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Character Building

One of the worst things a preacher can do is moralize from the pulpit. God's Law isn't a list of moral attributes His people ought to display, it's a reflection of His perfection. The way to righteousness isn't a particular moral code, it's surrendered faith in Jesus Christ. If morals were what God expected of us, there really would be many roads to heaven; as it is, Christ is the only way.

That's why we aren't fans of character building programs that emphasize good behavior. Obviously, children should be taught to obey, to do what God commands, and to avoid sin, but more importantly they need to learn to love God. If our hearts belong to God, the rest will follow. Those who claim they can live however they please because they have faith in Jesus don't really know anything about faith or Jesus.

When Jesus indwells us and renews our desires, the more we relinquish to His control, the more we start wanting to do right and the less we want to do wrong. Our kids are no different—if we raise them to think they have to abide by some legalistic standard, they'll likely get frustrated and even fall away from the faith. If we train them to find fulfillment in Christ and to desire Him completely, eventually they'll also learn to follow His example.

Not all character curriculum is created equal. Some are better able to inspire kids to Christlikeness through simply pointing to Him than others, and some do get bogged down in details, but we've managed to select books that get the doctrine of grace right and aren't too focused on outward displays of virtue and obedience.

Again, children should be virtuous, and they should obey. But they never will if they don't first love Christ. Godly character isn't predicated on what others can see, it's predicated on what only God Himself can see: our hearts. In other words, a good character curriculum starts from the inside and works out to the actions and behavior.

Favorites at Exodus Books are the Doorposts materials by Pam Forster, a variety of books and resources designed to steer children on the path of reverence, devotion and faith. Pam's books are both practical and spiritual, and speak as much to parents as to their offspring. Since children learn most about life from their parents, we appreciate this parental emphasis very much.

