; author, Faithmapping and Proof

“This book is a special gift to children, parents, and caregivers of children. These brief devotions are packed full of the doctrines and message of the radical, compassionate, and comforting grace of God. They are also deeply practical and applicable to real-life experiences of six- to ten year olds. We wish this book had been available when we were children, but we are very thankful that we will have it for our daughters.”
—Justin and Lindsey Holcomb, co-authors, Rid of My Disgrace and Save Me from Violence

“Finally—a collection of family devotions centered on the only hope for joy and change that moms, dads, and children have: the gospel of Jesus Christ. In Exploring Grace Together Jessica Thompson shares engaging stories, explains key theological concepts, and asks revealing, heart-level questions, all to help your family get beyond therapeutic moralism and powerless application and right to the heart of the Christian faith: the finished work of God’s only Son.”
—Jared C. Wilson, Director of Content Strategy, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

“There’s nothing I long more to talk with my children about than the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ. But sometimes I just don’t know where to start! Exploring Grace Together is a resource for parents and kids—creatively and plainly presenting gospel truths. In these devotions Thompson holds up the multifaceted jewel of the gospel and turns it every which way to show off the brilliance of God’s grace to us in Jesus Christ. I’m so thankful for this book that leads parents to worship Jesus together with their kids.”
—Gloria Furman, pastor’s wife, Redeemer Church of Dubai; author, The Pastor’s Wife and Missional Motherhood      

“Jessica Thompson has written the children’s devotional I’ve been searching for! This is not a book of morality lessons that will leave your kids looking to themselves to do better. Instead, Jessica extends her heart for the freedom of the gospel to your kids as she points them away from themselves and to the lover of their souls. Parents can confidently use this grace-drenched resource with their children, knowing that as they wade through the challenges of the growing-up years they will daily be encouraged in the gospel.”
—Kimm Crandall, author, Christ in the Chaos: How the Gospel Changes Motherhood; mother of four

“In this one-of-a-kind devotional, Jessica faithfully points parents and children alike to the good news that Jesus is bigger than all our mistakes, and his love covers all our sins. Through wise and wonderful storytelling, Jessica helps us discover the free grace available to us in every situation because of Jesus’s finished work on the cross. Find fresh mercy waiting for your family every day in Jessica’s consistent message that we love because he first loved us, and there is absolutely nothing we can do to change God’s love for us in Christ Jesus. Give your family the priceless gift of reading this liberating devotional. Our family will be reading it over and over again.”
—Jeannie Cunnion, MSW; author, Parenting the Wholehearted Child

“Start this devotional tomorrow with your children if you want their hearts comforted, challenged, and compelled to trust Jesus’s love to cover all their struggles. Each page leads the whole family to the cross of Jesus—where all of our needs are met.”
—Trisha R. Wilkerson, author, Everyday Worship; biblical counselor; wife of Pastor Mike Wilkerson, Mars Hill, Seattle, Washington; mother of six

“Kids have problems too. We often try to ‘help’ our children by minimizing their problems, telling them that things will get better or that they will have bigger issues to deal with when they are older. The truth is that we need to help our children assess and address their hearts from the early years. Their problem may not be that significant, but their heart attitude in response to their problem is of vital importance. Jessica uses simple, real-life issues that adolescents can readily relate to, helps them to see any sinful responses that may exist in their heart, and unfolds gospel truth and the love of Christ in a nurturing way. This is a wonderful book to read as a family to explore together God’s amazing grace provided through Christ our Savior!”
—Kristie Anyabwile, wife of Thabiti Anyabwile, Assistant Pastor for Church Planting, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC; mom of three; discipler of women