The Sword Study: II Timothy

Endorsed by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Kirk Cameron and Joni Eareckson Tada, The Sword Study, from The Shelby Kennedy Foundation, is an incredible discipleship resource sure to revitalize your family's time in God's word.  The foundation exists to help families strengthen their personal relationship with the Lord.  They do this by coming along side parents as they disciple their children through in-depth study of the Word of God, Scripture memory and prayer.

The Sword Study series was originally created for competitors in The Shelby Kennedy Foundation's National Bible Bee.  Tammy McMahan and her husband Mark (authors) have been committed to the foundation and its programs both nationally and locally since it first began in 2009.  Tammy now serves as the Vice-President and author of the family-centered Sword Study Bible study series.  Mark and Tammy home school their five children on their small farm near Wilmington.

Thanks to the generosity of Glass Road Media and Management, I was sent the complete set of study materials of the latest installment in The Sword Study series:  2 Timothy.

The study is arranged for the in-depth study of one book of the Bible for five days each week.  The daily study consists of devotion, investigation of the scriptures, and guided prayer following the A.C.T.S. model.  Each days study takes approximately 20 minutes.

Organized into different levels according to age, each study provides in-depth material from the same book of the Bible.  Each study book is synchronized to cover the same truths at the same time but with graphics and learning tools appropriate for the age group.

• Level 1 - Ages 4-7, is an activity book with coloring, drawing, matching and other fun learning tools.
• Level 2 - Ages 7-10, contains light reading, fill-in-the-blank, and application sections.
• Level 3 - Ages 11-14, involves more investigation and questions for the student to answer.
• Level 4 - For teens and adults, steps up the reading and the depth of study including the definition of several Greek or Hebrew terms.
• Level 5 - For the parent or study leader with guidance and background to lead a group of all ages.

Our family consists of my husband and myself and our three children, ages 15, 7 and 4.  My husband and I have struggled with consistency in family Bible study/devotion due to the differences in our children's ages. The difficulty comes in finding a way to go beyond a very shallow look at scripture but have something that reaches the age difference and level of understanding in our children.  What an answer to our dilemma as well as that of many other Christian families The Sword Study series provides!

The beauty of this age appropriate and synchronized in-depth discipleship tool is that it can be utilized in your church as well.  Along with the daily guide, a weekly "Family Bonfire" time is provided to celebrate your family's growth and make family discipleship a reality instead of the struggle it sometimes can be.  I really appreciate the emphasis on prayer that is provided as well the concentration on scripture memorization.  The entire family memorizes the same passage each week.  The passages memorized correspond to what is being studied throughout the week.  Bible memory cards in four different translations (KJV, NKJV, NASB and ESV) are provided.

I can't think of or recommend a better or easier way to get your family in God's word than through this amazing resource.  You can explore sample pages and learn more about The Sword Study series by going HERE.  You can purchase the study series from Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com.  The series contains studies focusing on 1 John, 2 Timothy, 1 Peter and Colossians which can all be found at the foundation's store as well as major online retailers such as the ones mentioned above.

Blessings,
Jennifer