In the end, a book can't make your children good. The only thing that can make them good is the transformative power of Christ's blood, freely offered through faith in Him. But neither can children learn the Gospel and its demands through osmosis; they must be told the story of God's redemptive acts over and over, and these books will help you do just that, as well as showing them what the life of a Christian ought to look like.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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Character Building
Character Building
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Buster Tries to Bail
Good News for Little Hearts
by Edited by David and Nan Powlison, Illustrated by Joe Hox
from New Growth Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$14.44 $7.60 (1 in stock)
Buster's Ears Trip Him Up
Good News for Little Hearts
by Edited by Edward T. Welch, Illustrated by Joe Hox
from New Growth Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$15.29 $7.60 (1 in stock)
Caspian Crashes the Party
Good News for Little Hearts
by Edited by Edward T. Welch, Illustrated by Joe Hox
from New Growth Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$15.29 $7.60 (1 in stock)
Cry, Heart, But Never Break
by Glenn Ringtved, illustrated by Charlotte Pardi
from Enchanted Lion Books
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
$14.41
Gus Loses His Grip
Good News for Little Hearts
by Edited by David Powlison, Illustrated by Joe Hox
from New Growth Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$15.29 $7.60 (1 in stock)
Gwen Tells Tales
Good News for Little Hearts
by Edited by Edward T. Welch, Illustrated by Joe Hox
from New Growth Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$15.29
Halle Takes a Stand
Good News for Little Hearts
by Edited by Paul David Tripp, Illustrated by Joe Hox
from New Growth Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$15.29 $7.60 (1 in stock)
Henry Says Good-bye
Good News for Little Hearts
by Edited by Edward T. Welch, Illustrated by Joe Hox
from New Growth Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$14.44 $7.60 (1 in stock)
Henry's Big Mistake
Good News for Little Hearts
by Edited by Lauren Whitman, Illustrated by Joe Hox
from New Growth Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$15.29
Hidden Treasures
by Pam Forster
from Doorposts
for Nursery-4th grade
in Doorposts Materials (Location: BIBCH-DP)
$22.00 $15.00 (1 in stock)
Homemade Uniforms
by Daniel Forster
for 6th-10th grade
in American Civil War Era (1850-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$5.00
Honor Your Father and Mother
by Pam Forster
from Doorposts
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Doorposts Materials (Location: BIBCH-DP)
$12.00 $8.00 (1 in stock)
If-Then Chart (small, color, laminated)
by Pam Forster
from Doorposts
for Preschool-6th grade
in Doorposts Materials (Location: BIBCH-DP)
$6.50 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Jax's Tail Twitches
Good News for Little Hearts
by Edited by David Powlison, Illustrated by Joe Hox
from New Growth Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$15.29 $7.60 (1 in stock)
Know and Follow Rules
from Free Spirit Publishing
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Manners & Etiquette (Location: BIBCH-MAN)
$11.99
Listen and Learn
by Cheri J. Meiners, M.Ed., illustrated by Meredith Johnson
from Free Spirit Publishing
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Manners & Etiquette (Location: BIBCH-MAN)
$11.99
Mighty Acts of God
by Pam Forster
from Doorposts
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Doorposts Materials (Location: BIBCH-DP)
$7.00
Mind Your Manners Coloring Book
by Roz Fulcher
from Dover Publications
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Manners & Etiquette (Location: BIBCH-MAN)
$5.99
My Brother is Away
by Sara Greenwood, illustrated by Luisa Uribe
from Random House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.14
Myself and Others Book 1
by Cheryl Swope
from Memoria Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Manners & Etiquette (Location: BIBCH-MAN)
$21.60
Myself and Others Book 2
by Cheryl Swope
from Memoria Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Manners & Etiquette (Location: BIBCH-MAN)
$21.60
Myself and Others Book 3
by Cheryl Swope
from Memoria Press
for 2nd-4th grade
in Manners & Etiquette (Location: BIBCH-MAN)
$21.60
Myself and Others Book 4
by Cheryl Swope
from Memoria Press
for 5th-7th grade
in Manners & Etiquette (Location: BIBCH-MAN)
$21.60
Narrow Way Character Curriculum
from Pearables
for 1st-6th grade
in Pearables Character Curriculum (Location: BIBCH-PCC)
$32.95 $21.00 (1 in stock)
One Blood for Kids
by Ken Ham
1st edition from Master Books
in Character Building (Location: BIBCH)
$13.59 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Profiles of Integrity #1: 1775-1781
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Integrity #2: 1804-1865
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Integrity #3: 1872-1919
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Integrity #4: 1920-1945
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Valor #1: July 9, 1755–June 17, 1775
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Valor #2: December 11775–December 1777
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Valor #3: December 1777–October 1780
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Profiles of Valor #4: January 1781–February 1832
by Marilyn Boyer and Grace Tumas Ehrman
from Master Books
for 6th-9th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$9.34
Protocol Matters
by Sandra Boswell
from Canon Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Manners & Etiquette (Location: BIBCH-MAN)
$18.00 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Proverbs People Book Two
by Rick & Marilyn Boyer
from Learning Parent
for 3rd-6th grade
in Character Building (Location: BIBCH)
$15.00
Put On Chart (large)
by Pam Forster
from Doorposts
for Preschool-6th grade
in Doorposts Materials (Location: BIBCH-DP)
$14.00 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Put On Chart (small)
by Pam Forster
from Doorposts
for Preschool-6th grade
in Doorposts Materials (Location: BIBCH-DP)
$14.00 $9.00 (2 in stock)
Richard Scarry's Please & Thank You Book
by Richard Scarry
from Random House
Word Books for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$5.09 $2.00 (1 in stock)
Richard Scarry's Polite Elephant
by Richard Scarry
from Golden Press
for Nursery-1st grade
in Little Golden Books (Location: PIC-GOLD)
$5.09
Sadie Finds Her Voice
Good News for Little Hearts
by Edited by Aaron Sironi, Illustrated by Joe Hox
from New Growth Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$15.29
Service Opportunities Chart
by Pam Forster
from Doorposts
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Doorposts Materials (Location: BIBCH-DP)
$6.50
Sir Badalot and the Cranky Danky Dragon
by Rachel Jankovic
from Canon Press
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$16.14
Something Sad Happened!
by Darby A. Strickland, illustrated by Thais Mesquita
from New Growth Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$17.99
Something Scary Happened
by Darby A. Strickland, illustrated by Carlotta Notaro
from New Growth Press
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$17.99
Teaching Character through Literature K-3 - Guide
by Rebecca Berg
from Beautiful Feet Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$29.95
Teaching Character through Literature - Guide
by Rebecca Berg
from Beautiful Feet Books
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB)
$17.95
Tell God How You Feel
by Christina Fox, Illustrated by Lisa Flanagan
from Christian Focus Publications
for 1st-4th grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$12.99
Tomas Looks Up & Out
Good News for Little Hearts
by Edited by J. Alasdair Groves, Illustrated by Joe Hox
from New Growth Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$15.29
Tori Comes Out of Her Shell
Good News for Little Hearts
by Edited by Jayne V. Clark, Illustrated by Joe Hox
from New Growth Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$15.29 $7.60 (1 in stock)
What Did You Do Today?
by Whitney Antis, illustrated by Hana Augustine
from Whitney Antis
for Nursery-1st grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$17.99
What Do You Do, Dear?
by Sesyle Joslin, illustrated by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Humorous Book on Manners for Preschool-2nd grade
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.79
What Do You Say, Dear?
by Sesyle Joslin, illustrated by Maurice Sendak
from HarperCollins
Humorous Book on Manners for Preschool-2nd grade
1959 Caldecott Honor Book
in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE)
$6.76
Where Faith Grows Level 1
by Jessica McCullar
from Master Books
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Master Books Bible & Worldview (Location: BIB-MBWV)
$46.99
Young Lady of Valor
by Pam Forster
from Doorposts
for Nursery-4th grade
in Doorposts Materials (Location: BIBCH-DP)
$4.00 $2.00 (1 in stock)
Zoe's Hiding Place
Good News for Little Hearts
by Edited by David Powlison, Illustrated by Joe Hox
from New Growth Press
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Emotions for Kids (Location: BIBCH-EM)
$14.44 $7.60 (1 in stock)
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